Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera i Sancho (PhD.EnD.MSc.LLM.MArch.MBLandArch)’s Post

While hashtag #AddoElephantNationalPark is widely celebrated for its large elephant herds, many people are unaware of its unique role as a sanctuary for a rare species—the flightless dung beetle! This remarkable little creature, native to the Addo region, plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem. Here are some key facts about them: - Endemic to South Africa: The flightless dung beetle is native to the Eastern Cape, particularly thriving in Addo Elephant National Park due to the abundance of large herbivores like elephants, which produce the dung the beetles rely on. - No Wings: Unlike many dung beetles, these beetles are flightless. They move by walking, which makes them vulnerable to vehicles and human disturbances. - Ecological Role: They play a critical role in recycling nutrients. By breaking down dung, they help return nutrients to the soil, which supports plant growth and contributes to the health of the ecosystem. - Unique Dung Handling: These beetles roll balls of dung, which they use for feeding and breeding. They bury the dung balls in the ground to lay their eggs, where the larvae hatch and feed on the dung. Conservation Efforts: Because of their ecological importance and vulnerability, Addo Elephant National Park encourages visitors to avoid driving on roads marked with dung beetle signs to protect the species. - Survival Tactics: Flightless dung beetles are incredibly strong, capable of moving dung balls several times their body weight. They are also adapted to harsh conditions, able to survive on minimal resources when dung is scarce. #LiveYourWild #WildBackyard

A few weeks ago, the northwestern Sahara was hit by heavy rainfall, causing flooding. In some places, more rain fell in a few hours than is normally the case in an entire year. This rainfall is not an isolated incident: the entire summer was already wetter than average in both the Sahara and the Sahel, a narrow strip south of the Sahara that forms the boundary with humid tropical areas to the south. Scientific research suggests that there is a connection with the exceptionally warm temperatures of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. 💡 But how does this work? And how do these changes relate to global warming? 🌳 Both climatological and archaeological research shows that in the early Holocene after the last ice age (about ten thousand years ago), the Sahara was much “greener” and had much more vegetation. Could a warming climate cause this to happen again in the future? Read the full climate report 👉 https://lnkd.in/et_wmqQX

Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) - ACADEMIC GOOGLE, SCHOLAR GOOGLE, latest publications, conferences and activities in October 2024: Between 1995 and 2005, he was the university research scientist and inventor who successfully applied, for the first time in the world, the technique of extinguishing large internal combustions in urban mega-dumps with deep injections of high-pressure cryogenic liquid nitrogen. The technique was published internationally in his doctoral thesis in 2006 at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). The technique is openly licensed to facilitate its application in underdeveloped countries and it is only mandatory to cite the author and the university each time it is used somewhere in the world. https://lnkd.in/d5Duj7w3 (The presentation of the doctoral thesis book is at the end of the video...) https://lnkd.in/dVEi4RMh https://lnkd.in/dZqaqw2T Civil society pays deep tribute to the first 50 years (1974-2024) of extensive scientific, academic and technological career of Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho, still in full research activity today. Monographic publication, inside pages, of the magazine “Know it all!”(="Tothosap Garraf"). "Know it all! Garraf", with a monthly circulation of 15,000 copies, is the cultural and entertainment magazine with the most circulation, circulation and audience in the Garraf region (Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain) You will find the report on the inside pages, number 46 and 47, of this link: https://lnkd.in/dVEi4RMh tothosap.com https://lnkd.in/dJdYgqHE Translation of the text incorporated in the photograph: "This section of the magazine, "The Geniuses of the County", could now be renamed, with this character, more precisely as "County Wise Men". The academic curriculum of Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho would occupy many pages of this magazine. He holds a doctorate in Environmental Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), vice-president and co-founder of the Institute of Penedesencs Studies (IEP), and has almost always worked as a Senior Official in the Public Administration. He has an almost encyclopedic knowledge. We talk with him about the virtues of the Garraf Natural Park (Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain) which he founded in 1986, and of which he is one of its top experts and promoters of the definitive declaration as a new National Park of Catalonia, which still the Public Administration has not promulgated. We will also talk with him about his extraordinary doctoral thesis, a university research, a field work and analyzes for more than 10 years, around the problems that can arise in mega urban waste dumps with internal combustion, and how be resolved effectively." Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho, ACADEMIC GOOGLE / SCHOLAR GOOGLE, latest publications, conferences and activities in October 2024: https://lnkd.in/ezCXVSXH https://lnkd.in/eyf_yE-U https://lnkd.in/dZqaqw2T

INTERNATIONAL NOVELTY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING in the year 2024. Prof.Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho - Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) Between 1995 and 2005, he was the university research scientist and inventor who successfully applied, for the first time in the world, the technique of extinguishing large internal combustions in urban mega-dumps with deep injections of high-pressure cryogenic liquid nitrogen. The technique was published internationally in his doctoral thesis in 2006 at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). The technique is openly licensed to facilitate its application in underdeveloped countries and it is only mandatory to cite the author and the university each time it is used somewhere in the world. https://lnkd.in/d5Duj7w3 (The presentation of the doctoral thesis book is at the end of the video...)

A SEVERE AND PERSISTENT DROUGHT OF MORE THAN THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS (2021-2024) THREATENS THE SURVIVAL OF THE FAMOUS WINE AND CAVA VINEYARDS OF THE PENEDÈS REGION (CATALONIA, SPAIN). October 2024 Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera Sancho of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), vice president, founder and principal investigator of the Penedès Institute of Studies (IEP), proposes innovative solutions in an extensive scientific and technical report. Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera i Sancho, vice-president and co-founder of the Institute of Penedesencs Studies (IEP), author of an extensive report with hydraulic and energy calculations, already participated with said report in October 2023, at the National Table of the Water of the Penedès regions of the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, in part of the innovative proposals of the current pioneering project of the new Penedès Irrigation Community, of about 25,000 ha of international, and famous vineyards of the world, for wines and cavas with protected designation of origin, with regenerated, reused and phreatic water, which will not come from rivers or reservoirs. https://lnkd.in/dKixxVpw https://lnkd.in/d7BC9UVz https://lnkd.in/dswV-kp5 https://lnkd.in/dsw6Dut4 https://lnkd.in/dggazX_g

This is “Blade Runner”, the famous humpback whale who survived. In 2001, she was cut up by a boat propeller in Sydney which left her with 30-centimetre-deep scars. According to experts, it would have taken her months to heal. She’s lucky to be alive. But this once-in-a-lifetime photo doesn’t just remind me of how strong and resilient nature is. It reminds me that we have to do better. Blade Runner and every creature like her, deserves better. And we are the ones who can restore nature, demand protected marine zones and change the way we share this planet with these incredible animals.

WHALE CONSERVATION: Protection of the FIN WHALE Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera i Sancho (Polytechnic University of Catalonia - UPC). The coastal waters of Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain) have been recognized as the first 'Marine Hope Spot' ('Hope Spot', in English) of the Iberian Peninsula by the "Mission Blue Foundation", founded by the biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle . In a pioneering project, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC): Bioacoustic Applications Laboratory (LAB), Prof. Michel André, director of the UPC LAB, will study and monitor fin whales and other marine species in this environment, using innovative non-invasive technology. The launch of the project took place on October 4, 2024, at the LAB. https://lnkd.in/d7M26j2M

WHALE CONSERVATION: Protection of the FIN WHALE Prof. Dr. Josep Antoni Herrera i Sancho (Polytechnic University of Catalonia - UPC). The coastal waters of Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain) have been recognized as the first 'Marine Hope Spot' ('Hope Spot', in English) of the Iberian Peninsula by the "Mission Blue Foundation", founded by the biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle . In a pioneering project, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC): Bioacoustic Applications Laboratory (LAB), Prof. Michel André, director of the UPC LAB, will study and monitor fin whales and other marine species in this environment, using innovative non-invasive technology. The launch of the project took place on October 4, 2024, at the LAB. https://lnkd.in/d7M26j2M

This is “Blade Runner”, the famous humpback whale who survived. In 2001, she was cut up by a boat propeller in Sydney which left her with 30-centimetre-deep scars. According to experts, it would have taken her months to heal. She’s lucky to be alive. But this once-in-a-lifetime photo doesn’t just remind me of how strong and resilient nature is. It reminds me that we have to do better. Blade Runner and every creature like her, deserves better. And we are the ones who can restore nature, demand protected marine zones and change the way we share this planet with these incredible animals.

A parabolic solar cooker uses a reflective, parabolic-shaped dish to focus sunlight onto a single point, called the focal point, where a cooking pot or pan is placed. The concentrated sunlight generates high temperatures, allowing food to cook using only solar energy. The shape of the parabola is key, as it ensures that all the sunlight hitting the dish is directed to the focal point, making it highly efficient for cooking or boiling water without fuel or electricity.