Invasive alien species (IAS) are linked to the extinction of numerous organisms, being a problem for which urgent measures must be taken. Their management requires robust decision-support tools capable of integrating ecological, economic and social impacts. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) has been highlighted by bodies such as the European Union as an important tool for making sound decisions in IAS management. This study focuses on the restoration of plots invaded by Acacia dealbata in the SAC Sil Canyon (NW Spain), using a novel integrated assessment framework that links remote sensing and contingent valuation (CV) within an extended environmental CBA. Sentinel-2 data and a Random Forest algorithm were used to map Acacia plots with an accuracy of 98%, given that no data on the occupancy of the species were available for this location. Knowing the Acacia distribution made it possible to characterize the slope and location of the plots in order to estimate the restoration costs. The intervention yields benefits in terms of timber from native species and non-market benefits, which were monetized by CV, obtaining a median willingness to pay of 6.31 €/year over 50 years. All costs and revenues were incorporated into the CBA to assess the feasibility and impact of the project. After a sensitivity analysis using a Monte Carlo simulation, the restoration was found to produce a net present value (NPV) of 2,793,476.09 € over a 120-year horizon, with the non-market goods contributing most to this amount. The results demonstrate that integrating remote sensing and stated preference methods within an extended CBA provides a sound basis for evaluating IAS management alternatives, supporting transparent and evidence-based environmental decision-making in protected areas.
Used cooking oil (UCO) is an abundant feedstock to produce renewable energy and bio-based materials. However, valorisation routes differ substantially in environmental performance and economic viability. This study identifies the UCO valorisation route offering the best overall performance when both dimensions are assessed simultaneously, supporting more sustainable waste management strategies. An integrated environmental and techno-economic assessment was conducted for five routes: biodiesel production via transesterification (FAME) and hydrotreatment (HVO), combined heat and power (CHP), incineration, and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based bioplastics (two process configurations). A gate-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was coupled with environmental life cycle costing (eLCC) to internalise environmental externalities within the economic evaluation. Bioplastics and biodiesel (FAME) dominate the largest number of environmental impact categories, while CHP and incineration exhibit the lowest overall burdens. In terms of global warming, bioplastic routes display the lowest impacts (1.92–2.23 kg CO2-eq/kg UCO), whereas CHP, incineration and biodiesel routes exceed 3 kg CO2-eq/kg UCO due to combustion-related emissions. Microplastic impacts, despite affecting less than 5% of the material, are particularly relevant in the aquatic compartment. Economically, biodiesel (FAME) and incineration are the most favourable when only process costs are considered (1.21 €/kg biodiesel and 1.17 €/kg UCO). When environmental externalities are internalised, minimum selling prices increase substantially (up to 2.21 €/kg biodiesel), reversing the ranking. Overall, no route is clearly superior when environmental and economic performance are considered together, highlighting the need for policies and industrial strategies that account for environmental externalities to avoid burden shifting and promote sustainable UCO management pathways.
The hypothalamus orchestrates energy homeostasis via specialized neuronal populations and glial cells that integrate interoceptive signals, such as leptin, glucose, and fatty acids, through key intracellular energy sensors, like AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This enables the hypothalamus to coordinate behavioral, autonomic, and neuroendocrine responses that regulate adipose mass and metabolism. This foundational Neuroendocrinology paradigm, forged through centuries of research, drives the mission of this Special Issue. From the cellular complexity of hypothalamic circuits and their hormonal regulation, to sex dimorphism and clinical relevance, as well as cutting-edge advances, such as single-cell hypothalamic mapping, circuit dynamics, and emerging therapeutic frontiers, this collection offers a comprehensive roadmap to the past, present and especially the future of hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis.
Mitigating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) decoupling is essential to advancing reliable sustainability disclosure and ensuring that ESG reporting fulfills its intended purpose. This study aims to provide critical insights into the organizational and contextual elements that could intensify or diminish ESG decoupling. Using a multi-theoretical framework, this study examines the impact of firm value and institutional pressures from the European Union's sustainability reporting directives on ESG decoupling. The empirical findings, based on a random-effects panel regression analysis of data from 3465 large companies from 2009 to 2023 (13,488 firm-year observations), indicate that firms with higher financial performance and market value are more likely to engage in ESG decoupling. Conversely, the results demonstrate that normative and coercive pressures from the European Union's sustainability reporting directives result in greater alignment between ESG disclosures and performance. These findings offer researchers, regulators, investors, stakeholders, and ESG rating agencies additional insight into ESG decoupling and carry significant policy implications.
The tourism sector is widely recognized as a pivotal catalyst for global development and economic growth. However, it faces significant challenges, which have intensified the search for alternative and more sustainable tourism models. Digital technologies have become essential tools for transformation, with the metaverse emerging as a disruptive and promising innovation strategy for the tourism industry. Thus, this study aims to provide a comprehensive review of all previous scientific literature related to the adoption of the metaverse in the context of sustainable tourism, developing a bibliometric analysis (through techniques such as co-citation analysis of references and author keyword co-occurrence) of all articles indexed in Web of Science database from January 2021 to September 2025. Specifically, the references co-citation analysis has concluded three main thematic clusters related to conceptual foundations, technological advances, and metaverse adoption possibilities, respectively. The results obtained indicate that research on the metaverse in sustainable tourism is still at an early stage of development and is primarily conceptual in nature. This study contributes to the emerging research field of metaverse and sustainable tourism by offering a comprehensive review to establish its theoretical foundations and identify opportunities for future research.
