The University of Lisbon’s cultural heritage survey (2010–2011)

In this paper, a survey of the cultural heritage of the University of Lisbon (2010–2011) will be presented, with a focus on the methodological approach. Main results will be discussed, as well as future perspectives regarding management, preservation and access of the university’s scientific and artistic collections, and buildings of artistic, architectonic and historical significance

Sustainability and cultural heritage buildings

[Excerpt from Introduction] Conservation of cultural heritage buildings is a demand from society, which recognizes this heritage as a part of their identity, but it is also an economical issue. In Europe, tourism accounts for 10% of the GDP and 12% of the employment, if linked sectors are considered [x.1]. The EU is the world's number one tourist destination, with 40 % of arrivals in the world and with 7 European countries among the top ten [x.2]. According to the WTO estimates, international tourist arrivals in Europe will increase significantly. The built European heritage, namely monuments or historical centres, is a main attractor for tourism, with 45% of the UNESCO World Heritage sites within the EU. Therefore, the need for their conservation is unquestionable. [...

Incidência regional e tendências de evolução de incêndios em Portugal (1980-2013)

Em pouco mais de três décadas (1980-2013) registaram-se, em Portugal continental, cerca de 745 mil ignições e uma área ardida que ronda 3,7 milhões de hectares. Todavia, quando se analisa a distribuição espacial dos incêndios verifica-se que há distritos especialmente suscetíveis à sua deflagração e outros mais favoráveis à propagação das chamas. A dicotomia Norte/Centro vs Sul de Portugal, tanto no número de ignições como na área ardida, é igualmente bem conhecida. Com o presente trabalho pretende-se analisar a distribuição espacial e detetar tendências de evolução temporal, no período de 1980-2013, tanto na densidade de ignições, como na percentagem de áreas ardidas a nível regional, e, ainda, definir o grau de similaridade existente entre os distritos que compõem Portugal continental, no que se refere à incidência de incêndios florestais. Os resultados referentes à densidade de ignições são perentórios quanto ao seu acréscimo pois, em todas as unidades territoriais, a correlação – baseada quer no coeficiente de Pearson quer no coeficiente de Spearman, de acordo com a análise - revela-se estatisticamente significativa. No que se refere às percentagens de superfície média incinerada, os resultados são mais díspares. Com tendências positivas (p-value <0,05) sobressaem todos os distritos da região Norte, enquanto os de Beja e Évora manifestam a mesma tendência, apenas se aplicado o coeficiente de Spearman. Com tendência inversa, isto é, de decréscimo, apenas se destaca Coimbra. Nos restantes distritos as tendências observadas não revelam significado estatístico

The impact of media pressure on corporate sustainability in the cement industry : a portuguese case study

In this study we examine the sustainability reporting practices and sustainability strategies of a leading Portuguese cement company. The Portuguese cement industry had to deal since 1997 with scrutiny and pressure because of its involvement in co-incineration of hazardous industrial waste. Grounded on a lens of analysis combining legitimacy theory and media agenda-setting theory and based on a content analysis of sustainability reports and semi-structured interviews, we analyse the strategies used by the company to deal with said scrutiny and pressure and present its sustainability performance. Media pressure does seem to have impacted sustainability reporting and sustainability strategies as tools for the company to restore its legitimacy. Findings generally suggest that strategies of communication designed to legitimate the company actions were used. In particular, we suggest that the company managed its legitimacy by using simultaneously two sustainability reporting strategies: one of image enhancement and other of avoidance of threatening topics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Variação espacial das principais causas dos incêndios florestais em Portugal (2001-2012)

O conhecimento das causas dos incêndios florestais, e dos respetivos fatores de ignição, é indispensável para a eficaz implementação de medidas que visem a prevenção da sua ocorrência. Na bacia do Mediterrâneo as causas que estão na origem dos incêndios florestais são maioritariamente humanas, ficando a dever-se a causas naturais uma ínfima parte das ignições. Por sua vez, as causas dos incêndios, além de diferirem de país para país, são também espacialmente distintas dentro do mesmo país, pois a sua incidência espacial depende de um conjunto específico de fatores regionais, associados não só às componentes ambientais, onde se incluem as condições climático-meteorológicas, o relevo, as caraterísticas dos combustíveis, entre outras, mas também às atitudes e aos comportamentos humanos. Com o presente trabalho pretende-se (i) analisar, à escala do município, a distribuição espacial das principais causas que estão na origem das ignições, no período compreendido entre 2001 e 2012, tendo por base os incêndios florestais investigados e cuja causa foi apurada, dando particular ênfase às causas negligentes (e dentro destas às denominadas de queimadas, que se relacionam com a queima pelo fogo de combustíveis agrícolas e florestais) e às causas intencionais (onde se integra o incendiarismo), (ii) detetar inter-relações entre variáveis biofísicas, socioeconómicas e a incidência de determinado tipo de causa de ignição

The development of gullies in a Mediterranean environment: The example of the Corgo gully (central Portugal)

ICEER2019 - 6th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research: “Energy and environment: challenges towards circular economy”, 22 -25 July 2019, Aveiro, PortugalGullies are the most energy-efficient way to transport excess runoff from the watershed after a landscape disturbance. The diversity of physical factors that are associated with gully formation makes straightforward interpretation difficult and requires well-founded analysis based on local observations. Some gullies have developed in the Alva river basin and some of them reach a spectacular size, especially in areas where forest fires have recurred with greater severity. In this paper, we identify the most important factors in the formation and development of the River Corgo’s gully, located in the Alva river valley in central Portugal. The evolution of this gully in the last 4 years is also examined, based on a study of the modification of its morphological characteristics. The analysis was based on the Spearman-Rho correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression to estimate the correlation between the quantitative characteristics, geomorphological processes and biophysical variables. The results show that the main factors that seem to control the spatial variation of soil erosion are the soil penetration resistance, slope, slope shape and vegetation cover.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mapping the Causes of Forest Fires in Portugal by Clustering Analysis

This paper presents a spatial characterization of the distribution at district level of the forest fire events that occurred in mainland Portugal between 1996 and 2015 and whose causes were investigated. We further examine the breakdown of the causes of these forest fires over this period. Results supported by relevant validated statistics show that of the total fire events recorded, 94.4% were identified as an effective occurrence, of which 22.2% had burned an area greater than 1 ha, and of these only 42.1% were investigated. False alarms or fires without a recorded burning area are more significant in the districts of Aveiro, Lisbon and Porto, the biggest municipalities. Of the fires whose causes were investigated, the largest number of recorded events were in NE regions (49.0%), followed by NW regions (41.7%), and finally in the rest of the country (9.3%). Taking into account the ratio between the investigated fires and the total number of fires and the behavior profile produced for cluster analysis, a different panorama is brought to light, with the center and south regions showing greater effort to investigate the fires. A thorough analysis of the causes and motivations of the ignition of these forest fire occurrences showed that human activity, either deliberate (20.4%) or negligent (29.9%), outweigh natural phenomena (0.6%). Reactivations (14.6%) and Unknown (34.5%) causes decreased as time passed, whereas negligent and deliberate causes increased. However, these results could change if the percentage of unknown information in relation to the origin of the forest fires is considerable. The outcome of this research will support an efficient management related to fire mitigation and suppression including establishing preventive actions to reduce the occurrence of forest fires and emphasize the need to improve the procedure for recording forest fire events in Portugal, especially in relation to identifying their causeThis research was partially funded by CERENA (strategic project FCT-UID/ECI/04028/2019) and CEGOT (FCT-UID/GEO/04084/2013) and partially co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE 2020—Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The impact of media pressure on corporate sustainability in the cement industry: a Portuguese case study

In this study we examine the sustainability reporting practices and sustainability strategies of a leading Portuguese cement company. The Portuguese cement industry had to deal since 1997 with scrutiny and pressure because of its involvement in co-incineration of hazardous industrial waste. Grounded on a lens of analysis combining legitimacy theory and media agenda-setting theory and based on a content analysis of sustainability reports and semi-structured interviews, we analyse the strategies used by the company to deal with said scrutiny and pressure and present its sustainability performance. Media pressure does seem to have impacted sustainability reporting and sustainability strategies as tools for the company to restore its legitimacy. Findings generally suggest that strategies of communication designed to legitimate the company actions were used. In particular, we suggest that the company managed its legitimacy by using simultaneously two sustainability reporting strategies: one of image enhancement and other of avoidance of threatening topics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Seismic assessment of St. James church by means of pushover analysis : before and after the New Zealand earthquake

The paper presents a numerical study for the seismic assessment of the St James Church in Christchurch, New Zealand affected by the recent 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The structural behaviour of the Church has been evaluated using the finite element modelling technique, in which the nonlinear behaviour of masonry has been taken into account by proper constitutive assumptions. Two numerical models were constructed, one incorporating the existing structural damage and the other considering the intact structure. The validation of the numerical models was achieved by the calibration of the damaged model according to dynamic identification tests carried out in situ after the earthquake. Non-linear pushover analyses were carried out on both principal directions demonstrating that, as a result of the seismic action, the Church can no longer be considered safe. Pushover analysis results of the undamaged model show reasonable agreement with the visual inspection performed in situ, which further validates the model used. Finally, limit analysis using macro-block analysis was also carried out to validate the main local collapse mechanisms of the Church.(undefined

Sustainable design of prefabricated solutions for the rehabilitation of ancient buildings

"Green design, materials and manufacturing processes", ISBN 978-1-138-00046-9A wood-based “kit-of-parts” for the rehabilitation of existing buildings is under development. The aim is to merge the benefits of the standardized manufacture, with the flexibility needed to suit the specific requirements of the built heritage. The proposed system should be reversible, flexible and adaptable, while ensuring the adequate structural, thermal and acoustic performances. Mechanical joints, reversible if possible, should be used for the connections with the existing construction. Light solutions, allowing on site adjustment and future material separation are preferable.The research project presented in this paper is part of "WoodenQuark n.º 2011/21635" from the Portu-guese financing programme "Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional". The authors also acknowledge the cooperation of "SRU - Sociedade de Reabilitação Urbana do Porto Vivo"