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Urban areas generate more than 70% of the world's climate change emissions, mainly CO2, produced by the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate change is increasing cities' exposure to climate hazards, such as heat waves or floods. Therefore, there is a need to improve risk management with the inclusion of climate resilience in urban policy design. Despite improved urban climate monitoring, there are still relatively few scientific publications on climate change adaptation in urban areas. Adaptation to climate change is not achieved through specific action, but rather through the adoption and continuous implementation of adaptation actions such as housing rehabilitation, green space management and protection measures for vulnerable groups. This variety of actions makes it difficult not only to identify different indicators, but also to use common benchmarks. Considering the role of municipalities in adapting to climate change, it is crucial to identify adaptation indicators that serve as a basis for decision making, as well as evaluation methods that allow the effectiveness of planned and implemented measures in municipalities. It can be used to determine which measures increase the level of adaptation or lead to poor adaptation. Therefore, monitoring indicators makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures, in addition to formulating new ones. This paper includes a literature review of existing index designed to address climate hazards and mitigate their impacts in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mine closure is a growing concern in mining countries around the world due to the associated environmental and social impacts. This is particularly true in developing countries like South Africa where poverty, social deprivation and unemployment are widespread and environmental governance is not strong. South Africa has 230 operating mines located in diverse natural and social settings. Over 6 million people live in urban and rural mining host communities who will be significantly affected by mine closure. The national, provincial and local governments need guidance in identifying high-risk areas and relevant policy and programmatic interventions. This paper describes the development of a quantitative mine closure risk rating system that assesses the likelihood of mine closure, the risk of social impact and the risk of environmental impact of mine closure for every operating mine in the country. The paper visualises the high likelihood of closure and environmental impacts for numerous coal and gold mines, and the significant social risks in the deprived rural platinum and chrome mining areas. The rating system was tested with 10 mines and 19 experts, and the resulting maps are communicated in an online South African Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas. The risk ratings could be used in mine closure planning and management by mining companies, consultancies, governments and affected communities. While this risk rating system has been designed for South Africa, the methodology and framework could be applied to any mining country in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical farming has gained increased attention in recent years due to its capacity to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production in terms of water consumption and soil and fertilizer usage. In the literature, many works describe and evaluate applications of vertical farming. However, no work addresses the issue of classifying the KPIs for vertical farming and highlights both the most assessed aspects and the lack of evaluations. The main contribution of this study is to conduct a literature review to identify and classify the KPIs used in vertical farming. To this aim, we first proposed a methodology to define the KPI categories. Then, we identified the KPIs used in the literature, and we classified them according to the defined categories. Finally, we analyzed the obtained results. As a result, a collection of 78 KPIs were compiled and organized into the proposed categories. The analyses on the frequency of the KPIs allow us to conclude that the KPIs related to productivity are the most used as compared to those related to sustainability and quality. Furthermore, very few papers perform a cross-category evaluation. This study underscores the necessity for a more balanced consideration of productivity, quality, and sustainability in the context of vertical farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diets, but also overall food environments, comprise a variety of significant factors with direct and indirect impacts on human health. Eco-Regions are geographical areas with a territorial approach to rural development, utilizing organic food and farming practices, and principles and promoting sustainable communities and food systems. However, so far, little attention has been given to quantifying aspects of the health of citizens living in these sustainable transition territories. The project "Indicators for Assessment of Health Effects of Consumption of Sustainable, Organic School Meals in Eco-Regions" (INSUM) aims to identify and discuss research approaches and indicators that could be applied to effectively measure the somatic, mental, and social health dimensions of citizens in Eco-Regions, linked to the intake of organic foods in their diets. In this paper, we focus on the somatic (physical) health dimension. A two-day workshop was held to discuss suitable methodology with an interdisciplinary, international group of experts. The results showed the limitations of commonly used tools for measuring dietary intake (e.g., relying on the memory of participants), and nutritional biomarkers (e.g., variations in correlations with specific intakes) for research understanding dietary intake and the health effects of diets. To investigate the complexity of this issue, the most suitable approach seems to be the combination of traditional markers of physical and mental health alongside emerging indicators such as the microbiome, nutrigenomics, metabolomics, or inflammatory biomarkers. Using new, digital, non-invasive, and wearable technologies to monitor indicators could complement future research. We conclude that future studies should adopt systemic, multidisciplinary approaches by combining not only indicators of somatic and mental health and social wellbeing (MHSW) but also considering the potential benefits of organic diets for health as well as aspects of sustainability connected to food environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper arises from an ONRR project on "New technologies and methodologies for traceability, quality, safety, measurements and certifications to enhance the value and protect the typical traits in agrifood chains". It has a first aim of performing an exhaustive review pertaining to the construction of indicators of the quality and safety of agrifood products, creating information systems dashboards of unidimensional and multidimensional indicators and applying such indicators, in the context of consumer choices and decisions of policy-makers and firms. Since it has been found that the literature offers no single proposal linking all such aspects, a second central and innovative aim is to propose an original step-by-step procedure for integrating information systems of statistical indicators for citizens, institutions and policy-makers with a specific focus on new technologies and methods for traceability, quality and safety of agrifood systems. The final output is a smart and user-friendly online database that is an absolute innovation on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the continuous degradation of the global environment, ecological restoration has become a primary task in global environmental governance. In this process, remote sensing technology, as an advanced monitoring and analysis tool, plays a key role in monitoring ecological restoration. This article reviews the application of remote sensing technology in ecological restoration monitoring. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the literature in the field of ecological remote sensing, it systematically summarizes the major in-orbit spaceborne and airborne sensors and their related products. This article further proposes a series of evaluation indicators for ecological restoration from four aspects: forests, soil, water, and the atmosphere, and elaborates on the calculation methods for these indicators. In addition, this paper also summarizes the methods for evaluating the effectiveness of ecological restoration, including subjective evaluation, objective evaluation, and comprehensive evaluation methods. Finally, we analyze the challenges faced by remote sensing technology in evaluating ecological restoration effectiveness, such as issues with the precision of indicators extraction, the limitations of spatial resolution, and the diversity of evaluation methods. This review also looks forward to future ecological restoration technologies, such as the potential applications of integrated aerospace and terrestrial remote sensing, multi-data fusion, and machine learning technologies. This study reveals the effectiveness of remote sensing technology in ecological restoration monitoring, aiming to provide efficient tools and innovative strategies for future remote sensing monitoring and assessment of ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the greatest challenges of our time is monitoring the rapid environmental changes taking place worldwide at both local and global scales. This requires easy-to-use and ready-to-implement tools and services to monitor and quantify aspects of bio- and geodiversity change and the impact of land use intensification using freely available and global remotely sensed data, and to derive remotely sensed indicators. Currently, there are no services for quantifying both raster- and vector-based indicators in a "compact tool". Therefore, the main innovation of ESIS/Imalys is having a remote sensing (RS) tool that allows for RS data processing, data management, and continuous and discrete quantification and derivation of RS indicators in one tool. With the ESIS/Imalys project (Ecosystem Integrity Remote Sensing—Modelling and Service Tool), we try to present environmental indicators on a clearly defined and reproducible basis. The Imalys software library generates the RS indicators and remote sensing products defined for ESIS. This paper provides an overview of the functionality of the Imalys software library. An overview of the technical background of the implementation of the Imalys library, data formats and the user interfaces is given. Examples of RS-based indicators derived using the Imalys tool at pixel level and at zone level (vector level) are presented. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of the Imalys tool are discussed in detail in order to better assess the value of Imalys for users and developers. The applicability of the indicators will be demonstrated through three ecological applications, namely: (1) monitoring landscape diversity, (2) monitoring landscape structure and landscape fragmentation, and (3) monitoring land use intensity and its impact on ecosystem functions. Despite the integration of large amounts of data, Imalys can run on any PC, as the processing and derivation of indicators has been greatly optimised. The Imalys source code is freely available and is hosted and maintained under an open source license. Complete documentation of all methods, functions and derived indicators can be found in the freely available Imalys manual. The user-friendliness of Imalys, despite the integration of a large amount of RS data, makes it another important tool for ecological research, modelling and application for the monitoring and derivation of ecosystem indicators from local to global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture intensification has driven the loss of biodiversity at a global level. The implementation of strategies to conserve and promote biodiversity in agricultural areas can be favoured by adequate assessment methods that foster the awareness of decision makers about the impact of management practices. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of assessment methods of the overall biodiversity in agricultural systems, focusing on the quantitative methods applied, indicators of biodiversity, and functionalities. It was concluded that compensation effects and difficulties in interpretation are associated with currently common methodologies of composite indicator calculation to assess biodiversity performance. This review allowed for the identification and critical analysis of current methodologies for biodiversity assessments in the agricultural sector, and it highlighted the need for more implementation-oriented approaches. By providing recommendations on what should be considered when formulating biodiversity assessment methods, this study can contribute to the formulation of appropriate assessment frameworks for agricultural management policies and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building-integrated greenery (BIG) systems, which include green roofs and green facades, are well-established nature-based solutions (NBS) with proven scientific benefits. However, initial costs and economic apprehensions stemming from potential negative outcomes act as adoption barriers. Furthermore, the lack of standardized indicators and assessment methodologies for evaluating the city-level impacts of BIG systems presents challenges for investors and policy makers. This paper addresses these issues by presenting a comprehensive set of indicators derived from widely accepted frameworks, such as the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and the NBS impact evaluation handbook. These indicators contribute to the creation of a 'sustainability factor', which facilitates cost–benefit analyses for BIG projects using locally sourced data. The practical application of this factor to a 3500 m2 green roof in Lleida, Catalonia (Spain) demonstrates that allocating space for urban horticultural production (i.e., food production), CO2 capture, and creating new recreational areas produces benefits that outweigh the costs by a factor value of nine during the operational phase of the green roof. This cost–benefit analysis provides critical insights for investment decisions and public policies, especially considering the significant benefits at the city level associated with the implementation of BIG systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability rating systems for the built environment involve a multitude of indicators that are based on different types of data. This work capitalizes on an existing multicriteria assessment method and supporting decision-making tool at building and neighbourhood scale, to develop an enhanced method and tool at city scale. The main sustainability issues at building and city scales include site and infrastructure, energy and resources consumption, environmental loadings, climate change, environmental quality, water, waste, transportation, services, social aspects, economy and governance. Approximately 300 indicators distributed among the different scales are used to describe and quantify the various facets of sustainability. Specifically, the building scale includes a pool of 80 indicators of which 17 are key performance indicators (KPIs), the neighbourhood scale has 133 indicators of which 14 are KPIs and the city scale has a total of 99 indicators of which 10 are KPIs that were new additions to the existing method. The emphasis in this paper is given on elaborating the key performance indicators for cities and demonstrating their applicability through a case study. The common method and tools provide a flexible assessment system for local authorities and stakeholders to develop and assess sustainability plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development monitoring reveals the extent to which local and national territories are progressing towards sustainability goals. This study considered 105 indicators associated with the Equitable and Sustainable Wellbeing (BES) framework and 139 indicators associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and cluster analysis to compare regional performance across the Italian territory in 2022. At the SDG level, Lombardia exhibited the highest performance, while the provinces of Trento and Bolzano led at the BES level. The results were further analyzed with respect to geographic macro-areas and the three dimensions of sustainability, via separate cluster analyses comparing the BES and SDG results. Northeast regions emerged as the top performers, and comparable performance was shown by regions in the center and northwest. The development of a sustainable innovation model, alongside territorial cooperation and synergy between regional specificities, may generate competitive advantages, especially when combined with resources and skills with an international profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regional level plays a relevant role in spatial governance and planning in Europe, as it constitutes the most suitable scale to both program European Union funding and territorialize international development strategies. In this light, regional spatial planning instruments play a crucial role in translating general objectives and recommendations (e.g., those included in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) in place-based implementation practices. This contribution reflects upon the implementation of a methodology aimed at engaging a multidisciplinary team of students in the revision of the Piedmont regional territorial plan (PTR), developed in close cooperation with the regional public administration. This problem-based learning activity supported the integration of supranational strategic objectives and funding streams with the regional territorial development priorities. In so doing, it represents a possible way to practice multilevel governance in concrete terms, employing the PTR as a meaningful catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present research is to identify and analyze the variables which help to effectively differentiate Quality of Life (QoL) and human labor in the G7 (Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States of America—USA) and BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) through a discriminant analysis. A discriminant analysis model is developed to classify countries as having a low, mid, or high QoL based on QoL and human labor variables. The variables used in the discriminant analysis were obtained between 2010 and 2022 from two platforms: NUMBEO variables capable of relating QoL to socioeconomic aspects and OECD's (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) human-labor-related variables. Based on the results, the three variables that most discriminate the groups in order of importance are employed women in relation to the female population, the female labor force participation rate, and the female unemployment rate. Countries are classified as having a low, mid, or high QoL. The adopted technique will allow researchers and managers to classify and draw goals for action reorganization and investment in QoL and labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition towards a sustainable future requires the reliable performance of the building's energy system in order for the building to be energy-resilient. "Energy resilient building in cold climates" is an emerging concept that defines the ability to maintain a minimum level of indoor air temperature and energy performance of the building and minimize the occupant's health risk during a disruptive event of the grid's power supply loss in a cold climate. The aim is to introduce an extensive definition of the energy resilience of buildings and apply it in case studies. This article first reviews the progress and provides an overview of the energy-resilient building concept. The review shows that most of the relevant focus is on short-term energy resilience, and the serious gap is related to long-term resilience in the context of cold regions. The article presents a basic definition of energy resilience of buildings, a systematic framework, and indicators for analyzing the energy resilience of buildings. Terms such as active and passive habitability, survivability, and adaptive habitable conditions are defined. The energy resilience indicators are applied on two simulated Finnish case studies, an old building and a new building. By systematic analysis, using the defined indicators and thresholds, the energy resilience performance of the buildings is calculated and compared. Depending on the type of the building, the results show that the robustness period is 11 h and 26 h for the old building and the new building, respectively. The old building failed to provide the habitability conditions. The impact of the event is 8.9 °C, minimum performance (Pmin) is 12.54 °C, and degree of disruption (DoD) is 0.300 for the old building. The speed of collapse (SoC) is 3.75 °C/h, and the speed of recovery (SoR) is 0.64 °C/h. On the other hand, the new building performed better such that the impact of the event is 4 °C, Pmin is 17.5 °C, and DoD is 0.138. The SoC is slow 3.2 °C/h and SoR is fast 0.80 °C/h for the new building. The results provide a pathway for improvements for long-term energy resilience. In conclusion, this work supports society and policy-makers to build a sustainable and resilient society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches for evaluating integrated sustainability impacts in forest management enable the harmonization of environmental, social, and economic considerations. Here, we present a methodological framework for quantifying and balancing impacts on widely different aspects of sustainability of different future scenarios for forestry in managed forests in Sweden. The method includes indicators for impacts on climate change, biodiversity, and social and economic values. The indicators were normalized to a standardized scale using reference scenarios and target values. The proposed method was applied for three different future scenarios for forestry over a 100-year period in two different counties in southern and northern Sweden, respectively. The results show the importance of evaluating indicator performance in forestry across diverse regions of the country and tailoring assessments of individual forest owners to their specific local conditions. Long-term assessments are also crucial due to the varying impacts of indicators over time. The methodology requires continuous refinement and can be used as a basis for disclosing the environmental performance of a product based on forest raw materials. It also facilitates the assessment of sustainability in alternative future forestry scenarios and is adaptable to other countries with comparable forestry and forest characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portugal has a historical tradition in fisheries, and its small-scale fishery (SSF) communities are the backbone of the national industry. There have been increased concerns about the state of fisheries and fish resources, particularly the sustainable performance of fishing sectors. In light of this aspect, understanding economic, social, environmental, and governmental aspects is a key element in assessing sustainability. Given the relevance of the fishing industry in Portugal, it is paramount to understand if the Portuguese SSFs are sustainable. This study aims to develop a contextualized indicator framework for SSFs' sustainability with economic, social, environmental, and governance dimensions. Further, we developed a systematic literature review to evaluate Portuguese SSFs using such a framework. Of the list of suggested 31 indicators (8 economy, 9 social, 12 environmental, and 8 governance), 1394 published references were recovered from the systematic review for Portuguese SSFs. Results suggests that Portugal must improve socioeconomic and environmental data and strengthen governmental support for a sustainable fishing industry. In particular, understanding fishers' financial stability and ecological knowledge and promoting further studies on fisheries' impact on the marine environment is essential. Overall, the qualitative list of indicators provided represents an innovative and unique framework for evaluating fisheries' sustainability in different worldwide settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government's 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment (25YEP), published in 2018, together with annual progress reports and subsequent periodic revisions, represent the most comprehensive and forward-looking single body of environmental legislation for the United Kingdom. The forthcoming update of the UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) addressing targets for the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Biodiversity Framework to 2030 is also an opportunity to revisit the monitoring framework developed for the 25YEP. Here, we present an evaluation of the goals, targets and indicators of the 25YEP in light of gaps, synergies and opportunities for aligning with the CBD 2030 Framework. We make a number of recommendations for adopting indicators already developed in the context of CBD targets that can also measure progress towards environmental targets within the UK, with a view to more holistic monitoring of biodiversity status and trends. Landscape-scale interventions and, in particular, improvements to farming—exemplified by the new Environmental Land Management Schemes—and fishing policies have the potential for the greatest enhancement to the state of the UK environment and the plants and wildlife within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing universities to become green and sustainable universities is important. This is in line with the world's sustainable development guidelines. In developing a university towards being green and sustainable, different sustainability assessment criteria have been used, including the UI GreenMetric, GRI, STARS, AUN, THE'S Impact Ranking, and AISHE. Each criterion is designed in a broad-spectrum manner that is not specific. Therefore, this research aims to develop sustainable and green university assessment indicators that suit the national context in Thailand, both in terms of the size and location of universities. Based on the criteria from the UI GreenMetric, there are six categories, totaling 51 indicators. Thus, this study aims to analyze the weaknesses and strengths of each indicator using a questionnaire distributed by the Sustainable University Network of Thailand to all 36 universities and to organize a meeting with sustainability experts (focus group) in each area. To obtain appropriate indicators and to prioritize each indicator, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) method were used to develop an index of sustainability assessment criteria (GU SI) suitable for the Thai context. The results of this study show that the newly developed GU SI comprises seven aspects, including a total of 27 indicators. These are criteria that can be used to assess the sustainability of small, medium, and large universities. They are not complex, are straightforward to use, and more importantly reflect the Thai context. By applying these new sustainability assessment criteria, it was found that the universities sampled in this study yielded significantly high scores. This study is limited by its application of sustainability assessments to only universities in Thailand. Though there are different contexts across different Thai universities, the proposed indicators can still be used to evaluate the sustainability of universities in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rank-size rule following Zipf's law was tested along a complete urban–rural hierarchy in Greece using 2021 census data released at different administrative levels. Testing five econometric specifications (linear, quadratic, and cubic forms, together with refined logistic and Gompertz forms) on log-transformed population numbers, deviations from the rank-size rule were assumed as an indicator of economic concentration (considering settlements, population, and activities jointly) along the density gradient in Greece. This hypothesis was verified using progressively disaggregated population numbers at (i) regional units (n = 75), (ii) 'Kallikratis' municipalities (n = 333), (iii) 'Kapodistrian' municipalities (n = 1037), and (iv) local communities (n = 6126). Econometric results were stable across geographical levels and indicate a relatively poor fit of linear specifications, the classical formulation of Zipf's law. Quadratic specifications displayed a good fit for all territorial levels outperforming cubic specifications. Gompertz specifications outperformed logistic specifications under aggregate partitions (e.g., regional units and 'Kallikratis' municipalities). Quadratic specifications outperformed both logistic and Gompertz specifications under disaggregated levels of investigation ('Kapodistrian' municipalities and local communities). Altogether, these findings indicate the persistence of non-linear rank-size relationships estimated over a cross-section of population data at progressively detailed observational units. Such evidence enriches the recent literature on Zipf's law, demonstrating the inherent complexity of rank-size rules tested on real data along the whole density gradient in a given country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a growing number of studies have suggested the relevance of greenspace exposure to respiratory health, most have explored single greenfield indicators or selected disease outcomes. This systematic review aimed to comprehensively assess the evidence that greenspace exposure is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence, prevalence, mortality, and related lung function indicators and to explore the impact of greenspace exposure on COPD-related disease outcomes. We searched the literature published before 28 September 2023, using six electronic databases and snowball searches. After screening 3689 studies, 16 eligible studies were included. These studies examined various greenspace indicators such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), canopy coverage, greenspace coverage, and land cover conditions. Most studies have reported the positive effects of greenspace exposure. However, the findings had significant heterogeneity, with large differences in the greenness assessment, COPD identification methods, and population characteristics. The mechanisms of this impact have not been conclusively determined, but we propose several hypotheses to explain the pathways by which greenspace exposure affects COPD. Overall, our findings contribute valuable knowledge for understanding the relationship between greenspace exposure and COPD, informing future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A holistic Good Agents Means Processes Order Sustainability (GAMPOS) framework for an adequate understanding of agri-food governance and assessing its quality is suggested, incorporating the interdisciplinary new institutional economics methodology. Agri-food governance is defined as a complex system with five components: (1) agri-food and related agents, (2) means (rules, forms, and mechanisms) that govern agents' behavior, activities, and relationships, (3) processes and activities related to making managerial decisions, (4) specific social order resulting from the governing process, and (5) outcomes of the functioning of the system in terms of the realization of sustainable development goals. To assess the quality of agri-food governance, a multidimensional hierarchical system with good governance 11 principles, 21 criteria, and 36 indicators and reference values is presented. A comprehensive assessment of agrarian governance in Bulgaria, based on statistical and expert data, showed that its overall quality is at a moderate EU level. In terms of sustainability, the quality of governance is at a good level, while for process, means, and order, it is at a satisfactory level. The quality of agrarian governance is highest in terms of equity and solidarity and the good functioning public sector. The quality of agrarian governance is lowest in terms of stakeholder involvement and the good working private sector. In the future, in the latter two areas, combined actions of public, private, and collective agents are needed to improve the country's agri-food governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective decision-making in tourism destinations relies significantly on employing suitable indicators for policy design and impact evaluation. However, the adoption of sustainability-focused indicators remains constrained in the field of cultural tourism. The purpose of this research is to provide decision-makers with an extensive array of criteria and indicators, enabling informed decision-making, policy formulation, and impact assessment tailored to the distinctive attributes encountered in European destinations. Based on the synthesis of existing approaches, and in co-creation with 21 European tourism destinations, an indicator-based framework is proposed, structured around the environmental, economic, social, cultural, resilience, and characterization domains. The results are particularly novel in the resilience and cultural domains, related to the recovery from crisis impacts, but also to the enhancement of digital approaches, as well as the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage towards a more hospitable destination. Moreover, the involvement of stakeholders incorporating real-case scenarios allows this research to bridge the gap between theoretical constructs and practical application. The indicator-based framework resulting from this research will provide stakeholders with assistance in assessing and comparing the impacts of cultural tourism on their destinations and, thence, help them acquire knowledge on cultural resource management, contributing to a more sustainable, responsible, and balanced impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of life can be generally defined as people's satisfaction with their lives and personal wellbeing. Contemporary literature agrees that dimensions such as health, education, employment, leisure, social relations, security, environment, landscape, and cultural heritage should be considered. Tourism serves as a stimulus for rural development, and assessing residents' and tourists' quality of life is relevant for local administrators of a tourist destination. Given the absence of quality-of-life models for individual municipalities, the research questions were aimed at the mapping of quality-of-life frameworks and the construction of a set of quality-of-life indicators for Alagna Valsesia. This research was conducted in 2023. The results of the research showed the possibility of constructing a modular model of indicator sets aimed particularly at decision making by territorial policymakers. The limitations of the research are related to the difficulty of finding different indicators in public platforms and, in the future, we would like to build a synthetic indicator replicable in other Piedmontese and Italian municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of gender equality demands attention from governments, policymakers, and the community at large. It requires continuous redefinition due to its complex technical, professional, economic, and social dimensions, all aimed at empowering women to claim their position within society. Jordan is no exception to this, as women encounter numerous hurdles in accessing equal opportunities in the professional sphere despite their increasing levels of education. This underscores the necessity for a thorough examination of the factors influencing this discussion. This research is targeted at identifying and categorising relevant gender equality indicators within the architectural practice in Jordan, as part of the construction sector. This research adopts a quantitative approach, utilising the Delphi Technique and Analytical Hierarchy Process through engagement with experts from academia and practice to ensure appropriate sourcing, filtration, and rating of the most relevant indicators. It concludes with the identification of fifty-nine indicators grouped into the categories of Education, Employability, Enablement, Inclusion, Professionalism, Facilitation, and Support. This research reveals a higher emphasis on the practical aspects of gender equality by the participants, prioritising particular categories and indicators. The findings offer essential insights to effectively address such an important issue across the policy, economic, social, and professional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change, various natural disasters and extreme weather events are occurring with increasing frequency. In addition, large-scale urbanization in China poses serious challenges to disaster resilience. The convergence of climate change and large-scale urbanization has made the enhancement of urban resilience (UR) an important guideline for current urban development. This study analyzes the UR of 31 provinces in China during 2005–2021 through the entropy method. A UR evaluation index system is constructed from the perspective of population resilience, social resilience, economic resilience, safeguarding facility resilience, and ecological resilience. The results demonstrate the following: (1) The overall performance of UR in China is relatively low, with an average value of 0.2390. (2) Chinese provinces significantly differ in UR levels, with Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Fujian being the top performers and Guangxi, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Tibet being the bottom. (3) From 2005 to 2021, the average UR value of the 31 Chinese provinces significantly improved. (4) Generally, the eastern, middle, and western regions exhibit relatively high, medium, and low average UR values, respectively. These research findings provide valuable references for Chinese policymakers to adopt measures for promoting UR enhancement and urban safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves rehabilitated after deforestation by commercial exploitation must be monitored to confirm that key ecosystem functions are being restored. Brachyuran crabs are conspicuous mangrove macrofauna and were selected as potential indicators of ecosystem recovery. A deforested former mangrove charcoal concession area in Ranong was rehabilitated by planting Rhizophora (1994), Bruguiera and Ceriops (1995) seedlings in single-species blocks. A second area, deforested and heavily degraded by tin mining, was rehabilitated with R. mucronata in 1985. Crabs at these sites were compared with those in a mixed-species conservation forest. Timed collections were made in 1999, 2008 and 2019 to compare crab diversity and relative abundance between sites and years. Thirty-three brachyuran crab species were recorded. Fiddler crabs (Austruca triangularis, Tubuca rosea) and the signal crab, Metaplax elegans, were most abundant, followed by sesarmid crabs (15 species). Species composition differed significantly between sites but not between the four planted tree species blocks. We propose Metaplax elegans as an indicator of ecological development in low-lying/newly formed sediments; fiddler crabs as equivalent indicators in young mangrove plantations/open forest habitats; and a diverse sesarmid community to indicate ecological functioning in older plantations/dense forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution poses one of the greatest dangers to public well-being. This article outlines a study conducted in the Central Romania Region regarding the health risks associated with particulate matter (PM) of two sizes, viz., PM10 and PM2.5. The methodology used consists of the following: (i) an analysis of the effects of PM pollutants, (ii) an analysis of total mortality and cardiovascular-related mortality, and (iii) a general health risk assessment. The Central Region of Romania is situated in the Carpathian Mountains' inner arch (consisting of six counties). The total population of the region under investigation is about 2.6 million inhabitants. Health risk assessment is calculated based on the relative risk (RR) formula. During the study period, our simulations show that reducing these pollutants' concentrations below the new WHO guidelines (2021) will prevent over 172 total fatalities in Brasov alone, as an example. Furthermore, the potential benefit of reducing annual PM2.5 levels on total cardiovascular mortality is around 188 persons in Brasov. Although health benefits may also depend upon other physiological parameters, all general health indicators point towards a significant improvement in overall health by a general reduction in particulate matter, as is shown by the toxicity assessment of the particulate matter in the region of interest. The modality can be applied to other locations for similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decisions at the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) fundamentally shift how ABS will work in the future. The key ABS challenges that now lie ahead will be to integrate digital sequence information into a functioning benefit-sharing mechanism compatible with the Nagoya Protocol, to address the difficult task of measuring benefit-sharing now required by the Global Biodiversity Framework, and ultimately to address the long-term challenges of the Nagoya Protocol's bilateral ABS approach. The relevant COP15 decisions do not provide simple and quick answers to these challenges. However, they do lay the groundwork for change and could form the basis for the further development of effective access and benefit-sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-rise buildings (HRBs) are prone to high fire hazards due to their high occupant density, limited evacuation routes, and high fire load. The indicator system method, as a systematic evaluation method, is widely applied to assess HRB fire risk. However, the method is subjective because the determination of the indicator weights mainly relies on expert experience. In order to reduce the subjectivity of the indicator system method in assessing the fire risk of HRBs, this study proposes a new assessment method by combining the spatial Markov chain model and the indicator system method. In this new method, fire occurrence probability is calculated by the spatial Markov chain model using historical HRB fire accident data. An indicator system is built to characterize the fire consequence by the structure entropy weight method. Subsequently, HRBs in Beijing are used as a case to illustrate the practicality of this approach. Firstly, the spatial Markov chain model is trained and validated using the chi-square goodness-of-fit test based on fire accident data from 2018 to 2023 in Beijing. It was found that the best performance was achieved with the monthly period and the four-state. Then, the distribution of regional fire occurrence probability in April was predicted based on fire accident data in March 2023 in Beijing. It showed that areas with higher fire occurrence probability are mainly located in the central region, especially in the I District. Then, the indicator system was used to evaluate the HRB fire consequence in the I District. The assessment results showed that the areas with more severe fire consequences are mainly located in the II and IV Districts, due to the poor performance of the fire system or the absence of fire protection systems. Coupling the fire occurrence probability and its consequences shows that HRBs with higher fire risk are mainly located in area II and should be carefully supervised for fire management. This developed method can provide some insights into the fire safety management of HRBs and the layout of the fire stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of mature forests is a known stressor of forest management on biodiversity. Mature forests provide unique habitat for forest birds. Here, we examine the capacity of mature forest stands embedded in an intensively managed landscape to provide habitat for landbird species that are associated with mature, unfragmented habitats. We carry this out by comparing bird communities in forest stands in three landscapes with a gradient of management activity. We examined community-level indicators (richness, diversity, abundance and community structure), and trait-level indicators (species groups associated with cavity nesting, mature forests, interior forests and area sensitivity). We found no obvious negative effects on bird communities, species and trait groups in forest stands in the most intensively managed landscape relative to the less intensively managed landscapes. Our ability to draw inferences about the influence of management intensity is limited due to lack of replication; however, these results do provide evidence that mature forest stands within intensively managed landscapes can provide valuable habitat to mature forest associates. There are often trade-offs between generating wood products from the forest and the provision of mature forest habitats. Research on forest birds can provide some of the necessary information for assessing the size and shape of those trade-offs and help to inform the conversation about the desired structure, function and composition of forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]