The conservation of biodiversity has gained prominence in ecological research for the last decades. Conservation actions require a measure of biodiversity such as species richness, but its assessment is very difficult, even for small areas and therefore the search for surrogates (i.e. indicators) of biodiversity has emerged as an active research topic. We investigated the relationships between butterfly species richness and landscape structure and composition in two pine plantation sites in Southwest France. We assessed the correlation between butterfly species richness and a set of 15 landscape metrics computed for 18 land-uses at 10 different spatial scales. Spatial scales were accounted for by computing landscape metrics for circular buffers with radius ranging from 100 to 1000 m. The joint use of the Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and a stepwise regression procedure revealed strong correlations between butterfly species richness and various landscape metrics in both study sites. The selected landscape metrics differed from one site to another and mostly involved measures of landscape fragmentation. We found a very strong effect of the spatial scale of investigation upon the perception of the landscape–butterfly richness relationship. Our main conclusions are that (i) certain landscape attributes can potentially serve as indicators for butterfly species richness at the landscape scale; (ii) future indicators of biodiversity based on landscape features should consider various spatial scales.

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The weakening of the cardiovascular system associated with aging could be countered by increasing levels of physical activity and functional fitness. However, inconsistent findings have been found, and the variety of characteristics of exercise used in previous studies may partly explain that inconsistent results.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To investigate the training effect of sixteen weeks of moderate intensity, progressive aerobic and strength-based training on metabolic health of older women and men.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty three sedentary individuals (mean (SD) age 76 (8) years) were randomly assigned to control (n = 31) or exercising (n = 32) groups. The training group was separated to aerobic (n = 18) or strength-based (n = 14). Training took place three times a week. Subjects agreed not to change their diet or lifestyle over the experimental period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Exercising group attained after treatment significant differences on body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol relationship, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and 6-minute walk distance. The control group only had significant differences on waist circumference.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The training programs produced significant benefits on metabolic health indicators of sedentary older women and men.</p>

The following international comparison of selected value indicators for farms is based on the official results of Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) and on the standard outputs recalculated for the average agricultural holding in each Member State. The presentation of the results develops from indicators assessing overall agricultural production divided into its basic components. Production and cost indicators, operational subsidies, gross and net value added per hectare of agricultural land and other derived indicators are analysed.

Three quarters of Croatian pigs are produced in small production units (1-5 sows) and on family farms with mixed farming activities. Only few farms have specialized production units with up-to-date technologies and comply with EU standards. The future competitiveness of Croatian pig production is therefore questionable unless production systems are changing. Modernisation will most probably result in the expansion and intensification of larger farms and the termination of a great number of small farms. The aim of this study was to investigate how the welfare of pigs on Croatian farms would be affected by modernisation. Seventeen Croatian pig farmers were interviewed to describe the different pig production systems, while the welfare of pigs was assessed using resource-based and animal-based welfare indicators. Three production systems were distinguished: part-time family farms (PFF), full-time family farms (FFF) and farm enterprises (FE). Resources-based welfare indicators were investigated in 17 pens located on seven PFF, 25 pens distributed across six FFF and seven pens were visited at two FE. Animal-based welfare indicators were assessed on 21 pigs at PFF, 90 pigs at FFF and 18 pigs at FE. The study demonstrated that different production systems have different welfare problems. Based on resource-based indicators pig welfare was better ensured on FE, but based on animal-based indicators there was no clear difference in welfare between the three production systems. Based on these findings is it unlikely that the modernisation of current production systems in Croatia will significantly improve pig welfare. From a welfare point of view, neither the enlargement nor the termination of pig farms can be supported. However, the number of farms involved in this study was too small to allow for generalisation. The case-study does, however, point at the importance of further studies into the specific welfare problems of each of the production-systems and their different solutions. These studies should be of larger scale in order to get a representative picture of pig welfare in Croatia, and its assurance within the process of modernisation.

This study evaluates the sustainability of two irrigation projects located in Tha Chin Basin, Thailand, namely Kamphaengsaen operation and maintenance project (KPP), and Phophraya operation and maintenance project (PPP). It focuses on the development of irrigation sustainability index (ISI) based on key indicators and provides a basis in formulating management options for improving irrigation sustainability. The assessment of the two projects is based on the investigation of sustainability indicators. These indicators are analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), whereby dominant indicators influencing irrigation sustainability are identified. Afterwards, the indicators are weighted and computed to obtain an irrigation sustainability index (ISI). The index is used to classify the sustainability of each irrigated area (zone) into five levels. The results for KPP show that net farm income, awareness on irrigation water use, matching of farm operations with RID water delivery, and field application ratio are the major sustainability indicators. Among the 27 zones in KPP, six zones show very low sustainability level, five zones are low, 11 zones are medium, four zones are high and one zone is very high. Four key indicators are found in PPP, which include perception of drained water quality, satisfaction on adequacy of water distribution, flow ratio, and net farm income. Among the 11 zones in PPP, there are four zones that show very low sustainability level; one zone is low, four zones are medium, one zone is high and another one zone is very high. Based on the results of the study, it is evident that each zone or project can be vulnerable to different causal indicators influencing sustainability of irrigation system so there is a need to improve the sustainability of some zones in the two projects. Therefore, this study adopts a modified Driving forces-Pressures- State-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR) framework to describe the links among the indicators influencing sustainability of irrigation system, status and impacts of problem and to formulate management options. The common management options to both projects are establishment and strengthening of water user groups, provision of support and promotion of mutual help, establishment of rules and regulations on water use and collection of irrigation water fee. The specific management strategies for KPP are improvement and flexibility of water distribution schedule. Legislation of agricultural wastewater law and improvement of water delivery plan on the other hand, are the specific management options for PPP. The key indicators identified and the irrigation sustainability map developed based on ISI can be used to formulate management strategies for some zones in the basin which are showing low sustainability levels. It is envisioned that the methodological approach adopted in this study for identifying key indicators influencing sustainability of irrigation system and for evaluating and improving irrigation sustainability might be useful to irrigation managers, policy makers, water users and researchers. (Résumé d'auteur)

We study the empirical consistency of survey based (micro level) indicators of social capital and local government performance on the one, and municipality based (aggregate level) measures of these two concepts on the other hand. Knowledge about the behavior of these indicators is helpful for evaluating the value of studies carried out in isolated contexts, that is, with access to data on either, but not both, levels. The method is by comparing data collected by Statistics Belgium on Flemish municipalities, to data collected at citizen level by means of a face-to-face survey. The available evidence supplies at best a meager basis for presupposing a shared component of the indicators under study.

This paper aims to identify relevant social life cycle assessment (SLCA) indicators, based on the study and comparison of well-known and commonly used sustainability standards in the food sector (FLO, ESR, IMO, ETI, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Globalgap). The choice of relevant SLCA indicators is based on: (i) their realism and applicability (they must be easily verified by a third party); and (ii) existing consensus among the standards on "minimal requirements" to certify sustainable practices in the food sector. Our main contribution to the debate on the choice of significant and relevant SLCA indicators is to identify areas of consensus between the different standards studied and to question the definition of a socially sustainable product. (Résumé d'auteur)

Rising consumer interest for ethical and/or responsible products and the growing interweaving of social and environmental issues question the ability of scientific methods to correctly assess social impacts. To this day however, no consensus has yet been reached on relevant indicators to assess social impacts. In this article, we try to identify consistent indicators of social sustainability, based on the study and comparison of well-known sustainability standards currently used in the coffee sector (FLO, ESR, IMO, ETI, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Globalgap). The choice of relevant indicators is based on their realism and applicability, and on existing consensus among the standards on "minimal requirements" to certify sustainable practices in the coffee sector. Our main contributions to the debate on the choice of significant and relevant indicators are: to identify permanent features and areas of consensus between the different standards studied; and to question the definition of a socially sustainable product. (Résumé d'auteur)

This report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. Both resources can inform research and policy discussions on how to improve women's economic opportunities and outcomes. The six indicators of gender differences in formal laws and institutions established in this report include: 1) accessing institutions, 2 ) using prpoerty, 3) getting a job, 4) dealing with taxes, 5) building credit, and 6) going to court. The first 3 indicators (accessing institutions, using property, and getting a job) capture laws that have direct gender dimensions and are based on a reading of such laws from the perspective of individual women. The 4th indicator (dealing with taxes) examines the direct and indirect gender implications of tax policy from the perspective of 4 standardized families with varying tax liabilities. The last 2 indicators (building credit and going to court) examine the ease of access to credit bureaus and courts to examine the indirect effects that microfinance institutions and dispute resolution have on women, who are more likely to rely on nontraditional financial services.

Hallasan National Park is facing dramatic increase of visitors since no entrance fee change effected in January of 2007 and it has created a concern about appropriate use levels. The overall objective of this study is development of the carrying capacity indicators management program using indicator and standard based on visitor experience and resource protection (VERP) model. The result of delphi survey identified eight potential indicators of resource and experiential conditions, including quality of valley water, visitor counts, trail impacts, crowding etc. Also, Data were also gathered to help provide an empirical foundation for setting standards for these indicator variables. The carrying capacity indicators management program based on VERP model estimates sustainability of national park and analyze scientifically change about resources and visitor's behavior. Also, it systematically manage and use united data, it supports operation accomplishment respected rational decision.