This study, conducted in the Cheile Nerei–Beușnița National Park (southwestern Romania), tested the hypothesis that the life-form structure of woody plants reflects the main ecological gradients of moisture, temperature, and soil reaction in a temperate protected ecosystem characterised by sub-Mediterranean influences and a predominantly calcareous substrate. The analysis focused on the woody flora of the area, comprising 64 species belonging to 22 families, and included the assessment of life-form structure, phytogeographical spectrum, and ecological preferences based on Ellenberg indicator values. Life forms were classified according to Raunkiaer’s system, identifying megaphanerophytes, mesophanerophytes, and nanophanerophytes. The woody flora was dominated by nanophanerophytes, followed by megaphanerophytes and mesophanerophytes, indicating a complex vertical structure. The phytogeographical spectrum showed a predominance of European elements, alongside Eurasian and sub-Mediterranean components. Ecological analysis revealed a dominance of mesophilous and mesothermal species, consistent with mesic and temperate environmental conditions. Soil reaction preferences were mainly basiphilous and neutrophilous, reflecting the calcareous substrate, with vertical differentiation of ecological niches between tree and shrub layers. The high proportion of native species (>90%) and the limited presence of alien taxa indicate a high level of ecological integrity and resistance to biological invasions. Overall, the results demonstrate that the structure of woody plant life forms and their ecological preferences accurately reflect the main ecological gradients of the ecosystem. The combined use of life-form spectra and ecological indicator values provides a useful framework for assessing ecosystem structure, stability, and conservation status in temperate protected areas.

The assessment of the degree of accessibility of urban green spaces for the population of the city of Timișoara (Romania) was carried out by taking into account the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). These recommendations address the proximity accessibility of urban green spaces, operationalized through two main indicators: (1) proximity accessibility defined through two metrics–spatial distance and walking time between urban green spaces and residents’ dwellings; and (2) proximity accessibility defined by the area of urban green space available per urban resident capita. Based on the distance and walking time between residential areas and urban green spaces, accessibility classes were established, according to which the city’s green spaces were classified into distinct categories. Even under a simplified Euclidean centroid-to-centroid approach, the measured distances of urban green space accessibility exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended 300 m threshold for optimal access by a factor of 2 to 9 in the city of Timișoara. The measurements showed that none of the 48 studied neighborhoods of the city of Timișoara benefits from access to a public urban green space located at a distance of less than 200 m from the dwelling, according to the classification used in this study, and that only a single neighborhood has access to a public urban green space located at a distance of up to 300 m, as recommended by the WHO. The analysis indicated that for each resident of the city of Timișoara, an area of 8.4 m² of urban green space is allocated, a value below the WHO recommendation of 9 m² and below the legal threshold of 26 m² established by Romanian national legislation. Consequently, the city of Timișoara does not meet either the values established by national legislation or the authoritative international recommendations (WHO) regarding the standard of urban green space per capita, nor the accessibility criteria expressed as distance and walking time from residents’ dwellings to the nearest public urban green space. The results of the study show that, in relation to international standards and national obligations, Timișoara faces a severe deficit of urban green space, which affects the ecological, social, and health functions of the city. The obtained values highlight both a quantitative problem and a structural one, characterized by an uneven distribution and reduced accessibility of green spaces in most neighborhoods, with green spaces concentrated in the central area and limited access for many residents. This situation underscores the need for a strategic reconfiguration of urban policies, oriented toward increasing green capital and ensuring balanced, sustainable urban development aligned with contemporary standards. Urban policy implications include the strategic development of new green spaces in underserved neighborhoods, the establishment of pedestrian and green corridors to reduce travel time, and the redesign of pedestrian connectivity to major parks. These interventions would help reduce territorial inequalities and strengthen the city’s resilience.

This study aimed to estimate life expectancy at birth and survival patterns within a multigenerational family from Romania (102 individuals), whose members lived across the period 1900–2024. Life expectancy was estimated using abridged synthetic cohort life tables, and the results were interpreted through survival curve analysis. Life expectancy at birth was estimated at approximately 84 years for females and 80 years for males, while the overall life expectancy for the total family population was 81 years, representing a weighted estimate derived from sex-specific life tables, with weights corresponding to the proportion of females and males in the studied population, rather than a simple arithmetic mean, following standard demographic practice. The resulting survival curves exhibited a clear Type I survival pattern, characterized by low mortality at younger ages and an increasing concentration of deaths at older ages. When contextualized using recent Eurostat data, the life expectancy estimated for the analyzed family exceeds current national-level values reported for Romania and is close to the European Union average, particularly for females. These findings indicate a favorable survival profile at the familial level and illustrate the usefulness of life tables for investigating longevity patterns in small populations.