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  1. Article ; Online: Realising the potential of Natura 2000 to achieve EU conservation goals as 2020 approaches

    Virgilio Hermoso / Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez / Stefano Canessa / Lluis Brotons

    Scientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-

    2019  Volume 10

    Abstract: Abstract In the last decades the EU has made substantial efforts implementing conservation strategies to halt biodiversity loss. However, little improvement has been reported. Given the proximity of the 2020 landmark set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy ... ...

    Abstract Abstract In the last decades the EU has made substantial efforts implementing conservation strategies to halt biodiversity loss. However, little improvement has been reported. Given the proximity of the 2020 landmark set by the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Convention for Biological Diversity, alternatives to reduce this conservation gap and prospect future strategies must be assessed urgently. Here, we explore how the current Natura 2000 could be used to enhance management of terrestrial and freshwater threatened vertebrates. We identified Natura 2000 sites to increase the coverage of threatened species as target species under two alternative scenarios: a policy-driven approach including only threatened vertebrates listed in the Directives; and a conservation-driven approach, including all the remaining threatened vertebrates. We show that representation of threatened vertebrates in Natura 2000 could be improved by updating lists of target species in less than 1% and 3% of sites in the policy-driven and conservation-driven scenarios, respectively. We highlight the strength of Natura 2000, with sites that complement each other and could contribute to achieving more ambitious conservation targets under future strategies. Prioritisation exercises like this could help realise the potential of this network and enhance the management of threatened species and improve current gaps.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 333
    Language English
    Publishing date 2019-11-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Nature Publishing Group
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  2. Article ; Online: Four ideas to boost EU conservation policy as 2020 nears

    Virgilio Hermoso / Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez / Stefano Canessa / Lluis Brotons

    Environmental Research Letters, Vol 14, Iss 10, p

    2019  Volume 101001

    Abstract: The European Union (EU) committed to halt the loss of biodiversity in its 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. However, all reports show conservation efforts are falling short of their objectives and the status of biodiversity in the EU continues to decline. Here, ...

    Abstract The European Union (EU) committed to halt the loss of biodiversity in its 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. However, all reports show conservation efforts are falling short of their objectives and the status of biodiversity in the EU continues to decline. Here, we propose four key avenues for the next Strategy, currently under discussion, to make EU conservation efforts more effective. First, we suggest the next Biodiversity Strategy should ensure legal coverage for threatened species not listed in the EU Habitats and Birds Directives, which currently cover only 16.4% of all threatened species. Second, halting biodiversity loss requires threatened species to be adequately managed. To this end, the potential of the extant Natura 2000 should be fully released. Already designated protected areas (PAs) hold more species than currently declared as target for management, leaving an opportunity to further manage more threatened species. Third, to address dynamism associated to climate and land use change, conservation management should be expanded outside PAs, using the planned network of Green Infrastructure. Fourth, while more funding is required to properly implement the Biodiversity Strategy, the improvements we suggest can be made more cost-effective by using systematic planning approaches and better integration of conservation policy in other sectorial policies, such as the Common Agriculture Policy. While existing policy mechanisms can already be used to implement some of these recommendations, revised policies should seek better integration of conservation into other sectorial policies, as well as efficient allocation and use of funds to increase the efficiency of conservation efforts.
    Keywords biodiversity strategy ; birds directive ; Europe ; habitats directive ; Natura 2000 ; green infrastructure ; Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ; TD1-1066 ; Environmental sciences ; GE1-350 ; Science ; Q ; Physics ; QC1-999
    Subject code 333
    Language English
    Publishing date 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher IOP Publishing
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  3. Article ; Online: Evaluation of habitat protection under the European Natura 2000 conservation network - The example for Germany.

    Martin Friedrichs / Virgilio Hermoso / Vanessa Bremerich / Simone D Langhans

    PLoS ONE, Vol 13, Iss 12, p e

    2018  Volume 0208264

    Abstract: The world´s largest network of protected areas-Natura 2000 (N2000)-has been implemented to protect Europe´s biodiversity. N2000 is built upon two cornerstones, the Birds Directive, which lists 691 bird species (plus one additional bird genus with no ... ...

    Abstract The world´s largest network of protected areas-Natura 2000 (N2000)-has been implemented to protect Europe´s biodiversity. N2000 is built upon two cornerstones, the Birds Directive, which lists 691 bird species (plus one additional bird genus with no further classification) and the Habitats Directive, which lists next to a variety of species, 233 habitat types to be protected. There is evidence of the positive impact of the Directives on the EU´s biodiversity, although the overall improvement reported for species in favourable condition in the last assessment was low. However, most of the assessments are species focused, while habitats have received very little attention. Here we developed a generic workflow, which we exemplified for Germany, to assess the status of habitat coverage within the N2000 network combining information from publicly available data sources. Applying the workflow allows identification of gaps in habitat protection, followed by the prioritization of potential areas of high protection value using the conservation planning software Marxan. We found that, in Germany, N2000 covers all target habitats. However, common habitats were proportionally underrepresented relative to rare ones, which contrasts with studies focussing on the representation of species. Moreover, the German case study suggests that especially highly protected areas (i.e. covered by more than 90% with N2000 sites) build an excellent basis towards a cost-effective and efficient conservation network. Our workflow provides a generic approach to deal with the common problem of missing habitat distribution data outside of N2000 sites, information which is however crucial for managers to plan conservation actions appropriately across Europe. To avoid a biased representation of habitat types within N2000, our results underpin the importance of defining qualitative and quantitative conservation targets which will allow assesment of the trajectory of habitat protection in Europe as well as adjustment of the network accordingly-a ...
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 333
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  4. Article: Designing a network of green infrastructure to enhance the conservation value of protected areas and maintain ecosystem services

    Lanzas, Mónica / Virgilio Hermoso / Sergio de-Miguel / Gerard Bota / Lluis Brotons

    Science of the total environment. 2019 Feb. 15, v. 651

    2019  

    Abstract: There is a growing demand for holistic landscape planning to enhance sustainable use of ecosystem services (ESS) and maintenance of the biodiversity that supports them. In this context, the EU is developing policy to regulate the maintenance of ESS and ... ...

    Abstract There is a growing demand for holistic landscape planning to enhance sustainable use of ecosystem services (ESS) and maintenance of the biodiversity that supports them. In this context, the EU is developing policy to regulate the maintenance of ESS and enhance connectivity among protected areas (PAs). This is known as the network of Green Infrastructure (GI). However, there is not a working framework defined to plan the spatial design of such network of GI.Here, we use the software Marxan with Zones, to prioritize the spatial distribution of different management zones that accommodate the needs of a network of GI. These zones included a conservation zone, mainly devoted to protecting biodiversity, a GI zone, that aimed at connecting PAs and maintaining regulating and cultural ESS; and a management zone devoted to exploiting provisioning ESS. We performed four planning scenarios that distribute the targets for ESS and biodiversity in different ways across management zones. We also conducted a sensitivity analysis by increasing ESS targets to explore trade-offs that may occur when managing together biodiversity and ESS. We use Catalonia (northeastern Spain) as a case study.We found that the representation of ESS could be achieved for intermediate targets in all scenarios. There was, however, a threshold on these targets over which trade-offs appeared between maintaining regulating and cultural ESS and biodiversity versus getting access to provisioning ESS. These “thresholds values” were displaced towards higher ESS targets when we moved from more strict to more flexible planning scenarios (i.e., scenarios that allowed mixing representation of objectives for biodiversity and ESS within the same zone).This methodological approach could help design a framework to integrate biodiversity and ESS management in holistic plans and decision making and, at the same time, meeting European mandates concerning the design of GI networks, or similar needs elsewhere.
    Keywords European Union ; biodiversity ; computer software ; conservation areas ; decision making ; ecosystem services ; green infrastructure ; issues and policy ; landscapes ; mixing ; planning ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2019-0215
    Size p. 541-550.
    Publishing place Elsevier B.V.
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 121506-1
    ISSN 1879-1026 ; 0048-9697
    ISSN (online) 1879-1026
    ISSN 0048-9697
    DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.164
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  5. Article ; Online: Small instream infrastructure

    Stephanie R. Januchowski‐Hartley / Sukhmani Mantel / Jorge Celi / Virgilio Hermoso / James C. White / Scott Blankenship / Julian D. Olden

    Ecological Solutions and Evidence, Vol 1, Iss 2, Pp n/a-n/a (2020)

    Comparative methods and evidence of environmental and ecological responses

    2020  

    Abstract: Abstract 1. Around the globe, instream infrastructures such as dams, weirs, and culverts associated with roads are wide‐spread and continue to be constructed. There is limited documentation of smaller infrastructure because of mixed regulation and laws ... ...

    Abstract Abstract 1. Around the globe, instream infrastructures such as dams, weirs, and culverts associated with roads are wide‐spread and continue to be constructed. There is limited documentation of smaller infrastructure because of mixed regulation and laws related to instream construction, as well as difficulty in documentation because of their size and frequency in waterscapes. 2. We reviewed evidence of different methods used to quantify environmental and ecological responses (positive, negative, or neutral) to dams, weirs, and culverts. 3. Most studies (78% of 87) in our review evaluated dams or weirs, and more than half evaluated environmental or ecological responses at more than one of these structures. More than half of the studies used spatial (disturbed–undisturbed in the same or a different catchment) rather than temporal (before–after construction or before–after destruction) comparative methods. Evaluations also tended to focus on ecological variables, most specifically on fish community responses (just over a quarter) to infrastructure. 4. More than half (58%) of the evaluations at dams, weirs, or culverts reported negative environmental or ecological responses. Discrepancies in responses recorded for different infrastructure types could be partially explained by the focus on ecological responses in reviewed studies and related metrics used for evaluations (e.g. biotic groups, richness, and abundance), the imbalance of studies at different infrastructure types, and discrepancies in spatial and temporal scales of evaluations compared to those at which the variables respond to infrastructure. 5. Despite the abundance of road culverts greatly exceeding the number of small or large dams worldwide, they were evaluated in only 22% of studies that we reviewed. Our findings underscore the need for studies to not only better understand local but also cumulative impacts of these smaller infrastructure, as these could be greater than those caused by large infrastructure depending on their location, density, and ...
    Keywords dams ; evaluation ; freshwater ecosystems ; rivers ; roads ; weirs ; Environmental sciences ; GE1-350 ; Ecology ; QH540-549.5
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-12-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Wiley
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  6. Article: Efficiency of species survey networks can be improved by integrating different monitoring approaches in a spatial prioritization design

    Morán‐Ordóñez, Alejandra / Stefano Canessa / Gerard Bota / Lluis Brotons / Sergi Herrando / Virgilio Hermoso

    Conservation letters. 2018 Nov., v. 11, no. 6

    2018  

    Abstract: Public participation to monitoring programs is increasingly advocated to overcome scarcity of resources and deliver important information for policy‐making. Here, we illustrate the design of optimal monitoring networks for bird species of conservation ... ...

    Abstract Public participation to monitoring programs is increasingly advocated to overcome scarcity of resources and deliver important information for policy‐making. Here, we illustrate the design of optimal monitoring networks for bird species of conservation concern in Catalonia (NE Spain), under different scenarios of combined governmental and citizen‐science monitoring approaches. In our case study, current government efforts, limited to protected areas, were insufficient to cover the whole spectrum of target species and species‐threat levels, reinforcing the assumption that citizen‐science data can greatly assist in achieving monitoring targets. However, simply carrying out both government and citizen‐science monitoring ad hoc led to inefficiency and duplication of efforts: some species were represented in excess of targets while several features were undersampled. Policy‐making should concentrate on providing an adequate platform for coordination of government and public‐participatory monitoring to minimize duplicated efforts, overcome the biases of each monitoring program and obtain the best from both.
    Keywords birds ; case studies ; citizen participation ; conservation areas ; monitoring ; prioritization ; surveys ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-11
    Size p. e12591.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note LETTER
    ISSN 1755-263X
    DOI 10.1111/conl.12591
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  7. Article: The need for spatially explicit quantification of benefits in invasive‐species management

    Januchowski‐Hartley, Stephanie R / Vanessa M. Adams / Virgilio Hermoso

    Conservation biology. 2018 Apr., v. 32, no. 2

    2018  

    Abstract: Worldwide, invasive species are a leading driver of environmental change across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments and cost billions of dollars annually in ecological damages and economic losses. Resources limit invasive‐species control, ... ...

    Abstract Worldwide, invasive species are a leading driver of environmental change across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments and cost billions of dollars annually in ecological damages and economic losses. Resources limit invasive‐species control, and planning processes are needed to identify cost‐effective solutions. Thus, studies are increasingly considering spatially variable natural and socioeconomic assets (e.g., species persistence, recreational fishing) when planning the allocation of actions for invasive‐species management. There is a need to improve understanding of how such assets are considered in invasive‐species management. We reviewed over 1600 studies focused on management of invasive species, including flora and fauna. Eighty‐four of these studies were included in our final analysis because they focused on the prioritization of actions for invasive species management. Forty‐five percent (n = 38) of these studies were based on spatial optimization methods, and 35% (n = 13) accounted for spatially variable assets. Across all 84 optimization studies considered, 27% (n = 23) explicitly accounted for spatially variable assets. Based on our findings, we further explored the potential costs and benefits to invasive species management when spatially variable assets are explicitly considered or not. To include spatially variable assets in decision‐making processes that guide invasive‐species management there is a need to quantify environmental responses to invasive species and to enhance understanding of potential impacts of invasive species on different natural or socioeconomic assets. We suggest these gaps could be filled by systematic reviews, quantifying invasive species impacts on native species at different periods, and broadening sources and enhancing sharing of knowledge.
    Keywords assets ; cost effectiveness ; fauna ; flora ; indigenous species ; invasive species ; pest management ; planning ; prioritization ; sport fishing ; system optimization ; systematic review
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-04
    Size p. 287-293.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 58735-7
    ISSN 1523-1739 ; 0888-8892
    ISSN (online) 1523-1739
    ISSN 0888-8892
    DOI 10.1111/cobi.13031
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  8. Article: Trade‐offs and synergies between bird conservation and wildfire suppression in the face of global change

    Regos, Adrián / Antoine Guisan / Lluís Brotons / Manuela D'Amen / Virgilio Hermoso

    Journal of applied ecology. 2018 Sept., v. 55, no. 5

    2018  

    Abstract: The combined effects of climate change and other factors, such as land‐use change or fire disturbance, pose daunting challenges for biodiversity conservation world‐wide. We predicted the future effectiveness of the Natura 2000 (N2000), the current ... ...

    Abstract The combined effects of climate change and other factors, such as land‐use change or fire disturbance, pose daunting challenges for biodiversity conservation world‐wide. We predicted the future effectiveness of the Natura 2000 (N2000), the current network of protected areas (PA) in Europe, at maintaining and representing suitable environmental conditions for a set of 79 bird species between 2000 and 2050 in a fire‐prone area, strongly affected by land abandonment processes in North East Spain. We then compared PA performance with a set of alternative priority areas for conservation, which consider fire‐vegetation dynamics, selected by using a conservation planning tool (Marxan). Fire‐vegetation dynamics were modelled using a process‐based model (Medfire Model) under alternative fire management and climate change scenarios. Bird communities were predicted using the spatially explicit species assemblage modelling framework (SESAM) and species distribution models that hierarchically integrate climate change and wildfire‐vegetation dynamics. The amount of suitable environmental conditions within the N2000 network was predicted to fall by around 15%, on average, over the next decades in relation to the initial conditions but could be partially modulated by fire management policies in future. The efficiency of the current PA system was predicted to decrease from 17.4% to 15% between 2000 and 2050. However, a more efficient PA system could be achieved with a conservation planning approach that explicitly considers fire‐vegetation dynamics and their management. Synthesis and applications. Our findings show: (a) how the current Natura 2000 could still hold an important bird conservation value by 2050; (b) how the relocation of some protected areas should be considered in order to substantially increase bird conservation effectiveness; and (c) how the integration of fire‐vegetation dynamics, fire management policies and their objectives within conservation planning provide “win–win” solutions for bird conservation and fire prevention in fire‐prone abandoned landscapes.
    Keywords abandoned land ; biodiversity conservation ; biogeography ; birds ; climate change ; conservation areas ; environmental factors ; fire prevention ; issues and policy ; land use change ; landscapes ; models ; planning ; wildfires ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-09
    Size p. 2181-2192.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 410405-5
    ISSN 1365-2664 ; 0021-8901
    ISSN (online) 1365-2664
    ISSN 0021-8901
    DOI 10.1111/1365-2664.13182
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  9. Article: Information uncertainty influences conservation outcomes when prioritizing multi‐action management efforts

    Cattarino, Lorenzo / Josie Carwardine / Mark J. Kennard / Simon Linke / Vanessa M. Adams / Virgilio Hermoso

    Journal of applied ecology. 2018 Sept., v. 55, no. 5

    2018  

    Abstract: In managing various threats to biodiversity, it is important to prioritize multiple management actions and the levels of effort to apply. However, a spatial conservation prioritization framework that integrates these key aspects, and can be generalized, ... ...

    Abstract In managing various threats to biodiversity, it is important to prioritize multiple management actions and the levels of effort to apply. However, a spatial conservation prioritization framework that integrates these key aspects, and can be generalized, is still missing. Moreover, assessing the robustness of prioritization frameworks to uncertainty in species responses to management is critical to avoid misallocation of limited resources. Yet, the impact of information uncertainty on prioritization of management effort remains unknown. We present an approach for prioritizing alternative levels of conservation management effort to multiple actions, based on the ecological responses of species to management. We estimated species responses through a structured email‐based expert elicitation process, where we also captured the uncertainty in individual experts' assessments. We identified priority locations and associated level of management of effort of four actions to abate threats to freshwater‐dependent fauna, using a northern Australia case study, and quantified sensitivity of the proposed solution to uncertainty in the answers of each individual expert. Achievement of conservation targets for freshwater‐dependent fauna in the Daly River catchment would require 9.4 million AU$ per year, for a total of approximately 189 million AU$ investment over 20 years. We suggest that this could be best achieved through a mix of aerial shooting of buffalos and pigs, riparian fencing and chemical spraying of weeds, applied at varying levels of management effort in key areas of the catchment. Uncertainty in experts' estimation of species responses to threats causes 60% of the species to achieve 80% of their conservation targets, which was consistent across target levels. Synthesis and applications. Our prioritization approach facilitates the planning of conservation management at fine spatial scales and is applicable to terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms. Plan implementation may require policy instruments ranging from landowner stewardship agreements, market‐based mechanisms and low‐intensity land use management schemes, to regulation of commercial activities within portions of marine protected areas. However, assessing plan sensitivity to uncertainty in species response to management and finding ways of dealing with it in the prioritization rather than ignoring it, as often done, remains vital for effective achievement of conservation objectives.
    Keywords biodiversity ; buffaloes ; case studies ; expert opinion ; experts ; fauna ; freshwater ; land use planning ; marine protected areas ; prioritization ; rivers ; spraying ; swine ; uncertainty ; watersheds ; weeds ; Australia
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2018-09
    Size p. 2171-2180.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 410405-5
    ISSN 1365-2664 ; 0021-8901
    ISSN (online) 1365-2664
    ISSN 0021-8901
    DOI 10.1111/1365-2664.13147
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  10. Article ; Online: Stakeholder perceptions of wildfire management strategies as nature-based solutions in two Iberian biosphere reserves

    Judit Lecina-Diaz / João C. Campos / Silvana Pais / Claudia Carvalho-Santos / João C. Azevedo / Paulo Fernandes / João F. Gonçalves / Núria Aquilué / José V. Roces-Díaz / María Agrelo de la Torre / Lluis Brotons / María-Luisa Chas-Amil / Angela Lomba / Andrea Duane / Francisco Moreira / Julia M. Touza / Virgilio Hermoso / Ângelo Sil / Joana R. Vicente /
    Joao Honrado / Adrián Regos

    Ecology and Society, Vol 28, Iss 1, p

    2023  Volume 39

    Abstract: Increased large and high-intensity wildfires cause large socioeconomic and ecological impacts, which demand improved landscape management approaches in which both ecological and societal dimensions are integrated. Engaging society in fire management ... ...

    Abstract Increased large and high-intensity wildfires cause large socioeconomic and ecological impacts, which demand improved landscape management approaches in which both ecological and societal dimensions are integrated. Engaging society in fire management requires a better understanding of stakeholder perceptions of wildfires and landscape management. We analyze stakeholder perceptions about wildfire-landscape interactions in abandoned rural landscapes of southern Europe, and how fire and the land should be managed to reduce wildfire hazard and ensure the long-term supply of ecosystem services in these fire-prone regions. To do so, a structured online questionnaire was sent to the stakeholders of two transboundary biosphere reserves in Spain-Portugal. Our analysis also questioned to what extent fuel management strategies can be considered nature-based solutions (NbS) using the IUCN standard. Overall, stakeholders state that fire should be managed and support fire prevention in lieu of fire suppression policies. Rural abandonment is perceived as the main cause of large wildfires, with high-intensity fires impacting the study regions more than in the recent past, a trend which they expect to continue in the future in the absence of management. All the suggested fuel management strategies, except chemical treatments, were accepted by the stakeholders who perceive more positive than negative effects of fuel management on forest ecosystem services. Transboundary coordination was rated as inadequate or even nonexistent. We did not find differences among stakeholder sectors and biosphere reserves, indicating that in the study area, there is a general agreement on perceptions about wildfire and associated impacts at the landscape level. Finally, we showed that promoting agricultural and livestock uses, modifying forest species composition to increase fire resistance, and introducing large herbivores have the potential to become effective NbS in the regions. This study represents a first-step analysis representing a base for ...
    Keywords biosphere reserves ; ecosystem services ; fuel management ; landscape conservation ; perceptions ; portugal-spain ; questionnaire ; social-ecological systems ; stakeholders ; Biology (General) ; QH301-705.5 ; Ecology ; QH540-549.5
    Subject code 710
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Resilience Alliance
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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