Advances in Environmental
Sciences

Cadmium (Cd) is a pervasive environmental contaminant entering ecosystems via natural and anthropogenic sources, accumulating in soils and plants, and transferring through food webs to humans primarily via diet. This review synthesizes recent field data on Cd concentrations and trophic transfer in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, examining their alignment with legal maximum limits (MLs) and health-based guidance values. Evidence from freshwater and coastal lagoons shows clear Cd biomagnification in specific epiphyte-based and benthic food chains, whereas marine pelagic fish often exhibit low muscle Cd concentrations, limiting biomagnification. In terrestrial systems, Cd bioaccumulates strongly in soil invertebrates and small mammals, with mixed outcomes for livestock tissues depending on grazing conditions. Human exposure via diet approaches or exceeds tolerable intake values linked to adverse renal and systemic effects at low body burdens, prompting calls for stricter regulatory standards. Monitoring programs reveal compliance challenges especially in cephalopods, indicating key risk points in commercial seafood chains. Findings highlight the complexity of Cd trophic dynamics, tissue-specific accumulation, and the importance of integrating ecological, regulatory, and toxicological perspectives for managing Cd risks in food webs and human health.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a well-established consultancy instrument applied worldwide to evaluate the likely environmental consequences of proposed development projects before decisions are made. Despite decades of regulatory development, EIA practice in peri-urban and transitional land-use contexts often suffers from methodological inconsistencies, stakeholder disengagement, and inadequate post-project monitoring. This review synthesises the current state of EIA consultancy practice with a focus on peri-urban land-use planning, drawing on published studies from Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. Key procedural steps — scoping, baseline characterisation, impact prediction, mitigation hierarchy application, and monitoring — are discussed in relation to their practical implementation by environmental consultancy firms. The review identifies persistent challenges, including the underrepresentation of cumulative and indirect impacts, limited use of geographic information systems (GIS) for spatial analysis, and weak institutional feedback mechanisms. Best-practice recommendations are proposed to improve the effectiveness of EIA as a planning support tool for local and regional authorities.

The present study evaluates the degree of compliance of Cluj-Napoca municipality with European Union air quality standards for the 2019-2023 period, within a context marked by the pressure of accelerated urbanization and the new rigors of the European Green Deal. The central objective was to determine the alignment level of PM10, PM2.5, and NO₂ indicators with legal limit values, utilizing data provided by the official monitoring network (stations CJ-1, CJ-2, and CJ-3). The methodology involved a comparative analysis of annual averages and the frequency of daily exceedances, corroborated with the interpretation of local topoclimatic and anthropogenic factors. The case study results indicate a verdict of partial compliance: although an improvement in indicators was observed after 2020, traffic stations continue to report critical values, bordering on alert thresholds.

This study presents an integrated multi-platform LiDAR methodology for the dendrological inventory and heritage tree identification in the historical park of the Teleki-Kemény Castle estate in Jucu de Sus, Cluj County, Romania. Two complementary acquisition systems were deployed: a DJI Matrice 350 RTK equipped with the Zenmuse L2 scanner for airborne laser scanning (ALS) across the full 6.18 ha study area, and a CHCNav RS10 SLAM handheld system (hereafter referred to as the TLS acquisition component, processed via the TLS Forest module in LiDAR360) for ground-level acquisition in six representative sample plots (~500 m² each). All data were corrected through Post-Processed Kinematic (PPK) using a CHCNav I93 fixed GNSS base station and referenced in the Stereo70 coordinate system (EPSG:3844). Processing was performed in LiDAR360 v6.0 (GreenValley International). After geometric alignment and a six-class point cloud classification combining progressive TIN filtering, Cloth Simulation Filter (CSF), Deep Learning-assisted segmentation, and manual refinement, a total of 1,890 individual trees and shrubs were identified across the site. Six representative sample plots were processed using the TLS Forest segmentation algorithm (LiDAR360), yielding individual-level dendrometric measurements — total height (H), trunk diameter at 1.3 m (DBH), and crown diameter (Dc) — for 351 individuals. Thirty remarkable trees were georeferenced within the sample plots, and 37 additional heritage-candidate trees were mapped at site level, totalling 67 heritage candidates. The most structurally significant individual recorded attained H = 24.6 m, DBH = 94.1 cm, and Dc = 17.7 m. Complementary floristic analysis (three Braun-Blanquet relevés, 100 m² each) identified the vegetation as belonging to the association Symphyto officinalis–Anthriscetum sylvestris Passarge 1975, with Fraxinus excelsior and Acer campestre as dominant arboreal species. The integrated ALS–TLS workflow proved effective for precise digital inventory at the individual tree level, supporting conservation planning, structural risk assessment, and long-term monitoring of a historically significant urban park.

The consequences of pollution are devastating not only for living organisms and not necessarily through direct action but, in particular, through the long-term effects on the components of the environment: water, air, soil. After the awareness of the existence of the danger of the imbalance of the ecosystems that support life on the whole planet, it was sought to find some ways to supervise them. Biomonitoring is the continuous observation of an area with the help of biomonitors represented by indicators of atmospheric pollution. In the present study, bryophytes are used to monitor air pollution in the biomonitored area. Bryophytes, popularly known as "mosses", are plants, generally small and mostly perennial. Compared to other plants, bryophytes grow on all possible substrates and in all vegetation formations, including aquatic environments. The methods used in the evaluation of bioindicators include the analysis of the chemical composition of the selected species, measurements of physiological and biochemical parameters, as well as observations of morphological or behavioral changes. The results of these analysis provide important information about the degree and type of air pollution as well as its evolution over time.