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The conservation of biodiversity and forest ecosystems from the perspective of increasingly pronounced climate changes represents a priority objective for present and future society. In recent decades, alongside traditional conservation methods, innovative tools such as PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) have been introduced to support biodiversity conservation. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of financial mechanisms for forest ecosystem conservation from the perspective of voluntary adoption by forest owners of additional conservation measures beyond those required by national environmental legislation. Through the conceptual literature review, 6069 articles were analyzed, which described the general context of the application of PES, the aims and objectives related to climate and environmental issues, the beneficiaries, as well as the legislative conditions, and the research direction in the last 7 years. The study aims to provide relevant information regarding the viability and potential impact of PES on achieving the goal of forest ecosystem conservation in Romania, during the period 2017–2023. We identified 904 cases involving 887 entities that have committed to the program for the voluntary adoption of additional measures. It has been stated that a PES approach can lead to increased efficiency in conservation actions. Following the temporal analysis of the number of applications, it was observed that in the first sessions there was a low number of applications, which means very high reluctance of the potential beneficiaries of PES, but once the first program was implemented, their interest increased. The study found a strong correlation between payments and the areas and number of plots under commitment, while there was a less strong correlation with the geographical region. Based on the data obtained, the potential impact of PES in Romania was evaluated at the social level, quantified in the number of applications submitted, and at the economic level, with the amount of money paid to applicants. The environmental impact was measured by analyzing the areas included in the subsidy mechanism and identifying the minimum 20% of the eligible areas, totally exempt from forestry interventions, which produce effects on forests, soil, water and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of migration among medical personnel from less developed countries is a large one, with negative effects on the origin country, but more worrying is graduates' propensity to migrate during or immediately after university studies. The analysis of the labor market in the health sector from the last two decades shows us greater attractiveness of employment in (more) economically developed states compared to the demand from the health sector in graduates' origin countries. This research's purpose is to identify the determinants of the propensity to study and work abroad of medical students as a defined factor for better employment, and to identify the push factors in the origin country. As a result of the dichotomous nature of the dependent variables, logistic regression was applied. The independent variables (gender, residence, medical specialization, grades and perceived economic status) were used to identify the odds of the intention to migrate for studies. The results highlighted a higher propensity to migrate for studies among medical students, with opportunities offered by universities differing across countries and geographical areas. Moreover, students with a lower level of household income have openness to migrate, the tuition fees being managed through part-time/temporary employment during studies.

The pandemic disrupted all activities, so it became necessary to understand, but also rethink, the complexity of economic resilience to better deal with future shocks. A component that can signal the resilience potential of a socio-economic system is smart city response, using technology to make services more efficient. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between smart cities and urban resilience to determine whether urban resilience is significantly influenced by urban smartness. Given the EU SDGs Strategy and the Implementation of RRF Programs, we have also identified the main driving forces that can amplify the impact of smart city development policies on local resilience. The results highlighted that at the European level, smart cities are significantly correlated with urban resilience; urban resilience is explained by the variation in urban smartness; resilience is correlated with all smart city dimensions, highly in (post-)pandemic, redefining a "new normal" in resilience approaches for smart cities. We also stressed the emerging, more complex content of the economic resilience concept and the new structural approach of smart cities resilience for the post-COVID-19 period.