BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Carbon emission disclosure is an important mechanism for environmental accountability. However, disclosure quality in Asia remains relatively low despite the region’s large contribution to global carbon emissions. While extant literature has predominantly examined governance, regulation, and demographic characteristics, the critical role of organizational culture remains comparatively underexplored. The study objectives were to examine the association between collaborative culture and carbon emission disclosure quality in electricity companies operating in carbon-intensive Asian economies.METHODS: This study analyzed 210 firm-year observations from 45 publicly listed electricity companies in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea during 2016–2023. Drawing upon the quality principles of the Global Reporting Initiative, a carbon emission disclosure quality index (CEDQI) was constructed and subsequently validated via expert review, yielding a robust Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.97. Collaborative culture was measured by sustainability collaboration activities. The analysis employed ordinary least squares, fixed-effects, cluster-robust, and two-stage least squares estimations.FINDINGS: Collaborative culture shows a positive and statistically significant association with carbon emission disclosure quality across all estimation models. The coefficient of collaborative culture reaches 3.749 (p < 0.01) under ordinary least squares, 1.723 (p < 0.05) under fixed effects model, and 4.107 (p < 0.01) under two-stage least squares estimation. Under the fixed-effects model, sustainability reporting experience exerted a positive and statistically significant effect (2.241, p < 0.05), highlighting the critical role of accumulated reporting capabilities within firms. Institutional ownership, firm age, and financial performance do not have significant effects. Furthermore, robustness checks employing an alternative metric for disclosure quality corroborate both the direction and statistical significance of the primary empirical findings.CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that collaborative culture contributes positively to carbon emission disclosure quality. This study contributes a context-specific disclosure quality index and extends empirical evidence on the role of organizational capital in enhancing environmental transparency. Higher disclosure quality, however, should not be interpreted as lower carbon emissions. Improving corporate reporting credibility and reducing greenwashing exposure necessitates regulatory intervention to strengthen disclosure quality, standardize science-based metrics, and formalize third-party assurance protocols.
The environmental sustainability of hospitals is an increasingly critical issue globally, as healthcare systems are expanding rapidly, together with the growing concerns about climate change and depletion of resources. With healthcare systems expanding, the environmental impact of hospitals, particularly their carbon footprint, has become a critical concern. The study aimed to examine a range of approaches aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of hospitals, with an emphasis on reducing carbon footprints to pinpoint effective strategies and underscore areas where research is lacking. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, SCOPUS, and Embase databases from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2024. The study included 17 studies highlighting effective strategies for reducing hospitals' carbon footprints. Key interventions included integrating renewable energy sources, energy-efficient technologies, and sustainable procurement practices. Hospitals implementing these strategies have noted considerable declines in carbon emissions, with certain facilities realizing reductions of as much as 40 percent by incorporating renewable energy sources. Waste reduction strategies, such as improved segregation, recycling programs, and reducing single-use plastics, contributed to lower indirect emissions. Despite these successes, challenges such as high initial investment costs, limited technical expertise, and resistance to change were noted, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Key strategies such as renewable energy adoption, energy-efficient technologies, and sustainable procurement have effectively reduced carbon emissions and enhanced operational efficiency. However, high upfront costs, technical gaps, and resistance to change, especially in low-resource settings, hinder widespread implementation.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Eco-industrial parks integrate industrial ecology with spatial planning to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in sustainable industrial development. The integration of standard subjective weighting methods, notably the analytic hierarchy process, into conventional geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis for eco-industrial park selection introduces potential biases and limits the replicability of the findings. Additionally, suitability assessment and industrial symbiosis network design are often addressed separately, limiting their systematic integration. The study objectives were to develop an integrated geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis and ecological network analysis framework for planning the East Baghdad Village Eco-Industrial Park in North Sinai Governorate, Egypt.METHODS: The framework comprises six sequential phases: 1) literature review and gap analysis; 2) geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis of thirteen environmental, infrastructural, and socio-economic criteria; 3) entropy weight method objective weighting cross-checked using the criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method; 4) weighted overlay suitability mapping and ecological network analysis evaluation using total system throughput, cycling index, Finn cycling index, average path length, and network density; 5) industrial symbiosis network design; and 6) sensitivity analysis. Model robustness was verified via a ±20% criterion weight perturbation analysis using standard classification stability metrics.FINDINGS: Geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis identified 847 hectares (23.4 percent) of the 3,619-ha study area as highly suitable for industrial development. Environmental sensitivity, flood risk, and transportation accessibility were the most influential criteria. Ecological network analysis yielded a total system throughput of 2.87 million tonnes per year, a cycling index of 0.34, a Finn cycling index of 0.41, and an average path length of 2.3, indicating circularity potential within the range reported for established eco-industrial parks. Compared to a conventional industrial configuration, the projected symbiotic exchanges demonstrate significant potential for minimizing both resource consumption and waste generation. Sensitivity analysis confirmed high classification stability (0.935; mean map-consistency coefficient = 0.875).CONCLUSION: This study introduces an integrated planning workflow that sequentially combines geographical information system-based multi-criteria decision analysis and ecological network analysis to evaluate both spatial suitability and industrial symbiosis workflow. The framework provides a replicable approach for supporting sustainable eco-industrial park planning in arid, data-scarce, and resource-constrained regions.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study examines the determinants of environmental sustainability within 27 European Union countries from 2014 to 2024, capturing the impact of critical structural and policy changes. This study systematically examines five dimensions of sustainability. It first determines the influence of energy transition variables on per capita carbon emissions, subsequently examines the effect of circular economy strategies on resource productivity and finally evaluates the the non-linear link between economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions is identified using the Environmental Kuznets Curve framework. The study objectives were to explore five empirical models concerning the European Unions-27 countries and the impacts of the energy transition on per capita carbon emissions and role of circular economy in enhancing resource efficiency. Additionally, it tests the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory and income turning point.METHODS: A complete panel data set that comprises 297 country year observations is used. The empirical methodology is based on robust fixed effects regression models. Principal component analysis is used on six standardized variables. Principal component analysis serves as a robust statistical framework for constructing environmental sustainability index. The socio-economic factors affecting environmental sustainability index are further analyzed. Validation of the model through diagnostic tests is performed. FINDING: Renewable energy consumption mitigates carbon dioxide emissions, while energy intensity and environmental tax revenues emerge as critical determinants of sustainability. The presence of strong empirical evidence in support of the inverted-U shape of the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory is confirmed. These findings indicate that most European Unions’ member have progressed to the declining phase of the curve. According to the composite index, Sweden, Finland, and Austria belong to the best performers. Simultaneously, the lowest performance ratings are observed in Malta, Romania, and Cyprus.CONCLUSION: Offering critical empirical insights for European policymakers, this evidence underscores the need to prioritize reductions in energy intensity while supporting the strategic utilization of fiscal environmental mechanisms. Implementation of targeted green transition frameworks is highly recommended.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Land use and land cover change is a major driver of hydrological change, particularly in mountainous basins where hydropower production depends on reliable streamflow. The Suki Kinari Hydropower Project on Pakistan’s Kunhar River is a run-of-river facility that is highly sensitive to such variations. The study objectives were to evaluate the impact of past and projected land use and land cover change on streamflow to provide insights for watershed management and sustainable hydropower operations.METHODS: The soil and water assessment tool were employed to simulate streamflow dynamics under future land use scenarios. The model was calibrated for the period 2000–2011 and validated for 2012–2016 against monthly discharge data from the Garhi Habibullah gauging station. Future land use and land cover projections for 2052 and 2082 were generated using a cellular Automata-Markov chain model based on historical transition probabilities from 1992, 2002, and 2012 satellite observations.FINDINGS: The soil and water assessment tool model demonstrated acceptable performance for monthly simulations (Calibration: R² = 0.64, Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency = 0.62; Validation: R² = 0.61, Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency = 0.52). land use and land cover projections indicate a continuous expansion of urban areas (+400 percent by 2082), agricultural land (+72 percent), and barren land (+3.8 percent), driven by deforestation (-38 percent) and grassland degradation. Under these projected changes, mean monthly streamflow is predicted to increase by 2.64 percent in 2052 and 7.54 percent in 2082, with peak runoffs shifting earlier in the year.CONCLUSION: The study reveals that future land use and land cover changes will significantly increase streamflow and runoff in the Kunhar River Basin, posing potential risks of sedimentation and flooding for the Suki Kinari Hydropower Project. The findings underscore the critical need for a dense hydro-meteorological monitoring network in the upper catchment and the integration of scenario-based modeling into water resources planning. Sustainable land management is essential to mitigate adverse hydrological impacts in mountainous basins.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coral reefs provide vital ecological and economic benefits but are increasingly threatened by climate change, pollution, and anthropogenic stressors that drive bleaching and degradation. Effective monitoring is essential, yet conventional field assessments remain labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expert-dependent. The study objectives were to develop a convolutional neural network-based framework for automated classification of reef coral morphotypes and coral health status from underwater photographs; evaluate three transfer learning architectures, dense convolutional network with 169 layers, residual network with 152 layers, and visual geometry group network with 19 layers, under limited and imbalanced training data; and deploy the best-performing model for automated reef health monitoring across five stations at Kelapa Dua Island, Indonesia.METHODS: Reef coral morphotypes were categorized as boulder, branching, and table, while health status was classified as healthy, bleached, or partially bleached using the Coral Health Chart as a standardized reference. Three convolutional neural networks architectures pre-trained on ImageNet were fine-tuned on datasets of 663 morphotype images and 624 health status images, with class-weighted loss applied to address pronounced imbalance in the health dataset. FINDINGS: dense convolutional network with 169 layers achieved the highest overall accuracy, reaching 93 percent for morphotype classification and 82 percent for health status assessment, substantially outperforming residual network with 152 layers 152 (66 percent and 64 percent) and Visual geometry group network with 19 layers (42 percent and 64 percent). Per-class analysis revealed that the health classification task is significantly affected by class imbalance, with the partially bleached category dominating the dataset (55 percent of health samples); the F1-score for the healthy class reached only 0.44, highlighting systematic model bias. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate both the promise and the current limitations of deep learning for automated coral reef monitoring, and underscore the need for larger, class-balanced, and station-independent datasets for future model development. The dense convolutional network with 169 model was deployed successfully at five monitoring stations at Kelapa Dua Island, where partially bleached coral conditions predominated, consistent with elevated sea surface temperatures and suppressed salinity at the time of the survey.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Impacts of coastal flooding driven by climate change are intensifying worldwide. Significant efforts have been made across levels to help affected communities adapt to unpredictable changes. Yet the adaptive capacities of these communities are often overlooked in institutional disaster management. The study objectives were to explore the factors that shape community resilience and drive its responses to environmental changes by focusing on Tambak Lorok, the largest and most vulnerable fishing community in Central Java, Indonesia. The novelty of this study lies in the use of the adaptive capacity framework for exploring factors influencing community adaptations and the visualization of adaptive capacity distributions across different neighborhoods.METHODS: To collect data, this study employed face-to-face questionnaires, field observations, unstructured interviews, and document reviews. The data gathered were analyzed using Multinomial Logistic Regression and Principal Component Analysis with International Business Machines’ Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 31. Respondents were selected through simple random sampling, resulting in a total of 181. To explain the factors influencing community responses to coastal flooding, the study utilized the adaptive capacity framework, which includes five dimensions: agency, assets, social capital, institutions, and local knowledge.FINDINGS: The findings revealed four adaptive capacity typologies representing community resilience across the five neighborhoods of Tambak Lorok: attentive observers, cultural stewards, social activists, and self-assured individuals. Among these categories, cultural stewards, who possess strong local knowledge but lack access to credit, tend to take no action in response to coastal flooding. The majority of respondents, identified as attentive observers, were marked by a strong capacity to save money, participation in decision-making, sharing information, and leadership. Despite receiving minimal institutional support, these individuals demonstrate the ability to promote in situ adaptations. Additionally, the study further found that agency (B=-4.206, p<.005) and access to credit (B=3.453, p<.005) significantly influence communities’ adaptations, yet with different directions. CONCLUSION: Understanding the adaptive capacity of at-risk communities can help policymakers identify specific enablers and barriers to effective adaptations to coastal flooding, ultimately guiding the development of appropriate interventions to address challenges in building community resilience.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The area of Indonesia's mangrove ecosystem is approaching 3.5 million hectares. Approximately 52 percent of the area has been damaged and requires rehabilitation. The study objectives were to assess the extent to which a mangrove rehabilitation activity has succeeded in restoring its ecosystem by reviewing the spontaneous presence of the mangrove ecosystem biota. METHODS: This study was conducted in Segarajaya Village, Tarumajaya District, Bekasi Regency, Indonesia, from April to November 2024. The obtained data were flora diversity data (represented by vascular plants) and fauna diversity data (represented by taxa of birds, reptiles, benthic crustaceans, mollusks, and fish). Data on flora and vegetation were collected from 5 meters x 5 meters sampled plots for seedlings and saplings (21 plots) and 10 meters x 10 meters sampled plots for trees with stem diameter ≥ 10 centimeters (17 plots), placed concentrically. These plots were systematically sampled in a straight line from land to sea, with a distance between plots of 50 meters. Data on birds were gathered using the Point Count method, by making sampled plots in the form of a virtual circle with a diameter of 25 meters and a counting time of 20 minutes in each plot. Data analysis includes Importance Value Index for vegetation, Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, Sørensen Community Similarity Index, Chi-square Test of Independence, Mann-Whitney U Test. FINDINGS: The results reveal that the diversity of mangroves in the rehabilitation areas is extremely low (consisting of 1–3 species; Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index of 0–0.36). Until the stand was ten years old, no spontaneous presence of other mangrove flora was detected in these rehabilitation areas. The formation of new habitats due to this rehabilitation planting has stimulated the presence of fauna communities, both terrestrial and aquatic. The Sørensen Community Similarity Index for terrestrial fauna in rehabilitation areas compared with natural areas only ranges between 37 percent and 58 percent, indicating a relatively low level of community similarity. CONCLUSION: A decade of R. stylosa monoculture mangrove forest rehabilitation has produced structurally mature stands but has failed to restore floral and faunal to levels comparable to natural forests.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sustainable fecal sludge treatment poses challenges in low-resource tropical regions due to urbanization and inadequate sanitation. Planted drying beds represent a viable technology; however, their treatment performance is governed by an interplay between specific vegetation typologies and hydraulic loading dynamics. The study objectives were to assess the treatment effectiveness of two grasses, Pennisetum purpureum and Panicum maximum, at varying hydraulic loading rates of 42.9, 64.3, and 85.7 liters per day, benchmarked against unplanted beds as controls.METHODS: The experimental setup involved fifteen pilot-scale rectangular cement-brick drying beds organized into three treatment units. Each unit contained two beds with Pennisetum purpureum, two with Panicum maximum, and one control bed. Each bed measured 1.75 × 1.25 × 1.0 meters with a 1 percent slope for drainage. To evaluate system performance over a four-month monitoring period, treatment efficacy was systematically quantified by monitoring the removal efficiencies of key water quality parameters, including Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, total phosphorus, phosphate, total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand. Microbiological analyses monitored total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Shigella, and Salmonella, with assessments of eutrophication potential to evaluate the environmental impact of the effluents. FINDINGS: Planted drying beds consistently achieved higher removal efficiencies than unplanted controls across all studied parameters. Among the vegetated systems, Pennisetum purpureum achieved the highest treatment efficiencies, particularly at the lowest hydraulic loading rate (42.9 liters per day). Maximum removal efficiencies reached 89.3 percent for Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, 87.1 percent for ammonium, 90.0 percent for total suspended solids, 95.0 percent for biochemical oxygen demand, 92.0 percent for chemical oxygen demand, 89.1 percent for total phosphorus, and 89.9 percent for phosphate. Pathogen reductions ranged from 92 percent to 94 percent, while eutrophication potential decreased by 87.3 percent. An inverse relationship was observed between hydraulic loading rates and treatment efficacy; furthermore, the unplanted control beds exhibited the highest vulnerability to these increased loads, demonstrating a substantial drop in operational performance.CONCLUSION: Pennisetum purpureum-vegetated Planted drying beds are a viable and cost-effective method for treating fecal sludge in tropical settings, operating at a hydraulic loading rate of 42.9 liters per day. To fully validate operational stability, scalability, and field applicability under fluctuating environmental conditions, executing extended, larger-scale investigations remains imperative.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Small-scale fisheries in tropical multi-gear systems are influenced by marine environmental variability and biological pressure on target resources. Within the Timor Sea, seasonal fluctuations in oceanographic variables—specifically sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentrations—exhibit the potential to shift the spatio-temporal dynamics of fishing opportunities, while demersal snapper stocks continue to face pronounced vulnerability to anthropogenic to exploitation. The study objectives were to evaluate whether oceanographic variability and demersal stock pressure were associated with fishing-effort reallocation, while distinguishing fleet-level restructuring from vessel-level gear switching.METHODS: Vessel-level landing records from 2014 to 2020 were analyzed for vessels of 30 gross tonnage or less, comprising 3,441 records from 619 vessels. Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a data were obtained from satellite products, spatially averaged over the fishing domain, aggregated into monthly means, transformed into anomalies, and matched to landing records. To comprehensively evaluate gear dynamics, a multi-tiered analytical framework comprising compositional testing, multinomial logistic regression models, functional gear groupings, and vessel-level Markovian transition matrices were established. Demersal stock status for Lutjanus malabaricus, Lutjanus sebae, and Pristipomoides multidens was determined via length-based spawning potential ratio estimates.FINDINGS: Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a showed strong seasonal and interannual variability but no significant long-term trends. Gear composition shifted significantly over the study period; purse seine effort increased sharply, whereas bottom longline deployment declined relative to handlines. The environmental multinomial model showed that purse seine became increasingly likely over time after controlling for month, vessel size, trip intensity, sea surface temperature anomaly, and chlorophyll-a anomaly. Purse seine use was significantly associated with lagged sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a anomalies, indicating that pelagic-oriented gear use was linked to environmentally mediated fishing opportunities rather than productivity alone. Vessel-level transition analysis revealed a high degree of operational inertia; out of 355 paired vessel-year empirical observations, only 32 instances of gear switching were detected, yielding a nominal transition rate of 9.0 percent. Spawning potential ratio values were below the 40 percent management target for all assessed species, with Lutjanus sebae and Pristipomoides multidens below the 20 percent limit reference point.CONCLUSION: The Timor Sea small-scale fishery is undergoing partial fishing-effort reallocation rather than complete gear migration. The expansion of purse seine operations reflects a structural reconfiguration of the fleet, signaling selective adaptation strategies in response to spatio-temporal environmental heterogeneity and pronounced depletion trajectories among demersal stocks. Management should integrate snapper stock rebuilding, pelagic effort monitoring, vessel-level gear tracking, and satellite-based environmental indicators.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Freshwater lakes are increasingly threatened by environmental degradation, resource-use conflicts, climate change, and institutional fragmentation, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where water resources are essential for sustainable development. Existing approaches, including driver–pressure–state–impact–response, integrated lake basin management, integrated water resources management, ecosystem-based management, and adaptive management, are typically operationalized in isolation rather than through an integrated approach. The study objectives were to construct an integrated framework that synthesizes these disparate approaches within a unified decision-support structure underpinned by environmental indicators, institutional governance assessment, and geographic information systems-based spatial analysis.METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was adopted, integrating framework synthesis, comparative case studies, and institutional governance assessment alongside environmental indicators and geographic information system-based spatial analysis. The proposed framework is structured across five sequential phases: a baseline assessment, a causal diagnosis, a sustainability and carrying-capacity evaluation, planning and governance strategies, and an implementation stage paired with adaptive monitoring. The framework was applied to Lake Nasser, Egypt, and compared with the Great Lakes, Lake Biwa, and Lake Victoria.FINDINGS: The proposed framework integrated environmental assessment, governance evaluation, spatial planning, and adaptive management within a single operational structure. Geographic information systems-based sensitivity analysis, supported by weighted overlay analysis, zonal statistics, area calculations, and consistency with ecological characteristics reported by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and previous studies, indicated that approximately 15–20 percent of the Lake Nasser region comprises very high sensitivity zones requiring strict protection, whereas 30–35 percent represents high-sensitivity areas requiring controlled management. Spatial suitability analysis indicated that nearly half of the lacustrine system necessitates either heightened conservation status or strictly regulated development frameworks. The integrated lake basin management-based assessment revealed institutional fragmentation, limited coordination, weak information systems, and insufficient stakeholder participation. The comparative evaluation highlights a triad of critical determinants for sustainable lacustrine governance: continuous environmental monitoring, adaptive management interventions, and robust stakeholder engagement.CONCLUSION: This study introduces a pragmatic, adaptable framework that serves as a viable methodological tool for advancing sustainable natural resource management in freshwater lakes. By integrating driver–pressure–state–impact–response, integrated lake basin management, integrated water resources management, ecosystem-based management, adaptive management, environmental indicators, governance assessment, and geographic information systems -based spatial analysis, the framework strengthens environmental decision-making and planning implementation. Application to Lake Nasser demonstrates its potential to improve environmental protection, governance effectiveness, and long-term resource sustainability.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Armored scale insects (Diaspididae) are important pests of citrus agroecosystems; nevertheless, their natural enemies remain largely undocumented in tropical regions. The study objectives were to characterize parasitoid community structure and evaluate the ecosystem services delivered by parasitoid communities for biological control across tropical citrus agroecosystems.METHODS: Field surveys were conducted for 20 months at eight sites in East Java, Indonesia, along an elevational gradient of 23–1,181 meters above sea level with monthly sampling visits covering both dry and wet seasons. Infested plant materials from fruits, leaves, and branches were collected and reared under controlled conditions for parasitoid emergence. Parasitoid and host species were identified morphologically; community diversity was quantified using Hill numbers; host–parasitoid interactions were analyzed via bipartite network analysis; and biological control potential was assessed through multi-criteria decision analysis.FINDINGS: From 1,050 samples five Aphelinidae parasitoid species were identified parasitizing five Diaspididae host species, comprising a functionally structured community dominated by two generalists (Aphytis melinus and Encarsia perniciosi) and one specialist (E. suzanae), with two additional rare taxa of limited biological control relevance. The overall parasitism rate was 6.57 percent (830 individuals), and the mean number of individuals per parasitized sample was 12.03. Although relatively modest, this rate is characteristic of unmanaged conditions, with substantially higher rates documented in comparable systems under augmentative management. The community diversity was stable across elevation zones and seasons. Bipartite network analysis revealed moderate specialization (H2' = 0.35), with 56 percent of potential host–parasitoid links realized. Parasitism differed significantly among plant organs: fruits (11.14 percent) greater than leaves (7.43 percent) greater than branches (1.14 percent), indicating that plant organ is a primary determinant of host–parasitoid interaction structure. Multi criteria decision analysis, incorporating six equally weighted criteria, identified A. melinus, E. perniciosi, and E. suzanae as high-priority candidates for augmentative biological control, with rankings confirmed as robust through sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: This study presents the first systematic characterization of parasitoid community structure and ecosystem services in tropical citrus agroecosystems. The plant organ was identified as the primary determinant of host–parasitoid interaction structure. These findings offer an evidence-based integrated pest management framework applicable to tropical citrus systems with comparable assemblages.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Street-level urban view factors are important indicators for assessing urban form. Environmental conditions and greenery exposure ultimately dictate residents’ quality of life; however, robust evaluation frameworks for assessing these determinants are still limited. This limitation is primarily due to the challenges in collecting extensive field data across large urban areas. To address this limitation, the objectives of this study were to leverage existing street-view imagery. This approach can be a cost-effective and widely available data source for urban environmental assessment. This study introduces an evaluative framework for quantifying building, tree, and sky view factors through the application of advanced deep learning models. METHODS: A DeepLabV3+ model, pre-trained on the Cityscapes dataset, was selected for this study. To identify critical urban landscape features (buildings, trees, and sky), the model underwent localized fine-tuning aimed at enhancing predictive performance. In the fine-tuning process, manually annotated street-view images collected directly from the study area were used. The historic city center of Chiang Mai, Thailand, was selected as the research site. Street-view images were collected using the Google Street View Static application programming interface. To enhance segmentation performance under local urban conditions, several data augmentation strategies were examined and benchmarked against a baseline model. FINDINGS: The site-specific fine-tuning significantly enhanced model performance. The results demonstrated that combining various data augmentation strategies provides greater robustness than single-method approaches. The multi-augmentation model achieved an optimal mean intersection over union of 0.908. This metric reflected robust performance in the segmentation of buildings, trees, and sky features. Statistical analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between building view factor and tree view factor (ρ= -0.71, p < 0.001). This inverse relation reflects both urban spatial arrangements and intrinsic compositional class limitations. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of combining localized fine-tuning and multiple data-augmentation techniques to adapt DeepLabV3+ to the complex urban environment of Chiang Mai. The model improves urban view factor extraction accuracy. This study systematically evaluates localized fine-tuning and data-augmentation strategies and demonstrates that a relatively small, locally labelled dataset can effectively improve the performance of a pretrained model in a site-specific urban context.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The tourism sector is confronted with an increasing number of challenges that are associated with the reduction of carbon emissions and climate change. The tourism sector is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, strategies are required to attain the sustainable development goals and net-zero emissions. Nevertheless, relationships between sustainable tourism, destination management, resilience, and the attainment of net-zero emissions are still unexplored. The objectives of this study were to assess destination initiatives in urban tourism by employing a resilience-based framework to facilitate the attainment of net-zero emissions.METHODS: The study was conducted at six heritage tourism destinations in Medan City, Indonesia, namely Al-Mashun Grand Mosque, Maimun Palace, Tjong A Fie House, Velangkani Temple, Medan Zoo, and the Crocodile Breeding Center. A systematic questionnaire was provided to 200 visitors of the cultural heritage area to obtain insights into their perspectives on developed and implemented resilience initiatives. The study using evaluation strategy (internal and external strategy, performance measurement, and corrective action), the resilience-based framework as an intervening variable, and net zero emission. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling–partial least squares.FINDINGS: The measurement model met the required validity and reliability criteria. Structural model analysis revealed that internal and external strategies significantly influenced net zero emissions (β = 0.215; p = 0.005) and destination resilience (β = 0.331; p < 0.001). Performance measurement positively affected net zero emissions (β = 0.239; p = 0.001) but showed no significant effect on resilience. The resilience-based framework exerted the strongest influence on net zero emissions (β = 0.400; p < 0.001) and significantly mediated the relationship between strategy and net zero emissions achievement. In contrast, corrective action did not significantly affect net zero emissions. The model explained 44.9 percent of the variance in net zero emissions (R² = 0.449).CONCLUSION: The findings offer practical recommendations for the management of cultural heritage sites, governments, and tourism stakeholders to improve resilience, promote social cohesion, and guarantee the economic sustainability of cultural heritage tourism in a dynamic environment.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Agromaritime development transformation in tropical regions reflects the complex relationship between development pressure, biodiversity degradation, and socio-ecological vulnerability. Central Sulawesi has experienced significant ecological changes across upland landscapes, coastal zones, and small islands due to agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, aquaculture growth, and marine resource exploitation. However, biodiversity management and spatial planning frameworks remain heavily fragmented by sectoral approaches that artificially decouple terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, thereby obscuring critical ecological connectivity and its associated socio-economic ramifications. The study objectives were to analyze biodiversity dynamics and socio-ecological transformation across four major ecoregions of Central Sulawesi using a cross-ecoregional socio-ecological framework.METHODS: This study employed a socio-ecological qualitative approach by adapting the Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response framework and integrating perspectives from socio-ecological systems, ecological justice, feminist political ecology, and relational planning. The methodological framework relied on an integrated approach, utilizing spatial analysis, an extensive literature review, ecological field observations, stakeholder interviews, and an evaluation of environmental governance documentation. The research covered four interconnected ecoregions, including the Lore Lindu Highlands, Eastern Tomini Bay, Tolo Bay Coast, and Banggai Islands.FINDINGS: The analysis revealed that biodiversity changes across Central Sulawesi occurred through interconnected terrestrial, coastal, and marine processes. The Lore Lindu Highlands lost approximately 28,495 hectares of primary forest between 2001 and 2021. Eastern Tomini Bay experienced around a 24 percent decline in seagrass cover, while mangrove conversion along the Tolo Bay Coast exceeded 1,600 hectares. In the Banggai Islands, the endemic Banggai Cardinalfish population decreased by approximately 60 percent due to overexploitation and habitat degradation. These ecological pressures manifested as asymmetrical socio-economic impacts, disproportionately affecting small-scale fishers, women, indigenous populations, and vulnerable coastal communities. The findings also indicate that existing governance responses remain fragmented and have not sufficiently integrated upstream-downstream and land-sea management systems.CONCLUSION: Biodiversity transformation in Central Sulawesi represents a socio-ecological process shaped by ecological connectivity, development pressure, and unequal environmental impacts. Ultimately, the cross-ecoregional socio-ecological framework formulated herein elucidates the systemic linkages between ecological dynamics, institutional governance, and local community vectors, establishing a robust baseline for adaptive biodiversity conservation across tropical agromaritime interfaces.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ecological integrity and socio-economic resilience of coastal areas in Indonesia are increasingly threatened by fisheries development, which has led to the degradation of mangrove forests. Mangrove-based silvofishery is increasingly recognized as a viable strategy to reconcile ecosystem conservation with aquaculture production while simultaneously boosting ecotourism potential. The study objectives were to evaluate the multidimensional sustainability level of mangrove-based silvofishery systems in the Sungai Lumpur Protected Forest, identifying prioritized management approaches via a combined rapid appraisal for fisheries and analytic hierarchy process methodology.METHODS: A rapid appraisal for fisheries -based multidimensional scaling approach integrated with the analytic hierarchy process was used to examine the sustainability of silvofishery systems in the Sungai Lumpur Protected Forest, Ogan Komering Ilir, Indonesia. The dataset comprises information collected from 165 participants through a combination of semi-structured interviews, structured surveys, and field observations. The multidimensional scaling analysis produced a stress value of 0.14, indicating an acceptable model fit.RESULTS: The findings indicate that the overall system has a moderate level of sustainability. The economic dimension achieved the highest score (75), followed by the social (73.9) and environmental (68) dimensions. The technological (32.53) and institutional (40.66) dimensions were classified as less sustainable. These findings indicate that silvofishery functions as a transitional socio-economic-ecological system that sustains livelihoods and essential ecosystem services, yet lacks long-term resiliency. The favourable ecological conditions and strong social cohesion also indicate considerable potential for community-based mangrove ecotourism, provided that technological limitations and governance challenges are effectively addressed. Key management priorities involve the optimization of institutional structures, the reinforcement of land tenure security, and the adoption of adaptive and eco-friendly aquaculture innovations. CONCLUSION: Mangrove-based silvofishery in the Sungai Lumpur Protected Forest demonstrated moderate sustainability, characterized by strong economic performance with comparatively consistent social and environmental parameters. However, the primary limitations to long-term resilience are poor institutional capacity and weak technological progress. Achieving sustainable management requires extending beyond favorable environmental and economic outcomes to incorporate robust institutional frameworks, supportive policies, and technological innovation.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The restructuring of entrance fees at high-profile cultural world heritage sites often sparks intense public debates between heritage conservation imperatives and the fundamental principles of democratic public access. Utilizing an integrated microeconomic and behavioral demand-side framework, this empirical study provides a comprehensive assessment of domestic visitors'''' financial thresholds, behavioral dynamics, and psychological expectations at Indonesia''''s Borobudur World Heritage Site. The study objectives were to bridge the prevailing valuation gap, mitigate socio-economic conflicts, and prevent the severe market friction and social exclusion that typically accompany top-down tariff adjustments. METHODS: Utilizing the contingent valuation method and a structured ability-to-pay framework, primary data were collected through detailed questionnaires from 120 stratified domestic respondents during the transitional shoulder season. To bypass statistical limitations, the framework deploys a within-subject, repeated-measures analysis of variance design that generates 360 distinct data observations, yielding a post-hoc statistical power exceeding 0.99. To statistically model behavioral shifts, demand elasticity, and visitor distribution, this study constructs an innovative eco-economic boundary matrix grounded in Kaldor-Hicks efficiency criteria. This framework accounts for both demographic covariates and multi-tiered environmental service scenarios. FINDINGS: The empirical analysis uncovers a profound valuation gap heavily driven by consumer anchoring behavior. While the mean objective capacity stands at United Satate Dollar 18.35, the baseline means willingness to pay remains strictly restricted at just United Satate Dollar 3.23 due to free-rider effects. Crucially, green scenario simulations demonstrate that transitioning to an integrated eco-mobility management structure triggers a substantial +25 percent positive behavioral shift. Empirical simulations indicate that integrating the entry fee with highly visible low-carbon transit networks and transparent environmental infrastructure optimizes public acceptance. Under these conditions, a pricing threshold of United State Dollar 6.25 causes projected compliance to jump from 18 to 55 percent. Conclusion: The government previously proposed United State Dollar 46.88 tariff triggers an immediate market destabilization and deadweight loss. Furthermore, it engenders severe public opposition rooted in systemic socio-economic disparities. This study proves that integrating green transportation networks functions as a powerful psychological catalyst. This integration shifts visitor utility curves, mitigates financial friction, and ultimately fosters sustainable, equitable cultural heritage governance.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coral-rubble surfaces that are suitable for mangrove cultivation can be revealed by coastal elevation changes induced by earthquakes. These surfaces are distinguished from established mangrove mudflats by their coarse substrate, underdeveloped characteristics, and frequent deficiency in fine silt. The study objectives were to evluate the percentage of living planted mangroves and the conditions of habitats on earthquake-uplifted coral-rubble coastal terrain in Nias Island, Indonesia.METHODS: A total of 77 plots were observed at eight locations for 3, 6 and 12 months measurement. Analysis of the relationship between habitat characteristics and percentage of living plants was carried out at the location level (n = 8) and interpreted as an exploratory analysis. The records at six and twelve months reflected live plants under field care and replanting settings, as dead plants were substituted after each monitoring interval. The habitat assessment included water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, substrate potential of hydrogen, texture, organic carbon content, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium.FINDINGS: The planting substrate was primarily composed of sand, with site mean sand ratio ranging from 82.00 percent to 93.25 percent. The substrate had not evolved into organic-rich mangrove soil, as evidenced by the deficiency of soil nutrient levels and organic carbon at the planting sites. The percentage of live plants in Botohilitano ranged from 39.60 percent to 87.86 percent after one year. Differences in habitat conditions among locations underscore the necessity of targeted habitat evaluations, while the correlation between habitat traits and the proportion of live plants necessitates additional. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding the uniform planting density, the effectiveness of mangrove cultivation in coral fragment-covered regions raised by the earthquake differs. It is essential to perform site-specific evaluations of habitat compatibility, consistently monitor the percentage of live plants, and systematically document the rehabilitation process before increasing restoration efforts. The ecological mangrove restoration approach must incorporate suitable species, and community involvement in restoration management is essential to improve the sustainability of mangrove ecosystem services and the efficacy of rehabilitation efforts.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Microplastic pollution on tropical urban beaches is a growing concern due to its persistence, mobility, and potential transfer to coastal organisms. While research on marine ecosystems has advanced significantly, substantial gaps persist regarding their spatial distribution, community composition, and the ecological risks facing urban beaches in the Colombian Caribbean. The study objectives were to assess microplastic pollution and associated risks on three urban beaches in San Antero, Córdoba, considering its spatial and seasonal variability and potential anthropogenic sources.METHODS: Surface sediments were collected from Blanca, Bucaneros and Puerto beaches, including the supralittoral, mesolittoral, and infralittoral zones during rainy, transitional, and dry periods. Microplastics were separated via density separation using a saturated sodium chloride solution, subsequently filtered, and evaluated for morphological characteristics, dimensions, and coloration through stereomicroscopic. The polymer composition was determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, pollution indices, morphological impact, potential ecological risk, pollution risk, and source contribution were applied.FINDINGS: Abundances ranged from 530 to 1392 particles per kilogram, with the highest values during the rainy season, in the supralittoral zone, and at Puerto beach. Fibers overwhelmingly dominated the morphological composition, representing 96 percent of the particles and irregular fragments constituted 4 percent. Blue and white particles predominated within the samples, whereas infrared spectroscopic analysis of a representative subset identified polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene as the primary polymer types. Although the indices based on abundance and polymer composition indicated low pollution and low ecological risk, the predominance of fibres and the high values of the source contribution index evidenced continuous anthropogenic inputs.CONCLUSION: The urban beaches evaluated function as microplastic accumulation zones potentially influenced by rainfall, coastal dynamics, tourism, fishing, and urban activities. These findings emphasize the imperative to enhance plastic waste management strategies and environmental surveillance across tropical coastal zones within the Colombian Caribbean. These findings provide baseline information for tropical urban beaches and support the development of source-oriented strategies to reduce microplastic inputs into coastal ecosystems.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and rising food demand have increased the need for sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems. Although sorghum possesses substantial ecological potential due to its drought tolerance, minimal input requirements, and adaptability to marginal lands, it remains critically underutilized. The translation of these agronomic advantages into sustainable agricultural practices is fundamentally constrained by underdeveloped market, institutional, and regulatory frameworks. The study objectives were to assess the sustainability status of sorghum farming systems in Indonesia and identify structural leverage variables influencing environmental management performance.METHODS: The study used an integrated framework combining Rapfish–multidimensional scaling and matrix of cross-impact multiplications applied to classification. Primary data were collected from expert stakeholders utilizing a mixed-methods approach that comprised structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. A total of 43 sustainability attributes were assessed across six dimensions: environmental, economic and market, social and cultural, technical and agronomic, institutional, and policy and regulatory. Sustainability indices were calculated using Rapfish–multidimensional scaling technique and subsequently validated via Monte Carlo simulation analysis. Key leverage variables were examined using matrix of cross-impact multiplications applied to classification to classify influence dependence relationships.FINDINGS: The overall sustainability index was recorded at 47.68 percent, reflecting a lower level of system sustainability. Among the evaluated dimensions, the environmental component demonstrated the strongest performance, with an index of 74.51 percent, followed by technical and agronomic dimension at 55.37 percent. The economic, socio-cultural, and institutional dimensions consistently exhibited sub-optimal performance. The weakest performance was found in the policy and regulatory dimension, with an index of 24.04 percent, indicating that weak governance and regulatory support were main constraints. The structural analysis identified extension services, research institutions, and intergovernmental coordination as driving variables, while climate adaptation capacity, certified seed availability, and access to finance acted as sensitive linkage variables.CONCLUSION: Sorghum farming in Indonesia has environmental potential but remains constrained by weak governance, limited institutional capacity, and underdeveloped market structures. The sustainable management of climate-resilient agriculture necessitates a integrated framework comprising coordinated environmental governance, robust innovation systems, sustainability-oriented value chains, and targeted policy instruments. The integrated framework provides a practical decision-support approach for identifying sustainability status and prioritizing structural interventions in emerging agricultural systems.
