Today urban development lacks ecological foundations in many cities of Turkey. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationship between urban green spaces and ecological zones in the sample of Aksaray/Turkey. In this study, a study design has been created to improve the urban ecological infrastructure and to associate the green space network with the ecological zones. This design is divided into four parts as data processing, landscape pattern of urban green spaces, analysis of the spatial boundaries of urban natural ecological zones, and determination of the importance of spatial regions by overlaying two different stratified analyses. This study proposes a methodological framework that can be integrated into efforts to identify ecological zones to increase the sustainability of urban ecology and green space quality. One potential limitation of the proposed methodology can be the lack of consensus and enthusiasm among the administrative actors regarding the issue. Therefore, it is recommended that the administrative bodies should be correctly informed by the relevant scholars and practitioners who are working on the subject.

The influence of mining activity on the environment on the environment belongs to the most negative industrial influences. Mine subsidence on the surface can be a result of many deep underground mining activities. The present study offers the theory to the specific case of the deformation vectors solution in a case of disruption of the data homogeneity of the geodetic network structure in the monitoring station during periodical measurements in mine subsidence. The theory was developed for the mine subsidence at the abandoned magnesite mine of Košice-Bankov near the city of Košice in East Slovakia. The outputs from the deformation survey were implemented into geographical information system (GIS) applications to a process of gradual reclamation of whole mining landscape in the magnesite mine vicinity. After completion of the mining operations and liquidation of the mine company, it was necessary to determine the exact edges of the mine subsidence of Košice-Bankov with the zones of residual ground motion in order to implement a comprehensive reclamation of the devastated mining landscape. Requirement of knowledge about stability of the former mine subsidence was necessary for starting the reclamation work. Outputs from the present specific solutions of the deformation vectors confirmed the multi-year stability of the mine subsidence in the area of interest. Some numerical and graphical results from the deformation vectors survey in the abandoned magnesite mine of Košice-Bankov are presented. The obtained results were transformed into GIS for the needs of the municipality of Košice City to the implementation of the reclamation activities in the mining territory of Košice-Bankov.

Knowledge of the state of fragmentation and transformation of a forested landscape is crucial for proper planning and biodiversity conservation. Chile is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots; within it is the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which is considered an area of high biodiversity value and intense anthropic pressure. Despite this, there is no precise information on the degree of transformation of its landscape and its conservation status. The objective of this work was to evaluate the state of the landscape and the spatio-temporal changes of the native forests in this mountain range. Using Landsat images from 1986 and 2011, thematic maps of land use were generated. A 33% loss of native forest in 25 years was observed, mainly associated to the substitution by forest plantations. Changes in the spatial patterns of land cover and land use reveal a profound transformation of the landscape and advanced fragmentation of forests. We discuss how these patterns of change threaten the persistence of several endemic species at high risk of extinction. If these anthropogenic processes continue, these species could face an increased risk of extinction.

Taking six typical forest communities in Taizhou Green Heart (ⅰ: Liquidambar formosana + Ulmus pumila + Celtis sinensis; ⅱ: Celtis sinensis + Pterocarya stenoptera + Pinus massoniana; ⅲ: Sapindus mukorossi + Sapium sebiferum + Cupressus funebris; ⅳ: Liquidambar formosana + Acer buergerianum + Cupressus funebris); ⅴ: Celtis sinensis + Ligustrum compactum + Pinus massoniana; ⅵ: Machilus ichangensis + Sapindus mukorossi + Acer buergerianum) as the research objects, 5 indicators: Shannon-Wiener (H), Patrick richness (R1), Margalef species richness (R2), Pielou evenness (J) and ecological dominance (D) were used to analyze species diversity in forest communities. The results showed that: (1) the community was rich in plant resources, with a total of 50 species belonging to 40 genus and 31 families, including 19 species in tree layer, 22 species in shrub layer and only 9 species in herb layer, few plant species; (2) the species richness and diversity index of tree layer and shrub layer were significantly higher than that of herb layer, but there were differences among different communities in the same layer, and no significant difference was reached; (3) the species richness and community diversity of the six communities showed as follows: community VI > community I > community II > community IV > community V > community III.

This paper reviews and comments on the evaluation methods of the recreational value of natural landscape resources, pointing out that the current popular TCM method and CVM method both rely too much on the market prediction conclusion and cannot truly reflect the recreational value, and putting forward the idea, specific operation steps and calculation methods of evaluating the recreational value of natural landscape resources with tourism environmental capacity.