Evaluating geological and geotechnical data for the study of land subsidence phenomena at the perimeter of the Amyntaio coalmine,Greece

Land subsidence phenomena caused by the overexploitation of the aquifers require the holistic knowledge of the geological, tectonic, hydrogeological and especially the geotechnical conditions of the affected sites in order to be mitigated. The current paper focuses on the study of the phenomena taking place at the Amyntaio sub-basin, northern Greece, hosting the homonymous open pit coal mine,operating there the last two decades. The mining as well as the rising agriculture activities have led to a significant drawdown of the ground water level triggering extensive ground subsidence phenomena,causing damages at the nearby villages, infrastructure and farmlands. The production and evaluation of engineering geological–geotechnical maps as well as of thematic tectonic and hydrogeological maps proved that the knowledge of this data is crucial for the interpretation of the land subsidence mechanism and the spatial distribution of its effects.

Evolution of groundwater recharge-discharge balance in the Turpan Basin of China during 1959-2021

Groundwater overexploitation is a serious problem in the Turpan Basin,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China,causing groundwater level declines and ecological and environmental problems such as the desiccation of karez wells and the shrinkage of lakes.Based on historical groundwater data and field survey data from 1959 to 2021,we comprehensively studied the evolution of groundwater recharge and discharge terms in the Turpan Basin using the groundwater equilibrium method,mathematical statistics,and GIS spatial analysis.The reasons for groundwater overexploitation were also discussed.The results indicated that groundwater recharge increased from 14.58×10^(8)m^(3)in 1959 to 15.69×10^(8)m^(3)in 1980,then continued to decrease to 6.77×10^(8)m^(3)in 2021.Groundwater discharge increased from 14.49×10^(8)m^(3)in 1959 to 16.02×10^(8)m^(3)in 1989,while continued to decrease to 9.97×10^(8)m^(3)in 2021.Since 1980,groundwater recharge-discharge balance has been broken,the decrease rate of groundwater recharge exceeded that of groundwater discharge and groundwater recharge was always lower than groundwater discharge,showing in a negative equilibrium,which caused the continuous decrease in groundwater level in the Turpan Basin.From 1980 to 2002,groundwater overexploitation increased rapidly,peaking from 2003 to 2011 with an average overexploitation rate of 4.79×10^(8)m^(3)/a;then,it slowed slightly from 2012 to 2021,and the cumulative groundwater overexploitation was 99.21×10^(8)m^(3)during 1980-2021.This research can provide a scientific foundation for the restoration and sustainable use of groundwater in the overexploited areas of the Turpan Basin.

Change Detection of Lake Chad Water Surface Area Using Remote Sensing and Satellite Imagery

The Lake Chad located in the west-central Africa in the Sahel region at the edge of the Sahara experienced severe drought during 1970s and 1980s and overexploitation (unintegrated and unsustainable use), which is a result of variant land uses and water management practices during the last 50 years. This resulted in a decline of the water level in the Lake and surrounding rivers. The present study analyzed satellite images of Lake Chad from Landsat-MSS, Landsat-OLI to investigate the change of the open water surface area during the years of 1973, 1987, 2001, 2013, and 2017. Supervised classifications were performed for the land cover analysis. The open water area in 1973 was covering 16,157.34 km2 approximately, and that was 64.6% of the total lake area in the 1960s. As an ultimate result of the extreme drought that the study area witnessed through 1970s-1980s, the open water area has decreased to 1831.44 km2, i.e. around 11.33%, compared to that in 1973. The dilemma that the study area is suffering from is believed to be a catastrophic complication of the aforementioned drought crisis, which arose as an ultimate result the climate change, global warming, and the unintegrated and unsustainable use of water challenges the study area is still encountering.

Jordan’s Water Sector—Alarming Issues and Future

Jordan has, to a satisfactory degree, managed its scarce water resources, especially during the last few decades due to the regional conflicts and refugee waves hosted in the country since 1948. The waves of refugees in 1967, and after), returnees from the Gulf States 1991/92, during the first Gulf war), Lebanon (1970s and 1980s), Iraq (2003 and after, and lastly Syria (2011-2017 have as well severely impacted the management of water resources which has negatively impacted the water sector especially in terms of allocating new water resources to satisfy the needs of the country. In addition, shortsightedness of some water policy-makers has led to the deteriorations in the water resources quantitatively and qualitatively, which has resulted in social and economic discomfort of the population. In this article, the shortcomings in the water sector are addressed, such as setting an end to groundwater overexploitation, providing water to the population in a continuous way, improving water use efficiency in agricultural uses and the way forward is delineated based on a critical judgment of the actual situation of the water sector in order to reach at a more robust water sector with all its positive impacts on the social, economic and political life in the country.

High demand for firewood leads to overuse of walnut-fruit forests in Kyrgyzstan

After Kyrgyzstan gained independence in 1991, the importance of the primary sector for food- and energy-supply increased significantly. This has led to a discussion about the sustainability of current firewood use. We investigated firewood collection and use practices in three selected villages and analysed differences between the annual increment of woody biomass and firewood consumption for heating during winter months. The calculated individual firewood consumption is on average 3.90 kg/capita/heating day and the calculation of differences between increment and consumption shows that in minimum one village the surrounding forests are overused for firewood collection. Pressure on the forest and the overuse of preferred tree species for firewood can lead to an overuse of the resource and to a decrease in the genetic diversity of these species in the walnut-fruit forests which are considered as a biodiversity hotspot of international significance due to the diversity of woody.

The Habitat Structure of Lukanga Ramsar Site in Central Zambia: An Understanding of Wetland Ecological Condition

A field survey was carried out to determine the vegetation structure of the Lukanga Swamp Ramsar site in central Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify the different vegetation communities, species composition and distribution patterns for improved habitat management. Sampling was conducted in all recognizable vegetation communities. The results of the survey showed that the swamp was a littoral palustrine wetland predominantly characterized by the dominance of Leersia hexandria Swartz (42.02%), Typha capensis Rohrb (62.43%), Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud (33.61%), Aeschynomeme fluitans Peter (31.58%) and Polygonum senegalense Meisn (48.8%). The occurrence of Vossia cuspidata Griff and Cyperus papyrusL was restricted to small and isolated locations. Short Termitaria was generally covered by Acrocerus macrum Stapf (35.25%) while tall Termitaria was dominated by Panicum maximum Jacq. (26.00%). The most important woody plant species included Combretum ghasalense Engl. et Diels (I. V = 62.88), Pseudolachnostylis maprouneifolia Pax ((I. V = 90.48), Albizia adianthifolia (Schmacher) W.F. Wight (I. V = 135.63) Isoberlinia angolensis Hyle and Brenan (I. V = 87.25). The current structure of the hydrophytes composition observed in this study was an indication of a generally silting wetland, while the dominant occurrence of understorey woody plants in the surrounding vegetation signified degraded miombo vegetation. It was concluded that the ecological status of wetland habitat was potentially threatened by mainly anthropogenic activities such as;wildfires, and unsustainable exploitation of surrounding vegetation. Further research is required to examine water flows, eutrophication and the long-term effects of deforestation on the ecological functioning of the wetland.

Quantity and Quality of Water in the River LermamLake Chapala Watershed, Mexico

Water overexploitation in the Lerma-Chapala Watershed, located in central Mexico, is linked to the development of a strong federal hydrocracy with the mission to capture as much water as possible in order to satisfy social and political demands through the construction of dams and irrigation systems. The reduction in freshwater quantity and the deterioration of water quality are the outcome of industrial inflows, agriculture and urban untreated wastewater. This study has been leaded to determine hydrological, water quality, seed bioassays and the lake fisheries＇ decreases throughout its historical tendencies （1980-2004） in relation to changes in water levels. Hydrological data and water samples for chemical analysis, inorganic nutrients and seed bioassay, were taken from 10 sites alongside the river and two sites from Lake Chapala in years 2005 and 2009, the WQINsF （National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index） was estimated. The dissolved oxygen along the river was from anoxic （0.4） to 7 mg/L and the lake had 6.75 mg/L to 7.36 mg/L; the river had highest nutrients variations, Ntot and Ptot 1 mg/L to 〉 10 mg/L. The lake had few physicochemical variations and the lowest nutrient concentrations; WQINsF （water quality index） in the river-lake system showed very bad-bad quality and contamination in river, bad quality-light contamination in lake. Seed bioassays showed inhibition of root elongation and declining fisheries when low water levels were presented. Chapala Lake had better physicochemical and limnological conditions because of the wind action and water column mixing; in contrast the river, high hidrological variations caused by water administration in middle basin.

Ecotourism Development and Biodiversity Conservation in Sri Lanka: Objectives, Conflicts and Resolutions

Biodiversity conservation and sustainably utilizing natural resources improve the benefits of ecotourism development. Ecotourism development makes values for sustainably using biodiversity creating economic development opportunities. This study reviews literature and reveals objectives, conflicts and resolutions for achieving biodiversity conservation through ecotourism development in Sri Lanka. This paper describes conservation objectives in terms of preserving and fostering biodiversity, habitat restoration and managing biodiversity, and making values for natural assets through ecotourism activities. Degradation and destruction of habitat, overexploitation and illegal extraction of species, emissions of greenhouse gasses for climate change, contamination and pollution of the environment, and spread of exotic species are identified as the main conflicts. Conservation resolutions are discussed on education and awareness-raising activities for biodiversity conservation, in-situ conservation and ex-situ preservation of species, integrating biodiversity into ecotourism development, integrating management of biodiversity and ecotourism, linking ecotourism industry and conservation organizations, ecotourism policy and legislations for biodiversity conservation, and imposition of rules and regulations. Policy solutions and building capacity among institutions and other stakeholders for governance and sustainable conservation of biodiversity are key for sustainable ecotourism development.