Environmental management in urban areas is a complex issue involving problems of natural resources conservation as well as general issues concerning the processes of urbanization and development. The wide range of these problematic aspects requires a strategic approach, relevant to the sustainable development principles along with the complex analysis of a given potential. Here, value chain analysis is used, which allows a holistic approach to the analyzed problem. This article presents a methodology, principles, and effects of the use of value chain analysis of environmental management in urban areas. On the basis of the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia, the expected values in the environmental field as well as entities involved in value creation were defined. Moreover, the model of value chain was presented and development stimulators were identified.
This paper presents results of our research on the process of building development intensification within the Niepołomicka Forest surroundings in 1978-2003, and spatial policies of communes in relation to those areas, as well as results of those policies. Our research demonstrated diversification in the types of spatial structure transformation processes occurring in various parts of the metropolitan area, a considerable influence of even small but ecologically susceptible areas on the natural spatial structure of development, as well as justifiability of determining natural functional areas for the coordination of spatial policy on a trans-local level, in particular within metropolitan areas subjected to strong investment pressures.
Significant transformation processes have been taking place on rural areas, especially those close to big cities. Some communes, which are still described as rural ones, can be a part of functional metropolitan regions. The aim of the study was to verify if such a situation takes place in the case of the Warsaw Metropolitan Area. The study showed that there are some rural communes, according to the DEGURBA methodology, included in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area; some of them also joined a mechanism of the Warsaw Integrated Territorial Investment. Participation in this mechanism will allow them to develop their potential in a way coherent with the development path of the whole Warsaw metropolitan region.
Prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs and cats in Barcelona and surrounding areas was studied by analyzing 505 faecal samples of dogs and 50 of cats using a formol-ether diphasic method for helminths, a modified acid-fast technique for Cryptosporidium and other coccidian oocysts, and the Heindenhein technique for Giardia and Entamoeba trophozoites and cysts. Parasites were found in 26.9% of dogs and 34.0% of cats. Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium sp., coccidian oocysts and Entamoeba sp. were detected in both dogs and cats. Taenia sp., Dipylidium caninum, Ancylostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Trichuris vulpis and Uncinaria sp. were also found in dogs but only Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Toxocara cati in cats. There was a significant relationship for G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium sp. with seasonality and for G. duodenalis with geographical origin in dogs. Significant differences were also found for T. canis between stray and domestic dogs and for T. vulpis between males and females.