Though botanical gardens are an important and widely visited component of urban green spaces (UGS) worldwide, their pollution is rarely studied. The aim of this study was to assess botanical garden soil contamination and ecotoxicity and to evaluate whether urban botanical gardens are more contaminated than urban parks. Soil assessments showed serious contamination with Cd, Pb and Zn, emitted predominantly by traffic, agrochemicals and past construction and demolition waste. The discovery of hazardous historical ecological burden in the UGS calls for the necessity of detailed surveys of such areas. Despite prevailing moderate-to-heavy contamination, the soil was only slightly ecotoxic. Maximum immobilisation inhibition of Daphnia magna reached 15%. Growth of Sinapis alba L. was predominantly stimulated (73%), and Desmodesmus subspicatus Chodat was exclusively stimulated, possibly due to soil alkalinity and fertiliser-related nutrients. The hypothesis of a higher contamination of urban botanical gardens compared to urban parks was confirmed. However, urban parks can face a greater risk of soil ecotoxicity, hypothetically due to decreased activity of soil organisms resulting from adverse soil conditions caused by active recreation. The results highlight the need for an increased focus on botanical and ornamental gardens when assessing and managing UGS as areas potentially more burdened with contamination.
A complex approach to geodiversity and landscape in order to foster geoconservation and develop geotourism and geoeducation is usually more effective than isolated protection and promotion of geoheritage sites without wider context. A Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) represents a reasonable tool for how to follow these goals in cooperation with local stakeholders. This specific document is not focused only on an inventory of sites of Earth science interest in an area, but encompasses all geodiversity (geological, geomorphological, soil and hydrological features, processes, systems and relationships). As geoconservation often goes hand in hand with education, sustainable tourism and promotion, the GAP includes practical proposals for management and rational use of the area’s geodiversity and geoheritage. This complex approach is needed as it provides a complement to the site-oriented protection or management and, moreover, it can be perceived as coherent with a geoethical approach. The paper presents a case study from Moravian-Slovak border (a central part of Bílé Karpaty/Biele Karpaty Mountains) where the proposal for GAP (including inventory, assessment and management measures) was elaborated together with local authorities, schools and other stakeholders.
Geological paths (geopaths, geotrails) represent a type of educational paths that connect sites which are interesting from the Earth-sciences point of view. These sites (e.g. outcrops, old quarries, historical buildings built of local stone or viewpoints) often represent the links between geodiversity and other phenomena within a region (which is in accordance with a holistic approach to geotourism). Thus, they can give complex information not only about the abiotic nature but also about biodiversity, history or culture of the region, usually through narrative. Suitable interpretation of geodiversity and its relationships to the biodiversity and cultural heritage allows to identify regional specifics, it helps to find the mutual connections between particular phenomena within the region and it supports the holistic perception of a given region. The contribution presents an example from the Brno city where the urban geopath can be used for teaching regional geography of Brno and its surroundings.
Geoconservation is an action of conserving and enhancing geological, geomorphological, hydrological and soil features and processes, sites and specimens. Originally and usually, the geoconservation activities aim at preserving specific sites of Earth-science interest, respectively geoheritage. However, for effective and sustainable management of geodiversity and geoheritage, it is necessary to take into account the surroundings of those specific sites and undertake the geoconservation measures for wider area. Geoconservation activities involve the care, management, protection and promotion of geoheritage and geodiversity and help to balance the conservation needs and sustainable use of these entities. However, despite established legal protection, threats to geoheritage and geodiversity can arise and reaching a compromise can be difficult. Thus, the identification and assessment of threats should be also included in geoconservation activities. In this paper, the two-level threat assessment is applied and discussed. The first level of threat assessment corresponds to the geoconservation in a strict sense – the method for assessing the threats is based on the already used criteria within geosite/geomorphosite concept. The second level of threat assessment corresponds to the geoconservation in broader sense and here, it is represented by Risk Assessment Matrix which assess the threats within wider area. Using both approaches provides a complex view on the threats to geodiversity and geoheritage in a study area and complement each other. As a case study, we identified and assessed threats, risks and possible conflicts of interest in an area situated in the outskirts of large city (Hády Hill in Brno, Czech Republic). Based on the evaluation, we proposed particular measures that could contribute to the balance of the different demands and more effective geoconservation management in the study area.
Traditional forest management models could potentially be used to combat changes in environmental conditions by stimulating soil properties and supporting tree growth. In this study, we compare the effects of different oak (Quercus petraea /Matt./Liebl.) forest models [coppice, coppice-with-standard, stocked coppice (reference)] on seasonal variability in soil properties at upland igneous and sedimentary sites (280–418 m a.s.l.). Soils were sampled at 0–5 and 10–15 cm in 50 × 50 m model and reference plots in January, April, July and October between 2015 and 2019, and soil organic matter, soil respiration, enzyme activity, pH and water-holding capacity were determined. The effects of forest model and seasonality were then compared using time-series analysis, analysis of variance and discriminant analysis. Overall, the models differentiated subsurface soil horizons from the topsoil and their feedback varied between sites. While water-holding capacity increased at the igneous stands, acid phosphomonoesterase activity increased and nitrogen content decreased at the sedimentary site. While the most significant negative influence of the forest model on soil properties was observed at the sedimentary site, the greatest increase in soil organic matter and water holding capacity was registered at the igneous coppice-with-standards site. Consequently, using the appropriate forest management model on different subsoil types could be valuable for improving carbon sequestration and drought resistance.
Geodiversity has an irreplaceable significance for both biodiversity and for human society as it has numerous functions and offers various benefits and services. These have been already recognized and assessed by using numerous approaches and methods (e.g., geosite assessment methods, geodiversity indexes, and evaluation of geodiversity functions within the concept of ecosystem services). Nearly all these procedures were elaborated by professionals in the Earth sciences or related domains. The assessment of geodiversity functions and services within nature conservation by the public was not the subject of detailed research yet (with an exception of geotourist assessment). This communication presents the results of a pilot research that is focused on the analysis and interpretation of the public opinion on geodiversity and geoconservation. The data were collected by using the semi-structured questionnaire, and based on them, the interpretation was done and comparison or confrontation with original hypotheses was undertaken.
Detailed, three-dimensional modeling of trees is a new approach in botanical taxonomy. Representations of individual trees are a prerequisite for accurate assessments of tree growth and morphological metronomy. This study tests the abilities of 3D modeling of trees to determine the various metrics of growth habit and compare morphological differences. The study included four species of the genus Dracaena: D. draco, D. cinnabari, D. ombet, and D. serrulata. Forty-nine 3D tree point clouds were created, and their morphological metrics were derived and compared. Our results indicate the possible application of 3D tree point clouds to dendrological taxonomy. Basic metrics of growth habit and coefficients derived from the 3D point clouds developed in the present study enable the statistical evaluation of differences among dragon tree species.
Abstract Geodiversity represents the basis of landscapes and it has close connections to biodiversity and culture. This complexity is visible in different types of areas and should be taken into account when planning and managing natural resources, considering legal protection and developing sustainable forms of tourism and environmental education activities. Abandoned quarries represent a good example of a specific ecosystem where the relationships between geodiversity, biodiversity and culture are very tight and clearly visible. The Hády quarries (Brno, Czech Republic) is such a case and has significant potential regarding the development of geotourist and geoeducational activities. To recognize and evaluate the mutual links between abiotic, biotic and cultural issues, the ecosystem services concept was applied here and, together with a mind map, it served as a basis for the design of a geotourist map. However, merging these two approaches can be used for other purposes. It may be considered a starting point for designing integrated promotion, conservation and management of natural and cultural heritage. These two tools also enable involving local stakeholders and communities and may be applied in other areas where geodiversity, biodiversity and culture are closely interconnected.
