Multi-hazard assessment plays a crucial role in understanding the spatial concurrence and cumulative effects of various environmental hazards. However, limited availability of integrated hazard information and the lack of spatially explicit multi-hazard assessments constrain urban risk governance and landscape-scale nature-based solution planning. This study addresses this gap by enhancing scientific understanding of the spatial distribution of multiple environmental hazards in Kabul region, where data limitations and informal growth hinder effective risk management. The study pursues two objectives: (1) to assess and map the spatial distribution of individual environmental hazards, and (2) to identify multi-hazard zones and their specific hazard combinations. This study assesses five key hazards—flood (FH), heat (HH), drought (DH), soil erosion (SEH), and groundwater stress (GWS)—using Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis within a GIS framework. The study rates and weights nine parameters through hazard-specific methods. It then integrates the binary hazard layers using two approaches: (1) raster calculator to quantify the spatial overlap of hazard-prone areas, and (2) weighted multiplication of binary layers to interpret unique hazard combinations. The results show that approximately 80
We demonstrate the use of acceptance sampling by attribute to verify that technical measures implemented at construction worksites meet the requirements of environmental regulations, standards and codes of practice. In contrast to environmental monitoring of broader spatial and temporal effects, acceptance sampling plans are used to verify the effectiveness of such measures at the time of the verification during construction activities. Applying power statistics used in acceptance sampling, Type II Error (β) is considered as the environment’s risk to achieving environmental protection policies while Type I Error (α) is considered as the proponent’s risk for the person having to implement such measures. Using a case study, we demonstrate the development of acceptance sampling plans by attribute for erosion and sediment control. Working from a hypothetical policy for the environment’s risk and the proponent’s risk, we also underline the importance of sample sizes to make the correct decisions when verifying if technical measures are functioning as intended based on a policy for acceptable levels of non-conformity. The report provides an overview of the probability mathematics used in acceptance sampling plans that include the calculation of the acceptance number as a decision rule for a given sample size and the calculations of the environment’s risk and the proponent’s risk.
Protecting global biodiversity depends on safeguarding foundation species in forested ecosystems. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems are native to the Southeastern United States. This ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and supports several endemic wildlife species. Over time, longleaf pine has become fragmented. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides an opportunity to restore longleaf pine in its native range and improve habitat connectivity; however, enrollment is often opportunistic and not necessarily aimed at maximizing environmental benefits at the landscape level, including wildlife habitat. We developed a spatial prioritization approach to identify future CRP opportunities that improve habitat connectivity for longleaf pine-associated species. After identifying CRP-eligible and longleaf-suitable fields, we created resistance layers around each field. Next, we developed two cost surface layers for each field: one incorporating CRP into the landscape and one not. The difference in movement costs between the two scenarios reflected the relative increase in CRP-related connectivity. We identified high uplift opportunities in the Central Florida Ridges and Uplands, the Florida Panhandle, and the Carolina Sandhills. Local landscapes with higher percentages of high-resistance land cover (developed, roads) and higher levels of longleaf pine clustering provided greater uplift in habitat connectivity for CRP opportunities. Our spatial prioritization approach provides information for conservation practitioners that can be adopted or modified into a framework to enhance longleaf pine conservation and the conservation of other foundation species worldwide.
Sociobioeconomy has gained prominence as an alternative to conventional bioeconomy by integrating biodiversity conservation, social inclusion, and the valorization of traditional knowledge. This article aims to identify the institutional and organizational elements that enable sociotechnical transitions to sociobioeconomy in the Amazon. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach based on the analysis of four initiatives that reconcile nature conservation, social inclusion, and traditional knowledge: the sustainable management of pirarucu, fine cocoa and chocolate production in Transamazônica, the craftsmanship of cuia from Baixo Amazonas (collective brand Aíra), and the Origens Brasil Platform. The results show that successful experiences depend on polycentric governance, community participation, local leadership, multiscale collaborative networks, and equitable value distribution mechanisms. These initiatives show concrete signs of transition, such as ecological recovery, increased local income, productive autonomy, cultural strengthening, and access to differentiated markets, although they face structural barriers related to logistics, difficulties in obtaining certifications, informality, and institutional limitations. Thus, it is evident that transitions to sociobioeconomy require deep transformations in the dominant regime, including the reconfiguration of value chains, strengthening of polycentric arrangements, and the construction of public policies that promote inclusion, social justice, and socio-environmental conservation.
Efforts to promote biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation increasingly rely on reducing deforestation and forest degradation (DD). However, how community characteristics and local perceptions of DD drivers and forest ecosystem dynamics influence forest conservation strategies remain understudied. Using the Trois-Rivières Forest Reserve (TRF) in northern Benin as a case study, land-cover change analysis and rural appraisal were combined to examine how socio-cultural characteristics and environmental perceptions shape conservation strategies in a context of ongoing DD. Landsat images (1990, 2006, and 2022) were analyzed, and 297 households were surveyed across 12 villages with severe deforestation rates. Principal component analysis and structural equation modeling were used to investigate the interlinkages between socio-demographic and socio-economic variables, perceived direct and indirect drivers, and conservation strategies. Between 1990 and 2006, the coverage of agricultural land, bare soil, and built-up areas increased by 40–283
Biodiversity has become an increasingly important concern in environmental management, yet the meaning of nature-positive remains unstable when applied to the management of industrial facilities. Site managers are increasingly expected to demonstrate contributions to biodiversity improvement beyond compliance, but practical guidance remains limited on what facilities can credibly implement, maintain, measure, and communicate. This article addresses this management problem through a structured critical review of the literature across six connected domains: nature-positive, no net loss and net gain approaches, the mitigation hierarchy and biodiversity offsetting, biodiversity measurement and reporting, environmental management systems (EMS), and industrial and SME implementation contexts. To improve transparency, the review is organised around an explicit, theme-led search and analytical coding process focusing on definitions, netting logic, controllability, measurement, governance mechanisms, and reporting implications. The review identifies four recurrent tensions that constrain facility-scale biodiversity stewardship: ambiguity between nature-positive as a societal goal and as a site-level claim; the methodological fragility of net-outcome claims at facility scale; limited managerial control over ecological outcomes; and weak persistence when biodiversity actions are not embedded in operational routines. Based on these findings, the paper develops Nature-Positive for Industrial Facilities (NP4IF) as a facility-scale implementation architecture for biodiversity stewardship. NP4IF specifies a PDCA-compatible sequence linking site assessment, prioritisation of controllable interventions, operational integration, two-layer monitoring, governance review, reporting discipline, and adaptive management. Its distinctive contribution is to translate nature-positive ambition into a bounded management process in which facilities are accountable for implemented and maintained actions, while ecological signals are interpreted cautiously in light of partial controllability and wider landscape dynamics. The article offers an internationally relevant, practice-oriented framework for industrial facilities and provides a more credible basis for environmental management than abstract net-outcome claims alone.
Sustainable forest conservation fundamentally demands effective governance and the proactive conservation behavior of local communities. However, the extent to which integrated community perspectives on forest governance effectiveness and forest resource utilization shape the conservation behavior of communities in Ethiopia remains unexplored. This study investigates the community perspectives on the effectiveness of forest governance and forest use, and how those views influence satisfaction with forest conservation action among forest-dwelling communities. Data were collected from 384 randomly selected households, 24 key informants, and 10 focus group discussions. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), while narrative analyze was used for the qualitative data. The study results reveal that the overall forest governance was found to be moderate, with varying community and gender gap perspectives on each forest governance principle ranging from low to high. The results from SEM analyze indicate that community perspectives on local forest governance effectiveness and forest resource use strongly predict forest conservation behavior by path coefficients (β = 0.23) and (β = 0.29) points, respectively. Furthermore, perceived local forest governance effectiveness indirectly contributes to sustainable forest conservation by fostering community satisfaction with forest management functions and interventions (β = 0.33). Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of both effective forest governance and sustainable forest resource use patterns in shaping the conservation behavior of the community. Forest stakeholders should focus on strengthening local forest governance, promoting sustainable forest resource use, and addressing community interests to increase their involvement in forest conservation efforts.
Groundwater depletion is an important issue in many parts of the world. Groundwater depletion is particularly prevalent in arid areas of the world. Though market-based measures are known to increase allocative efficiency in water markets, their application is dependent upon institutional preparedness and stakeholder consensus. This research assesses pre-implementation hurdles to the formalization of groundwater trading in Iran’s heavily over-exploited Boshruyeh Plain through an integrated empirical design combining quantitized farmer narratives, expert survey metrics across 109 stakeholders, and hydrogeological overdraft baselines. The level of infrastructural preparedness was statistically shown to be inadequate in the region. Additionally, water availability in the region experienced significant fluctuations (40
The pro-environmental behaviors of residents in national nature reserves are critical to ecological conservation and reserve management. Using survey data from 872 residents across 21 national nature reserves in Yunnan Province, this study integrates the Norm Activation Model and Sense of Place to examine the determinants and mechanisms of residents’ pro-environmental behaviors. Results show that within the Norm Activation Model, awareness of consequences strengthens ascription of responsibility, which in turn reinforces personal norms. Personal norms exert significant positive effects on both participation awareness and pro-environmental behaviors. Moreover, a sense of place provides an important emotional and cognitive foundation that reinforces residents’ normative responses and environmental behaviors. Multi-group analysis reveals clear heterogeneity in behavioral formation mechanisms, with stronger effects of personal norms among males and high-income groups, but insignificant effects among females and low-income groups. These findings provide empirical evidence for designing differentiated strategies to promote community participation in nature reserve management.
Despite broad recognition of the role of public participation in protected area (PA) success, persistent barriers highlight the need for tools to monitor and assess participatory processes and outcomes. This study proposes the System for Monitoring and Assessment of Public Participation (SysMAPP), designed to evaluate public participation in PAs by linking procedural conditions and management outcomes. The study is based on a systematic review of existing monitoring and assessment methods, the design of SysMAPP, and its application to PAs in Brazil and Spain. SysMAPP comprises five hierarchically organized, indicator-based criteria: Planning and Representativeness form the foundation of participation; Transparency and Influence connect information flow, accountability, and decision-making power; and Effectiveness captures management outcomes. Crucially, the model unveils the internal logic of participation by demonstrating how these criteria are causally and hierarchically related, showing that procedural and foundational quality directly condition substantive outcomes. SysMAPP also combines standardized core indicators with context-sensitive variables, enabling comparison across protected areas while preserving local governance specificities. Its application revealed contrasting participatory scenarios: strong stakeholder influence in Brazil, primarily through the incorporation of artisanal fisheries agendas, and weak participation in Spain, characterized by the limited representativeness of key groups such as shellfish gatherers and government-centered decision-making. Ultimately, SysMAPP advances beyond traditional scoring by operating as a diagnostic tool for adaptive governance; its results feed back into the management cycle through prioritized adaptation milestones, converting institutional diagnoses into targeted, context-sensitive interventions.
Enhancing our understanding of multifunctionality in human-shaped landscapes, such as agricultural-wetland systems, requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates both natural biophysical data with social dimensions. This study presents an interdisciplinary and spatially explicit approach that combines stakeholder-based mapping, biophysical indicators, and risk perception analysis to assess landscape multifunctionality. The applied framework evaluates both perceived and biophysical ecosystem services (ESs) to 32 municipalities surrounding the Villafáfila wetland (Spain). This was performed by estimating the Multiple Ecosystem Services Landscape Index (MESLI), diversity metrics, and similarity analysis to identify synergies, trade-offs, and imbalances in ESs supply and demand. Results show that wetland-proximate municipalities exhibit higher multifunctionality, driven by cultural and support services often overlooked in expert-based assessments. A strong correlation between multifunctionality and perceived risks suggests that socially valued landscapes face greater socio-environmental vulnerabilities, such as depopulation, biodiversity loss, and agricultural intensification. This highlights the need to integrate local knowledge and values in landscape planning. Our methodology is rapid, cost-effective, and transferable to other rural landscapes, offering a replicable tool for identifying multifunctionality hotspots and priority areas for conservation or adaptive management. By visualizing spatial mismatches between ESs supply and demand, it informs policies that aim to balance ecological performance with social relevance. This work contributes to bridging the gap between ecological assessment and sociocultural valuation, reinforcing the importance of interdisciplinary landscape governance. The integration of risk perception enhances our understanding of how communities engage with landscape change and reinforces the value of incorporating diverse perspectives into ecosystem service frameworks.
Pollinator decline poses significant challenges for biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of smallholder agricultural systems. Addressing these challenges requires not only ecological interventions but also governance arrangements that shape whose knowledge and perspectives influence conservation decisions. This study examines how gendered power relations affect ecological knowledge, conservation practices, participation, and authority in Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) and non-CREMA communities in semi-arid northern Ghana. Guided by Feminist Political Ecology, the study draws on Photovoice and Focus Group Discussions involving 128 women and men across 16 communities to compare institutionalized and customary governance contexts. The findings show that women and men possess distinct forms of ecological knowledge shaped by their livelihood activities and interactions with pollinator habitats. Women demonstrated detailed knowledge of flowering cycles and pollinator-sensitive harvesting practices, while men more frequently emphasized fire management and tree retention. However, women's ecological expertise is rarely translated into meaningful influence within conservation governance. Participants in CREMA communities more commonly associated conservation awareness with training programs and local by-laws, although leadership remained largely male-dominated. The findings suggest that decentralized conservation can expand opportunities for participation while simultaneously reproducing gendered and tenure-based inequalities. Strengthening pollinator conservation, therefore, requires governance arrangements that recognize diverse knowledge systems and create more equitable opportunities for participation and leadership within community-based environmental management.
Land use and land cover (LULC) change is a major driver of carbon emissions and ecosystem transformation, with significant implications for climate change mitigation and sustainable development. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of LULC dynamics from 2018 to 2024, with projections to 2030 under a Business-as-Usual scenario, and quantifies their impacts on carbon storage, sequestration, and the economic value of carbon in Ghana. Environmental Systems Research Institute global land cover data at 10 m resolution was reclassified for Ghana; future LULC was projected using the MOLUSCE plugin in QGIS, and the InVEST carbon model was used to estimate carbon stocks and their monetary value. Results show Trees Outside Forests (TOF) declined by 14
Access to affordable clean water remains a critical challenge for many communities in the United States, particularly those with limited fiscal capacity. This study evaluates the risk-return efficiency of Clean Water State Revolving Fund principal forgiveness in Tennessee from 2019 to 2022 using a Modern Portfolio Theory framework. The analysis explicitly incorporates uncertainty arising from year-to-year changes in community economic and demographic conditions and from potential shifts in how economic distress is weighted in state program priorities. Expected return is defined as the alignment with economic distress (represented by the inverse of a county’s affordability score), so higher returns correspond to greater socioeconomic need, while risk is measured as the standard deviation of portfolio returns across uncertainty scenarios. These measures are used to construct an efficient frontier representing optimal subsidy targeting. Results show that historical allocations consistently fell below the efficient frontier, with the efficiency gap widening over time as portfolio risk increased more rapidly than expected returns. Although alignment with economic distress improved modestly, these gains were accompanied by greater variability in allocation performance, indicating declining reliability in need targeting. The findings demonstrate that substantial improvements in risk–return efficiency and alignment with economic distress were theoretically achievable without increasing exposure to outcome uncertainty, particularly by reallocating funds toward counties with lower affordability scores. Because the unconstrained frontier represents an infeasible theoretical upper bound, these results indicate the direction and scale of potential gains rather than specific targets. Overall, uncertainty-aware frameworks help refine eligibility rules and direct limited public resources toward communities facing the greatest economic strain.
This review assesses two decades (2000–2024) of Road Ecology research in the Brazilian Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot. We analyzed 63 studies on four major vertebrate groups to quantify trends, methodological procedures, omissions, and road mortality, drivers that could compromise the evidence base for environmental management. While research output has expanded temporally, it remains geographically concentrated in established states (Goiás, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo), leaving high-deforestation frontiers like the Matopiba region (Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, and Bahia) severely under-represented. Methodologically, the prevailing reliance on high-speed vehicle surveys (48
Maritime Spatial Planning is a pivotal tool for the sustainable development of coastal areas and the implementation of the blue economy. It requires a spatially explicit environmental risk assessment, including risk identification, analysis and evaluation, following the principles of Ecosystem-Based Management. This study aims to test an Environmental Risk Assessment approach using the InVEST Habitat Risk Assessment model to enhance Maritime Spatial Planning in the northern Mediterranean Sea. The model requires spatial data representing the distribution of habitats and stressors, and user-provided tabular data describing their interactions; it then produces quantitative, spatially explicit risk estimates, useful to prioritize actions for risk mitigation. The approach was applied in the Gulf of La Spezia (Italy), one of the most critical areas for Maritime Spatial Planning implementation in the Northwestern Mediterranean. Indeed, the gulf is a hotspot for marine biodiversity, hosting three Marine Protected Areas with valuable habitats like the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa, Posidonia oceanica meadows, Cymodocea nodosa seagrass beds, and animal forests. Nonetheless, several economically important human activities are located in the area, such as shipping, shipbuilding industries, Navy bases and arsenals, aquaculture plants, fishing and diving centres, as well as ports and other nautical facilities. Results show that risk is concentrated near coastlines (within the first 250 metres from the coast) and around islands, reflecting the spatial overlap between susceptible habitats and anthropogenic activities. The major stressors are activities/infrastructures connected with nautical tourism and coastal urbanization, such as leisure boat anchorage areas, sewage pipelines, tourist ports, and nautical facilities. A set of management actions is discussed for risk reduction, including stricter local enforcement of existing regulations and the installation of eco-friendly moorings. The proposed approach has proven to be suitable to understand habitat vulnerabilities and criticalities in a Mediterranean marine test site, providing relevant evidence-based information that could eventually steer stakeholders in defining actions for risk management. Its transparency and ease of replication make it a sound choice to build ecosystem-based knowledge, which is essential for balancing socio-economic targets with the preservation of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services.
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted in agricultural and forestry policy, yet their effectiveness depends on technical assistance providers (TAPs) who translate policy guidelines into land management decisions. Drawing on Diffusion of Innovations and Value–Belief–Norm frameworks, this study examines how TAPs’ professional backgrounds, organizational affiliations, regional contexts, and management experiences shape their knowledge, perceived importance, and promotion of NBS. A web-based survey of 101 TAPs in North Carolina was analyzed using Spearman correlations and logistic regression. While 79
Community forestry has gained global recognition as an effective strategy for promoting conservation goals, but participation in Nigeria has remained low. Using data from 517 households in the Niger Delta Biodiversity Conservation Project (NDBCP), this study analyzed household participation and willingness to pay (WTP) for community forest management in oil-producing forest communities in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. Multivariate probit and Heckman selection models were used to achieve the study's objectives. The results show that socioeconomic and institutional factors, such as education, gender, farming occupation, having a community forest management plan, and paying forest management levies, significantly influenced participation in community forestry activities. While the education of the household head, per capita expenditure, proportion of meals weekly from non-timber forest products, and farming occupation positively influenced household WTP, women showed a higher WTP. These findings suggest the importance of promoting education and awareness, particularly among men, diversifying livelihoods to improve household income and strengthening institutional frameworks such as community forest management plans. Tailoring socioeconomic and institutional factors into forest policy interventions is also crucial in promoting forest conservation and sustainable use of forest resources.
Contaminated site redevelopment presents significant opportunities for sustainable urban development but remains challenged by a complex interplay of barriers and drivers. Existing approaches often treat these factors in isolation, lacking an integrated framework to address them holistically. This study addresses that gap by developing a comprehensive model to support effective contaminated site redevelopment. Through an extensive literature review and expert consultations, key barriers, drivers, and strategies were identified. A structured questionnaire involving 36 experts was conducted to rank these factors, and consensus among respondents was evaluated using statistical analyses, including Kendall’s W and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. The Voting Analytic Hierarchy Process (VAHP) was then applied to prioritise the identified factors. The resulting model offers a systematic approach to identifying and prioritising barriers, making use of relevant drivers, and implementing strategies across regulatory, financial, and socio-economic dimensions. It establishes a structured process that equips stakeholders with actionable insights, facilitating informed decision-making and improving communication and collaboration among diverse actors, regardless of their technical background. Serving as a practical tool for policymakers, developers, and planners, the model provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of contaminated site redevelopment. It simplifies the identification of challenges and the formulation of tailored responses, unlocking the potential of underutilised sites while ensuring environmental protection and fostering socio-economic revitalisation.
World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on the management of cyanobacteria in recreational waters provides a comprehensive framework for reducing human health risks. To provide a global overview of how cyanobacterial risks in recreational waters are managed and to better understand capacity gaps and best practice, we surveyed expert opinion across the world. A total of 161 survey responses were collected from 49 countries. Results indicate widespread variation in the extent of recreational water monitoring. Routine monitoring often varies by region in larger, more populous countries, while seasonal monitoring, typically conducted at variable intervals, was the most used approach. Approximately half of the countries reported either a lack of routine monitoring or a combination of different monitoring patterns. Notably, whereas nearly all countries reported methods for planktonic sampling, only one-third of countries reported methods for benthic sampling. Globally, we conclude that the assessment and management of benthic cyanobacteria risks lag behind that of planktonic cyanobacteria risks. Cell counts and pigments were the most common assessment techniques for planktonic cyanobacteria. Microcystis and Oscillatoria were the most frequently reported problematic genus of planktonic and benthic cyanobacteria, respectively, and microcystins were the most frequently reported cyanotoxins of concern. A wide variety of management responses and risk communication methods were reported with the primary action trigger being the presence of cyanobacterial scums. Experts across the world were mostly unsatisfied with recreational water risk management regimes, with over 80
