Click here for the full text.

Authors: Demir Šaćirović, Elvir Muslić, Fadil Novalić

Abstract: Geographic literacy and spatial thinking are essential competencies for teaching Nature and Society (Priroda i društvo) in Serbian primary education, yet the level of these competencies among primary school teachers remains largely unexplored. This cross-sectional survey study investigated self-assessed geographic competencies, spatial thinking practices, and geographic knowledge among 206 primary school teachers across five regions of Serbia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising three sections: a self-assessment scale on geographic competencies (8 items, α = .645), a spatial thinking practices scale (10 items, α = .416), and a geographic knowledge test (8 items). Analyses included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. Teachers reported moderate levels of geographic competency (M = 3.66, SD = 0.54). Those who had completed geography courses during their university studies scored significantly higher on all three measures (p < .01). Spatial thinking practices differed significantly by teaching experience (F = 5.296, p = .002), with teachers having over 25 years of experience reporting the lowest levels. Only 25.0% of respondents reported regular use of geospatial tools such as Google Earth. The knowledge test revealed uneven per formance, with particularly low scores on altitude classification (17.0% correct) and map scale interpretation (56.5% correct). These results suggest that quantitative and classification-based geographic concepts may warrant greater attention in teacher preparation. However, the convenience sampling, overrepresentation of one region, and modest reliability of the spatial thinking scale limit the generalizability of the findings. Implications for teacher education and profes sional development are discussed.

Keywords: geographic literacy; spatial thinking, primary education; Nature and Society; Serbia; teacher competencies

DOI: 10.5937/gp30-65526

Article info:

Received: March 6, 2026| Revised: April 27, 2026| Accepted: May 27, 2026

Click here for the full text.

Authors: Utkarsha Pramod Dhurve, Sameer Deshkar

Abstract: The integration of ecosystem services into landscape planning has emerged as a central par adigm for reconciling ecological integrity with socio-economic development, yet the co-evo lutionary pathways through which these domains have become increasingly interdisciplinary remain poorly understood. This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric and science-map ping approach to analyze 1,930 peer-reviewed articles published between 2006 and 2025 from the Web of Science Core Collection, following a PRISMA-guided screening and selection process, utilizing timeline-based co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence mapping, temporal overlay analysis, and a novel Keyword–Discipline Tagging Protocol to trace the evolution of ecosystem services and landscape planning research. The study further quantifies interdisciplinary integration through a Cohesion Index (CI = 0.944) and identifies a statistically significant changepoint around 2018 marking accelerated conceptual convergence. Findings reveal three distinct phases of evolution: an early phase (2006–2015) characterized by siloed ecological and valuation-focused research; a transition phase (2016–2019) marked by the incorporation of planning and governance perspectives in response to global policy milestones such as the EU Green Infrastructure Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals; and a post-2020 phase demonstrating hybrid convergence where boundary-spanning concepts including nature-based solutions, urban resilience, and citizen science bind ecology, planning, climate science, and governance into a shared intellectual framework. Cluster analysis identifies land use, ecology, and management as the central interdisciplinary hub with highest connectivity, while policy, equity, and public engagement emerge as the least integrated cluster, representing a critical gap despitestrong overall cohesion. Persistent barriers including terminological ambiguities, data interoperability challenges, and institutional constraints continue to limit full integration, particularly regarding social and environmental justice dimensions. The study concludes that ecosystem services and landscape planning research has undergone fundamental transformation from a collection of loosely connected disciplinary inquiries to a coherent, policy-responsive, transdis ciplinary knowledge system, yet the incorporation of equity and participatory dimensions re mains an unfinished project requiring deliberate terminological harmonization, enhanced data infrastructures, and institutional mechanisms supporting transdisciplinary collaboration. These findings offer a replicable framework for integration science applicable to other complex socio-ecological systems.

Keywords: Ecosystem services; landscape planning; bibliometric analysis; interdisciplinary integration; nature-based solutions; policy alignment

DOI: 10.5937/gp30-63135

Article info:

Received: December 1, 2025| Revised: April 28, 2026| Accepted: June 5, 2026

Click here for the full text.

Authors: Lidiane da Silva Araújo, Antonio Samuel Alves da Silva, Rodrigo Luiz Costa Cavalcanti, Thiago Matheus Paiva do Passo, Matheus Dias Aguiar, Rosendo Chagas de Albuquerque, Ivana Tošić, Tatijana Stosic

Abstract: This study investigates the variability of precipitation distribution and rainfall seasonality regime in Recife-PE, Brazil, using the Precipitation concentration index (PCI) and Seasonality indices (SI). PCI was calculated on annual (PCIa), seasonal (PCIs), and supra-seasonal (PCIss) scales for the period 1962-2020. Rainfall seasonality regime classification was performed using the individual seasonality index (SIi), the general seasonality index (SI), and the replicability index (RI). The PCIa time series revealed precipitation distribution ranging from moderate (79.66% of the years) and irregular, with mean value of PCIa ≈ 13.58. Seasonality analysis indicated a mean rainfall regime classified as rather seasonal with a short drier season (SI≈ 0.56), and a high degree of replicability (RI = 0.85), characterized by maximum rainfall concentrated in a few months and limited interannual variability in SIi values. Trend analysis using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator showed no significant trends in the time series of PCI and SIi, except for spring (PCIs), which exhibited a significant negative trend. A Spearman correlation analysis between SIi and PCIa yielded a strong positive correlation (ρ = 0.86), reinforcing the link between precipitation concentration and seasonality structure.

Keywords: Seasonality index; Precipitation concentration index; Recife; Brazil

DOI: 10.5937/gp30-64717

Article info:

Received: February 6, 2026| Revised: June 24, 2026| Accepted: June 27, 2026

Click here for the full text.

Authors: Jean A. Doumit

Abstract: Theories of landscape evolution by Davis, Penck, and King describe the development of terrain through successive stages, but the choice of the most suitable model for a particular region needs to be supported by quantitative geomorphometric evidence. This study addresses two questions: which descriptive model best explains the topographic evolution of Lebanon, and at what stage of its development the present terrain is. Strahler stream orders 3 to 11 were used to construct nine isobase surfaces using GIS-based hydrological analysis with ALOS digital elevation models at 12.5 m resolution. The hypsometric integral, hypsometric curves, fractal dimensions, profile curvature, relative relief, and a modified surface index were used to charac terize each surface. Results show a proportional decrease in slope and elevation with increasing number of isobases. Isobases 5-7 are indicative of equilibrium landscape development, while isobases 8-9 represent an older, disequilibrium stage. Of the three competing theories, Penck’s model of simultaneous uplift and erosion best explains Lebanon’s terrain, given its tectonic history along the Dead Sea Transform Fault System. The results are used to create a predictive landscape evolution map of Lebanon, defining five spatial zones of progressive terrain dissection. Besides the Lebanese context, the proposed isobase-based geomorphometric framework provides a reproducible methodology for other tectonically active regions and a physiographic baseline for future geological mapping, tectonic analysis, and natural hazard assessment.

Keywords: Geomorphometry; DEM; Isobase; terrain evolution; Davis; Penck

DOI: 10.5937/gp30-64913

Article info:

Received: February 12, 2026| Revised: June 17, 2026| Accepted: July 3, 2026

Click here for the full text.

Authors: Rasyiida Acintya, Tjahyo Nugroho Adji, Ahmad Cahyadi, Wafiq Nur Azizah, Akhmad Singgih

Abstract: Karst ecosystems, covering 15% of global land, serve as vital carbon sinks, especially in the epikarst zone. This study examines the carbon sink capacity of epikarst spring catchments using field data from August 2022 to July 2023. Applying the hydrochem-discharge method, discharge and dissolved bicarbon ate (HCO3-) concentrations were analyzed at two-week intervals. The results reveal that epikarst springs absorb atmospheric CO2 at rates of 747.34–787.00 tons/km2/year, significantly surpassing non-epikarst springs (576.92 tons/km2/year). This sequestration capacity is driven by seasonal rainfall, discharge volume, and ion levels. Compared to other karst regions on Java Island, , these springs demonstrate superior absorption, highlighting their critical importance in the global carbon cycle.

Keywords: epikarst springs; atmospheric CO2 sequestration; Gunungsewu karst; dissolution processes

DOI: 10.5937/gp30-66090

Article info:

Received: Received: March 28, 2026| Revised: July 7, 2026| Accepted: July 28, 2026