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Showing 2561 – 2580 of 15962 publications

Mosses of the Barkova and Yerkusei Mountains (Subpolar Urals, Yugyd Va National Park)

Virgin Komi Forests — 2025 — WHE36F9FCD217

A comprehensive survey of moss flora in the Barkova and Yerkusey Mountains, part of the UNESCO-listed Virgin Komi Forests, reveals 104 species across 27 families, including four previously unrecorded species for the Subpolar Urals. The study identifies new habitats for rare mosses, emphasizing the need for biological surveillance due to their inclusion in the Red Data Book of the Komi Republic. Researchers mapped species distribution across mountain tundra and goltsy belts, providing critical data for conservation efforts in this subpolar ecosystem.

Mountain Guiding in Kinabalu Park: An Evaluation of Visitor Satisfaction

Kinabalu Park — 2025 — WHEA445C738A7

A study reveals that mountain guides in Kinabalu Park, Malaysia's tallest peak, develop critical professional and personal skills—such as communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and leadership—that significantly enhance visitor satisfaction. These skills improve the quality of climbing services, contributing to the park's growing appeal as a tourism destination. The research, based on qualitative interviews with guides, highlights how training and experience foster expertise that benefits both local employment and visitor experiences in this UNESCO-listed site.

Movements and habitat use by ring ouzels in El Teide National Park: Conservation implications for a relict plant-frugivore system

Teide National Park — 2025 — WHE948296857E

Ring ouzels play a critical role in seed dispersal for Canary junipers within El Teide National Park, primarily moving short distances (95% under 1.2 km) that facilitate seed spread among juniper remnants. Their habitat use is strongly tied to juniper cover and proximity to water sources, avoiding unvegetated flat areas. The study combined GPS tracking of individual ouzels with high-resolution habitat data to reveal their movement patterns and habitat preferences, highlighting the importance of both active juniper woodland restoration and the provision of water sources for supporting ouzel activity and enhancing seed-dispersal services in this relict plant-frugivore system.

Multi-agent collaborative pathways for Chinese traditional architectural image generation

Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital — 2025 — WHED00CA89F14

A multi-agent collaborative framework for generating high-fidelity images of Chinese traditional architecture, such as those found along the Beijing Central Axis, significantly advances AI-generated content (AIGC) technology. This approach integrates specialized agents to interpret user intent, generate creative prompts, produce culturally accurate images, and assess aesthetic relevance. By leveraging a cultural knowledge base and collaborative workflows, the framework outperforms baseline models in handling vague inputs while ensuring cultural accuracy and creative diversity. The study demonstrates potential for digital preservation, creative transformation, and innovative cultural tourism experiences, offering new pathways for AI applications in heritage conservation.

Multi-Temporal Relative Sea Level Rise Scenarios up to 2150 for the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

Venice and its Lagoon — 2025 — WHEEF6F3D43C9

By 2150, the Venice Lagoon could face severe flooding under high-emission scenarios, with up to 65% of its land area at risk. This study projects relative sea level rise (RSLR) using geodetic data and climate models from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, revealing that extreme water levels could temporarily reach 3.47 meters above current levels. The research integrates GNSS and InSAR data to analyze vertical land movements (VLM), showing rates of 1–3 mm/year with peaks up to 7 mm/year, which significantly influence RSLR across the lagoon. Projections indicate that over 112 km² could be flooded under a low-emission scenario, while a high-emission scenario risks 139 km². These findings challenge the long-term viability of the MoSE barrier system, designed to protect against tides and storm surges up to 3 meters, which may be submerged by 2100. The study underscores the urgent need for enhanced flood resilience strategies to safeguard Venice and its unique lagoon ecosystem.

Multi‐Scale Habitat Selection of Greater Caribbean Manatees in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Sian Ka'an — 2025 — WHE0ACB397D1F

Greater Caribbean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, are more likely to inhabit areas near seafloor depressions and closer to land, with habitat preferences varying significantly across spatial scales. This study is the first to model manatee habitat selection at multiple scales—study area and 1-km buffer—using GPS data from 102 opportunistic encounters and a pseudo-absence approach. It found that proximity to seafloor depressions increased manatee presence at both scales, while land proximity was a significant factor only at the larger scale. The research underscores the ecological importance of seafloor features for manatees and highlights the necessity of multi-scale approaches in habitat selection studies.

Multidisciplinary Approach of Proactive Preservation of the Religions Complex in Old Cairo—Part 1: Geoscience Aspects

Historic Cairo — 2025 — WHEC0A9191920

A critical assessment of geological and seismic hazards in Old Cairo's Religions Complex reveals significant vulnerabilities that threaten its Coptic and Islamic heritage. The study identifies key risks, including subsurface geology, geotechnical conditions, rising groundwater levels, and earthquake ground shaking, which are essential for developing effective retrofitting strategies. This research serves as a foundation for future vulnerability analyses, aiming to mitigate these hazards and ensure the long-term preservation of this UNESCO World Heritage site. The approach integrates robust multidisciplinary strategies to address deterioration driving forces and propose potential solutions for future research.

Multidisciplinary Approach of Proactive Preservation of the Religions Complex in Old Cairo—Part 2: Structural Challenges

Historic Cairo — 2025 — WHEEBCE69EAF7

Historic Cairo faces significant structural challenges to its religious monuments due to seismic hazards and unique urban influences. A proactive conservation strategy is proposed through the Italy-Egypt 'CoReng' project, focusing on the Religions Complex. This approach integrates past research, numerical simulations, technological in-field integration, and laboratory tests to address gaps and vulnerabilities. The study emphasizes learning from historical accidents to develop efficient mitigation strategies for emergency events, aiming to contextualize retrofitting within the evolution of past efforts and state-of-the-art practices.

Multilingual, multicultural and multi-religious diversity: chronotopic affect in the semiotic landscape of Zhongshan Road, Quanzhou

Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China — 2025 — WHEE7A20FA4AF

Zhongshan Road in Quanzhou, a key site on the historical maritime silk road, embodies complex chronotopic affects—emotional responses shaped by multilingual, multicultural, and multi-religious diversity. The study reveals that globalisation-driven mobility of sociolinguistic resources leads to functional shifts across scales (e.g., from local to global, religious to mundane), creating layered time-space frames within a single site or even individual signs. These chronotopes evoke distinct affects like love and nostalgia, illustrating how historical and modern elements interweave in semiotic landscapes. The research employs ethnographic methods, including photographs, observation notes, and interviews, to analyze these dynamics.

Multimodal metaphors in Zuojiang Huashan rock art cultural landscape

Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape — 2025 — WHE154385B5AA

Research on the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape reveals that folk art serves as a complex system of multimodal metaphors, where visuals, materials, and genre collectively convey abstract meanings. The study applies Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) to demonstrate that these modalities are both complementary and mutually exclusive, with each mode uniquely interpreting the target domain without substitution. This interplay enhances comprehension of the multi-layered cultural significance embedded in Huashan Rock Art, positioning it beyond mere artistic expression. By integrating cognitive linguistics and anthropology, the research provides insight into the motivations behind its creation, offering a novel framework for understanding folk art's symbolic depth.

Multiple Values and System Mechanisms of Rice Terrace Systems from the Perspective of Heritage Comparison

Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras — 2025 — WHE58A52E5317

Rice terrace systems, such as the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in China and the Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines, exhibit complex interconnections between multiple heritage values, including cultural landscape, agricultural production, irrigation engineering, and intangible cultural heritage. This study reveals that these systems consist of five interconnected subsystems—nature, terrace, village, irrigation, and concept—which collectively form a highly self-consistent and diverse yet unified whole. By analyzing typical cases through comparative research, the study demonstrates how rice terrace systems meet the criteria for multiple heritage classifications while maintaining their overall value integrity. The findings highlight the potential of systematic thinking in heritage protection and conservation, emphasizing the need for future research to address challenges in heritage activation, utilization, and value continuation.

Multivocality in World Heritage

Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site — 2025 — WHE0E98EEC1EC

A groundbreaking exploration of multivocality in World Heritage management reveals that embracing diverse voices—both human and non-human—can enhance democratic governance, challenge reductionist approaches, and better accommodate societal change. The study focuses on the Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site in Norway, demonstrating how a multidisciplinary approach to heritage conservation can reconcile global processes with local complexities. By centering multivocality, this research offers actionable insights for policymakers, managers, and international bodies to foster more inclusive and sustainable World Heritage practices.

Multivocality of space in heavy water tourism

Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site — 2025 — WHEA19B1BCF1C

Heritage sites are dynamic, evolving spaces shaped by competing perspectives, as demonstrated in the Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site. This study reveals that the heritagisation process involves multiple stakeholders—antiquarians, architects, and tourism entrepreneurs—who redefine and stage these sites as tourist attractions. Using Lefebvre's 'multivocality of space' framework, the research analyzes spatial sequences in the Heavy Water Cellar Museum (opened 2022) to uncover divergent viewpoints on presenting Rjukan’s WWII history and industrial legacy. The findings highlight how heritage tourism, particularly 'heavy water tourism,' is constructed through layered narratives, offering a spatial lens to understand the complexities of World Heritage Site development.

Munkaerőpiaci helyzetkép – A gazdasági élet sajátosságai Hollókőn

Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings — 2025 — WHEA68729056D

Hollókő, Hungary's sole village designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, exhibits unique labor market and economic dynamics. By 2022, its employment rate neared that of Nógrád County, while a 'daytime population exchange' emerged, driven by commuters working both within and outside the village. This phenomenon, alongside primary research on local economic factors and public perception, provides a comprehensive view of Hollókő's distinctive economic landscape. The study combines secondary census data analysis with direct surveys to uncover these trends.

Muon Detection Technology and Its Application in the Archeology of XiXia Imperial Tombs

Xixia Imperial Tombs — 2025 — WHE3A1F0AB578

Muon imaging technology has been successfully applied for the first time to detect internal density anomalies within the No. 2 Mausoleum of the XiXia Imperial Tombs. This non-destructive method leverages cosmic ray muons to identify structural details crucial for preservation efforts. The study introduces optimized observation parameters and inversion techniques, including a density-length product calculation based on muon survival rates, addressing gaps in muon detection research. These advancements enhance the efficiency and accuracy of muon imaging, providing key data for archaeological analysis and conservation strategies.

Mural Paintings of “Nativity Church” in “Bethlehem” between Historical Value and the Uniqueness of Aesthetic Influences

Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem — 2025 — WHEA7553E5B5E

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one of the oldest continuously used Christian sites, showcases mural paintings that reflect both historical significance and unique aesthetic influences. These artworks, inspired by Saint Helena's vision, have endured through centuries and recent restorations, drawing global attention to their artistic and symbolic value. The study analyzes these murals for their plastic solutions and symbolic content, revealing mutual influences with other religious and Islamic architectural depictions. This research highlights the maturity of the artists' craftsmanship, despite the church's ancient history, and underscores its enduring cultural and artistic impact.

Murals and Prints of St. John of Rila and the Revival Pilgrimage

Rila Monastery — 2025 — WHE415CA1945F

This research reveals the enduring influence of St. John of Rila's imagery on Bulgarian Orthodox pilgrimage traditions, particularly during the Ottoman era when religious expression was suppressed. It highlights how murals and prints depicting his life served as silent yet powerful testimonies to faith, preserving narratives of sacrifice and reverence for generations. The study meticulously analyzes early depictions, Revival-era murals, and Rila Monastery's pilgrim prints, offering a nuanced understanding of iconography’s role in cultural and spiritual resilience.

Museum Accessibility Development in Cultural Settings of the United States and Russia

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin — 2025 — WHEB79C9E9394

A comparative analysis of museum accessibility practices in the United States and Russia reveals distinct trajectories shaped by cultural, legislative, and institutional factors. While U.S. museums adopt a community-driven approach, Russian institutions tend toward state-centered models, yet both converge on inclusive programming, staff training, and visitor engagement. The study, based on literature reviews, website audits, and interviews with accessibility managers at four art museums—Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Denver Art Museum, Russian Impressionism Museum, and the Kazan Kremlin—highlights that meaningful accessibility requires collaboration, community involvement, and integration as a creative-ethical practice. Compliance with legal standards alone is insufficient; sustained progress demands systemic change within museum operations.

Mycena laurivora sp. nov., a new white species in M. sect. Polyadelphia

Laurisilva of Madeira — 2025 — WHE05D8BCFA9E

A new fungal species, Mycena laurivora, has been identified in the Laurisilva of Madeira and São Miguel Islands, distinguished by its white coloration and exclusive habitat on fallen leaves of Laurus spp. near watercourses or under cultivated laurels. This discovery was made through a combination of morphological (macro- and microscopic) and molecular analyses, setting it apart from other species in the Mycena sect. Polyadelphia. The study highlights the ecological specificity of M. laurivora, which thrives in the Mesomediterranean and Coline belts, contributing to the understanding of fungal biodiversity in these unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea — 2025 — WHE610B5A0B73

A feeding trial experiment revealed that yellow-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis denticulatus) in Tijuca National Park, Brazil, actively consume a diverse range of macrofungi. The study, conducted by Refauna Association and researchers from the University of Rio de Janeiro, offered 21 basidiomycete specimens representing 13 taxa to seven tortoises. Only one individual rejected the mushrooms entirely, while ten species were consumed or partially accepted. This finding highlights the importance of mycophagy in the diet of this threatened species, particularly in fragmented Atlantic Forest habitats like Tijuca National Park. The study also underscores the need for further research to identify the specific fungal species consumed by tortoises and their nutritional contributions.