University of the Azores

Efforts to build a sociobiodiversity-based bioeconomy increasingly depend on recognizing and rewarding the stewardship practices carried out by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and smallholder farmers. Yet, such practices, rooted in collective governance, traditional knowledge, and care for ecosystems, remain largely invisible in market and policy frameworks. This study compares recognition mechanisms for stewardship practices worldwide (38 case studies) and in Brazilian projects supporting sociobiodiversity chains (384 projects) using an inductive typology of material and non-material recognition and Arnstein's Ladder of Citizen Participation. Results show that 70% of cases combine multiple recognition forms, but their distribution and empowerment outcomes diverge. Globally, recognition mechanisms are more balanced, often codified in laws, participatory councils, and payment-for-ecosystem-service schemes that place communities on the upper rungs of Arnstein's ladder, with co-management authority. In Brazilian projects, recognition remains predominantly material and focused on short-term interventions-capacity-building, equipment, and market access, corresponding to lower rungs of citizen participation. Overcoming this condition requires policies that couple economic incentives with institutionalized participation. Markets alone will not value the non-material elements that sustain sociobiodiversity. Implementing Brazil's National Bioeconomy Strategy will therefore depend on public policies that reward both the products and the collective stewardship behind them.

Purpose The present study has a dual objective: first, to examine the role of coopetition in the development of hallmark events and the generation of value for the host society, and second, to verify the influence of hallmark events development on the creation of value for the host community. Design/methodology/approach Data analysis employed PLS-SEM and data collection was in the context of the hallmark event named “O maior São João do Mundo”, in Campina Grande city, Brazil. A sample of 367 residents was used. Findings Within the hallmark event context, findings reveal that coopetition enables strategic alignment among stakeholders, fostering value creation that would not be possible individually. Although coopetition does not directly generate social value, its influence emerges when mediated by the development of hallmark events, which can be an accelerator of benefits for communities and destinations. Research limitations/implications Results demonstrate that the distinctive and often conflicting attributes of hallmark events demand governance that goes beyond conventional planning models. Coopetition thus emerges as the most appropriate management framework, balancing collaboration and competition, coordinating diverse actors, and ensuring long-term social and economic value for host communities. Originality/value The analysis explores the social value creation from hallmark events using an outstanding Latin American. The study highlights that hallmark events enhance destination competitiveness through a society-centred approach, where resident participation is essential to strengthen well-being, local identity and sustainable practices.

Landslides, often triggered by intense or prolonged rainfall, pose significant risks to communities and infrastructure. Identifying accurate rainfall thresholds is crucial for predicting landslide events and developing effective early warning systems. This study, conducted on S & atilde;o Miguel Island (Azores), aimed to improve the predictive capability of rainfall thresholds by integrating both rainfall preparatory and rainfall trigger thresholds. Using data from 61 landslide events and rainfall measurements recorded at four stations between 1977 and 2020, the study applied the Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) distribution with Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) to identify the cumulative rainfall-duration pair with the highest return period for each event, thereby establishing a preparatory threshold. The trigger threshold was determined by analysing the rainfall amount recorded on the day of the event while also accounting for the duration of the preparatory rainfall period. The final threshold combines both the preparatory and trigger thresholds, and an event is detected when both thresholds are exceeded. Preparatory thresholds showed similar patterns across the stations, with Sete Cidades and Furnas recording the highest cumulative rainfall values, while Santana and Ponta Delgada exhibited lower thresholds. The trigger thresholds at Furnas reflected the highest daily rainfall intensities. The analysis also indicated that the rainfall intensity required to trigger landslides decreases with increasing durations of the antecedent rainfall. Performance of the thresholds using ROC metrics revealed that the combined threshold outperformed the preparatory threshold alone by reducing false positives (FPs) and improving predictive accuracy. In all cases, the combined threshold demonstrated superior performance in detecting landslide events, highlighting its effectiveness in landslide prediction. This study provides a detailed analysis of rainfall thresholds for landslides on S & atilde;o Miguel Island and underscores the advantages of the combined threshold approach for improving landslide prediction and supporting the development of robust early warning systems.

PurposeLive shopping, defined as real-time product promotion and purchasing through interactive livestreams on social media platforms (e.g. Facebook Live, Instagram Live and TikTok Live), is increasingly shaping digital consumption. While prior research has examined its role in stimulating impulse buying among mainstream consumers, little is known about how these emotionally charged environments affect economically vulnerable young people. This study aims to explore the psychosocial mechanisms underlying impulsive consumption in live shopping contexts among low-income youth.Design/methodology/approachAdopting an exploratory, inductive and phenomenological design, the study draws on 30 in-depth interviews with beneficiaries of Portugal's National Minimum Income Support programme. Interviews focused on lived experiences of live shopping, emotional states, social comparison and self-regulation. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to identify recurring psychosocial processes shaping impulsive purchasing.FindingsThe findings reveal that live shopping operates as an emotional-financial behavioural loop in which boredom, stress and social comparison interact with platform affordances (e.g. countdown timers, real-time interaction and staged scarcity) to undermine self-regulation. Livestreams were predominantly hosted by Portuguese-based influencers promoting both national and international brands. Impulsive purchases generated short-term gratification followed by regret and financial strain. Importantly, participants also developed self-devised coping strategies (including deliberate pauses, emotional awareness practices, shared decision-making and personal ethical consumption rules) that mitigated impulsivity without external enforcement.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on a qualitative, phenomenological design with a purposive sample of low-income youth, which limits statistical generalisability. However, its strength lies in analytical depth. Future research could test the proposed emotional-financial cycle across different socioeconomic groups, platforms and cultural contexts, and examine how payment modalities or platform governance structures further shape impulsive consumption dynamics.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for more responsible live shopping practices when targeting economically vulnerable consumers. Platforms and influencers should consider limiting high-pressure cues (e.g. countdown timers, exaggerated scarcity) and increasing transparency about persuasive techniques. The study also points to the value of low-cost, consumer-centred interventions (such as pre-purchase pauses, emotional awareness cues and shared decision-making) that can strengthen self-regulation without restricting access to digital commerce.Social implicationsThis study reframes impulsive buying in live shopping as a socially situated response to economic vulnerability rather than individual irresponsibility. By showing how emotionally persuasive digital environments disproportionately affect low-income youth, it calls for greater societal awareness of digital consumption inequalities. The findings highlight the importance of consumer protection, ethical influencer practices and emotional and financial literacy initiatives that recognise vulnerability without stigma. More broadly, the study contributes to debates on social inclusion, dignity and well-being in digitally mediated marketplaces, with implications for reducing harm and promoting more equitable forms of participation in online consumption.Originality/valueThis study advances the concept of situated compensatory impulsivity, reframing impulsive buying as a context-dependent response to emotional deprivation and symbolic exclusion. By documenting consumer-generated resistance strategies, it challenges portrayals of economically vulnerable consumers as passive victims of digital persuasion and offers actionable insights for responsible digital commerce, consumer protection and education aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 12.

Carcharhinus galapagensis and Carcharhinus obscurus are challenging species to distinguish based on their physical characteristics, particularly after processing, which can hinder species-level monitoring in fisheries and conservation programs. In this study, we utilized diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify 17 shark specimens collected from the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in Brazil, a remote marine protected area in the equatorial Atlantic. Our analysis confirmed the presence of both species: nine individuals were identified as C. galapagensis, seven as C. obscurus, and one was classified as a putative hybrid. We also developed a cost-effective, high-throughput SNP-based method for accurate species identification. This new tool enhances the precision of species identification in both fisheries-dependent and independent data, facilitating better management and conservation efforts for these ecologically important sharks.