Sigrid Hehl-Lange

Plant health and global change – some implications for landscape management

Global change (climate change together with other worldwide anthropogenic processes such as increasing trade, air pollution and urbanization) will affect plant health at the genetic, individual, population and landscape level. Direct effects include ecosystem stress due to natural resources shortage or imbalance. Indirect effects include (i) an increased frequency of natural detrimental phenomena, (ii) an increased pressure due to already present pests and diseases, (iii) the introduction of new invasive species either as a result of an improved suitability of the climatic conditions or as a result of increased trade, and (iv) the human response to global change. In this review, we provide an overview of recent studies on terrestrial plant health in the presence of global change factors. We summarize the links between climate change and some key issues in plant health, including tree mortality, changes in wildfire regimes, biological invasions and the role of genetic diversity for ecosystem resilience. Prediction and management of global change effects are complicated by interactions between globalization, climate and invasive plants and/or pathogens. We summarize practical guidelines for landscape management and draw general conclusions from an expanding body of literature.

Combining a participatory planning approach with a virtual landscape model for the siting of wind turbines

Abstract The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich is planning to build three wind turbines for the production of renewable energy. Their proposed location is near the campus of ETH Hönggerberg in the Käferberg open space. This open space is of high importance for the recreation of the local residents. It is one of the last open spaces in Zürich that is used agriculturally. In order to provide a broad forum for discussion and to examine the level of acceptance of the proposed wind turbines a new approach to participatory planning is pursued by introducing a virtual landscape model to a participatory planning workshop for which the different interest groups and stakeholders were invited. During the workshop different alternatives were discussed and suggested changes by the participants were incorporated in the 3D model and visualized. The results of the workshop show that 3D visualization is an important means of communication among the different interest groups. The workshop also shows that an early integration of 3D visualization combined with a participatory approach is an effective way to elucidate potential conflicts at an early stage of the planning process.

Structural elements of the visual landscape and their ecological functions

Abstract Agricultural policies in Switzerland provide for financial incentives to encourage biological diversity in the use of landscapes. These can support the management of existing, or the addition of new, structural elements in the landscape which are significant for their value in both the ecological and visual landscape. A method for the 3D-visualization of spatial-functional relationships in the landscape, based on ecologically important structural elements, has been implemented in a geographic information system. To demonstrate spatio-functional relationships in the landscape, certain animal species were selected as indicators. The subsequent description is based upon the specific habitat requirements of these species, and information extracted from topographic map data such as buildings, lakes and streams, and vegetation structures. The role of 3D-visualization in emulating the use of the landscape features by the selected species is presented, discussed and examples given to illustrate comparisons between the derivation of habitat areas and the use of such areas by different species.

Citizen participation in the conservation and use of rural landscapes in Britain: the Alport Valley case study

With the shift from the formerly dominating primary production sector to the secondary and now the tertiary sector, the vast majority of the population has lost direct influence on shaping our landscape. However, public interest in landscape and environmental decision making remains active. Approaches to public participation were introduced some decades ago, but only sporadically. International declarations and conventions of strategic importance, such as the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the AARHUS Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, provide the foundation for integration in national regulations addressing public involvement in decision making. Using the Alport Valley in the Peak District National Park, UK, this case study illustrates how planning proposals that did not involve stakeholders and their opinions came to a halt and had to be changed. Through stakeholder involvement, there is now a broad consensus about the future of this landscape. As part of an iterative consultation and participation process, a long-term vision for the landscape and land management of the Alport Valley has been developed to improve the valley’s special landscape character, enhance its visual and recreational attractiveness and regenerate the woodlands in ways that maximise the long-term benefit for ecology, wildlife and landscape.

Assessment of Urban Green Space Qualities Using 3D Visualization Tools

Urban “green space” provides an essential contribution to the quality of life of urban citizens. In many European towns and cities, attractive urban parks and squares, woodlands, green corridors, nature reserves and recreational areas can be found. Often, urban green space is a legacy of earlier decades and in relatively few urban areas has the planning and development of an urban green infrastructure been approached in a comprehensive manner. The importance of urban green space was recognized by Camillo Sitte (1889) more than 100 years ago.

Mobile Augmented Reality for Flood Visualisation

Abstract Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) for environmental planning and design has hardly been touched upon, yet mobile smart devices are now capable of complex, interactive, and immersive real time visualisations. We present a real time immersive prototype MAR app for on site content authoring and flood visualisation combining available technologies to reduce implementation complexity. Networked access to live sensor readings provides rich real time annotations. Our main goal was to develop a novel MAR app to complement existing flood risk management (FRM) tools and to understand how it is judged by water experts. We present app development in context of the literature and conduct a small user study. Going beyond the presented work, the flexibility of the app permits a broad range of applications in planning, design and environmental management.