Rivervis::a tool for visualising river ecosystems

There is a growing need to better understand and communicate multi-dimensional river ecosystem processes and properties at the catchment scale for both scientific research and integrated catchment management. Data visualisation is believed as a very useful approach to support this need. However, there is a lack of visualisation applications tailored for river ecosystems, especially for visualising both river environmental data and their spatial and topological relations. To fill up the gap, this paper introduces an R package rivervis, which has been developed as a free, easy-to-use and efficient visualisation solution for river ecosystems. This novel tool is able to visualise riverine data in a compact and comparable way, with retaining the river network topology and reflecting real distance between sites of interest. The rivervis package visualises variables according to their measurement types – either quantitative or qualitative/semi-quantitative data. This type-based principle makes the package applicable for a wide range of scenarios with data in forms of index values, condition gradings and categories. By producing topological river network diagrams, the package helps to understand the functioning and interconnections of riverine ecosystem at the catchment scale, especially the longitudinal upstream-downstream and tributary-mainstream connectivity and relationships. It can also be used to study the associations between biological communities, physical conditions and anthropogenic activities. The Ballinderry River Basin in the UK, as a data-rich river basin with a reasonable complex river network, is used to demonstrate the rationale, functions and capabilities of the R-package

Protected Planet Report 2018

In 2010, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in order to address biodiversity loss, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, and equitable sharing of benefits. The Protected Planet Report 2018 provides an update of progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 at the global scale. Each chapter of the report examines a specific element of Target 11. The findings in the report are based on data held in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) as of July 2018. For the first time, the printed Protected Planet Report is complemented by an online version, regularly updated with all the latest data, which can be explored at the following address: www.livereport.protectedplanet.net. Since the Strategic Plan was adopted, there has been significant progress towards achieving elements of Aichi Target 11, particularly in terms of land and sea coverage. However, significant efforts are needed to achieve other elements of the target

An Architecture for IoT-Enabled Smart Transportation Security System: A Geospatial Approach

Internet of Things (IoT) in urban transportation systems have been ubiquitously embedded into a variety of devices and transport entities. The IoT-enabled smart transportation system (STS) has thus gained growing tractions amongst scholars and practitioners. However, several IoT challenges in relation to cyber–physical security are exposed due to the heterogeneity, complexity and decentralisation of the IoT network. There also exist geospatial security concerns with respect to the embeddings of 5G networks into public infrastructures that are interconnected with the transport system via IoT. To address these concerns, this article aims to apply geospatial modelling approach to propose a smart transportation security systems (STSSs). It is modelled and simulated by undertaking an experimental study in the city of Beijing, China. The simulation outcome of the proposed architecture is expected to offer a strategic guide for strategic security management of urban smart transportation

Identifying Potential Cropland Losses When Conserving 30% and 50% Earth with Different Approaches and Spatial Scales

Biodiversity conservation is the cornerstone for sustainable development. Bold conservation targets provide the last opportunities to halt the human-driven mass extinction. Recently, bold conservation targets have been proposed to protect 30% or 50% of Earth. However, little is known about its potential impacts on cropland. We identify potential cropland losses when 30% and 50% of global terrestrial area is given back to nature by 2030/2050, at three spatial scales (global, biome and country) and using two approaches (“nature-only landscapes” and “shared landscapes”). We find that different targets, applied scales and approaches will lead to different cropland losses: (1) At the global scale, it is possible to protect 50% of the Earth while having minimum cropland losses. (2) At biome scale, 0.64% and 8.54% cropland will be lost globally in 2030 and 2050 under the nature-only approach while by contrast, the shared approach substantially reduces the number of countries confronted by cropland losses, demanding only 0% and 2.59% of global cropland losses in 2030 and 2050. (3) At the national scale, the nature-only approach causes losses of 3.58% and 10.73% of global cropland in 2030 and 2050, while the shared approach requires 0.77% and 7.55% cropland in 2030 and 2050. Our results indicate that bold conservation targets could be considered, especially when adopting the shared approach, and we suggest adopting ambitious targets (protecting at least 30% by 2030) at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) to ensure a sustainable future for Earth

Recent increases in human pressure and forest loss threaten many Natural World Heritage Sites

Natural World Heritage Sites (NWHS), via their formal designation through the United Nations, are globally recognized as containing some of the Earth's most valuable natural assets. Understanding changes in their ecological condition is essential for their ongoing preservation. Here we use two newly available globally consistent data sets that assess changes in human pressure (Human Footprint) and forest loss (Global Forest Watch) over time across the global network of terrestrial NWHS. We show that human pressure has increased in 63% of NWHS since 1993 and across all continents except Europe. The largest increases in pressure occurred in Asian NWHS, many of which were substantially damaged such as Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. Forest loss occurred in 91% of NWHS that contain forests, with a global mean loss of 1.5% per site since 2000, with the largest areas of forest lost occurring in the Americas. For example Wood Buffalo National Park and Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve lost 2581 km(2) (11.7%) and 365 km2 (8.5%) of their forest respectively. We found that on average human pressure increased faster and more forest loss occurred in areas surrounding NWHS, suggesting they are becoming increasingly isolated and are under threat from processes occurring outside their borders. While some NWHS such as the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Mana Pools National Park showed minimal change in forest loss or human pressure, they are in the minority and our results also suggest many NWHS are rapidly deteriorating and are more threatened than previously thought. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Canadian market reaction to Canadian firms' cross-listing on European stock exchanges

1 online resource (v, 32 leaves)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 26-28).This paper tests how the Canadian stock market reacts to Canadian firms’ cross-listing on European stock exchanges. Sixty-four Canadian firms that are cross-listed are collected through the period of 2001-2012. Most of the sample firms belong to the natural resource industry. An event study is used to test abnormal return following the cross-listing announcements. Canadian market showed a negative reaction to cross-listing in Europe around announcement date at the 10% significance level. Cross-listing in London got better market reaction than on other European stock exchanges. However this difference is not significant. The test results supported findings of previous studies that the investor protection provided by cross-listing is most valued by market. Market reaction should not be the main motivation for Canadian firms when making cross-listing decisions. However, if other benefits and costs are the same for cross-listing on different destinations, a company should choose destinations like U.S. or London which will result in a more positive market reaction

rivervis: River Visualisation Tool

This R package is a flexible and efficient tool to visualise both quantitative and qualitative data from river surveys. It can be used to produce diagrams with the topological structure of the river network