Search

The literature has explored various methods for assessing minimum environmental flow. Implementing holistic approaches proves to be prohibitively expensive and impractical for many small and medium projects. Hence, desktop and cost-effective methods are commonly employed without an integrated decision-making system to justify the assessed values. This study introduces a systematic decision-making framework aimed at selecting the most suitable method for assessing the actual needs of river habitats. Employing a fuzzy technique known as the Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS), the study considers factors such as physical, thermal, and dissolved oxygen habitat suitability, maximum habitat area, and water demand loss function to determine the most appropriate method among established ones, including the Tennant method, flow duration curve analysis method, wetted perimeter method, and physical habitat simulation method. The results prioritize physical habitat simulation, wetted perimeter by slope method, and flow indices of 70%, 75%, and 80% by flow duration curve analysis method as the optimal approaches for assessing minimum environmental flow. This proposed decision-making system offers a viable platform to explore the applicability of existing cost-effective methods for assessing minimum environmental flow. It also serves as an effective mechanism for reducing negotiations among stakeholders by comprehensively considering all relevant aspects in the environmental management of river ecosystem requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous policies have been proposed by international and supranational institutions, such as the European Union, to surveil Earth from space and furnish indicators of environmental conditions across diverse scenarios. In tandem with these policies, different initiatives, particularly on both sides of the Atlantic, have emerged to provide valuable data for environmental management such as the concept of essential climate variables. However, a key question arises: do the available data align with the monitoring requirements outlined in these policies? In this paper, we concentrate on Earth Observation (EO) optical data applications for environmental monitoring, with a specific emphasis on ocean colour. In a rapidly changing climate, it becomes imperative to consider data requirements for upcoming space missions. We place particular significance on the application of these data when monitoring lakes and marine protected areas (MPAs). These two use cases, albeit very different in nature, underscore the necessity for higher-spatial-resolution imagery to effectively study these vital habitats. Limnological ecosystems, sensitive to ice melting and temperature fluctuations, serve as crucial indicators of a climate in change. Simultaneously, MPAs, although generally small in size, play a crucial role in safeguarding marine biodiversity and supporting sustainable marine resource management. They are increasingly acknowledged as a critical component of global efforts to conserve and manage marine ecosystems, as exemplified by Target 3 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to effectively conserve 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine areas by 2030 through protected areas and other conservation measures. In this paper, we analysed different policies concerning EO data and their application to environmental-based monitoring. We also reviewed and analysed the existing relevant literature in order to find gaps that need to be bridged to effectively monitor these habitats in an ecosystem-based approach, making data more accessible, leading to the generation of water quality indicators derived from new high- and very high-resolution satellite monitoring focusing especially on Chlorophyll-a concentrations. Such data are pivotal for comprehending, at small and local scales, how these habitats are responding to climate change and various stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A validation convention can be established for forest management optimization models. It consists of (1) the delivery of face validation, (2) performing at least one other validation technique, and (3) an explicit discussion of how the optimization model fulfills the stated purpose. Validation by potential users or external experts is of high importance. Context: Optimization modeling has long assisted the management of forest ecosystems, but the credibility of these models has always been debated with criticisms concerning data quality, failures to include relevant processes in the scope of models, and the inclusion of unrealistic assumptions. Validation is widely considered to be crucial to establishing the credibility of models in general, but how to validate optimization models in particular represents a permanent question generally in operations research. Aims: We aim to synthesize practical recommendations for the development of validation frameworks in the optimization modeling for forest management. Methods: We selected a sample of 46 studies devoted to optimization models to be applied in practice, analysed the contents with respect to validation, and provided a critical review. Results: We (1) clarified the meaning and usage of different validation-related terms that are commonly encountered in the literature, (2) identified and categorised the various methods and frameworks that are used to demonstrate model credibility, and (3) derived organizing principles that helped to suggest improvements in validation frameworks. Conclusions: A practical validation convention can be established and we suggest the convention to consist of three stages. By providing structured and consistent information about validation processes, researchers in forest management optimization can better demonstrate the credibility of their work to readers and potential users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores how modeling the human well-being benefits of ecosystem restoration and management can enhance environmental decision-making. Topics discussed include the integration of ecosystem services into decision processes, the use of various quantitative and qualitative tools to assess and manage these services, and the importance of stakeholder engagement and community involvement in successful restoration projects.

Ecosystems experiencing pressures are at risk of rapidly transitioning ("tipping") from one state to another. Identifying and managing these so-called tipping points continue to be a challenge in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, particularly when multiple potentially interacting drivers are present. Knowledge of tipping points, the mechanisms that cause them, and their implications for management practices are evolving, but often in isolation within specific ecological realms. Here, we summarize current knowledge of tipping points in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial realms and provide a multi-realm perspective of the challenges and opportunities for applying this knowledge to ecosystem management. We brought together conservation practitioners and global experts in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial tipping points and identified seven challenges that environmental policymakers and managers contend with including (1) predictability, (2) spatiotemporal scales, (3) interactions, (4) reversibility, (5) socio-ecological context, (6) complexity and heterogeneity, and (7) selecting appropriate action. We highlight opportunities for cross-scalar and cross-realm knowledge production and provide recommendations for enabling the management of tipping points. Although knowledge of tipping points is imperfect, we stress the need to continue working toward incorporating tipping points perspectives in environmental management across all realms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose an approach for identifying and prioritizing ecosystem indicators for effective ecosystem management. Specifically, fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy DEMATEL approaches are used to define ecosystem management goals and indicators, rank the importance of quality attributes in ecosystem management, and rank the effectiveness of each indicator in each pillar of ecosystem management. The ultimate goal is to provide a tool to decision-makers that can help in allocating resources more effectively and efficiently toward achieving sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed approach involves a three-phase framework. Phase 1 involves identifying and determining the indicators affecting ecosystem management. This has been performed by studying theoretical articles, reviewing systematic literature, and searching previous studies to identify different indicators for each pillar of ecosystem management. A list of indicators and factors affecting each of the pillars of ecosystem management has been determined accordingly, and an initial categorization has been created using library studies. Phase 2 involves using a fuzzy Delphi method to rank the most important indicators in each pillar of ecosystem management. Experts have been asked to indicate their proposed indicators in a questionnaire based on fuzzy variables, and the degree of proportionality of the proposed factors. Phase 3 involves using a fuzzy DEMATEL approach to rank the effectiveness of each indicator in each pillar of ecosystem management. This approach handles imprecise or subjective data and can be replicated for different cities. Overall, this methodology aims to provide a comprehensive approach for identifying and prioritizing ecosystem indicators that can be used by decision-makers in environmental management and policy-making. Findings: Findings imply that the integrated approach of the Fuzzy Delphi Method and the Fuzzy DEMATEL can be used to identify and rank the importance of quality attributes in ecosystem management, and to rank the effectiveness of each indicator in each pillar of the ecosystem management. A total of 36 indicators were identified across four pillars of ecosystem management, i.e., economic, social, environmental and institutional. The results indicated that the most important indicators for each pillar were science and technology and innovation for the economic pillar; air quality, waste treatment and energy efficiency for the environmental pillar; poverty, health, and safety and security for the social pillar; and transparent sharing of information and political stability for institutional pillar. It was also found that there was a strong interrelationship between different pillars of ecosystem management. For example, the institutional pillar had serious effects on most of the other identified EM pillars. In addition, the economic pillar was the second most influential factor. Moreover, the institutional pillar profoundly influenced the environmental pillar. Finally, the economic pillar highly affected the environmental pillar, which doubled the complexity of ecosystem management. Research limitations/implications: Several limitations and implications have been addressed for future research. The number of participating experts was limited, which could affect the results and limit the possibility of their summarization. Expert bias may have influenced the results of the study. Such limitations imply that further research with a larger and more diverse group of experts is necessary to validate and expand upon such findings. This study was limited in scope to a particular ecosystem or region and the identified indicators as a result may not apply and be generalizable to other ecosystems or regions. Based on the cause-and-effect relationships between the studied elements, a hypothesis can be expanded and validated using a larger sample. Future studies could replicate this methodology in different contexts to test its applicability and effectiveness. Practical implications: Decision-makers in environmental management and policy-making can use the methodology presented in this study to identify and prioritize ecosystem indicators. By using an integration of the Fuzzy Delphi Method and the Fuzzy DEMATEL, decision-makers can identify the most important indicators for each pillar of ecosystem management and evaluate their effectiveness. This information can be used to allocate resources more effectively and efficiently toward achieving sustainability. Decision-makers could use this methodology to evaluate different ecosystem management practices and policies, and develop new policies or modify existing ones to better address the needs of different stakeholders. Overall, this study provides a useful tool for decision-makers in environmental management and policy-making by providing a comprehensive approach to identifying and prioritising ecosystem indicators. Social implications: This study highlights the importance of considering social factors in ecosystem management. The study identifies several social indicators, such as poverty and material deprivation, education level, public awareness and training, gender equality, and social participation. By prioritizing such indicators in ecosystem management, decision-makers can ensure that the needs and perspectives of different stakeholders are taken into account. This can help to promote social equity and cohesion, which are important for achieving sustainable development. Furthermore, by involving a wide range of stakeholders in the decision-making process, including local communities and marginalized groups, decision-makers can ensure that ecosystem management policies are more inclusive and responsive to the needs of all members of society. Overall, this study highlighted the importance of considering social factors in ecosystem management and provides a useful framework for identifying and prioritizing social indicators. Originality/value: The main contribution of this study is the application of the integrated approaches of the Fuzzy Delphi Method and the Fuzzy DEMATEL to identify and rank the importance of quality attributes in ecosystem management. This methodology is innovative because it allows decision-makers to handle imprecise or subjective data, which is often encountered in ecosystem management. The study provides a three-phase framework for identifying and prioritizing ecosystem indicators, which can be replicated for different cities. Findings indicated that science and technology, air quality, poverty, and transparent sharing of information were identified as the most important quality indicators in their respective pillars of ecosystem management alternatives. This implies that decision-makers and policymakers should consider allocating more resources toward improving such areas. Overall, this study provided a useful tool for decision-makers in environmental management and policy-making by providing a comprehensive approach to identifying and prioritizing ecosystem indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated alternative methods for comparing the provision of ecosystem services among urban areas, stressing how the choice of comparison method affects the ability to compare the ecosystem service outcomes, in order to improve the management actions in urban green areas, reduce environmental inequality, and ensure satisfactory levels of human well-being. For the analysis, ten spatial indicators were quantified to assess the provision of urban ecosystem services in Barcelona, Spain, and Santiago, Chile. Two comparison methods were applied in both cities to evaluate the differences in their provision scores. The analysis was performed using the Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system, a spatially enabled decision support framework for environmental management. The results depicted changes in the values of the provision of ecosystem services depending on the methodological approach applied. When the data were analysed separately for each city, both cities registered a wide range of provision values across the city districts, varying from very low to very high values. However, when the analysis was based on the data for both cities, the provision scores in Santiago decreased, while they increased in Barcelona, showing relativeness and a discrepancy in their provisions, hindering an appropriate planning definition. Our results emphasise the importance of the choice of comparison approach in the analyses of urban ecosystem services and the need for further studies on these comparison methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) has the potential to support decision making but there are few cases of their application to public policy or planning. In this paper we review five government policies related to land use planning and environmental management in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), assess the data available to inform these policies and link the polices to the accounts that could assist with their implementation, evaluation and update. We find that a range of SEEA-based accounts are potentially useful for the plans and strategies reviewed. Data available for accounts are of varying quality, scattered and are not integrated nor regularly summarised. The available data were to produce accounts for ecosystem extent and land cover, and these provide a platform for continuing engagement with the ACT government and for developing accounts for ecosystem services, ecosystem condition and environmental protection expenditure that could inform ACT policy for land use planning, management of ecosystems, protected areas, and urban forests. Six steps for developing ecosystem accounts to support policy are recommended to accounts producers and three priority actions for SEEA-based accounting to support environmental management in the ACT are identified. Preparing the accounts and linking them directly to existing plans and strategies is a first step to acceptance and use of SEEA in the ACT and elsewhere. • Ecosystem accounts can be mapped to policy and be useful to decision makers. • Ecosystem accounts can inform the different parts of the policy cycle. • Land and ecosystem extent accounts can be produced and are the starting point for ecosystem condition and service accounts. • Data gaps and deficiencies on the physical environment can be overcome through use of global datasets and methods. • The development of spatially referenced economic data must be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discourses on sustainable ecosystem management have increasingly emphasized the importance of bundling relationships and interactions among multiple ecosystem services supported by similar natural and anthropogenic mechanisms within the total environment. Yet, the aesthetic benefits of ecosystems, playing critical role in management of both wild and anthropogenic landscapes, have been under-represented in these discussions. This disregard contributes to the disconnection between environmental science and practice and limits our understanding of ecological and societal implications of management decisions that either generate aesthetic benefits or impact them while targeting other ecosystem services. This discussion reviews several "wicked problems" that arise due to such limited understanding, focusing on three recognized challenges in present-day ecosystem management: replacement of natural ecosystem functions, spatial decoupling of service beneficiaries from its environmental consequences and increasing inequalities in access to services. Strategies towards solutions to such wicked challenges are also discussed, capitalizing on the potential of innovative landscape design, cross-disciplinary research and collaboration, and emerging economic and policy instruments.

Urban forests play a vital role in maintaining the city ecological balance and providing ecosystem services to citizens. Ecosystem services lead to better quality of life, better environmental quality, and more sustainable urban growth. However, many emerging nations have often progressed at the price of lowering and sacrificing forest coverage, which has a negative impact on the benefits that the public receives from natural green spaces. As a result, the goals of this research were to ascertain visitor impressions of urban forests in Kuala Lumpur, to assess the value assigned by visitors to urban forests in Kuala Lumpur, and to investigate the elements that impact the willingness to pay. A questionnaire-based field study was conducted on a total of 254 respondents among Taman Tugu Urban Forest visitors, Kuala Lumpur. The results show that visitor perceptions of regulating services, cultural services, and supporting services were positive, with high-level score values of 4.74, ±0.40, 4.69, ±0.37, and 4.70, ±0.50. Furthermore, provisioning services were perceived to be of moderately high level (3.49, ±1.12), and visitor perceptions of urban forest amenities were positive, with high-level scores (4.39, ±0.53). Overall, this indicates that visitors had a very good perception of Taman Tugu Urban Forest ecosystem services. However, when we looked at the factors that contributed to the willingness to pay for the conservation of urban forests and entry, only the perception of the amenities provided at Taman Tugu had a significant relationship with the willingness to pay. A total of 79.1% of visitors expressed their willingness to pay, for forest conservation, an average payment value of MYR 51.32 per year, while 65% of visitors were willing to pay, as entry fees at urban forests, an average payment value of MYR 3.07 per person. It can be concluded that visitors had a positive perception of urban forests in Kuala Lumpur and were willing to contribute for conservation and entry fee purposes. We hope that the findings of this research contribute to a better understanding of urban forest ecosystem services in Kuala Lumpur and visitor perception. In addition, this study could also be useful to policy makers to formulate a specific policy focus on urban forests by comprehensively and holistically including the monetary value of the ecosystem services provided, considering public opinion and needs, and performing financial allocation for conserving and managing urban forests. This is to ensure that the urban sustainable development goals and smart city aims can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ecosystem-based management approach (EBM) is suggested as one solution to help to tackle environmental challenges facing worldwide farming systems whilst ensuring socio-economic demands are met. Despite its usefulness, the application of this approach at the farm-scale presents several implementation problems, including the difficulty of (a) incorporating the concept of ecosystem services (ES) into agricultural land use decision-making and (b) involving the farmer in the planning process. This study aims to propose a solution to overcome these challenges by utilising a geodesign framework and EBM approach to plan and design a sustainable multifunctional agricultural landscape at the farm scale. We demonstrate how the proposed approach can be applied to plan and design multifunctional agricultural landscapes that offer improved sustainability, using a New Zealand hill country farm as a case study. A geodesign framework is employed to generate future land use and management scenarios for the study area, visualize changes, and assess the impacts of future land use on landscape multifunctionality and the provision of associated ES and economic outcomes. In this framework, collaboration with the farmer was carried out to obtain farm information and co-design the farmed landscapes. The results from our study demonstrate that farmed landscapes where multiple land use/ land cover types co-exist can provide a wide range of ES and therefore, meet both economic and environmental demands. The assessment of impacts for different land use change scenarios demonstrates that land use change towards increasing landscape diversity and complexity is a key to achieving more sustainable multifunctional farmed landscapes. The integration of EBM and geodesign, is a transdisciplinary approach that can help farmers target land use and management decisions by considering the major ES that are, and could be, provided by the landscapes in which these farm systems are situated, therefore maximising the potential for beneficial outcomes.

The monitoring of biological indicators is required to assess the impacts of environmental policies, compare ecosystems and guide management and conservation actions. However, the growing availability of ecological data has not been accompanied by concomitant processing tools able to facilitate data handling and analysis. Multiple common challenges limit the usefulness of biomonitoring information across ecosystems and biological groups. Biomonitoring data analysis is currently constrained by time-consuming steps for data preparation and a data processing environment with limited integration in terms of software, biological groups, and protocols. We introduce biomonitoR, a package for the R programming language that addresses technical challenges for the management of ecological data and metrics calculation. biomonitoR implements most of the biological indices currently used or proposed in different fields of ecology and water resource management. Its combination of customizable functions aims to support a transferable and comprehensive biomonitoring workflow in a user-friendly environment. biomonitoR represents a versatile toolbox with five main assets: (i) it checks taxonomic information against reference datasets allowing for customization of trait and sensitivity scores; (ii) it supports heterogeneous taxonomic resolution allowing computations at multiple taxonomic levels; (iii) it calculates multiple biological indices, including metrics for both broad and stressorspecific ecological assessments; (iv) it enables user-friendly data visualization, helping both decision-making processes and data interpretation; and (v) it allows working with an interactive web application straight from R. Overall, biomonitoR can benefit the wide biomonitoring community, including environmental private consultants, ecologists and natural resource managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing concerns about the protection of ecosystem functions and services, governments have developed public policies and organizations have produced an awesome volume of digital data freely available through their websites. On the other hand, advances in data acquisition through remote sensed sources and processing through geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical tools, allowed an unprecedent capacity to manage ecosystems efficiently. However, the real-world scenario in that regard remains paradoxically challenging. The reasons can be many and diverse, but a strong candidate relates with the limited engagement among the interest parties that hampers bringing all these assets into action. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that management of ecosystem services can be significantly improved by integrating existing environmental policies with environmental big data and low-cost GIS and data processing tools. Using the Upper Rio das Velhas hydrographic basin located in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) as example, the study demonstrated how Principal Components Analysis based on a diversity of environmental variables assembled sub-basins into urban, agriculture, mining and heterogeneous profiles, directing management of ecosystem services to the most appropriate officially established conservation plans. The use of GIS tools, on the other hand, allowed narrowing the implementation of each plan to specific sub-basins. This optimized allocation of preferential management plans to priority areas was discussed for a number of conservation plans. A paradigmatic example was the so-called Conservation Use Potential (CUP) devoted to the protection of aquifer recharge (provision service) and control of water erosion (regulation service), as well as to the allocation of uses as function of soil capability (support service). In all cases, the efficiency gains in readiness for plans' implementation and economy of resources were prognosed as noteworthy. • A framework is presented to improve the efficiency of ecosystem services management. • The framework relies on a synergic use of free digital data and technologies. • Application to the tested area allowed prioritize specific conservation plans in specific sub-areas. • Prioritizing plans and narrowing application areas allow implementation readiness and economy of resources. • The Conservation Use Potential plan can be improved in Minas Gerais if following the framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a book by CEPAL that addresses the incorporation of the environmental dimension in the development of Latin America and the Caribbean. The book proposes an alternative development model with a predominant environmental dimension and highlights the need to adopt basic measures to initiate the transition. The importance of considering the environment as a relevant political subject and ensuring citizen participation in environmental management is emphasized. Additionally, it is recommended to apply a comprehensive and interdisciplinary methodology to improve environmental management and define territorial planning based on ecological criteria. The incorporation of environmental policies and the generation of awareness and citizen participation are also suggested. Finally, the importance of promoting agreements on the planning and environmental management of shared ecosystems in the region is raised. [Extracted from the article]

Many of the contributions of nature to people are embodied or mediated by water. This article explores and exemplifies the spatial representation of the supply and demand of ecosystem services related to water and its application to the different needs of environmental management and policy, with particular focus in the Argentine case. The supply of these services can be mapped by combining different sources of geographic and satellite information supported by pre-established protocols or models. Their demand, even for highly subjective services such as the cultural ones, can be mapped using public photo databases or social networks. Representing supply-demand links often requires spatial abstractions or distortions. One possibility is to discretize the territory into sections and generate an exchange matrix for multiple services among them. Another one is the continuous quantification of the production and consumption of services along watersheds. Representations of 'virtual water' transport associated with the exchange of products can be related to the flow of water-related ecosystem services only if the water sources involved are distinguished (e.g., rain or 'green water' vs. irrigation or 'blue water' for agricultural products) and valued according to the context of the origin and destination. Each spatial representation is better adapted to different environmental management situations. Maps are valuable for land use planning. Exchange matrices are suggested to explore conflicts and cooperation opportunities. Continuous representations of watersheds are useful for evaluating hydraulic or green interventions. Finally, the analyses of virtual water exchange between countries constitutes a valuable element for international negotiations. The representation of water-related ecosystem services is a pillar of nature governance, ideally co-constructed by scientists and decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, rapid climate and land-use changes in alpine environments are posing severe risks to their bountiful biodiversity and ecosystem services. Currently, nature-based solutions are fast-emerging as the preferred approach to address the challenges of environmental sustainability. In alpine environments, cushion plants owing to their unique architecture and adaptability offer a potential nature-based system to plan biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration strategies. Here, we employed an analytical framework to test whether and how the cushion plants facilitate the sustenance of alpine plant diversity in Kashmir Himalaya. We specifically aimed to answer: what are the effects of the cushion plants on the patterns of alpine species richness and phylogenetic diversity, and whether these effects vary across spatial scales (local versus landscape), cushion types, and changing elevation. We randomly selected pairs of cushion and neighbouring non-cushion plots (size 100 m2) across 34 different alpine sites in the study region. Within each plot, we randomly laid three 5 m2 quadrats for vegetation sampling, and sampled a total of 204 quadrats in 68 plots with seven cushion types along elevation ranging from 3100 to 3850 m. Our results revealed positive effects of the cushions by supporting a higher community species richness (SR) and phylogenetic diversity (PD). The effects were consistent both at the local (i.e., quadrat) and landscape (i.e., plot) scales, but varied significantly with the cushion type. Interestingly, SR and PD showed an increasing trend with increase in elevation in cushion communities, thereby supporting stress gradient hypothesis. Along the elevational gradient, the cushion communities showed phylogenetic overdispersion, but clustering by non-cushions. Overall, our study provides empirical evidence to reinforce the role of the cushions as conservation refugia for an imperilled alpine plant diversity in the Himalaya. Looking ahead, we highlight the far-reaching implications of our findings in guiding the nature-based environmental management of alpine ecosystems worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban forests play a vital role in maintaining the city ecological balance and providing ecosystem services to citizens. Ecosystem services lead to better quality of life, better environmental quality, and more sustainable urban growth. However, many emerging nations have often progressed at the price of lowering and sacrificing forest coverage, which has a negative impact on the benefits that the public receives from natural green spaces. As a result, the goals of this research were to ascertain visitor impressions of urban forests in Kuala Lumpur, to assess the value assigned by visitors to urban forests in Kuala Lumpur, and to investigate the elements that impact the willingness to pay. A questionnaire-based field study was conducted on a total of 254 respondents among Taman Tugu Urban Forest visitors, Kuala Lumpur. The results show that visitor perceptions of regulating services, cultural services, and supporting services were positive, with high-level score values of 4.74, ±0.40, 4.69, ±0.37, and 4.70, ±0.50. Furthermore, provisioning services were perceived to be of moderately high level (3.49, ±1.12), and visitor perceptions of urban forest amenities were positive, with high-level scores (4.39, ±0.53). Overall, this indicates that visitors had a very good perception of Taman Tugu Urban Forest ecosystem services. However, when we looked at the factors that contributed to the willingness to pay for the conservation of urban forests and entry, only the perception of the amenities provided at Taman Tugu had a significant relationship with the willingness to pay. A total of 79.1% of visitors expressed their willingness to pay, for forest conservation, an average payment value of MYR 51.32 per year, while 65% of visitors were willing to pay, as entry fees at urban forests, an average payment value of MYR 3.07 per person. It can be concluded that visitors had a positive perception of urban forests in Kuala Lumpur and were willing to contribute for conservation and entry fee purposes. We hope that the findings of this research contribute to a better understanding of urban forest ecosystem services in Kuala Lumpur and visitor perception. In addition, this study could also be useful to policy makers to formulate a specific policy focus on urban forests by comprehensively and holistically including the monetary value of the ecosystem services provided, considering public opinion and needs, and performing financial allocation for conserving and managing urban forests. This is to ensure that the urban sustainable development goals and smart city aims can be achieved.

Little is known about how spatial literacy influences mapping and decision-making related to environmental management and ecosystem services. We assessed the role of spatial landscape literacy in participatory environmental management and ecosystem service assessments in peri-urban Bogota, Colombia. Spatial landscape literacy (SL) was evaluated by testing stakeholder's ability to locate specific landscapes and landmarks. We then assessed if opinions on environmental decisions and ecosystem services were significantly related to SL. We used an online instrument to capture 2,397 respondent's socioeconomic characteristics, SL, ecosystem service perceptions, and opinions concerning relevant environmental issues. We evaluated and measured respondents' self-perceived SL and ability to locate four landscapes in an integrated online map. Positional accuracy was calculated using a Spatial Landscape Literacy Index (SLI). We then tested for effects of socio-demographics on SLI, modeled the relationship between socio-demographics and SL, and tested the relationship between respondents' SL and their opinions on relevant environmental issues and ecosystem services. We found that about 75% of the respondents correctly located 2 of the 4 landscapes. The SLI model was also poorly predicted by socio-demographic variables. However, we found significant relationships between SLI and opinions concerning the environment. No relationship was found between respondents' levels of active participation in local governance and SLI. Overall, SL was little affected by education levels. Participatory processes using maps should ideally measure SL and not assume a priori that participants are spatially literate. Further research is needed to evaluate how spatial technologies and understanding stakeholder's values towards the environment can democratize participatory-based decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 20 years Antarctic Treaty Parties have been discussing how to appropriately manage cumulative impacts in the continent. Preventing cumulative impacts requires the fluent exchange of information to enable proper and timely assessment of, and response to, the impacts that result from multiple activities, undertaken by multiple stakeholders and supervised by different Parties. This is a particular challenge for the effective management of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), as a lack of coordination may potentially put at risk the fulfillment of their conservation objectives. Here we suggest that incorporating lessons learnt from protected areas management elsewhere might improve the effectiveness of ASPAs and provide valuable experiences and insights on how to better manage cumulative impacts in the rest of the continent. Key concepts to incorporate in Antarctica's environmental management toolbox include (1) the notion of adaptive management, which is a cornerstone of protected areas management effectiveness elsewhere, and (2) the need of empowering protected area managers, which are a key (but often missing) element to ensure local compliance with management plans, co-ordinate on site activities, facilitate exchange of information, promote cooperation and manage conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of wetland ecosystems that are tightly coupled with human systems typically requires balancing multiple objectives to ensure that a range of ecosystem services are provided for the benefit of society. We describe how adopting a complex systems approach may provide managers with the appropriate conceptual tools to achieve social and ecological objectives in a multifunctional wetland landscape. We illustrate the applicability of the approach using the Grasslands Ecological Area (GEA) in California as a case study. Human intervention has shaped and reshaped the GEA over the past century, affecting the ability of the landscape to provide ecosystem services. Ecological disaster in the 1980s precipitated transformative change in the management system toward an approach that adopts many of the recommended actions for complexity. Present-day management, which balances multiple social and ecological objectives, has led to improved water quality, restoration of wetland habitats, and a general increase in system complexity at the landscape scale. New research and real-time monitoring systems facilitate adaptive management and heterogeneous responses of wetland management entities. We argue that taking a complex systems approach to management in the GEA provides a common, and inclusive, conceptual model for all stakeholders and may lead to a more sustainable and ecologically resilient landscape over the long term. Copyright:

Southern Africa harbors exceptional biodiversity that is increasingly threatened by climate change, land use, and other pressures. However, risks to the regional ecosystems and quality and consistency of adaptation strategies remain understudied, making conservation and restoration efforts challenging. Here, we reviewed scientific articles published during the period 2000–2020, which (1) addressed observed and projected impacts of climate change on different species, populations, and ecosystems in nine southern African countries, and (2) formulated management and policy responses aiming to mitigate these impacts. We identified and evaluated 28 papers meeting these search criteria. We found that the three components of our investigation, that is, ecosystem type, type of impact, and management and policy responses, were covered by research rather fragmentarily. However, the reviewed publications addressed a large variety of species and ecosystems and a variety of processes, from local extinction, range contraction, and increased mortality to modified inter‐specific interactions. The identified human responses included active vegetation and animal management, improved conservation policies, and monitoring. Most of the publications highlighted severe data limitations, lacking coordination of conservation policies, and insufficient consideration of transient environmental conditions in management and policy planning. We conclude that the current level of understanding of climatic threats to species and ecosystems is limited in southern Africa, and new coordinated research and monitoring actions are needed. This review characterized the high diversity of climate change risks to ecosystems and related social responses, potentially helping to attract further research attention and inform regional adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ecosystem services are benefits humans obtain from ecological systems. • Temporal and spatial dynamics and drivers of supply–demand relationships studied. • Multidisciplinary and multi-method approach using multi-data sources. • Supply/demand of eight ESs in the DJKR area have clear spatiotemporal variability. • Spatial guidance and decision-making basis for ES optimization. The supply–demand, spatial matching, trade-offs, and synergies of ecosystem services (ESs) are important foundations for sustainable environmental management. The Danjiangkou Reservoir area (DJKR) is an important water source for the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project in China. Spatiotemporal dynamics of supply and demand for eight ESs between 2000 and 2020 were studied using the food–energy method, InVEST model, recreation opportunity spectrum, supply–demand matching relationship, and geographically weighted regression. From 2000 to 2020, supply and demand of the eight ESs displayed clear spatiotemporal variability; geographic detector analysis showed that land-use types were strong determinants of supply, with the interactions between each factor stronger than those between single factors. Demand for ESs was limited by natural–social factors. The supply–demand ratios of each indicator varied spatially (at regional, county, and sub-watershed scales) and temporally. Similarly, trade-off synergistic relationships also changed at all three spatial scales. Spatial control areas (levels I–IV) were delineated, and corresponding management programs were proposed. The results of this study strengthen our understanding of the spatiotemporal variation and driving factors in ES supply–demand, and provide technical and theoretical support for spatial management policies for ESs in the DJKR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The sustainability of the environmental management programs relies on the nexus of the community's perception, participation, adoption, and livelihood. • Local communities were well aware of the problems of watershed deterioration and outcome of mitigation measures. • The overall community participation index value showed moderate levels of participation indicating that only some decisions were taken in consultation with local people. • Specific adoption rates for many of the practices and the intensity of adoption were low. • There were gaps in the progress of the five dimensions of livelihood assets-human, natural, financial, social,and physical. The sustainability of the environmental management programs such as watershed intervention program relies on the understanding of the nexus of the community's perception, participation, and livelihoods. However, there are little studies on the interactions of these very important parameters. This study examined the nexus of farmers' perception, participation, livelihoods and their implication for sustaining watershed management program in Ethiopia, case of upper Gibe basin. To this end, household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview were employed to collect and analyze the data. Likert-scale was used to rate the indicators or items of perception, participation, socio-ecological indicators; Coefficient of Crobach alpha to test the reliability of items; Independent t -test to compare the mean value of livelihood assets between program participant and non- participant households and Rader diagram to depict the overall livelihood assets value. Descriptive (mean, percentage) analysis was use summarize the results of local perception, community participation, socio-ecological benefits of watershed management while, chi-square statistics were applied to analyze the association between important components of watershed management such as local perception, community participation, intensity of adoption and livelihoods. The results of the study indicated that local communities were well aware of the degradation of watershed as a problem constraining agricultural production in their farm lands and surrounding landscapes. Problems of watershed degradation were better perceived in the upper and middle topographic settings and for watershed program participant households implying the need for site-specific appropriate watershed management alternatives. While the ecological benefits of watershed management were perceived better in the upper topographic areas, the socio economic benefits were in the middle and lower areas suggesting an integrated approach to address the biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. The overall community participation index value showed moderate levels of participation indicating that only some decisions were taken in consultation with local people. Specific adoption rates for many of the practices and the intensity of adoption were low. There were gaps in the progress of the five dimensions of livelihood assets-human, natural, financial, social, physical. The interaction of perception, participation and livelihoods in watershed management practices suggested more participatory and integrated approach need to be encouraged to upscale and sustaining of watershed management practices. Less awareness and extension services, lack of finance, interest in short-term agricultural production are the major challenges constraining the sustainability of watershed management. Hence, local administrators and planners need to recognize heterogeneity in households' socio economic and topographic specific characteristics as well as the aforementioned constraints so as to involve community fully in various activities of watershed management. The nexus between watershed management and ecosystem services, climate change and variability are areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past forest management practices, fire suppression, and climate change are increasing the need to actively manage California Sierra Nevada forests for multiple environmental amenities. Here we present a relatively low-cost, repeatable method for spatially parsing the landscape to help the U.S. Forest Service manage for different forest and fuel conditions to meet multiple goals relating to sensitive species, fuels reduction, forest products, water, carbon storage, and ecosystem restoration. Using the Kings River area of the Sierra Nevada as a case study, we create areas of topographically-based units, Landscape Management Units (LMUs) using a three by three matrix (canyon, mid-slope, ridge-top and northerly, southerly, and neutral aspects). We describe their size, elevation, slope, aspect, and their difference in inherent wetness and solar radiation. We assess the predictive value and field applicability of LMUs by using existing data on stand conditions and two sensitive wildlife species. Stand conditions varied significantly between LMUs, with canyons consistently having the greatest stem and snag densities. Pacific fisher (Martes pennanti) activity points (from radio telemetry) and California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) nests, roosts, and sightings were both significantly different from uniform, with a disproportionate number of observations in canyons, and fewer than expected on ridge-tops. Given the distinct characteristics of the LMUs, these units provide a relatively simple but ecologically meaningful template for managers to spatially allocate forest treatments, thereby meeting multiple National Forest objectives. These LMUs provide a framework that can potentially be applied to other fire-dependent western forests with steep topographic relief.

Applying physiological tools, knowledge and concepts to understand conservation problems (i.e. conservation physiology) has become commonplace and confers an ability to understand mechanistic processes, develop predictive models and identify cause-and-effect relationships. Conservation physiology is making contributions to conservation solutions; the number of 'success stories' is growing, but there remain unexplored opportunities for which conservation physiology shows immense promise and has the potential to contribute to major advances in protecting and restoring biodiversity. Here, we consider how conservation physiology has evolved with a focus on reframing the discipline to be more inclusive and integrative. Using a 'horizon scan', we further explore ways in which conservation physiology can be more relevant to pressing conservation issues of today (e.g. addressing the Sustainable Development Goals; delivering science to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration), as well as more forward-looking to inform emerging issues and policies for tomorrow. Our horizon scan provides evidence that, as the discipline of conservation physiology continues to mature, it provides a wealth of opportunities to promote integration, inclusivity and forward-thinking goals that contribute to achieving conservation gains. To advance environmental management and ecosystem restoration, we need to ensure that the underlying science (such as that generated by conservation physiology) is relevant with accompanying messaging that is straightforward and accessible to end users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists and environmental managers use stressor-response (S-R) relationships to characterise and predict ecological and socioeconomic responses to anthropogenic stressors in lakes and other aquatic ecosystems. S-R relationships with thresholds (stressor levels beyond which small increases cause large responses) are reported with increasing frequency. Threshold responses pose risks of unanticipated degradation, but also provide a stimulus for shifting environmental management strategies from retrospective (focused on post-hoc responses to degradation) to prospective (focused on preventing degradation). We set out a framework for interpreting S-R relationships in terms of functional forms, trajectories, thresholds and slopes. These characteristics convey information about resistance to degradation and recovery, risks of threshold exceedance, and alternate stable states. We then set out steps for implementing threshold-based management strategies, which are based on forecasting S-R relationships and carrying out preventative actions within an adaptive framework. Prospective, threshold-based management is a challenging yet promising alternative to the prevailing retrospective strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental management in coastal ecosystems has been challenged by the complex cumulative effects that occur when many small issues result in large ecological shifts. Current environmental management of these spaces focuses on identifying and limiting problematic stressors via a series of assessment techniques. Whilst there is a strong desire among managers to consider complexity in ecological responses to cumulative effects, current approaches for assessing risk focus on breaking down the issues into multiple cause and effect relationships. However, uncertainty arises when data and information for a place are limited, as is commonly the case, and this creates decision paralysis while more information is generated. Here, we discuss how ecological understanding of network interactions in coastal marine ecosystems can be used as a lens to bring together multiple lines of evidence and create actions. We list and describe four characteristics of marine ecosystem interaction networks including the possibility for; 1) indirect effects, 2) effects that emerge as stressor magnitude increases the number of network components implicated, 3) network interactions that amplify these indirect effects, and 4) feedbacks that reinforce or stabilise against indirect effects. We then link these four characteristics to three case studies of common coastal environmental issues to demonstrate how a general understanding of ecological interaction networks can enhance priorities for stressor management that can be applied even when specific data is limited. • Cumulative effects of stressors are complex for coastal environmental management • Ecological responses are generated by networks of interactions • Ecosystem interaction networks provide a lens for environmental management • We describe network characteristics and link to 3 case studies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is fundamental to sustainable industrial development that resource flows keep continuous trait from nature to industrial ecosystem and back to natural cycles within environmental carrying capacity. Traditional separated management method leads to unsustainable resource flows due to the linear flows, which are the root cause for severe environmental problems and resources shortage. Shifting the intermittent or linear trait of the resource flows to more continuous and circular flows is a tremendous challenge in the industrial ecosystem for the sustainable management of resources. Existing research mainly focuses on improving the efficiency of resource use or reducing waste, but there is a lack of systematic management research on resource flows from the perspective of the industrial ecosystem. Thus, we explore a life cycle management (LCM) approach based on life cycle thinking and the industrial symbiosis mechanism. By clarifying the life cycle system of resource flows and the symbiosis pattern, we propose the framework of LCM for cyclic resource flows. Based on the framework, the symbiosis-based life cycle model of resource flows is established and the integrated assessment method that supports the life cycle targeted management from environmental impact and sustainable use perspectives is developed. The case study demonstrates the ability of the approach to help decision makers identify the key issues and generate the targeted integrated strategies for facilitating the sustainable resource flows in the industrial ecosystem. • A symbiosis-based life cycle management framework of resource flows in industrial ecosystem is proposed. • The symbiosis-based life cycle model of resources flows is established. • The integrated assessment method with environmental impact and sustainable use is developed. • The suggested approach exhibits better effectiveness in environmental impact reduction and sustainable use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization in China has driven prosperous development in the building industry. Resource consumption is enormous, given the lack of effective environmental management and reasonable planning in the building construction process, thereby causing severe environmental disruption. Building construction activities are one of the main production activities that destroy environmental resources and pollute the environment. In this study, environmental pollution types generated by the architectural engineering construction were analysed, environmental management and control features in the construction process were summarized, and environmental management and control measures for pollutants arising out of construction projects were proposed. Site operation is the phase that requires the longest time in the entire construction project. It features long duration, considerable resource consumption, and high quantity waste generation. Atmospheric, water, noise, and waste pollution are mainly generated in the architectural engineering construction. Environmental management and control in the building construction are characterized by integrality, durability, dynamics, and diversity. Environmental pollution caused by architectural engineering construction can be effectively relieved through various measures, such as strictly controlling the discharge of atmospheric pollutants generated in the construction, avoiding arbitrary wastewater treatment, controlling continuous noise pollution, and optimizing waste treatment processes and flows. The study results have provided policies and suggestions to implement effective management and reasonable planning of the architectural engineering construction environment, thereby effectively reducing environmental pollution degree through reasonable management and assessment of building projects and leading to the formulation of building management systems that control and reduce environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Biological invasions are a leading cause of global environmental change given their effects on both humans and biodiversity. Humans introduce invasive alien species and may facilitate their establishment and spread, which can alter ecosystem services, livelihoods, and human well-being. People perceive the benefits and costs of these species through the lens of diverse value systems; these perspectives influence decisions about when and where to manage them. Despite the entanglement of humans with invasive alien species, most research on the topic has focused on their ecological aspects. Only relatively recently have the human and social dimensions of invasions started to receive sustained attention in light of their importance for understanding and governing biological invasions. This editorial draws on contributions to a special issue on the " Human and Social Dimensions of Invasion Science" and other literature to elucidate major trends and current contributions in this research area. We examine the relation between humans and biological invasions in terms of four crosscutting themes: (1) how people cause biological invasions; (2) how people conceptualise and perceive them; (3) how people are affected – both positively and negatively – by them; and (4) how people respond to them. We also highlight several ways in which research on the human and social dimensions of invasion science improves understanding, stakeholder engagement, and management. Highlights • Biological invasions inherently encompass social and ecological aspects. • More research on the human and social dimensions of invasive alien species is needed. • People cause, conceptualise and perceive, are affected by, and respond to invasions. • Improved understanding of this will aid the management of invasives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive management addresses uncertainty about the processes influencing resource dynamics, as well as the elements of decision making itself. The use of management to reduce both kinds of uncertainty is known as double-loop learning. Though much work has been done on the theory and procedures to address structural uncertainty, there has been less progress in developing an explicit approach for institutional learning about decision elements. Our objective is to describe evidence-based learning about the decision elements, as a complement to the formal “learning by doing” framework for reducing structural uncertainties. Adaptive management is described as a multi-phase approach to management and learning, with a set-up phase of identifying stakeholders, objectives, and other decision elements; an iterative phase that uses these elements in an ongoing cycle of technical learning about system structure and management impacts; and an institutional learning phase involving the periodic reconsideration of the decision elements. We describe a framework for institutional learning that is complementary to that of technical learning, including uncertainty metrics, propagation of change, and mechanisms and consequences of change over time. Operational issues include ways to recognize when the decision elements should be revisited, which elements should be adjusted, and how alternatives can be identified and incorporated based on experience and management performance. We discuss the application of this framework in decision making for renewable natural resources. As important as it is to learn about the processes driving resource dynamics, learning about the elements of the decision architecture is equally, if not more, important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recently, there has been renewed interest in green transformation; however, research on green human resource management (GHRM) is still lacking. Therefore, an extensive literature review was conducted to survey GHRM research from 1996 to 2017 to standardise the significant practices in this area and how such practices support improvements in environmental performance. The identified GHRM practices were evaluated by HR professionals in face-to-face interviews to determine their views on such practices. A total of 106 HRM practices that can be integrated with environmental management were grouped and coded using principal component analysis. Subsequently, the measures of organisations’ environmental performance were examined. A model was also proposed for the analysis of the relationship between GHRM functions and environmental management dimensions that support the improvement of environmental performance, which is one of this study’s contributions to the literature. Highlights • HRM practices that can be integrated with environmental management were identified. • Such green HRM practices helped improve organisations’ environmental performance. • A GHRM model that supports environmental performance was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning, an important branch of artificial intelligence, is increasingly being applied in sciences such as forest ecology. Here, we review and discuss three commonly used methods of machine learning (ML) including decision-tree learning, artificial neural network, and support vector machine and their applications in four different aspects of forest ecology over the last decade. These applications include: (i) species distribution models, (ii) carbon cycles, (iii) hazard assessment and prediction, and (iv) other applications in forest management. Although ML approaches are useful for classification, modeling, and prediction in forest ecology research, further expansion of ML technologies is limited by the lack of suitable data and the relatively "higher threshold" of applications. However, the combined use of multiple algorithms and improved communication and cooperation between ecological researchers and ML developers still present major challenges and tasks for the betterment of future ecological research. We suggest that future applications of ML in ecology will become an increasingly attractive tool for ecologists in the face of "big data" and that ecologists will gain access to more types of data such as sound and video in the near future, possibly opening new avenues of research in forest ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated ecosystem management is challenging due to many, often conflicting, targets and limited resources to allocate. A valuable and straightforward approach is to integrate an ecosystem services assessment in a cost-effectiveness analysis as method to evaluate and compare the cost-effectiveness of several management scenarios to reach one or more objectives and take into account the potential effects on other ecosystem functions and services. Nevertheless, this method is not commonly used in ecosystem management evaluation but can provide an alternative for the frequently used but often contested cost-benefit analysis (which requires the step of assigning a monetary value to each benefit). The aim of this study is to apply the cost-effectiveness analysis in combination with an ecosystem services assessment on a real case-study (comparing alternative management strategies for estuaries) to derive lessons learned to go from theory to practice. The application of this method for the case-study reveals many remaining challenges such as data availability and knowledge to assess ecosystem effects of management measures. Nevertheless, the analysis demonstrates that this method can be used for making a more integrated evaluation and supporting better-informed management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The science-policy nexus has long puzzled scholars and managers working across diverse public policy areas, including environment. The rise of science-based management, especially in an era of big data, assumes science can improve environmental policy. At the same time, increasing attention to stakeholder engagement provides avenues for non-scientists to participate in collaborative environmental management, which might displace science in decision-making processes. Prior research points to a variety of factors thought to affect the degree to which science is used in collaborative partnerships. Drawing on such research, we examine the use of science across 9 collaborative partnerships structured and resourced from the top-down by a state government agency. All of these partnerships are working in the U.S.’s second largest estuary, the Puget Sound in Washington State. Data from partnership meeting minutes indicates that science is scarcely discussed in executive committee meetings, but is more commonly discussed in technical committee meetings. We thus might expect that the ecosystem management plans produced by these technical committees would be closely informed by science. Results indicate these plans include few citations to peer-reviewed scientific studies, but they do draw consistently on scientific information from grey literature including scientific and technical reports from federal and state agencies. These results raise important questions about government efforts to foster the use of science in collaborative partnerships, including the benefits and drawbacks of using grey literature rather than scientific articles directly, the interaction of science with other forms of knowledge, and local actors’ capacity to understand and access science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses on issues concerning the growing environmental crisis in the U.S. In this report, the author examines the complexity of the problem, particularly on the science and the quality of the environment. According to the author, this environmental crisis has provoked opinions from alarmists who assert that mankind may not survive another decade such problem will be taken for granted. However, the author believes that there is hope for adequate response with scientists working to develop a constructive action.

With marine pollution issues becoming serious and widespread, a series of coastal environmental managemental policies are being carried out worldwide, the effectiveness of which requires comprehensive evaluation. Taking the Bohai Sea (BS) of China as an example, which has been plagued by serious ecological and environmental issues for decades due to terrestrial pollution discharge, this study explored and quantified, for the first time to our best knowledge, the variability of water quality after initiating a dedicated 3-year pollution control action (Uphill Battle for Integrated Bohai Sea Management, UBIBM, 2018–2020) implemented by China's central government, with two water quality indexes of water color (Forel-Ule index, FUI) and transparency (Secchi disk depth, Z SD , m) from satellite observations. During the UBIBM, a significant improvement in water quality was detected, characterized by a clearer and bluer BS, with Z SD and FUI improved by 14.1% and 3.2%, respectively, compared with the baseline period (2011–2017). In addition, an abrupt drop in the long-term record (2011–2022) of the coverage area of highly turbid waters (Z SD ≤2 m or FUI ≥8) was found in 2018, which coincided with the start of the UBIBM, indicating that the water quality improvement may be attributed to the pollution alleviation of the UBIBM. Independent data of land-based pollution statistics also supported this deduction. (3) Compared with the previous two pollution control actions in the first decade of 21st century, UBIBM was proved to be the most successful one in terms of the achieved highest transparency and lowest FUI during the past two decades. Reasons for the achievement and implications to future pollution control are discussed for a more sustainable and balanced improvement in the coastal environment. This research provides a valuable example that satellite remote sensing can play a vital role in the management of coastal ecosystems by providing effective evaluation of pollution control actions. [Display omitted] • Nation-led coastal pollution control was evaluated by satellite remote sensing. • The BS turned clearer and bluer during the pollution control period (2018–2020). • The FUI and Z SD of the BS have improved to the status of the early 2000s. • The UBIBM is the most successful pollution control action over the past 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon sequestration supply in the study area is greater than demand. • The environmental situation of the Yellow River Basin is improving. • Carbon sequestration flow is being enhanced. • Golog has the largest carbon sequestration flow. • Ecosystem services flow is more sensitive to human activities. Analyzing the spatiotemporal changes of the ecosystem services flow and the impact mechanism is of great significance for achieving human well-being. It is challenged by regional differences in resource utilization pattern and intensity and the complex mechanisms of action between ecosystem services supply and demand. This study used InVEST model and local indicator of spatial association to delineate ecosystem services supply and demand areas. This study used comparative ecological radiation force to characterize the flow of carbon sequestration from supply to demand areas, and its changes were analyzed. The influence of different factors on the carbon sequestration supply, demand and flow was analyzed using correlation analysis. The results showed that there were significant spatial differences in the supply–demand situation of the Yellow River Basin. In this study, 7 supply areas and 29 demand areas were delineated. Many ecological restoration policies implemented from 2000 to 2020 improved the environmental situation and enhanced carbon sequestration flow. Carbon sequestration flow was more sensitive to human activities. The impact of the same intensity of human activity on the supply potential of carbon sequestration was stronger than the supply capacity. This study can provide a reference for regional ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows, in the context of international legal studies, legal instruments of the ecosystem-based management approach and the environmental management in the Arctic, the content of such instruments and peculiarities of its use in the High North.

Ecological networks are useful for describing the complex trophic interactions within an ecosystem and hold great potential for ecosystem-based management. However, owing to the complexity and limited knowledge on the trophic interactions of natural food webs, it is challenging to make quantitative predictions about ecological community response to management interventions. Here, we use stable isotope mixing models in conjunction with Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) to develop and examine the trophic interactions for six empirically determined aquatic food webs in tropical reservoirs. Using BBN, we predicted potential trophic cascade outcomes to predator removals, validated the predictions against data observed from in-situ biomanipulation experiments, and identified influential species using sensitivity analyses. Comparisons among various food web modelling frameworks demonstrated the importance of weighted connectance and network-centric approach for quantitative predictions, suggesting that the Bayesian Belief Network framework can play an important role in ecosystem-based management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human use and degradation of coastal ecosystems is at an all-time high. Thus, a current challenge for environmental management and research is moving beyond ecological definitions of success and integrating socioeconomic factors. Projects and studies with this aim, however, have focused primarily on monetary valuations of ecosystem functions, overlooking the behaviors and psycho-social motivations of environmental management. Using a nature-based salt marsh restoration project on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, we assess the role of human attitudes and preferences in evaluating social success for ecosystem management. We use structural equation modeling to compare the strengths of social variables in predicting restoration project support, and find public understanding to be a more important predictor than personal values. Our results show that even among stakeholders with strong pro-environmental values, a weak understanding of the management initiative can undermine support. We also find that project support does not necessarily translate to the prioritization of similar management strategies. Instead, when individuals consider overall management priorities, differences arise between particular resource user-groups. This suggests that strong public support for individual initiatives can misconstrue complexities in stakeholder preferences that emerge in more comprehensive management considerations. Future investigations of the psycho-social components of management solutions should address the potentially tiered nature of human preferences, as well as whether public perceptions of management effectiveness act as an additional context-dependency of social viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits that people receive from ecosystems. Understanding the impact of forest management on their supply can inform policy and practice for meeting societal demand. The objectives of this paper are to identify and review the effect of management intensity on priority ES supply and identify synergies and trade-offs among ES of different management approaches. We review seven priority ES identified from UK land and forestry strategy and policy documents: timber/biomass production, carbon storage, biodiversity, health and recreation, water supply and quality and flood protection. We present a synthesis of the impact of management on relative ES supply. It shows that low intensity management is unsuitable for high biomass production, yet provides high or moderately high levels of other services. Higher intensity management impacts negatively on biodiversity, health and recreation and water supply services. Combined objective forestry provides high or moderately high levels for all services except biomass. We recommend that a diversity of management approaches is needed to maintain multiple ecosystem service provision. The ES framework offers opportunities to forest management by revealing areas of conflict or co-production and potential trade-offs that may arise from adjusting management intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid exploitation of coastal and marine ecosystemic capital is on course to reach a critical point. The difficulty of implementing Integrated and ecosystem based management models, taking into the account the great complexity of the marine socio-ecological systems, has resulted in a significant gap between theory and practice. The majority of authors emphasize difficulties in engaging and convincing private stakeholders and a number of economic sectors involved in these processes. This reticence is traditionally more pronounced in the port sector, despite their important role in the transformation of coastal and marine areas. This paper seeks to establish bridges between the Environmental Management systems and Tools (EMT) of economic sectors and the Integrated and Ecosystem Based Management models (IEBM). To achieve this goal, an effort has been made to rethink concepts and principles traditionally used in EMT to bring them into line with those of IEBM. A DPSIR adapted framework is proposed and applied in a conceptual model, where the necessary elements for environmental management tools and ecosystemic models coexist. The logic of ecosystem services has been included, with special attention to the variable of human behaviour. How the proposals fit into the reality of the maritime-port sector was analysed in a transversal way, seeking Socio-Ecological Port System (SEPS) perspectives. This made it possible to move from Environmental Management Systems to an Integrated and Ecosystem Based Port Environmental Management System (PEMS-IEB) . From a managerial perspective, it was also suggested that an additional DPSIR framework should be applied to the “response” component, the management system itself, understood as a system with its own elements, processes and interrelations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The values (i.e., importance) that people place on ecosystems have been identified as a crucial dimension of sustainable management of social-ecological systems. Recently, the call for integrating plural values of ecosystems beyond intrinsic and instrumental values has prompted the notion of "relational values." With the aim of contributing to environmental management, we assess the environmental motivations (i.e., egoistic, biospheric, altruistic) and values that people attribute to the ecosystems of the mid-upper stream of the Otún River watershed, central Andes, Colombia. We analyzed 589 questionnaires that were collected in urban and rural areas of the Otún River watershed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regressions. We found salient biospheric motivations and the attribution of plural values (i.e., intrinsic, relational, and instrumental) to the ecosystems of the mid-upper stream of the Otún River watershed. Particularly, relational values were the most frequently mentioned value domain. Further, our results showed that environmental motivations and socioeconomic factors are associated with the expression of different value domains. We found negative associations between egoistic motivations and intrinsic values and between rural respondents and instrumental values. We found positive associations between altruistic motivations and relational values and between rural respondents and both intrinsic and relational values. In light of our results, we argue that intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values coexist in people's narratives about the importance of ecosystems. Plural valuation approaches could be enhanced by differentiating relational from instrumental values and by expressing them in nonmonetary terms. We argue that multiple values of ecosystems expressed by rural and urban societies should be included in environmental management to tackle social conflicts and consider the diverse needs and interests of different social actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic valuation of ecosystem services provides valuable information for the management of anthropized environments, where individual preferences can be heterogeneous and even opposed. Here, we discuss how these ecosystem services were approached in the literature and we address the main issues in relation to their economic valuation. We consider that avoiding misspecifications in economic valuation surveys requires considering the linkages between anthropized ecosystems and human intervention. To illustrate, we analyse the case study of a human-created Mediterranean wetland (El Hondo, SE Spain) using a Choice Experiment. Our findings suggest that management strategies in El Hondo should be oriented to improve the water ecological status, to enhance biodiversity and to develop ecotourism, whereas hunting should be strictly limited and controlled. Our measures of conflict (trade-off between ecosystem services and willingness to pay values) can help to find the optimal allocation of public and private goods and services and for the implementation of compensation schemes in the area. According to public preferences, a conservationist management strategy would generate 331,100 €/year in terms of environmental benefits, whereas a tourism-based management strategy would benefit society with 805,200 €/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change presents a complex set of challenges for natural resource managers across North America. Despite recognition that climate change poses serious threats to species, ecosystems, and human communities, implementation of adaptation measures is not yet happening on a broad scale. Among different regions, a range of climate change trajectories, varying political contexts, and diverse social and ecological systems generate a myriad of factors that can affect progress on climate change adaptation implementation. In order to understand the general versus site-specific nature of barriers and opportunities influencing implementation, we surveyed and interviewed practitioners, decision-makers, and scientists involved in natural resource management in four different North American regions, northern Ontario (Canada), the Adirondack State Park (US), Arctic Alaska (US), and the Transboundary Rocky Mountains (US and Canada). Common barriers among regions related to a lack of political support and financial resources, as well as challenges related to translating complex and interacting effects of climate change into management actions. Opportunities shared among regions related to collaboration, funding, and the presence of strong leadership. These commonalities indicate the importance of cross-site learning about ways to leverage opportunities and address adaptation barriers; however, regional variations also suggest that adaptation efforts will need to be tailored to fit specific ecological, political, social and economic contexts. Comparative findings on the similarities and differences in barriers and opportunities, as well as rankings of barriers and opportunities by region, offers important contextual insights into how to further refine efforts to advance adaptation actions in those regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buchanan, G.A.; Belton, T.J., and Paudel, B., 2017. The Comprehensive Barnegat Bay Research Program. In: Buchanan, G.A.; Belton, T.J., and Paudel, B. (eds.), A Comprehensive Assessment of Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. A comprehensive ecosystem research strategy was developed and initiated for the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) estuary in New Jersey, United States. This multiyear program (2011-15) examined several environmental management issues and questions involving concerns with water quality ( e.g., nutrients) and the health of this ecosystem ( e.g., eutrophication). Multiple projects ranging from the assessment of phytoplankton to fish to wetlands, as well as hydrodynamic/water quality and ecosystem modeling, were conducted each year to fill in critical data gaps and to define the bay's baseline condition for future comparisons ( e.g., a nuclear generating station on the bay with a once-through cooling system will close in 2019). Issues of concern for environmental agencies and the public include nuisance jellyfish; excess nutrients; benefits of conservation zones; and the status of fish, crab, and shellfish populations. Three projects examined the potential for developing biological indicators of nutrient ( i.e. nitrogen and phosphorus) effects. Three other projects studied the unique habitat features ( i.e. salt marshes, sedge islands, submerged aquatic vegetation beds) in BB-LEH that may need protection and/or restoration. Ecosystem baseline conditions were examined by six projects, and data were used in the Ecopath-Ecosim model to predict potential future changes in the biomass of major biological groups and species using specific scenarios ( i.e. closure of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, reducing nutrient inputs and fishery management plans). Noteworthy is the collection of these data pre- and post-Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall a few kilometers south of the estuary in 2012. The subsequent 19 papers in this special issue provide an in-depth examination of these areas of concern, the results of which are exceedingly relevant to the management of this and other estuarine systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People in Ghana's savannah ecosystem have historically experienced a range of climatic hazards that have affected their livelihoods. In view of current climate variability and change, and projected increases in extreme events, adaptation to climate risks is vital. Policies have been put in place to enhance adaptation across sub-Saharan Africa in accordance with international agreements. At the same time, local people, through experience, have learned to adapt. This paper examines current policy actions and their implementation alongside an assessment of barriers to local adaptation. In doing so it links adaptation policy and practice. Policy documents were analysed that covered key livelihood sectors, which were identified as climate sensitive. These included agriculture, water, housing and health policies, as well as the National Climate Change Policy. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were also held with key stakeholders in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Analyses were carried using thematic content analysis. Although policies and actions complement each other, their integration is weak. Financial, institutional, social, and technological barriers hinder successful local implementation of some policy actions, while lack of local involvement in policy formulation also hinders adaptation practice. Integration of local perspectives into policy needs to be strengthened in order to enhance adaptation. Coupled with this is a need to consider adaptation to climate change in development policies and to pursue efforts to reduce or remove the key barriers to implementation at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]