Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES)

Over the last 30 years, Odo Shakiso’s natural forest in Oromia Region has undergone severe fragmentation and vegetation change. By combining multi-temporal Landsat imagery and household surveys, this study examined spatial and temporal patterns of deforestation, identified main drivers of land degradation, and evaluated vegetation health changes over the past 30 years through NDVI trends. Land cover conversion was identified using supervised classification and change detection analyses across Landsat images collected from 1995-2025, and NDVI was used to appraise average canopy density and greenness. The remote sensing analysis was complemented by data derived from structured household interviews, which served to identify perceived socio-economic and policy-related drivers of local forest change. Overall, the forest loss was 29,478.74 hectares or 55.16% of the initial forest cover since 1995, while NDVI analysis indicated consistent decreases in vegetation health, density, and greenness over each decade examined. Despite local efforts of conservation, ongoing forest disturbance occurs due to increasing and overlapping pressures on forest resources. Major Drivers of land degradation include: Agricultural expansion and encroachment, the increasing number of population on the area and socio-economic related resource use, uncontrolled wildfires and climatic variability, the spread of settlements, over-exploitation and grazing, and Ambiguous and limited forest policy. Recommendations include: strengthen and integrate indigenous conservation approaches through community building, develop and enforce distinct, forest-specific forests policy separate from agricultural policy, and establish formal platforms linking scientists, educators, and policymakers to allow for broad, evidence-based decisions.

Shelford’s Law of Tolerance provides a foundational ecological framework explaining how organisms respond to environmental gradients. This study employed a photographic documentation approach to interpret climatic variability and its impact on human activities, particularly schoolchildren’s outdoor behavior, in an urban setting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A sequence of photographs was analyzed to represent a range of climatic conditions, progressing from clear skies to heavy haze. The images serve as a proxy to visualize the zones described by Shelford’s Law: optimum, stress, and intolerance. By integrating the concepts of stenotopic and eurytopic responses, this article illustrated how narrow and broad tolerance species (and individuals) vary in response to environmental changes. The findings highlighted the relevance of visual, pragmatic learning to deepen ecological understanding in urban education and planning.

The investigation aimed to record the vertical distribution of some key physicochemical parameters in the Pasur River estuary across five sampling stations using a CTD. Each sampling zone demonstrated varying depth according to the local bathymetric feature. Data were collected at one-meter intervals, ranging from 6 to 22 vertical layers, according to the stations. Pressure exhibited a consistent linear increase with depth, as expected in aquatic environments. Temperature profiles showed overall stability around 29°C, with minor variations at greater depths in some stations. Turbidity generally demonstrated an increasing trend with depth, though sporadic deviations were observed. Conductivity values remained predominantly stable across depths at all stations (nearly 1 S/m) with marginal deviations, reflecting a relatively homogeneous ionic composition corresponding to salinity, which ranged from 4.47 to 5.65 PSU. pH levels exhibited marginal but steady increases (within approximately 0.1 units) along the vertical profiles, suggesting a well-buffered system. These baseline findings provide critical insights into the estuarine dynamics of the Pasur River and contribute valuable reference data for future studies on environmental monitoring, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystem modelling.

Ukraine is on the path to integration into the European Union. The state and national community face many challenges. It is necessary to understand, develop, adapt and implement the European bases of sustainable development at the economic, social and environmental levels at the national level. The ambitious sustainable development goals that the EU wants to achieve are now focused on rural areas and everything that surrounds them, including the health and welfare of domestic and livestock animals and not just agricultural production. Animal welfare legislation is aligned with the most recent scientific evidence outlined in documents such as the European Green Deal, the From Farm to Fork strategy, Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression, due to military actions taking place mostly in the Steppe Zone of Ukraine, where four out of five biosphere reserves are located, this has negatively affected the balance in local ecosystems due to the reduction in the number of large and small ruminants raised on pastures and the disappearance of wild fauna, the existence of which depends on the presence of farm animals.

This study investigated the effects of flooding and post-flood irrigation on soil properties (soil fertility and salinity) along the Kamanda River in Kiru LGA Kano State, Nigeria. The region, characterized by a distinct wet and dry season, supports both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, making it crucial to understand how flood-related processes influence soil quality. Soil samples were collected from four land-use categories (irrigated upland, irrigated lowland, unirrigated upland, and un irrigated lowland) at 0 to 30 cm depth. The results showed that all sampled sites had a sandy loam texture, with sand content ranging from 50.47% to 69.13%, silt content from 27.27% to 42.60%, and clay content from 3.61% to 7.60%. The soils had a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.23-6.66) and moderate fertility, with organic carbon content ranging from 0.35% to 0.67%, total nitrogen from 0.14% to 0.18%, and available phosphorus from 11.29 mg/kg to 24.56 mg/kg. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) ranged from 3.79 cmol/kg to 6.38 cmol/kg, with exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium varying across land uses. Salinity indicators, including electrical conductivity (0.011-0.022 dS/m), exchangeable sodium percentage (2.55-8.74%), and sodium adsorption ratio (<1), remained within acceptable limits. However, higher exchangeable sodium percentage values in irrigated lowlands suggest potential sodium accumulation. The study highlights the importance of sustainable land and water management practices to preserve soil quality and ensure long-term agricultural productivity in the region. The findings underscore the dual influence of flooding and irrigation on soil properties, suggesting the need for adaptive soil and water management practices to maintain long-term productivity in flood-prone agricultural landscapes.

Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are a prominent species in tropical ecosystems, known for their unique leaf-folding nest-building behaviour and their mutualistic relationship with host plants. This article explores the ecological significance of weaver ants, their nest-building strategies, their impact on host plant health, and their role in biological pest control. The study is based on observations made in the Department of Biology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), where a large population of weaver ants was found building nests by folding leaves, with host plants showing no signs of pest damage. This phenomenon highlights the beneficial relationship between weaver ants and plants, where the ants provide protection from herbivores, ensuring plant health. The article also discusses the implications of this mutualism for ecological management and sustainable agricultural practices. This in-person observation should be part of understanding the Principles of Ecology.

This study investigates the perceptions of rural households in Aleta-Wondo District, Ethiopia, regarding domestic biogas technology and its potential to reduce deforestation and dependence on biomass for energy. Domestic biogas is a renewable energy solution that can decrease reliance on traditional fuels like firewood, charcoal, and kerosene, which contribute to deforestation and environmental degradation. However, biogas adoption remains limited in the region. A survey of 191 households (90 adopters and 101 non-adopters) was conducted using multistage sampling, with data analyzed through descriptive statistics and regression models to determine adoption patterns. Biogas adoption significantly reduced traditional fuel use: firewood consumption decreased by 83.33%, charcoal by 66.67%, and kerosene costs for cooking were eliminated. This shift reduced deforestation and promoted forest regeneration. Adopters also experienced notable time and financial savings, including an 81.82% reduction in monthly firewood use, an 80% decrease in firewood collection trips, and a weekly time savings of 8 hours (72.7%). Key factors influencing adoption, identified through binary logistic regression (p < 0.01; pseudo R2 = 49%), included household head’s sex and education, income, water access, livestock ownership, and credit availability. The study highlights biogas as a sustainable, cost-effective solution to reduce energy problem, conserve forests, and improve rural livelihoods. However, adoption barriers such as financial constraints, technical expertise gaps, and limited credit access must be addressed. Targeted government support, including financial incentives, technical assistance, and capacity-building, is essential to scale up adoption and maximize its benefits.

River encroachment in Barishal City has emerged as a critical environmental problem, drastically affecting aquatic biodiversity and the native ecosystem. The present study investigates the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to this issue. Barishal, with its extensive network of rivers like the Kirtankhola, Arial Khan, and Tetulia rivers, has traditionally relied on these rivers for transportation, farming, and trade. Despite this, augmented urbanization, industrialization, and unchecked building on riverbanks have led to the encroachment of the rivers. This, in turn, has caused habitat loss, reduced water quality, and disruption in the balance of ecology, severely threatening aquatic life. Added to this, the environmental consequence in the form of increased flood risk, modification of river flow regimes, and loss of important ecosystem services adds complexity to the issue. Preventing this crisis requires sustainable city planning, strict regulatory measures, and increased community awareness to promote the long-term conservation of Barishal’s riverine ecosystem and aquatic biodiversity. Urgent recovery measures are necessary to prevent further degradation and ensure the sustainability of the region’s riverine ecosystem.

Flooding is a significant natural disaster that affects many communities around the world, including KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa. Vulnerability to flooding is influenced by a variety of community characteristics, including social, environmental, and economic factors. Understanding the impact of these characteristics on vulnerability is essential for effective disaster risk reduction and management strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of community characteristics on vulnerability to flooding in the iLembe district municipality. Data were collected from 67 households using a survey questionnaire and analysed using multiple regression analysis. The results of the regression analysis revealed that social and economic characteristics significantly predicted vulnerability to flooding, while environmental characteristics did not have a significant effect. Specifically, social characteristics had a negative relationship with vulnerability, indicating that higher levels of social characteristics were associated with lower vulnerability to flooding. The results further suggest that poverty and economic insecurity may increase vulnerability to flooding in this community. Interestingly, the coefficient for environmental characteristics was not statistically significant, indicating that these factors do not have a significant impact on vulnerability score in this context. This finding may reflect the fact that the study was conducted in a relatively homogenous geographic region, where environmental characteristics may be relatively consistent across the community. Overall, these results highlight the importance of social and economic factors in understanding vulnerability to flooding in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa. Policymakers and practitioners should consider interventions that address poverty and economic insecurity, as well as promote social cohesion and support networks, to reduce vulnerability to flooding in this community.

Zooplankton biodiversity and water quality of the Mfou municipal lake was carried out from April to September 2014, following a monthly sampling frequency. Sampling for physicochemical analyses was carried out by direct sampling at the surface and along the water column using a 6L Van Dorn bottle. Zooplanktons were collected by filtering 100 L of water taken from the seagrass beds of the municipal lake, through a 64 μm mesh sieve. The 100 ml retentate collected was fixed with 10 ml of Formalin 5% and used for identification and counting. Physicochemical analyses revealed that the water of the Mfou municipal lake was relatively hot (25.5 ± 1.31°C), slightly acidic (6.95 ± 0.41 CU), moderately oxygenated (52.72 ± 12.27%), poorly mineralized and low loads of organic matter. A homogeneous quality of the water column (p > 0.05) and a low organic pollution with nitrogen as limiting factor of eutrophication (N/P Ratio = 12.88 ± 12.52) was observed. These characteristics enable to classify the Mfou municipal lake as mesotrophic. Biologically, 42 zooplankton species were recorded, including 29 species of Rotifers (69.05%), 10 species of Copepods (23.81%) and 3 species of Cladocerans (7.14%). A total zooplankton density was 2209 ind/L dominated by Rotifers with 933 ind/L (42%) mainly represented by Brachionus falcatus (188 ind/L), followed by Copepods with 827 ind/L (38%) dominated by Ectocyclops hisurtus (77 ind/L) and Cladocerans with 449 ind/L (20%) mainly represented by Moina micrura (344 ind/L) was recorded during the study period. These zooplanktons were quite diverse (H’ = 4.22 ± 0.27 bits/ind) with a tendency towards an even distribution of species (E = 0.73 ± 0.05). The abiotic typology classifieds the lake into three groups according to the major origin of the pollutants while the biotic typology classifieds them into three groups according to the tolerance of the zooplankton species to organic matter. This lake is experiencing the early stage of anthropogenic disturbance. Regular hydrobiological studies are needed for monitoring the ecology of this hydrosystem.