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Abstract Groundwater supplies fresh water for drinking and irrigation and sustains the health of ecosystems. Although the serious consequences caused by unsustainable depletion of groundwater have been widely reported, restricting pumping in exhausted aquifers requires identifying alternative water sources, determining how much water can be made accessible to avert the groundwater crisis and formulating water allocation regulations to achieve regional water sustainability. It is perceived that groundwater management needs integrated action considering environmental and socioeconomic systems; however, how a coupled socio-environmental system can be captured and quantified, and how this scientific evaluation is elicited and structured in policy making and implementation processes are still unclear. Here, we propose an integrated quantification framework and a revised policy-making procedure after examining the detailed planning for the groundwater pumping control policy as part of China's South-to-North Water Transfer Project and identifying the shortcomings of the policy. This quantification framework represents the iterative feedback loops between environmental and socioeconomic systems and provides both high-resolution and aggregated indications, that serve as instruments to evaluate the change in the water resource system and the rationality of water allocation plans through projections. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that integrated management needs the participation of scientists and the public, particularly in the discussion of formulating policy drafts among central and local stakeholders, which is helpful for sound decision making and coordination among science, policy making and practice. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Inadequacy of China's existing groundwater pumping control policy is identified and summarized. • Framework illuminates the feedback loops between socioeconomic and environmental systems. • Adaptive management needs an increase in scientists' participation for sound decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land remediation is an important part of restoration measures after a radioactive fallout containing long-lived fission products such as 137Cs. In this multidisciplinary study, we focused on three main issues related to remediation of contaminated urban areas. First, we assessed how much decontamination contributes to reducing resident radiation exposure and how much this reduction depends on the timing of implemented measures. Second, we calculated direct and indirect costs of decontamination in an industrialized country such as Sweden. Finally, in a survey study, we considered reactions of Swedish citizens to being given the hypothetical option of moving to a site decontaminated after radioactive fallout and how this predicted response might influence the design of contingency plans. The main findings are that clean-up operations must be done within the first few years after a fallout to contribute significantly to reducing residual dose. If conducted within 1–2 years, large-scale decontamination can, on average, avert 20–200 manSv per km2 residential area and unit ground deposition of 137Cs (1 MBq). The estimated direct costs (in 2020 purchasing power) would amount to 100 million Euro per km2 decontaminated residential area (comparable to Japanese estimates after the Fukushima accident), generating 39,000 m3 of radioactive waste on average, mainly in the form of 137Cs-contaminated topsoil. In our survey study of 2291 Swedish respondents about their willingness to return to decontaminated homes, women, families with resident children, and high-income earners exhibited more skepticism about returning, even if authorities were to deem it safe. The demographic pattern in attitudes was similar to that found among evacuees in the Fukushima prefecture after 2011. We conclude that predefined ranges of measured 137Cs ground deposition can be used as guidance for rescue leaders in the early post-accident phase in long-term planning for affected areas. This planning should include timing and intensity of decontamination measures, duration of evacuation, and risk communication to citizens. Because some citizens expressed both high risk perception and risk aversion, however, timely and dialogic communication is unlikely to limit a shift after the incident to an older and more male-dominated population composition. There is a risk that those who can afford to do so will move away, whereas people whose wealth is locked in property (houses or businesses) will feel stuck. Perceptions of unfairness may fray the social fabric and complicate resettlement, which in some cases may mean inefficient outlay of decontamination costs. We believe that the issue of monetary compensation to affected residents requires priority in future work. • Decontamination of urban areas can avert 20–200 manSv/km2 if done 1 y post-fallout. • The estimated direct cost of urban decontamination in Sweden is 100-million-EUR/km2. • Even after decontamination, most households prefer not to live in restored areas. • Hesitance to return reduces the net benefit of decontamination. • Individual compensation of evacuees could be key for cost-efficient restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses an input–output model to quantify the socioeconomic impact of fishing and aquaculture on Galicia, one of Spain's most important maritime regions. Results indicate that the carryover effects of these production activities are important for Galicia's economy because they contribute not only to job creation but also to possibilities for obtaining income in other economic sectors. These sectors’ combined production in 2013 was almost a million euros, and that production was estimated to account for nearly 2% of the regional economy's value added and for more than 17,000 full-time jobs. Together these contributions amounted to some €1.7 billion in production and €975 million in value added to other Galician economic activities. At the same time, fishing and aquaculture were responsible for creating the equivalent of more than 14,000 full-time jobs in other economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence on the socioeconomic effects of the protected area status of affected regions is mixed. While some studies highlight positive outcomes for these regions, others point in the opposite direction. Consequently, this study aimed to add to the discourse on whether protected area status fosters the socioeconomic development of these regions or not. The study focuses on the agricultural sector in protected areas, because this sector is of particular importance for local communes in these regions. Our study aimed to investigate whether the status Swiss Park of National Importance (henceforth park) positively or negatively influenced economic indicators of local farms (i.e., direct payments, income, and revenues). Specifically, the study answers the following question: How would economic farm indicators have developed if the territory had not gained park status? Thus, the study compared the economic indicators of farms located in a park with economic indicators of farms from neighboring regions outside the park. The analyses focused on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch and the Nature Park Gantrisch as case study regions. The empirical findings revealed that gaining the park status had neither positive nor negative significant effects on income of farms inside a park compared to similar farms outside. However, results also showed that gaining the park status had positive rather than negative effects on further economic indicators such as direct payments and revenues. • We estimated the effects of protected area status on economic indicators of farms. • We compared farms located in a designated park with farms in neighboring regions. • Protected area status had no negative effect on economic indicators of farms inside park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study tests the assumptions that justified the establishment of the Brazilian Biodiesel Production Program (PNPB), to see whether this program has achieved its promised results. Given the connection between socioeconomic, political, technological and environmental issues, the study performs an analysis covering these different dimensions. From the socioeconomic standpoint, findings of the study show that the generation of jobs in the agricultural sector has been much lower than the expected 1.3-million-job creation figure. From the standpoint of reducing the outflow of foreign exchange because of potentially lower demand for imported diesel, the option for the methanol instead of ethanol production route has led to an increased net outflow, as the greater need to import methanol to produce biodiesel more than offsets the lesser need to import mineral diesel. Nevertheless, even though the “Promised Land” has not been reached, particularly from a socioeconomic standpoint, the premises of energy efficiency and the potential to mitigate GHG emissions appear to be on solid ground. In this respect, the input/output energy ratio of producing soy-based biodiesel and the GHG mitigation potential of pure biodiesel justify the continuing effort to improve the PNPB to achieve more promising results in relation to the other indicators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]