Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (EMSD) would like to thank the following reviewers for reviewing manuscripts from November 1, 2025, to May 1, 2026. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Many authors, regardless of whether EMSD publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Macrothink Institute appreciates the following reviewers’ rigorous and conscientious efforts for this journal. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review during this period. Dastun Gabriel Msuya, Sokoine University of Agriculture, TanzaniaDilek Kaya-Akyüzlü, Ankara University, TurkeyElham Mohamed, National Research Centre, EgyptErico Fernando Lopes Pereira-Silva, Federal University of ABC, BrazilFarahdilah Ghazali, University of Malaysia Terengganu, MalaysiaFarhaoui Mohamed, National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water, MoroccoJoão Fernando Pereira Gomes, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, PortugueseManuel Mendoza-Carranza, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), MexicoMohammad Aghababaei, Washington State University, USAMona M. Amin Abdel-Fatah, National Research Center in Egypt, EgyptOylum Gokkurt Baki, Sinop University, TurkeySyakir Amir Ab. Rahman, International Islamic University Malaysia, MalaysiaXiu Wu, Texas State University, USAYetimoni Kpeebi, Missouri State University, United States
Mineral exploration can create opportunities for employment, local procurement and livelihood diversification, but its contribution to development depends on existing socioeconomic conditions. This study examines socioeconomic vulnerability across the Noun Division, Cameroon, and its relationship with a previously finalized lithostructural exploration framework. A relative Socio-Economic Vulnerability Index (SEVI) was constructed for nine subdivisions using seven dimensions: education, health, potable water, electricity, housing, roads and markets. Ranking robustness was assessed through leave-one-dimension-out and hypothetical input-perturbation sensitivity analyses. SEVI values range from 0.039 in Foumban to 0.886 in Bangourain, with Bangourain, Massangam, Njimom and Malantouen exhibiting Very High vulnerability. Rankings remained stable across sensitivity scenarios (Spearman’s ρ = 0.95–1.00). Within seven geophysically covered subdivisions, SEVI showed a strong positive association with structural intersection density (ρ = 0.893; exact p = 0.0123), whereas other structural-density associations were not statistically significant. This exploratory relationship neither demonstrates mineral deposits nor guarantees socioeconomic benefits. Rather, it identifies territories where future exploration could interact with infrastructure constraints, service deficits and land-dependent livelihoods. Integrating socioeconomic vulnerability into early-stage exploration planning can therefore support livelihood protection, community participation, infrastructure prioritization and inclusive local development.
The constructions of dams are associated with massive displacement and resettlement of people. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative research method. The study established that the construction of the Mwache dam exerted adverse livelihood impacts on displaced households by causing them to lose their livelihood activities and become more impoverished in the newly resettled areas since livelihood restoration was not easy. The study revealed that resettlement implementation policies were constraining effective resettlement and rehabilitation of the displaced households due to delays in livelihood compensation money and not giving enough information to the displaced households on how to use the compensation money they received. The study indicated that the existing Kenya resettlement legal frameworks on resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced people due to the Mwache dam were not effectively implemented; displaced households felt they were under-compensated compared to other projects which had displaced households early, like standard gauge railways where displaced households were given enough money. Further, the study recommends that resettlement implementation teams follow Kenyan resettlement legal frameworks on displacement resettlement and rehabilitation to integrate displaced people’s livelihood enhancement restoration into resettlement plans to minimize adverse impacts.
The Amazon remains a climate cornerstone, yet deforestation pressures persist and the role of carbon projects in mitigating those pressures is contested. We assemble a municipality-level panel for the Brazilian Amazon by harmonizing land-cover classifications, deforestation indicators, municipal geometries, and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) registry of REDD+ projects. Spatial structure is characterized with Moran’s I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA); environmental profiles are synthesized via PCA-assisted hierarchical clustering. To explain where projects occur, we estimate standard and Firth bias-reduced logistic regressions with standardized predictors reflecting pressure (recent deforestation) and stock (remaining forest cover). Projects concentrate both in well-preserved forest clusters and along livestock/agriculture conversion frontiers, indicating a bimodal geography consistent with preventive and reactive logics. Across specifications, recent deforestation share is the only consistent, statistically significant predictor of siting; a one-standard-deviation increase raises the odds of REDD+ presence by about 50% (OR ≈ 1.5) in the Firth model, while simple“more forest, more projects” patterns weaken once recent clearing is controlled for. We discuss implications for interpreting siting through a transparent pressure-stock lens (as an interpretive, not prescriptive, tool), and we note limitations alongside extensions using spatial logit/probit, improved entity resolution, and quasi-experimental checks for impacts.
This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of current, former, and non-users of biomass briquettes in Mbarara City, Uganda. Using a qualitative approach, 24 participants were selected through snowball and purposive sampling, ensuring representation from all three user groups and briquette producers. In-depth interviews were conducted to capture their views, behaviours, and attitudes toward biomass briquettes. Briquette producers were interviewed to gain deeper insights into production practices, challenges, and the factors that influence the adoption of briquettes. Compared to charcoal, briquettes last longer on a cookstove, making them ideal for steaming food, which is a common practice. The lack of information about the briquettes and the briquettes taking too long to ignite are highlighted as the main reasons for low adoption and abandonment. Various factors, including food preparation habits, social connections, knowledge about briquettes, and media exposure, do influence adoption. The current briquettes produced and used in Mbarara are mainly made of charcoal residues, which makes them unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly. The frequent breakdown of machines is highlighted as a major challenge for briquette producers. Strategies such as leveraging social networks, conducting physical cooking demonstrations, improving briquette quality, using fire starters, training more producers, and utilizing social media could enhance adoption rates and reduce user attrition. The triple helix model could bridge the knowledge and skills gaps to facilitate institutional collaborations and improve the quality of briquettes. Future research should explore the drivers of briquette adoption in medium and large-scale enterprises, such as poultry farms, schools, restaurants, and manufacturing industries.
