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Mitigation Measures (mitigation + measure)
Selected AbstractsBiological invasions in the Antarctic: extent, impacts and implicationsBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2005Yves Frenot ABSTRACT Alien microbes, fungi, plants and animals occur on most of the sub-Antarctic islands and some parts of the Antarctic continent. These have arrived over approximately the last two centuries, coincident with human activity in the region. Introduction routes have varied, but are largely associated with movement of people and cargo in connection with industrial, national scientific program and tourist operations. The large majority of aliens are European in origin. They have both direct and indirect impacts on the functioning of species-poor Antarctic ecosystems, in particular including substantial loss of local biodiversity and changes to ecosystem processes. With rapid climate change occurring in some parts of Antarctica, elevated numbers of introductions and enhanced success of colonization by aliens are likely, with consequent increases in impacts on ecosystems. Mitigation measures that will substantially reduce the risk of introductions to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic must focus on reducing propagule loads on humans, and their food, cargo, and transport vessels. [source] THE APPRENDI-BLAKELY CASES: SENTENCING REFORM COUNTER REVOLUTION?CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 3 2007RICHARD S. FRASE Recent Supreme Court decisions have extended jury trial rights and beyond-reasonable-doubt proof standards to certain sentence-enhancement facts. The first two cases, Apprendi v. New Jersey and Ring v. Arizona, were narrow in scope and relatively uncontroversial. But Blakely v. Washington marked a substantial expansion of the rationale and scope of Apprendi, and threatened to invalidate entire sentencing reform systems, both legally-binding guidelines of the type at issue in Blakely and it's sequel, Booker v. United States, and statutory determinate sentence systems like the one invalidated in Cunningham v. California. Each of these decisions has potential effects not only on sentencing severity and disparity in the cases controlled by that decision, but also on prosecutorial, legislative, and sentencing commission measures designed to comply with the decision, avoid it, and/or mitigate its impact. Field resistance and avoidance measures are likely to be stronger in jurisdictions where the existing sentencing system enjoyed broad support; in such jurisdictions, resistance may be particularly strong to the more controversial Blakely ruling. Impact assessments must therefore carefully distinguish the separate impacts of Apprendi and Blakely in each jurisdiction being studied, and the extent of support for the existing sentencing system. Such assessments should also examine pre-existing trends and other independent sources of change; leadership by sentencing commissions or other officials in crafting responsive measures; structural and other features of the sentencing system which render compliance more or less difficult; and second-stage effects, on sentencing, prosecutorial, or sentencing policy decisions, that reflect the prior compliance, avoidance, and mitigation measures adopted in that jurisdiction. The greatest long-term effects may be on prosecutorial, legislative, and commission decisions, rather than on sentencing outcomes. [source] Worldwide status of burbot and conservation measuresFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2010Martin A Stapanian Abstract Although burbot (Lota lota Gadidae) are widespread and abundant throughout much of their natural range, there are many populations that have been extirpated, endangered or are in serious decline. Due in part to the species' lack of popularity as a game and commercial fish, few regions consider burbot in management plans. We review the worldwide population status of burbot and synthesize reasons why some burbot populations are endangered or declining, some burbot populations have recovered and some burbot populations do not recover despite management measures. Burbot have been extirpated in much of Western Europe and the United Kingdom and are threatened or endangered in much of North America and Eurasia. Pollution and habitat change, particularly the effects of dams, appear to be the main causes for declines in riverine burbot populations. Pollution and the adverse effects of invasive species appear to be the main reasons for declines in lacustrine populations. Warmer water temperatures, due either to discharge from dams or climate change, have been noted in declining burbot populations at the southern extent of their range. Currently, fishing pressure does not appear to be limiting burbot populations world-wide. We suggest mitigation measures for burbot population recovery, particularly those impacted by dams and invasive species. [source] Carbon emission and sequestration by agricultural land use: a model study for EuropeGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2002L. M. Vleeshouwers Abstract A model was developed to calculate carbon fluxes from agricultural soils. The model includes the effects of crop (species, yield and rotation), climate (temperature, rainfall and evapotranspiration) and soil (carbon content and water retention capacity) on the carbon budget of agricultural land. The changes in quality of crop residues and organic material as a result of changes in CO2 concentration and changed management were not considered in this model. The model was parameterized for several arable crops and grassland. Data from agricultural, meteorological, soil, and land use databases were input to the model, and the model was used to evaluate the effects of different carbon dioxide mitigation measures on soil organic carbon in agricultural areas in Europe. Average carbon fluxes under the business as usual scenario in the 2008,2012 commitment period were estimated at 0.52 tC ha,1 y,1 in grassland and ,0.84 tC ha,1 y,1 in arable land. Conversion of arable land to grassland yielded a flux of 1.44 tC ha,1 y,1. Farm management related activities aiming at carbon sequestration ranged from 0.15 tC ha,1 y,1 for the incorporating of straw to 1.50 tC ha,1 y,1 for the application of farmyard manure. Reduced tillage yields a positive flux of 0.25 tC ha,1 y,1. The indirect effect associated with climate was an order of magnitude lower. A temperature rise of 1 °C resulted in a ,0.05 tC ha,1 y,1 change whereas the rising CO2 concentrations gave a 0.01 tC ha,1 y,1 change. Estimates are rendered on a 0.5 × 0.5° grid for the commitment period 2008,2012. The study reveals considerable regional differences in the effectiveness of carbon dioxide abatement measures, resulting from the interaction between crop, soil and climate. Besides, there are substantial differences between the spatial patterns of carbon fluxes that result from different measures. [source] Reducing risk of shortages due to drought in water supply systems using genetic algorithms,IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 2 2009V. Nicolosi évaluation des risques; gestion de l'eau; sécheresse; éléments déclenchant pour les plans sécheresse Abstract The evaluation of risk of shortages due to drought in water supply systems is a necessary step both in the planning and in the operation stage. A methodology for unconditional (planning) and conditional (operation) risk evaluation is presented in this study. The risk evaluation is carried out by means of an optimisation model based on genetic algorithms aimed to define thresholds for the implementation of mitigation measures tested through Monte Carlo simulation that makes use of a stochastic generation of streamflows. The GA enables the optimisation of reservoir storages which identify monthly thresholds for shifting three states of the system (normal, alert and alarm) to which correspond different mitigation measures such as water demand rationing, additional supplies from alternative sources or reduction of release for ecological use. For unconditional risk evaluation a long time horizon has been considered (40 years), while the conditional risk evaluation is performed on a short time horizon (2,3 months). Results of simulations have been studied by means of consolidated indices of performance and frequency analysis of shortages of a given entity corresponding to different planning/management policies. A multi-use water system has been used as a case study including competing irrigation and industrial demands. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. L'évaluation du risque de manques d'eau dus à la sécheresse dans les systèmes d'approvisionnement en eau est une étape nécessaire à la fois pour la planification et l'exploitation. Une méthodologie pour l'évaluation du risque inconditionnel (planification) et conditionnel (exploitation) est présentée dans cette étude. L'évaluation du risque est effectuée au moyen d'un modèle d'optimisation basé sur des algorithmes génétiques visant à définir des seuils pour la mise en ,uvre des mesures d'atténuation testés par une méthode de Monte Carlo générant les débits des rivières. L'algorithme génétique permet d'optimiser les stockages de réservoir avec des seuils mensuels pour identifier trois états du système (normal, alerte et alarme) auxquels correspondent différentes mesures d'atténuation telles que rationnement de la demande en eau, approvisionnements complémentaires par des sources alternatives ou réduction des lâchures pour l'usage écologique. Pour l'évaluation des risques inconditionnels un horizon à long terme a été considéré (40 ans) tandis que l'évaluation conditionnelle est faite sur un horizon à court terme (2 ou 3 mois). Les résultats des simulations ont été étudiés au moyen d'indices de performance consolidés et de l'analyse de la fréquence des manques d'eau pour une entité donnée correspondant à différentes politiques de planification et gestion. L'étude de cas porte sur un système multi-usage comportant une demande d'irrigation en concurrence avec les demandes industrielles. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Impact of peat moss released by a commercial harvesting operation into an estuarine environment on the sand shrimp Crangon septemspinosaJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 1 2006C. Ouellette Summary Current methods used in harvesting peat in eastern Canada have raised concerns regarding potential impacts of escaped peat particles on aquatic ecosystems. A study was carried out in Mill Creek, an estuarine tributary of the Richibucto River in New Brunswick, where peat originating from a commercial operation has accumulated over several years. The sand shrimp Crangon septemspinosa Say (1818) was selected to determine potential environmental stress related to presence of peat in the sediment because of its close association with the substrate. Despite the introduction of sedimentation ponds at the harvesting site in 1994, peat particles continued to enter and accumulate in Mill Creek between 1997 and 1999. Increases in peat depth ranged from 6 to 31 cm and the volume of surficial (0,15 cm) sediments containing peat increased from 35% in 1997 to 44% in 1998 and 76% in 1999. Beach seine surveys carried out during July to September of 1996,1998 indicated that fewer sand shrimp occurred over substrates having higher (>66%) peat concentration than over sand or mud with lower (<33%) peat concentration. Length of sand shrimp did not vary consistently with peat concentration but sand shrimp caught over substrates containing medium (34,65%) peat concentration displayed lower condition [wet weight at total length (TL)] than conspecifics from substrates of both higher and lower peat concentration in all surveys. In a separate survey, peat was found in the stomachs of sand shrimp caught over substrates composed of high but not low peat concentration. We conclude that present mitigation measures at this site have been ineffective in preventing escape of peat moss into the estuarine environment and that the resulting peat deposition has reduced habitat quality for estuarine macrofauna as reflected in a reduction of the number and condition of sand shrimp. [source] Sharing natural resources: mountain gorillas and people in the Parc National des Volcans, RwandaAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Hein Van Gils Abstract The compatibility of natural resource use by people and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) within the Parc National des Volcans was studied. The distribution of gorillas was modelled using a Maximum Entropy algorithm. Biophysical predictor variables were trained with daily GPS locations of gorillas during 2006. Elevation, as a climate surrogate, was the best predictor (58%) of the occurrence of gorillas. The mid-altitudes (2500,3500 m a.s.l.) contained the bulk of the gorilla groups. Incoming solar radiation, as proxy for comfortable nesting sites, was the second best predictor (17%). Vegetation types, as foliage provider, (13%) and slope steepness for providing security (12%) were contributing predictors. The modelled and actual gorilla distributions were together overlaid with people's resource use in the park. Both people and gorillas were congregated in the areas identified as most suitable for gorillas. However, within these areas spatial segregation was found between human natural resource-users and gorillas. Therefore, the number of gorillas is likely to be limited by the human natural resource use within the park. A perimeter fence, the introduction of community-based natural resource management, and a buffer zone are discussed as short-, medium- and long-term mitigation measures. Résumé Nous avons étudié la compatibilité entre l'utilisation des ressources naturelles par les hommes et la présence des gorilles de montagnes (Gorilla beringei beringei) dans le Parc National des Volcans. La distribution des gorilles fut modélisée en utilisant un algorithme d'entropie maximum. En 2006, on a testé des variables de prédicteurs biophysiques, avec localisation quotidienne des gorilles par GPS. L'altitude, substitut du climat, était le meilleur prédicteur (58%) de la présence de gorilles. La plupart des groupes de gorilles se trouvaient à des altitudes moyennes (2 500,3 000 m). Le rayonnement solaire, condition de sites de nidification confortables, étaient le deuxième prédicteur (17%). Les types de végétation, fournisseurs de feuilles (13%) et l'importance des pentes, gage de sécurité (12%) étaient des prédicteurs contributeurs. Les distributions modélisées et réelles des gorilles furent superposées à l'utilisation des ressources du parc par les gens. Les hommes et les gorilles étaient rassemblés dans les zones identifiées comme les plus favorables pour les gorilles. Cependant, dans ces zones, on a trouvé une ségrégation spatiale entre les utilisateurs humains des ressources naturelles et les gorilles. Le nombre de gorilles risque donc d'être limité par l'utilisation humaine des ressources naturelles dans le parc. L'on discute de la pose d'une clôture en périphérie, de l'introduction d'une gestion communautaire des ressources naturelles et de la définition d'une zone tampon comme mesures de mitigation à court, moyen et long terme. [source] Productivity in Malagasy rice systems: wealth-differentiated constraints and prioritiesAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2007Bart Minten rice productivity; poverty; technology adoption; Madagascar Abstract This study explores the constraints on agricultural productivity and priorities in boosting productivity in rice, the main staple in Madagascar, using a range of different data sets and analytical methods, integrating qualitative assessments by farmers and quantitative evidence from panel data production function analysis and willingness-to-pay estimates for chemical fertilizer. Nationwide, farmers seek primarily labor productivity enhancing interventions, e.g., improved access to agricultural equipment, cattle, and irrigation. Shock mitigation measures, land productivity increasing technologies, and improved land tenure are reported to be much less important. Research and interventions aimed at reducing costs and price volatility within the fertilizer supply chain might help at least the more accessible regions to more readily adopt chemical fertilizer. [source] CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES OF THE TSENGWEN CREEK WATERSHED IN TAIWAN,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 1 2001Ching-pin Tung ABSTRACT: This study presents a methodology to evaluate the vulnerability of water resources in the Tsengwen creek watershed, Taiwan. Tsengwen reservoir, located in the Tsengwen creek watershed, is a multipurpose reservoir with a primary function to supply water for the ChiaNan Irrigation District. A simulation procedure was developed to evaluate the impacts of climate change on the water resources system. The simulation procedure includes a streamflow model, a weather generation model, a sequent peak algorithm, and a risk assessment process. Three climate change scenarios were constructed based on the predictions of three General Circulation Models (CCCM, GFDL, and GISS). The impacts of climate change on streamflows were simulated, and, for each climate change scenario, the agricultural water demand was adjusted based on the change of potential evapotranspiration. Simulation results indicated that the climate change may increase the annual and seasonal streamflows in the Tsengwen creek watershed. The increase in streamflows during wet periods may result in serious flooding. In addition, despite the increase in streamflows, the risk of water deficit may still increase from between 4 and 7 percent to between 7 and 13 percent due to higher agricultural water demand. The simulation results suggest that the reservoir capacity may need to be expanded. In response to the climate change, four strategies are suggested: (1) strengthen flood mitigation measures, (2) enhance drought protection strategies, (3) develop new water resources technology, and (4) educate the public. [source] Fishing gears involved in entanglements of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea of KoreaMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010Kyung-Jun Song Abstract Entanglement of marine mammals in fishing gear is a global issue. It is considered a significant threat to minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea of Korea. A total of 214 entanglements of minke whales in this area between 2004 and 2007 were used to investigate types and parts of fishing gears involved in entanglements. The majority of entanglements were mainly caused by three types of fishing gears: set nets, pots, and gill nets (n= 207, 96.7%). Other entanglements were associated with bottom trawls, purse seines, and trawls. A total of 65 entanglements were attributed to the main and branch lines of fishing gears. The most common body part of minke whales which attached to fishing gears was the mouth (n= 63, 30.4%). Most entanglements took place within 10 nmi from land (n= 179, 86.5%), and between 10 and 220 m of water depth. The mean length of entangled minke whales in set nets was significantly smaller than that of whales in pots and gill nets samples (P < 0.001). Also, the mean body length of minke whales that entangled in the coastal area and shallow waters was significantly shorter than that of whales in the offshore area and deep waters (P < 0.001). This information can be used as fundamental data to conserve and manage this population of minke whales in the East Sea of Korea, and also to modify fishing gear to reduce entanglements. Future studies should focus on investigating the impact of these entanglements on the population and the effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce entanglements of minke whales in this area. [source] INDIVIDUAL-BASED MODELS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF SHOREBIRD POPULATIONSNATURAL RESOURCE MODELING, Issue 1 2008JOHN D. GOSS-CUSTARD Abstract Individual-based models (IBMs) predict how animal populations will be affected by changes in their environment by modeling the responses of fitness-maximizing individuals to environmental change and by calculating how their aggregate responses change the average fitness of individuals and thus the demographic rates, and therefore size of the population. This paper describes how the need to develop a new approach to make such predictions was identified in the mid-1970s following work done to predict the effect of building a freshwater reservoir on part of the intertidal feeding areas of the shorebirds Charadrii that overwinter on the Wash, a large embayment on the east coast of England. The paper describes how the approach was developed and tested over 20 years (1976,1995) on a population of European oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus eating mussels Mytilus edulis on the Exe estuary in Devon, England. The paper goes on to describe how individual-based modeling has been applied over the last 10 years to a wide range of environmental issues and to many species of shorebirds and wildfowl in a number of European countries. Although it took 20 years to develop the approach for 1 bird species on 1 estuary, ways have been found by which it can now be applied quite rapidly to a wide range of species, at spatial scales ranging from 1 estuary to the whole continent of Europe. This can now be done within the time period typically allotted to environmental impact assessments involving coastal bird populations in Europe. The models are being used routinely to predict the impact on the fitness of coastal shorebirds and wildfowl of habitat loss from (i) development, such as building a port over intertidal flats; (ii) disturbance from people, raptors, and aircraft; (iii) harvesting shellfish; and (iv) climate change and any associated rise in sea level. The model has also been used to evaluate the probable effectiveness of mitigation measures aimed at ameliorating the impact of such environmental changes on the birds. The first steps are now being taken to extend the approach to diving sea ducks and farmland birds during the nonbreeding season. The models have been successful in predicting the observed behavior and mortality rates in winter of shorebirds on a number of European estuaries, and some of the most important of these tests are described. These successful tests of model predictions raise confidence that the model can be used to advise policy makers concerned with the management of the coast and its important bird populations. [source] Assessing efforts to mitigate the impacts of drainage on wetlands in Ontario, CanadaTHE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 2 2005Dan Walters The protection of wetlands through the Ontario Drainage Act has been the subject of much debate. While seen as essential for increasing production and/or productivity of agricultural areas, drainage schemes have been usually approved at the expense of wetlands. Despite the presence of a referral process in Ontario's Drainage Act that is supposed to prevent the significant loss of wetland area, incremental losses continue to occur. The referral process allows landowners, drainage engineers, Drainage Superintendents, local conservation authorities and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource officials to participate in the decision-making process. This research examines the recommended mitigation measures and wetland gains/losses in Zorra Township between 1978 and 1997. Data sources included drainage files, wetland evaluation files, aerial photography and interviews with government officials. The results indicate that while recommended mitigation measures of drainage schemes in the vicinity of wetlands have increased, incremental losses continue to occur. The negotiated settlements among drainage engineers and the referral agencies appear to be inadequate to maintain the spatial extent of wetlands. The regulatory approach fails to motivate changes in land-use management practices. This supports the need to include nonregulatory incentives in the effort to protect wetlands. La protection de wetlands par l'Acte de Drainage de Ontario a été le sujet de beaucoup de débat. Pendant que vu comme essentiel pour augmenter la productivité de et/ou de production de secteurs agricoles, les arrangements de drainage ont été d'habitude approuvés à la dépense de wetlands. Malgré la présence d'un procédé de référence dans l'Acte de Drainage de Ontario'le procédé de référence de s qui est supposé empêcher la perte significative de secteur de wetland, les pertes cumulatives continuent à arriver. Le procédé de référence permet inclut landowners, les ingénieurs de drainage, les Directeurs de Drainage, les autorités de conservation locales, et le Ministère de Ontario d'officiers de Ressource Naturels pour participer dans le procédé de prise de décision. Cette recherche examine les mesures de réduction recommandés et les gains/pertes de wetland dans la Commune de Zorra entre 1978 et 1997. Les sources de données ont inclu le drainage classe, les dossiers d'évaluation de wetland, la photographie aérienne, et les entretiens avec les fonctionnaires. Les résultats indiquent que pendant que les mesures de réduction recommandées d'arrangements de drainage à proximité de wetlands ont augmenté, les pertes cumulatives continuent à arriver. Les règlements négociés parmi les ingénieurs de drainage et les agences de référence ont l'air d'être inadéquats sur le plan de maintenir les secteurs de wetland. L'approche régulatrice ne motive pas des changements dans les pratiques de direction d'usage de terre. Ceci soutient le besoin d'inclure des encouragements nonrégulateurs dans l'effort pour protéger wetlands. [source] The movement of African elephants in a human-dominated land-use mosaicANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 5 2009M. D. Graham Abstract Land outside of gazetted protected areas is increasingly seen as important to the future of elephant persistence in Africa. However, other than inferential studies on crop raiding, very little is understood about how elephants Loxodonta africana use and are affected by human-occupied landscapes. This is largely a result of restrictions in technology, which made detailed assessments of elephant movement outside of protected areas challenging. Recent advances in radio telemetry have changed this, enabling researchers to establish over a 24-h period where tagged animals spend their time. We assessed the movement of 13 elephants outside of gazetted protected areas across a range of land-use types on the Laikipia plateau in north-central Kenya. The elephants monitored spent more time at night than during the day in areas under land use that presented a risk of mortality associated with human occupants. The opposite pattern was found on large-scale ranches where elephants were tolerated. Furthermore, speed of movement was found to be higher where elephants were at risk. These results demonstrate that elephants facultatively alter their behaviour to avoid risk in human-dominated landscapes. This helps them to maintain connectivity between habitat refugia in fragmented land-use mosaics, possibly alleviating some of the potential negative impacts of fragmentation. At the same time, however, it allows elephants to penetrate smallholder farmland to raid crops. The greater the amount of smallholder land within an elephant's range, the more it was utilized, with consequent implications for conflict. These findings underscore the importance of (1) land-use planning to maintain refugia; (2) incentives to prevent further habitat fragmentation; (3) the testing and application of conflict mitigation measures where fragmentation has already taken place. [source] Understanding ,hot-spot' problems in catchments: the need for scale-sensitive measures and mechanisms to secure effective solutions for river management and conservationAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue S1 2010Malcolm Newson Abstract 1.Regulatory progress in controlling point sources of chemical river pollution has progressively thrown the attention of public policy towards anthropogenic physical impacts, many of which are scaled to the catchment via the runoff/sediment system. At the same time, concern over diffuse chemical pollution has reinforced ,catchment consciousness': land-use and land-management planning and control must be considered to conserve or restore river ecosystem integrity. 2.The scientific, political and legal elements of this scale change are, however, complex and uncertain: ,myths' abound. Landscape-scale consideration of ,pressures' suggests an unequal distribution of regulatory costs and benefits and large uncertainties in the evidence from a ,land-use hydrology' and fluvial geomorphology perspective. 3.,Hydrological connectivity' brings together a number of knowledge themes about catchment spatial organization which facilitate applying mitigation measures to much smaller areas, helping to offset uncertainty and reduce costs. 4.Instead of blanket ,remedies', more practical use is needed of process evidence from hydrology and fluvial geomorphology; this tends to suggest that ,hot-spots' dominate risks and impacts of factors such as leaching, surface flow generation and silt entrainment. 5.Set in a realistic policy framework, from strategic spatial planning to grant-aided best practice, a ,catchment acupuncture' approach to measures provides a cost-effective contribution to improving ecological status and may also increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. 6.The European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD) encourages ,joined-up thinking' on this issue but it remains to be seen whether spatial scales, structures and concepts already enshrined in the WFD and the relevant UK national policies for land use and nature conservation can be exploited to permit the much-needed practical uptake of this new riparianism. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Human,environment interactions in residential areas susceptible to landsliding: the Flemish Ardennes case studyAREA, Issue 3 2010Miet Van Den Eeckhaut Studies on landslide susceptibility and landslide risk generally start from the assumption that mainly natural factors control the occurrence of landslides. The role of human activity is considered less important. We investigated the role of human,environment interactions in the Flemish Ardennes, Flanders' most landslide-susceptible region. The establishment of a detailed landslide inventory brought insight into the spatial occurrence of landslides and into the different landslide types and characteristics. A statistical model, i.e. logistic regression, allowed the significance of environmental factors controlling landslide occurrence to be determined, and a landslide susceptibility map to be produced. Being a residential area, however, the Flemish Ardennes is a region where humans play an active role with regard to landslide risk. Although the location of many archaeological sites in this area is known, almost no archaeological sites are found on landslide-susceptible hillslopes. This might indicate that in prehistorical and historical times humans were more familiar with local environmental characteristics and avoided unstable hillslopes. Comparison of topographic maps (1777,2001), on the contrary, indicate that over the last 250 years buildings and other infrastructures have been constructed on old landslides. Given that humans are living, working and driving on or close to unstable hillslopes, the landslide risk has therefore increased. The landslide inventory map and the landslide susceptibility map are important tools for landslide risk reduction. Here ,science meets policy', as both maps allow linking construction norms and other mitigation measures to hillslopes already affected by landslides and to susceptibility classes with very high, high and moderate landslide susceptibility. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||