Establishing minimum water level for Plastiras reservoir (Greece) combining water quality modelling with landscape aesthetics

A water quality model (MERES) is applied in the multi-purpose reservoir of Plastiras in Greece. The model was calibrated with limited field data using the standard trial and error procedure; next, it was applied for four scenarios of reservoir operation, which correspond to four values of minimum water levels (MWL). Model results were combined with landscape aesthetics to establish a “safe” MWL in the reservoir. MWL was proposed to be +784 m, a value that ensures a very good water quality by retaining the reservoir in the status of “a little beyond oligotrophic” and a very good quality of landscape with an acceptable area of dead zones; it also ensures an annual release of 127.5 hm³ of water within a reliability level of 90%. This quantity can be considered as acceptable from the water supply point of view.     

建筑,消融于环境——基于消融性的建筑造型设计手法探析

站在环境美学的角度,从建筑造型形态入手,研究建筑如何实现与环境的相互消融。在明确消融性意义的基础上,通过实例论证和分析总结的方法,从地形消融和元素消融等两方面进行具体阐明,在建筑与环境的矛盾日益突出的情况下,以期为二者的融合找到契合点,进而创造环境的建筑,实现环境美并为建筑造型的设计提供一定的参考和借鉴。     

现代体育美学对体育教师的要求

全面推动素质教育,已成为我国21世纪体育教学改革的主要内容。体育美学作为体育教学的一个重要组成部分,在素质教育的改革大潮中应对体育教师提出什么样的要求呢?本文将从体育美学和中国传统哲学范畴——“形神论”的角度,对在体育教学中起主导作用的体育教师进行分析,进而阐明21世纪体育教师应具备什么样的素质。     

中西环境哲学的源流与发展

本文界定环境哲学的基本范围框架，以“天人合一”和“主客恶性二分”分别概括中国和西方的传统环境形上学特征，分析环境哲学的源流及其在当代可持续发展要求下的学科建构。     

Nature Quality in Organic Farming: A Conceptual Analysis of Considerations and Criteria in A European Context

Nature quality in relation to farming is a complex field. It involves different traditions and interests, different views of what nature is, and different ways of valuing nature. Furthermore there is a general lack of empirical data on many aspects of nature quality in the farmed landscape. In this paper we discuss nature quality from the perspective of organic farming, which has its own values and goals in relation to nature – the Ecologist View of Nature. This is in contrast to the Culturist View characteristic of much conventional agriculture and the Naturalist View characteristic of the traditional biological approach to nature quality. This threefold distinction forms a framework for exploration of nature quality criteria in the farmed landscape. The traditional work on nature quality has mainly focused on biological interests based on a Naturalist View of Nature. In this paper we will explore how criteria for nature quality based on the Ecologist View can be developed and thereby feed into the ongoing discussion of the development of the organic farming practices. We suggest additional criteria for nature quality based on an Ecologist View of Nature: biodiversity, habitat diversity, extent and structure, functional integrity of habitats and agro-ecosystems, landscape integrity, accessibility, and experientiality. The larger set of Naturalist and Ecologist criteria can provide a wider and more balanced basis for developing nature quality indicators that are relevant in the farmed landscapes. This broader approach to nature quality is also expected to benefit the general societal discussions and decisions on farming and nature.     

BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: A PERSONAL REFLECTION1

ABSTRACT: A forester shares personal reflections on biodiversity, finding he must deal with the question of “What is biodiversity?” before dealing with “What is biodiversity good for?” Even before that, the complexity of the scientific and social aspects of biodiversity must be looked at to set a context. The author believes that biodiversity has scientific, recreational, wildness, natural history, and spiritual values and contributes to sustainability and productivity. Aesthetic values also are found to be very important, and the author concludes “that biodiversity has values that are worth protecting, even in the face of scientific uncertainty.” Personal reflection on environmental issues is necessary to fully understand what one believes, and to be an active participant in issues of environmental ethics.     

THE RESTON (VIRGINIA) LAKE-USE SURVEY: PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT: A public attitude survey was developed by a citizen committee and mailed to all residences (14,747) in the planned, suburban community of Reston, Virginia, which is responsible for maintaining four small, recreational impoundments. Over 18 percent of survey forms were returned, and characteristics of the survey sample suggest that the suite of respondents was representative of the Reston community as a whole. Of those respondents indicating a preferred lake use, 48 percent chose walking or looking as most important; boating as second at 27 percent; and fishing was third, favored by only 8 percent. Citizens feel strongly (94 percent) that the lakes are valuable community assets. Appearance was the characteristic most valued by 62 percent of respondents, and 58 percent considered degradation of water quality either the first or second most important ecological issue affecting local lakes. These findings provide a decisive public mandate for lake management activities related to visual quality. In response to this survey, the Reston Association, a homeowners' organization responsible for the lakes, increased public access of visual enjoyment, intensified litter control, expanded activities in public education on lake management and ecology, and continued a long-term program of water quality monitoring.     

The effect of landscape type and landscape elements on public visual preferences: ways to use knowledge in the context of landscape planning

This study deals with an assessment of the visual quality of landscapes, and specifically with the perception of selected elements in the landscape. The aim of the study was to find out how particular elements are perceived in various landscape types, whether this perception is affected by the landscape type in which the elements are placed, and to what extent the respondents’ characteristics affect the assessment. The study was carried out with a sample of respondents of various ages, educational levels and types of employment. The respondents came from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The preferences of the respondents were determined using an online questionnaire, in which they rated landscape photographs on a 21 point rating scale with a range from ?10 to +10 points. Using generalised linear mixed effect models, it was found that the perception of an element is most affected by the landscape type, since the same element was assessed differently according to the landscape in which it was situated. The results confirmed that selected elements which do not disturb the harmony of the landscape are generally positively perceived, and the selected elements of a technical character are generally negatively perceived. Among the characteristics of the respondents, only gender and the respondent's current place of residence have an effect on their visual preferences.     

Incentives for low-input land-use types and their influence on the attractiveness of landscapes

Changes in agricultural policy have traceable effects on landscape aesthetics. For the catchment area of Lake Greifensee, an economic land-use model predicted land-use changes caused by agricultural policy. Three scenarios implementing different direct payment schemes show that land-use intensity will decrease by 2011 compared with the ‘reference status’ 2000.The output of the economic land-use model is explicit in space. It was assessed by the ‘naturalness’ perception factor of the method proposed by Hoisl et al. [1989. Landschaftsästhetik in der Flurbereinigung. Materialien zur Flurbereinigung—Heft 17. Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten, München] with regard to landscape aesthetics. Even though lower land-use intensity is generally predicted by 2011, the values of the ‘naturalness’ perception factor do not significantly improve if the payment scheme remains unchanged, or if the payment scheme is amended by incentives for specific location of the ecological compensation areas (ECAs). A significant reduction in the values of the ‘naturalness’ perception factor was found when subsidies for ECA's were cancelled. This leads us to the conclusion that in order to keep Swiss landscapes as attractive as they are at present, policy must sustain incentives for low-intensity land-use types.     

生态美学与生态城市建设研究

现代城市日益成为“水泥森林”和PM2.5的“生产车间”,城市中的绿化植被不过是庞大的“水泥森林”中的零星点缀和PM2.5笼罩下的脆弱生机,只是划出一点空间给有限的自然生物一个及其有限的生存喘息,这种划出一块生态区域与真正的生态化城市相比具有相当大的距离.要将这种“划生态”转变为生态化,需要从生态美学思维的高度考虑城市园林与生态城市的关系.使城市掩映在自然生态之中,这才是对“水泥森林”、PM2.5和现代“城市病”的有效救治.