Analysis of the effect of leaf-on and leaf-off forest canopy conditions on LiDAR derived estimations of forest structural diversity

UK legislation aims to conserve and enhance biological diversity within the UK and so accurate measurements of forest biodiversity are important to assess efficacy of management activities in this context. Forest structural diversity metrics can be used as indicators of biodiversity and airborne LiDAR data provide a means of producing these metrics. Forest structure metrics derived from LiDAR can be significantly affected by the canopy conditions the datasets are collected under. Existing studies have combined and compared leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR datasets in existing analyses, however the majority of these utilise field sites where climate, species and terrain are very different to those found in the UK. Additionally, studies comparing leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR over forested areas assess the changes in pulse penetration through the canopy and how this effects forest structure metrics and not the effect on modelled forest structure diversity. The novel aim of this research is to assess and compare the accuracy of forest structural diversity modelled from two LiDAR surveys collected under leaf-on and leaf-off conditions, and do so in a UK forest environment. A robust methodology for correcting the absolute and relative accuracy between datasets was adopted and comparative analysis of ground detection and return height metrics (maximum, mean and percentiles of return height) and return height diversity (L-CV, CV, kurtosis, standard deviation, skewness and variance) was undertaken. Regression models describing the field tree size diversity measurements were constructed using diversity metrics from each LiDAR dataset in isolation and, where appropriate, a mixture of the two. Both surveys were consistently effected by growth and differing survey parameters making the isolation and assessment of the effects of seasonal change difficult. Despite this, models created using diversity variables from both LiDAR datasets were generally very similar. Both leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR dataset models described 65% of the variance in tree height diversity (R² 0.65, RMSE 0.05, p <0.0001), however models utilising leaf-off LiDAR diversity variables described DBH diversity, crown length diversity and crown width diversity more successfully than leaf-on (leaf-on models resulted in R² values of 0.68, 0.41 and 0.19 respectively and leaf-off models 0.71, 0.62 and 0.26 respectively). When diversity variables calculated from both LiDAR datasets were combined into one model to describe tree height diversity and DBH diversity their efficacy was increased (R² of 0.77 for tree height diversity and 0.72 for DBH diversity). The results suggest strongly that tree height diversity models derived from airborne LiDAR collected (and where appropriate combined) under any seasonal conditions can be used to differentiate between single and multiple storey UK forest structure with confidence. However, leaf-off LiDAR acquisitions can generate models with the ability to better explain the diversity of crown shapes in a forest stand than leaf-on, with no improvement in model performance when the two are combined

Displacement and Emotional Well-Being among Married and Unmarried Syrian Adolescent Girls in Lebanon: An Analysis of Narratives

Lebanon hosts over one million refugees displaced from Syria as a result of the armed conflict—of whom, approximately 15% are adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years of age. Many female adolescent migrants report a decrease in quality of life and an increase in family tensions. This study sought to investigate the emotional well-being of adolescent Syrian girls in Lebanon. We hypothesized that married girls may experience additional hardships and thus greater feelings of dissatisfaction in daily life, given their young marriage and responsibilities at home. This study was part of a large mixed-methods study on the experiences of Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon (n = 1422). Using line-by-line coding and thematic analysis, 188 first-person narratives from Syrian girls were analysed. Our results highlight poor emotional well-being among married and unmarried girls, with sadness, fear and anger commonly mentioned. Some participants expressed feelings of hope, happiness, gratefulness and empowerment. Unmarried girls (n = 111) were more likely to associate their shared stories with negative feelings such as sadness (47% vs. 22%), disappointment (30% vs. 19%), and frustration (32% vs. 22%) than were married girls (n = 77). Four themes emerged as important determinants: access to education, perceived safety, peer support, and longing for life back in Syria. Continued efforts to improve emotional well-being for married and unmarried refugee girls are needed in Lebanon, in particular those that address the nuances for these groups

Borders and Catastrophe: lessons from COVID-19 for the European Green Deal

This article considers how the European Union and Member States’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis in the first half of 2020 could inform climate action in Europe, and particularly the resumption of actions on the EGD. It first outlines the EU’s public health and economic responses to COVID-19 and Europe’s role in the global response to the pandemic. We find that, based on the challenges and successes of all these responses, a strong argument can be made for ‘more Europe’ – greater integration, and stronger EU-level institutions – to lead and govern the COVID-19 response. This has direct lessons for the governance and scope of future climate action

Modelling the functional connectivity of landscapes for greater horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum at a local scale

Context: The importance of habitat connectivity for wildlife is widely recognised. However, assessing the movement of species tends to rely on radio-tracking or GPS evidence, which is difficult and costly to gather. Objectives: To examine functional connectivity of greater horseshoe bats (GHS, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) at a local scale using Circuitscape software; comparing our results against expert opinion ‘fly ways’. Methods: Expert opinions were used to rank and score five environmental layers influencing GHS movement, generating resistance scores. The slope and resistance scores of these layers were varied, and validated against independent ground truthed GHS activity data, until a unimodal peak in correlation was identified for each layer. The layers were combined into a multivariate model and re-evaluated. Radiotracking studies were used to further validate the model, and the transferability was tested at other roost locations. Results: Functional connectivity models could be created using bat activity data. Models had the ability to be transferred between roost locations, although site-specific validation is strongly recommended. For all other bat species recorded, markedly more (125%) bat passes occurred in the top quartile of functional connectivity compared to any of the lower three quartiles. Conclusion: The model predictions identify areas of key conservation importance to habitat connectivity for GHS that are not recognised by expert opinion. By highlighting landscape features that act as barriers to movement, this approach can be used by decision-makers as a tool to inform local management strategies

Family Support Differences Between Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Adolescents Across 30 Countries: Examining the Moderating Role of Cultural Distance, Culture of Origin, and Reception in Receiving Societies

Differing theoretical indications suggest that immigrant adolescents’ perceptions of family support will either be lower or higher than those of their non-immigrant peers. To unravel this inconsistency, current cross-national study examines family support differences between first- and second-generation immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents. It also investigates how these differences vary based on restrictive integration policies, anti-immigrant attitudes, and immigrant density in the receiving country, the obedience orientation of the origin country, and the cultural distance in obedience orientation between the origin- and receiving country. Cross-classified multilevel regression analyses were conducted on data from the 2017 to 2018 Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey with a national representative sample of adolescents from 178 origin countries in 30 receiving countries across Europe, Central Asia, and in Israel. Results revealed the variance in family support was small at the level of the origin country (0.73%) and the community (1.24%), while modest at the receiving country level (10.91%). Family support was slightly lower for adolescents of both immigrant generations compared with non-immigrant adolescents, with greater differences for first-than for second-generation immigrants (respectively d =.16 and d =.02). Differences in family support were unrelated to restrictive integration policies, anti-immigrant attitudes, immigrant density, or obedience orientation. However, family support for second-generation immigrant adolescents decreased more compared with non-immigrants when their cultural distance was greater. Concluding, immigrant adolescents’ lower family support, may reflect their exposure to more stressors than non-immigrants. Cultural distance can amplify these stressors, thereby affecting family support for some immigrants more than others

Concern about the human health implications of marine biodiversity loss is higher among less educated and poorer citizens: Results from a 14-country study in Europe

IntroductionMarine biodiversity loss has direct and indirect effects on human health and wellbeing. Recent European data suggest that the public is aware of this, identifying marine biodiversity protection as its top research priority in terms of oceans and human health, rated higher than issues such as plastic, chemical, and microbial pollution.MethodsThe current study aimed to better understand key sociodemographic and personality predictors of concern about marine biodiversity loss and the desire for more research into marine biodiversity protection, in an attempt to support communication efforts targeting specific sectors in society. Data were drawn from nationally representative samples of 14 European countries (n = 14,167).ResultsResults show greater concern about marine biodiversity loss and support for more research into marine biodiversity protection by older adults, females, and individuals: (i) without (vs. with) a university degree; (ii) with lower (vs. middle) incomes; (iii) who identified as politically left-wing; (iv) who visited the coast more often; and (v) those with more open, agreeable and conscientious personalities.DiscussionThese results suggest that, although concern and research support are generally high among European citizens, policy makers and communicators need to take into consideration individual-level variation

Implementation of a SenseMaker® research project among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

ABSTRACT The Syrian conflict has displaced over 1.2 million Syrians into Lebanon. As a result of displacement, some Syrian families are turning to child marriage as a coping mechanism. The prevalence of early marriage has reportedly increased and the average age of marriage decreased during the crisis. The aim of the project was to understand the underlying factors contributing to child marriage among Syrian refugees in Lebanon using Cognitive Edge’s SenseMaker®. This manuscript explores the process of implementing this novel research tool in a humanitarian setting. Twelve interviewers conducted SenseMaker® interviews with married and unmarried Syrian girls, Syrian parents, as well as married and unmarried men. Participants were asked to share a story about the lives of Syrian girls in Lebanon and to self-interpret the narratives by answering follow-up questions in relation to the story provided. Data collection occurred across three locations: Beirut, Beqaa, and Tripoli. In total 1422 narratives from 1346 unique participants were collected over 7 weeks. Data collection using SenseMaker® was efficient, capable of electronically capturing a large volume of quantitative and qualitative data. SenseMaker® limitations from a research perspective include lack of skip logic and inability to adjust font size on the iOS app. SenseMaker® was an efficient mixed methods data collection tool that was well received by participants in a refugee setting in Lebanon. The utility of SenseMaker® for research could be improved by adding skip logic and by being able to adjust font size on the iOS app