Diverse values of nature for sustainability

Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being1,2, addressing the global biodiversity crisis3 still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever4. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)5 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals6, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature7. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change8, pandemic emergence9 and socio-environmental injustices10. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions7,11. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures

Diverse values of nature for sustainability

Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being, addressing the global biodiversity crisis still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, pandemic emergence and socio-environmental injustices. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).peer-reviewe

Is It Possible to Control the Nutrient Regime of Soils with Different Texture through Biochar Substrates?

Understanding nutrient management is essential to ensure healthy and adequate food production, especially in the context of biochar applied to soil with different soil textures. Additionally, farmers are beginning to understand the importance of nutrient management and there are still several knowledge gaps in this area. Several studies on biochar showed its positive effects, especially in sandy and nutrient-poor soils. There is still a lack of information on the impact of biochar on nutrient regimes in texturally different soils with sufficient nutrient supply and favorable soil chemistry. This study investigates the effect of two biochar substrates (a) biochar blended with farmyard manure (BS1), and (b) biochar blended with farmyard manure and digestate (BS2) applied at rates of 10 and 20 t ha−1 alone or in combination with fertilization on the changes in sorption capacity and nutrient regime of two texturally different soils: (a) sandy Arenosol, and (b) loamy Chernozem, (both in western Slovakia) which have a favorable nutrient content. The results showed that in sandy soil, the BS2 at rate of 20 t ha−1 increased the sum of basic cations (by +112%) and CEC (by +93%) compared to the control. In sandy soil, the content of total P increased by +35 and +16% in BS1 20 t ha–1 and BS2 20 t ha−1, respectively, when compared to the unfertilized control. The content of total P increased by +18% in BS1 20 t ha−1 after fertilization compared to the fertilized control. In loamy soil, the content of total P increased significantly by +53 and +14% in unfertilized treatment BS2 20 t ha−1 and fertilized treatment with BS1 at 20 t ha−1 compared to the respective controls. Available Ca increased in sandy soil by +50 and +53% in fertilized treatments with BS2 at 20 t ha−1 and BS1 at 20 t ha−1, respectively, when compared to fertilized control. In loamy soil, available Mg increased by +13% in fertilized treatment with BS1 applied at 20 t ha−1. In conclusion, BS application at a dose of 20 t ha−1 had a stronger positive effect on soil sorption parameters in sandy soil than the application dose of 10 t ha−1. The same BS application rate significantly increased total P in both soils

Determination of Particle Size Distribution: Comparison of Standard Hydrometer Method and Laser Diffraction Analysis for Use in Forestry

Laser diffraction analysis is an alternative to standard sedimentation methods designed to determine particle size distribution. In this article, five samples from the forested part of the floodplain of the Svitava River in the Czech Republic were analyzed. Laser diffraction analysis and sedimentation hydrometer method were performed for each sample. The samples were divided according to soil classification into two groups depending on their classification–group A and group B. The results of laser diffraction analysis and hydrometer method were compared. Correlation relationships between both methods were established, and values were recalculated from laser diffraction analysis to the hydrometer method according to correlation equations. The article is a part of the methodology under preparation, which will include the most common soil types in the Czech Republic. This methodology focuses on the use of laser diffraction for the establishment of structures in forest environments using the regional specific standards for particle size distribution determination

Potential Application of Biochar Depends Mainly on Its Profits for Farmers: Case Study in Slovakia

Current biochar application in the global agronomic practice focuses firstly on economic profits. In this paper, we would like to draw attention to our results and experience from the economic assessment of the agronomic effect of applied biochar through the generated crop yields. The results come from a field experiment (locality Dolná Malanta, Slovakia, silt loam Haplic Luvisol – the most intensively used soil in the Slovak Republic for agricultural purposes), where a biochar experiment was established in 2014. Based on our data, it is evident that both the application of biochar and its application in combination with N-fertilisation in field conditions at current realization prices of commodities in individual years and high input costs are still unprofitable. However, we emphasize that from an economic point of view of the stand ard agronomic practice

The Evaluation of the Accuracy of Interpolation Methods in Crafting Maps of Physical and Hydro-Physical Soil Properties

The goal of this study was the spatial processing and showcasing selected soil properties (available water capacity, total organic carbon content and the content of clay fraction <0.001 mm) in the Nitra River Basin (Slovakia) via the usage and the subsequent evaluation of the quality of applied interpolation methods (Spline, inverse distance weighting (IDW), Topo to Raster). The results showed the possibilities of “conversion” of point information obtained by field research as well as research in the laboratory into a spatial expression, thus providing at least relevant estimation of the soil properties even in localities not directly covered by soil sampling. Based on the evaluation and mutual comparison of the accuracy of the used interpolation methods (by using the so-called cross-validation and trust criteria), the most favorable results were achieved by the Spline method in the GRASS GIS environment, and in the ArcGIS environment. When comparing the measured and estimated values of given soil properties at control points, the interpolated values classified as very accurate up to accurate prevailed in the verification dataset. Qualitatively less favorable (but still acceptable) were the results obtained with Topo to Raster (ArcGIS) interpolation method. On the contrary, the Spline method in the ArcGIS environment turned out to be the least accurate. We assume that this is most likely not only a consequence of insufficient density of points (resources), but also an inappropriate implementation of the method into the ArcGIS environment

A Sustainable Approach for Improving Soil Properties and Reducing N2O Emissions Is Possible through Initial and Repeated Biochar Application

Recent findings of changing climate, water scarcity, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions have brought major challenges to sustainable agriculture worldwide. Biochar application to soil proves to be a suitable solution to these problems. Although the literature presents the pros and cons of biochar application, very little information is available on the impact of repeated application. In this study, we evaluate and discuss the effects of initial and reapplied biochar (both in rates of 0, 10, and 20 t ha−1) combined with N fertilization (at doses of 0, 40, and 80 kg ha−1) on soil properties and N2O emission from Haplic Luvisol in the temperate climate zone (Slovakia). Results showed that biochar generally improved the soil properties such as soil pH(KCl) (p ≤ 0.05; from acidic towards moderately acidic), soil organic carbon (p ≤ 0.05; an increase from 4% to over 100%), soil water availability (an increase from 1% to 15%), saturated hydraulic conductivity (an increase from 5% to 95%). The effects were more significant in the following cases: repeated rather than single biochar application, higher rather than lower biochar application rates, and higher rather than lower N fertilization levels. Initial and repeated biochar applications, leading to N2O emissions reduction, can be related to increased soil pH(KCl)

The importance of initial application and reapplication of biochar in the context of soil structure improvement

It was shown that the use of biochar provides many benefits to agriculture by improving the whole complex of soil properties, including soil structure. However, the diverse range of biochar effects depends on its physicochemical properties, its application rates, soil initial properties etc. The impacts of biochar, mainly its reapplication to soils and its interaction with nitrogen in relation to water-stable aggregates (WSA) did not receive much attention to date. The aims of the study were: (1) to evaluate the effect of initial application (in spring 2014) and reapplication (in spring 2018) of different biochar rates (B0, B10 and B20 t ha−1) as well as application of biochar with N-fertilizer (40 to 240 kg N ha−1 depending on the requirement of the cultivated crop) on the content of WSA as one of the most important indicators of soil structure quality, (2) to assess the interrelationships between the contents of soil organic matter (SOM) and WSA. The study was conducted in 2017–2019 as part of the field experiment with biochar on Haplic Luvisol at the experimental station of SUA in Nitra, Slovakia. Results showed that initial application as well as reapplication of biochar improved soil structure. The most favorable changes in soil structure were found in N0B20B treatment (with biochar reapplication) at which a significantly higher content of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSAma) (+15%) as well as content of WSAma size fractions of > 5 mm, 5–3 mm, 3–2 mm and 2–1 mm (+72%, +65%, +57% and +64%, respectively) was observed compared to the control. An increase in SOM content, due to both, initial biochar application and its reapplication, significantly supported the stability of soil aggregates, while organic matter including humic substances composition did not

Climate Change Impact on the Duration of Great Vegetation Period and Vegetation Period of Beetroot and Watermelon in Slovakia

Climate change brings to the whole world numerous challenges such as an increase in the global temperature, weather fluctuations, periods of drought and heat alternating the local floods. While the majority of the effects are negative for agricultural production, some can be beneficial. Our work presents the evaluation of the changes in the duration of the great vegetation period (delineated with the beginning and end of days with an average temperature T ≥ 5.0 °C) and the vegetation periods of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thumb.) and beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.). Data sets on the average monthly air temperatures for the period 1961–2020 from one hundred agroclimatic stations in Slovakia were selected for the estimation of the future average air temperatures using statistical methods (linear trendline). Based on the temperature requirements of the selected crops, the potential maximum duration of the vegetation period was estimated for several decades from 2041 up to 2100. The results clearly showed prolongation of the vegetation periods and changes of their zonation in Slovakia. In 2011–2020, the duration of the beetroot vegetation period in the southernmost part of Slovakia (Danubian Lowland) was 15–20 days longer than in decade 1971–1980. It is expected, that this value will rise by another 10–15 days in decade 2091–2100. Since 1971–1980, watermelon vegetation period duration increased by 5–10 days when compared to decade 2011–2020. It is expected that by 2091–2100, its duration will prolong by another 30–35 days