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Dr. Vera Ferreira
Research Center for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8000, Faro, Portugal

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0 Stakeholder Engagement
0 Nature-based Solutions
0 land use change
0 soil erosion
0 Urban Sustainability

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Journal article
Published: 14 August 2021 in Journal of Environmental Management
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The concept of nature-based solutions (NBSs) has become increasingly popular among urban policymakers and planners to help them tackle the urban challenges arising from urban expansion and climate change. Stakeholders' involvement is a fundamental step, and stakeholders' perceptions and preferences can affect the development of NBS projects. This study aims to identify stakeholders' perceptions of the most critical urban challenges, the priority interventions, the preferred NBSs and the benefits of the NBSs, and to identify the determinants of these perceptions. A survey was administered to assess stakeholders' perceptions and views on implementing NBSs in two Portuguese cities with distinct urban, geographical, and socio-economic contexts. A binary logistic regression model was used to understand the determinants of the likelihood of the stakeholders’ answers. According to the stakeholders, climate change is one of the main concerns in the urban context. It is usually associated with the incidence of heatwaves and water scarcity. Additionally, stakeholders are concerned about the low quantity and poor management of green spaces (GSs). They believe that it will be necessary to increase the GS, to recover some degraded areas, and to increase mobility. The preferred NBSs were planting more urban trees, making green shaded areas, and rehabilitating riverbanks. The main expected benefits were benefits for leisure and relaxation, reductions in air temperature, purer air, and improvements in public health. The results showed mostly coherent connections between the main concerns/priorities of the stakeholders and the perceived NBS benefits; however, some stakeholders did not present coherent connections, indicating low awareness of the current policy for implementing NBSs to overcome existing and future urban challenges.

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Ana Paula Barreira; Luís Loures; Dulce Antunes; Thomas Panagopoulos. Stakeholders’ perceptions of appropriate nature-based solutions in the urban context. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 298, 113502 .

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Ana Paula Barreira, Luís Loures, Dulce Antunes, Thomas Panagopoulos. Stakeholders’ perceptions of appropriate nature-based solutions in the urban context. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021; 298 ():113502.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Ana Paula Barreira; Luís Loures; Dulce Antunes; Thomas Panagopoulos. 2021. "Stakeholders’ perceptions of appropriate nature-based solutions in the urban context." Journal of Environmental Management 298, no. : 113502.

Review
Published: 15 January 2020 in Sustainability
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Cities are facing a broad range of social and environmental challenges due to the current pressure of global urbanization. Nature-based solutions aim to utilize green infrastructure to improve people’s health and wellbeing. The design of urban environments must embrace the individual ideals of citizens and stakeholders which can only be achieved if effective methods of communication, involvement, and feedback are ensured. Such a procedure creates trust during its implementation, helping to take ownership and stewardship of processes and sites. This systematic literature review explores the current state of the art regarding citizen and stakeholder participation in nature-based solutions (NBS). The search on the SCOPUS database identified 142 papers in total that met the inclusion criteria. The participation analysis was separated in two areas: (a) analysis of perceptions, preferences, and perspectives of citizens and stakeholders, and (b) analysis of the participation process, including challenges and opportunities, motivations, methods and frameworks, and collaborative governance. The results revealed that stakeholder and citizen participation or collaboration in nature-based solutions is increasingly recognized as promising; however, research in several related domains is still lacking.

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Ana Barreira; Luís Loures; Dulce Antunes; Thomas Panagopoulos. Stakeholders’ Engagement on Nature-Based Solutions: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 640 .

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Ana Barreira, Luís Loures, Dulce Antunes, Thomas Panagopoulos. Stakeholders’ Engagement on Nature-Based Solutions: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):640.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Ana Barreira; Luís Loures; Dulce Antunes; Thomas Panagopoulos. 2020. "Stakeholders’ Engagement on Nature-Based Solutions: A Systematic Literature Review." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 640.

Research article
Published: 07 October 2015 in Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
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Climate and land-use/cover changes (LUCC) influence soil erosion vulnerability in the semi-arid region of Alqueva, threatening the reservoir storage capacity and sustainability of the landscape. Considering the effect of these changes in the future, the purpose of this study was to investigate soil erosion scenarios using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. A multi-agent system combining Markov cellular automata with multi-criteria evaluation was used to investigate LUCC scenarios according to delineated regional strategies. Forecasting scenarios indicated that the intensive agricultural area as well as the sparse and xerophytic vegetation and rainfall-runoff erosivity would increase, consequently causing the soil erosion to rise from 1.78 Mg ha−1 to 3.65 Mg ha−1 by 2100. A backcasting scenario was investigated by considering the application of soil conservation practices that would decrease the soil erosion considerably to an average of 2.27 Mg ha−1. A decision support system can assist stakeholders in defining restrictive practices and developing conservation plans, contributing to control the reservoir's siltation.

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; André Samora-Arvela; Thomas Panagopoulos. Soil erosion vulnerability under scenarios of climate land-use changes after the development of a large reservoir in a semi-arid area. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2015, 59, 1238 -1256.

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, André Samora-Arvela, Thomas Panagopoulos. Soil erosion vulnerability under scenarios of climate land-use changes after the development of a large reservoir in a semi-arid area. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 2015; 59 (7):1238-1256.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; André Samora-Arvela; Thomas Panagopoulos. 2015. "Soil erosion vulnerability under scenarios of climate land-use changes after the development of a large reservoir in a semi-arid area." Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 59, no. 7: 1238-1256.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2015 in Solid Earth
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The aim of this work is to investigate how the spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility ($K$ factor) were affected by the changes in land use allowed by irrigation with water from a reservoir in a semiarid area. To this end, three areas representative of different land uses (agroforestry grassland, lucerne crop and olive orchard) were studied within a 900 ha farm. The interrelationships between variables were analyzed by multivariate techniques and extrapolated using geostatistics. The results confirmed differences between land uses for all properties analyzed, which was explained mainly by the existence of diverse management practices (tillage, fertilization and irrigation), vegetation cover and local soil characteristics. Soil organic matter, clay and nitrogen content decreased significantly, while the K factor increased with intensive cultivation. The HJ-Biplot methodology was used to represent the variation of soil erodibility properties grouped in land uses. Native grassland was the least correlated with the other land uses. The K factor demonstrated high correlation mainly with very fine sand and silt. The maps produced with geostatistics were crucial to understand the current spatial variability in the Alqueva region. Facing the intensification of land-use conversion, a sustainable management is needed to introduce protective measures to control soil erosion.

ACS Style

V. Ferreira; T. Panagopoulos; R. Andrade; C. Guerrero; L. Loures. Spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility in the Alqueva reservoir watershed. Solid Earth 2015, 6, 383 -392.

AMA Style

V. Ferreira, T. Panagopoulos, R. Andrade, C. Guerrero, L. Loures. Spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility in the Alqueva reservoir watershed. Solid Earth. 2015; 6 (2):383-392.

Chicago/Turabian Style

V. Ferreira; T. Panagopoulos; R. Andrade; C. Guerrero; L. Loures. 2015. "Spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility in the Alqueva reservoir watershed." Solid Earth 6, no. 2: 383-392.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics
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ACS Style

Thomas Panagopoulos; Anda Cakula; Vera Ferreira; André Samora Arvela. Simulation model for predicting soil erosion in a large reservoir of Southern Portugal. International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics 2015, 1, 1 .

AMA Style

Thomas Panagopoulos, Anda Cakula, Vera Ferreira, André Samora Arvela. Simulation model for predicting soil erosion in a large reservoir of Southern Portugal. International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics. 2015; 1 (1):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thomas Panagopoulos; Anda Cakula; Vera Ferreira; André Samora Arvela. 2015. "Simulation model for predicting soil erosion in a large reservoir of Southern Portugal." International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics 1, no. 1: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia
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The construction of the Alqueva reservoir in a semi-arid Mediterranean landscape brought new opportunities for irrigated farming. Land use changes and climate change may alter the risk of soil erosion that was not predicted in the initial development plans and decrease the lifetime of the investment. A comprehensive methodology that integrates the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and geographic information system was adopted to study the effect on soil erosion of different land-uses of the Alqueva reservoir region. Analysing the soil erosion of each land-use it was obtained the following land use erosion vulnerability: Olive orchard>Vineyard>Montado>Alfalfa. The strong erosion variances that were observed in the study area show the importance of locating the ‘hot spots’ of soil erosion. Simulated scenarios for the entire area can be used as a basis for site-specific soil conservation plans, to promote sustainable land management practices and to facilitate localized erosion control practices and environmentally friendly farming

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos; Anda Cakula; Rita Andrade; André Filipe Samora Arvela. Predicting Soil Erosion After Land Use Changes for Irrigating Agriculture in a Large Reservoir of Southern Portugal. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 2015, 4, 40 -49.

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Thomas Panagopoulos, Anda Cakula, Rita Andrade, André Filipe Samora Arvela. Predicting Soil Erosion After Land Use Changes for Irrigating Agriculture in a Large Reservoir of Southern Portugal. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia. 2015; 4 ():40-49.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos; Anda Cakula; Rita Andrade; André Filipe Samora Arvela. 2015. "Predicting Soil Erosion After Land Use Changes for Irrigating Agriculture in a Large Reservoir of Southern Portugal." Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 4, no. : 40-49.

Journal article
Published: 03 May 2014 in Environmental Management
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The Alqueva reservoir created the largest artificial lake of Western Europe in 2010. Since then, the region has faced challenges due to land-use changes that may increase the risk of erosion and shorten the lifetime of the reservoir, increasing the need to promote land management sustainability. This paper investigates the aspect of seasonality of soil erosion using a comprehensive methodology that integrates the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) approach, geographic information systems, geostatistics, and remote-sensing. An experimental agro-silvo pastoral area (typical land-use) was used for the RUSLE factors update. The study confirmed the effect of seasonality on soil erosion rates under Mediterranean conditions. The highest rainfall erosivity values occurred during the autumn season (433.6 MJ mm ha(-1) h(-1)), when vegetation cover is reduced after the long dry season. As a result, the autumn season showed the highest predicted erosion (9.9 t ha(-1)), contributing 65 % of the total annual erosion. The predicted soil erosion for winter was low (1.1 t ha(-1)) despite the high rainfall erosivity during that season (196.6 MJ mm ha(-1) h(-1)). The predicted annual soil loss was 15.1 t ha(-1), and the sediment amount delivery was 4,314 × 10(3) kg. Knowledge of seasonal variation would be essential to outline sustainable land management practices. This model will be integrated with World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies methods to support decision-making in that watershed, and it will involve collaboration with both local people and governmental institutions.

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos. Seasonality of Soil Erosion Under Mediterranean Conditions at the Alqueva Dam Watershed. Environmental Management 2014, 54, 67 -83.

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Thomas Panagopoulos. Seasonality of Soil Erosion Under Mediterranean Conditions at the Alqueva Dam Watershed. Environmental Management. 2014; 54 (1):67-83.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos. 2014. "Seasonality of Soil Erosion Under Mediterranean Conditions at the Alqueva Dam Watershed." Environmental Management 54, no. 1: 67-83.

Preprint
Published: 01 January 2012
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Soil erosion is serious economic and environmental concern. Assessing soil erosion risk in the Alqueva dam watershed is urgently needed to conserve soil and water resources and prevent the accelerated dam siltation, taking into account the possible land-use changes, due to tourism development, intensification of irrigated farming and biomass production, as well as climate change. A comprehensive methodology that integrates Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with geostatistical techniques was adopted to study different land-use and management scenarios. The main objective of this study stage is to determine the soil erosion vulnerability of an agro-silvo pastoral system. The resultant soil erosion map shows an average of 14.1 t/ha/ year, with serious erosion risk (higher than 50 t/ha/year) in 4.3% of area. The highest values are associated mainly to high slopes and low vegetation. The final prediction maps for soil erosion and for each factor considered, can be used as a solid base to create a Decision Support System so as to provide specific procedures for decision-makers, promoting for sustainability of the ecosystems, reducing the risk of erosion and consequently increase lifetime of dam, under various land use and management scenarios

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos. Predicting soil erosion risk at the Alqueva dam watershed. 2012, 1 .

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Thomas Panagopoulos. Predicting soil erosion risk at the Alqueva dam watershed. . 2012; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Thomas Panagopoulos. 2012. "Predicting soil erosion risk at the Alqueva dam watershed." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 31 December 2010 in Waste Management
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The management of healthcare wastes is receiving greater attention because of the risks to both human health and the environment caused by inadequate waste management practices. In that context, the objective of this study was to analyse the healthcare waste management practices in hospitals of the Algarve region, Portugal, and in particular to assess the risk perceptions of, and actual risk to, healthcare staff. The study included three of the six hospitals in the region, covering 41% of the bed capacity. Data were collected via surveys, interviews, and on-site observations. The results indicate that waste separation is the main deficiency in healthcare waste practice, with correct separation being positively related to the degree of daily contact with the waste. Risk perceptions of healthcare staff show the highest levels for the environment (4.24) and waste workers (4.08), and the lowest for patients (3.29) and visitors (2.80), again being positively associated with the degree of daily contact. Risk perceptions of healthcare staff are related to the difficulties of the correct separation of wastes and the lack of knowledge concerning the importance of that separation. The risk of infection with needlesticks/sharps is higher during patient care than during waste handling, and the frequency of these injuries is related to the daily tasks of each healthcare group (doctors, nurses, and housekeepers). Furthermore, legislative definitions and classifications of healthcare wastes appear to have conditioned the management practices associated with, and the perceptions of risk concerning, healthcare wastes.

ACS Style

Vera Ferreira; Margarida Ribau Teixeira. Healthcare waste management practices and risk perceptions: Findings from hospitals in the Algarve region, Portugal. Waste Management 2010, 30, 2657 -2663.

AMA Style

Vera Ferreira, Margarida Ribau Teixeira. Healthcare waste management practices and risk perceptions: Findings from hospitals in the Algarve region, Portugal. Waste Management. 2010; 30 (12):2657-2663.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vera Ferreira; Margarida Ribau Teixeira. 2010. "Healthcare waste management practices and risk perceptions: Findings from hospitals in the Algarve region, Portugal." Waste Management 30, no. 12: 2657-2663.