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Sustainable livestock management plays a crucial role in food production, climate change mitigation, and cultural preservation. Our study aimed to identify and analyse the diversity of social–ecological conditions that characterize extensive livestock systems in southern Patagonia. We integrated data collected from interviews and secondary sources and analysed data using hierarchical cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling to identify distinct ranching types. A qualitative analysis of key informant interviews identified key social–ecological changes for each type. The results emphasize the impact of administration, production, and biophysical factors on shaping different livestock ranching schemes. Further, we identified three significant social–ecological changes driving the dynamics of these systems, including shifts from (1) sheep to cattle ranching, (2) domestic to feral cattle ranching, and (3) landowners to tenant land managers. These findings have implications for policymakers seeking to develop strategies tailored to diverse realities, ensuring the sustainability of livestock systems in Tierra del Fuego. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire occurrence, intensity, and spread are highly influenced by climatic variables. This study investigates the correlation between burned area, precipitation, and temperature in Rondônia, an agricultural frontier in the southwestern Brazilian Legal Amazon, from 2001 to 2022. The analysis utilized climatological data from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) and MODIS product MOD11A1.061 for temperature, along with MODIS product MCD64A1 for burned area. The study was conducted on a monthly scale, employing the cross-correlation function to determine the lagged effects of temperature and precipitation on burned areas. Trend analysis was performed using the Mann–Kendall test, with the magnitude of trends estimated by Sen's Slope. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between burned areas and precipitation, with a 2-month lag and an R2 of − 0.51. In contrast, temperature exhibited a significant positive correlation with burned areas, showing a 1-month lag and an R2 of 0.55. Trend analysis revealed a decrease in precipitation by − 0.0542 mm.month−1, temperature increased by 0.006 °C.month−1, while burned areas decreased by − 111.13 km2.month−1. These findings underscore the intricate relationship between climate variables and fire occurrences, highlighting the urgent need for policies addressing climate change and environmental degradation in the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective. To estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in dual-purpose calves on cattle ranches in Veracruz, Mexico. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out in five municipalities from the center of Veracruz. The animals included in the study were calves between 1 and 60 days old. Stool samples were taken directly from the rectum. The modified Faust centrifugation technique was used to concentrate oocysts and Direct Immunofluorescent Test for their detection. In each ranch surveys were applied to know the characteristics of the animals and their management. General and specific prevalence was estimated. Variables were analyzed using the univariate Chi-square test to determine possible epidemiological associations. Results. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 69.9%, and the municipality with the highest prevalence was Tlalixcoyan (96.6%). No significant difference was found between the age, sex, breed and consistency of the feces of the calves. The ranch (R9) was the only factor associated with Cryptosporidium spp. in the calves studied. Conclusions. There is a high prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in calves from dual purpose cattle ranches from the center of Veracruz, Mexico. Future studies are required to determine the predominant species and genotypes in the region for an integral understanding of the transmission dynamics and zoonotic potential of this protozoan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Society is increasingly concerned over the environmental impact of diets. Much of this concern is over the environmentally destructive nature of meat production, especially beef and especially in the Amazon. This article aims to understand the production of beef in Brazil through the understudied perspective of forage grasses. In doing so, the article traces who was involved in the importation and improvement of forage grasses in Brazil, why they were involved, and what the consequences of their actions were. By centering forage grasses, we can better understand the potential consequences of seemingly unimportant plant breeding efforts. Summary: Beef is viewed by many as one of the more environmentally destructive foods today. Whether it is deforestation in the Amazon or concentrated feedlots, the rancher and the cow have come to epitomize the dangers of a global industrial food system. This article looks at the industrialization of beef cattle from another angle, a bit closer to the ground. It looks at the role and circulation of plants and plant breeders in the expansion of beef cattle in the Brazilian tropics.The article draws on documents collected from the institutional archives of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, known by its Portuguese acronym Embrapa and the Rockefeller Archive Center. Additional archival documents were acquired by a personal contact. Embrapa was established in 1973, but its archives contain documents from Brazilian agricultural research agencies from as far back as 1952. Documents from the Rockefeller Archive Center include research bulletins and reports from Nelson Rockefeller's IBEC Research Institute (IRI), which conducted research on forage grasses from the 1950s until the 1970s.The article puts forth the argument that imported and improved forage grasses made large‐scale cattle ranching environmentally viable and economically profitable in Brazil. One type of grass in particular, Brachiaria, was central in propelling Brazil as the world's largest producer of beef and underpinning perhaps the most environmentally and socially destructive cattle ranching system in the world. Brachiaria was a key biological and technological input to further entrench longstanding structural inequalities of land ownership.One of the key conclusions of this article is that perspectives from the margins can be illustrative of how seemingly unimportant research (forage grass breeding) can have massive consequences as part of a broader socio‐environmental system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the history of cattle ranching in Colombia and how it was impacted by the armed conflict in the country and its regions, and the transformation amongst decades of forms of violence and actors involved in this scenario. To conduct the analysis, a review of academic literature on the relationship between cattle ranching and armed conflict in Colombia and some African countries was carried out. Subsequently, a database of 206 violent events related to cattle ranching was constructed, covering three decades of armed conflict (1980-2010), based on primary sources from reports, police evidence, and testimonies of two previous databases. This database contributed to the analysis of the impact of violence on the cattle ranching industry. Thus, this article contributes to the understanding of the history of cattle ranching in Colombia and to the complex transitional process in Colombia today. It demonstrates that productivity and effciency have not always been the prevailing principles in the history of the cattle industry, but that land tenure and accumulation have operated as a way of securing power by the agrarian and political elites of the country. Such approaches are crucial for comprehending the historical connection between conflict and cattle ranching, especially if the aim for this sector is to adapt to a logic of productivity and innovation in the contemporary world. Also, the findings show that further research on these topics, i.e., related to current environmental and social problems such as climate change, food security, and new social and geopolitical challenges, is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about modern beef production suffer from a major historical blind spot. For over a century, the feedlot relied on a closed nutrient loop to sustain soil fertility in the United States Corn Belt. Driven by industrial capitalist urbanization, a cattle-grain-beef complex shaped land use, tenure systems, management practices and environmental politics on the expanding frontier, sacrificing the tall-grass prairies and fracturing agrarian resistance to corporate concentration and the Union Stock Yards. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) emerged after 1950, breaking the nutrient cycle of the original feedlot and turning the relationship between ranching and agriculture into a dysfunctional one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dryland regions around the world are facing intricate challenges due to climate change and human activities. The Caatinga biome in Brazil, an exceptional dryland ecosystem covering approximately 86.3 million hectares, is particularly impacted by human influence. We conducted an extensive study analyzing changes in land use and land cover within the Caatinga region over a span of 35 years, from 1985 to 2019. This study leverages collective knowledge and collaborative effort with the MapBiomas project to provide valuable insights into the biome's landscape. It maps eight principal land cover classes using Landsat Collection 1 Tier 1 data normalized to top-of-atmosphere reflectance. All data processing was carried out within the Google Earth Engine platform, and the graphics were generate using R version 3.6.2. This study achieved an impressive 80% global accuracy in the time series of Caatinga land use and land cover (LULC) changes, with allocation and area discrepancies of 11.6% and 8.5%, respectively. The extensive 35-year LULC dataset reveals a substantial 11% reduction in natural vegetation in the Caatinga biome, translating to a loss of 6.57 million hectares. This decline is primarily attributed to the expansion of cattle ranching and agriculture; all types of natural vegetation have experienced decreases, with Savanna Formation (SF) areas declining by 11% and Forest Formation (FF) areas declining by 8%. In contrast, pasturelands expanded by 62% and agricultural land expanded by 284% during this period. With their urgent and significant real-world for informing social, economic, and environmental policy decisions within the Caatinga and other dryland regions globally, these findings underscore the importance and immediacy of our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contours of the collective action necessary to limit climate change remain difficult to discern. In this context, societal corporatist political processes, fueled by crisis narratives, have shown some promise as political devices for mobilizing people. Corporatist processes have, historically, brought political competitors like employers and labor unions together to negotiate compacts that have advanced collective goods during times of crisis. In response to the climate crisis in the Global South, affluent donor groups, state officials, some farmers, and indigenous peoples have begun to assemble corporatist-like coalitions to pursue climate stabilization. A comparative case study of efforts to promote sustainable cattle ranching through the spread of silvopastoral landscapes in Colombia and Ecuador illustrates this political dynamic, its shortcomings, and its accomplishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to evaluate the trace element pollution in amarine ranching area in China based on molecular responses (expression of metallothionein and antioxidant enzyme genes), and biochemical biomarkers (metallothionein content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and malonaldehyde level) in four indicator species. We collected samples of two fish (Lateolabrax maculatus and Sebastes schlegelii), one crustacean (Charybdis japonica), andonegastropod(Rapana venosa) fromthewestern Furong Island marine ranching area and from an adjacent area in March 2022 and measuredthe traceelementcontent in these indicator species aswell as intheseawater andsediment.Wefoundthat thebioaccumulationcharacteristicsof traceelementsand the response patterns of biomarkers were species specific. Moreover, not every biomarker was significantly correlated with environmental trace element content.We then established two biomarker combinations indicative of trace element pollution in seawaterandsediment, respectively, basedonthe correlationbetweenbiomarkers and trace element contents. The selected biomarkers were integrated using integrated biomarker response version 2 (IBRv2). IBRv2 values in the studied marine ranching area were lower than those in the adjacent area. Additionally, these values were consistent with thebioaccumulation of traceelementsintheindicator species, theintegrated trace element pollution index for seawater, and the potential risk index for sediment. These results show that this multi-biomarker and multi-species IBRv2 approach provided a comprehensive diagnosis of trace element pollution in the marine ranching area. Therefore, its application may be beneficial for marine environmental monitoring and management in view of the ecotoxicological impact of pollutants on organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social category of family cattle ranching represents a significant reality in family farming and an important ally to sustainability in the Brazilian rural sector. This study proposed to evaluate the main sustainability indices of family cattle ranching in the Cerrado and Pampa biomes. A total of 60 interviews were conducted in three municipalities belonging to the respective biomes, and IDRS scores of 7.23 and 7.32 were found for the Cerrado and Pampa, respectively. Under these conditions, it can be stated that family cattle ranching is an activity with the potential to contribute to the sustainability of the rural landscape of the municipalities of Pedra Preta, Quaraí, and Santana do Livramento, in terms of the environmental regulations of each territory and, to some extent, the production and reproduction of families, in a context of category representation for Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul. The research results revealed realities of difficulties, potentialities, differences, and similarities in the different biomes with respect to cattle ranching. Future studies are suggested using MADERUS in other different Brazilian rural social categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first step towards understanding the conservation situation and informing conservation decision‐making is to identify the habitat loss drivers. However, for nearly all tropical biota, there is a glaring lack of information on the spatiotemporal patterns of anthropogenic drivers.Our objective was to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of the main anthropogenic drivers of habitat loss for Bradypus torquatus and Bradypus crinitus, two endangered and endemic species to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.We used land‐use information associated with seven major IUCN‐based threats to sloths, covering a three‐generation time window (1988–2020), to quantify the current area occupied, temporal changes, heterogeneity, and intensity of drivers across species distributions.We found that cattle farming and ranching dominate the range of both species (from 49% to 56%) and cover an area larger than the remaining native forest. Other drivers also represent important spatial and temporal features of land conversion across species distributions.Driven mainly by livestock expansion, both sloth species have experienced a significant loss of forest cover (Bradypus torquatus – 659098.70 ha; Bradypus crinitus – 139013.20 ha) in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Overall, Bradypus torquatus showed a higher rate of deforestation than forest regeneration, whereas forest gains outweighed habitat loss for Bradypus crinitus.Our results show that a substantial area of native forest – essential for strictly arboreal species – is being continuously replaced by cattle ranching and agricultural activities, which may lead to population isolation and decline, threatening the long‐term population viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paraguayan Chaco is increasingly known for the extreme rates of forest loss caused by the rapid expansion of cattle ranching and crop farming over the last few decades. Knowledge of its twentieth-century land-use history, however, remains limited. In this article, I address that gap by discussing land-use dynamics since the 1900s in the Pilcomayo River basin, a part of the Chaco that borders Argentina and Bolivia, and hosts a great diversity of actors and land uses. Using the concept of land-use regimes, I show that the area, once characterized by what can be called an Indigenous mixed-use regime, transitioned to a land-use regime dominated by livestock herding by Argentine Criollo settlers after the Chaco War (1932–35), and then again to one of large cattle ranches managed by absentee owners toward the end of the twentieth century. No land-use regime ever completely dominated the area, however, and I use this fact as a starting point to then discuss how using the concept of land regimes can help direct attention to the coexistence of regimes in space and to their relationships in a way that helps refine our understanding of land-use transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of wildlife ranching has been broadly linked to conservation benefits, job creation, and economic contributions. However, a more nuanced understanding of the socioeconomic contributions of wildlife ranching accounting for the enterprise diversity in the sector remains a major limitation to assessing its potential to contribute to sustainable development. We assessed several important socioeconomic contributions of diverse wildlife‐based business models, defined by their main revenue‐generating activities, within the South African wildlife ranching industry, and the financial viability of these models. Owners and managers of privately‐owned wildlife ranches and conventional agricultural farms (for comparative purposes) were interviewed in the Eastern Cape (112 ranches; 24 farms) and Limpopo provinces (152 ranches; 4 farms). We used a hierarchical clustering analysis to delineate six wildlife ranching business models. These included three more specialized models: ecotourism, trophy hunting, and wildlife breeding, and three more mixed models: mixed hunting (i.e., both meat and trophy hunting), mixed wildlife‐agriculture, and trophy hunting‐game meat. In general, ecotourism‐focused ranches employed more people in total and per hectare (median = 23 jobs; 0.008/ha), and a higher proportion of women and skilled employees (41% and 45% of employees, respectively) than the other ranching models (median = 7–21 jobs; 0.002–0.005/ha) and conventional agriculture (median = 12 jobs; 0.004/ha). Trophy hunting‐focused ranches employed the second highest number of people per hectare (0.006) although on average, a third of these jobs were seasonal. Trophy hunting ranches tended to be more profitable (median profit margin = 33%) than ecotourism (−10%), wildlife breeding (0%) and mixed‐hunting (12%) ranches, though ecotourism ranches showed very high variability (interquartile range = −32% to 14%). These findings advance our understanding of the distinct socioeconomic contributions of diverse wildlife ranches, which benefits policy discourse and implementation surrounding the industry, promoting improved industry sustainability and inclusive growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) in the Brazilian Amazon have proven to be critical in preserving the rainforest but face increasing threats. Since 2019, illegal activities and land conflicts involving PAs have escalated due to the weakening of environmental institutions. Therefore, up-to-date research is needed to evaluate agricultural pressures on PAs—including Sustainable Use Areas, Indigenous Territories, and Strictly Protected Areas—given its importance in driving deforestation in the Amazon, and to identify hotspots of concern. We analyzed property registration, deforestation, pasture expansion, and cattle transaction records within 158 PAs in the Brazilian state of Pará, which holds most of the remaining forest and the highest rates of deforestation. Our findings show that nearly a quarter of Pará's 2019–2022 deforestation occurred within PAs, undermining their effectiveness as conservation tools. Despite prohibitions, we found illegally registered private properties in most PA categories including indigenous territories and over a 100% increase in deforestation within PAs from 2015–2018. Over 90% of PAs contained pasturelands in 2022, but only half of them had registered cattle transactions within their borders, which suggests the presence of clandestine cattle activities in these areas as well. Indirect sales to slaughterhouses coming from PAs increased during the study period, potentially due to efforts by ranchers to obscure such cattle origins from companies that are increasingly monitoring their direct suppliers. Finally, we identified 17 high-risk PAs concentrating most threats. Focusing monitoring efforts on property registries and cattle transactions in these areas could significantly reduce illegal deforestation and illegal cattle ranching. While PAs are considered to be cornerstones of forest conservation efforts, our findings show that current policies fail to prevent cycles of land grabbing, illegal ranching, and deforestation that can eventually lead to the downgrading, downsizing, and degazetting of PAs. Given this context, validating property claims, tracing cattle sales, and penalizing deforestation are urgently needed to halt these cycles that threaten PAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraparvovirus is an emerging parvovirus infecting a variety of mammals and humans, and associated with human diseases including severe acute respiratory infection and acute encephalitis syndrome. In the present study, a Tetraparvovirus ungulate 1 (formerly known as bovine hokovirus) strain HNU-CBY-2023 was identified and characterized from diseased Chinese Simmental from Hunan province, China. The nearly complete genome of HNU-CBY-2023 is 5346 nt in size and showed genomic identities of 85-95.5% to the known Tetraparvovirus ungulate 1 strains from GenBank, indicating a rather genetic variation. Phylogenetic and genetic divergence analyses indicated that Tetraparvovirus ungulate 1 could be divided into two genotypes (I and II), and HNU-CBY-2023 was clustered into genotype II. This study, for the first time, identified Tetraparvovirus ungulate 1 from domestic cattle from mainland China, which will be helpful to understand the prevalence and genetic diversity of Tetraparvovirus ungulate 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insectivorous birds are key suppliers of crucial ecosystem services, especially important for pest control in agricultural systems, and are globally decreasing at a fast rate. Among them, the declining barn swallow Hirundo rustica is particularly linked to cattle farms, where it is impacted by changes in livestock husbandry practices.The presence of swallows in cattle sheds might contribute to control insect pests, but such an effect had never been explored. With this work, we evaluated the potential control effect exerted by barn swallow on economically relevant pest insects, filth flies.To assess whether swallows inside the cattle sheds influence the activity rate of pest flies (especially Musca domestica and Stomoxys calcitrans), we assessed the relative abundance of swallows and flies over 16 weeks in nine different cattle farms in Non valley (Trentino, North‐east Italy), either occupied or not by nesting swallows. From April 2022 to August 2022, we collected weekly data on the activity rate of flies by placing eight white spot cards inside each of nine cattle sheds and counting the deposition of faecal and regurgitation spots by flies. Simultaneously, we collected weekly data regarding swallow occurrence, brood size, number and age of chicks.We applied generalised linear mixed effect models on the activity rate of flies, with spot card and farm as nested random effects, to account for potential random variability between cards and farms. We then assessed through model selection the effect of number of cows, number of swallows, and temperature or week alternatively. Temperature and week were modelled also in interaction with the number of swallows.Fly activity rate followed a seasonal trend with a peak in July, which was markedly lower where swallows were present. Moreover, the positive relationship between flies and temperature was lessened when swallows were abundant.Synthesis and applications. Barn swallows are effective biological control agents for lowering pest fly activity in livestock farms. Farmers were actively involved in swallow conservation within their sheds, also with a shared memorandum‐of‐intent. Harnessing the ecosystem services supplied by farmland birds could bring positive outcomes for people and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are among the most common diarrhea-causing pathogens in humans and livestock. This was the first study to systematically and molecularly detect the prevalence of three intestinal protozoa in cattle in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. Our findings indicate that a variety of species/genotypes are prevalent in cattle in Heilongjiang Province and that some of them are zoonotic, indicating a risk of zoonotic disease transmission in endemic areas. This study helps to understand the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in cattle in Heilongjiang Province. Crytosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important diarrheal pathogens with a global distribution that threatens the health of humans and animals. Despite cattle being potential transmission hosts of these protozoans, the associated risks to public health have been neglected. In the present study, a total of 1155 cattle fecal samples were collected from 13 administrative regions of Heilongjiang Province. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi were 5.5% (64/1155; 95% CI: 4.2–6.9), 3.8% (44/1155; 95% CI: 2.7–4.9), and 6.5% (75/1155; 95% CI: 5.1–7.9), respectively. Among these positive fecal samples, five Cryptosporidium species (C. andersoni, C. bovis, C. ryanae, C. parvum, and C. occultus), two G. duodenalis assemblages (E and A), and eight E. bieneusi genotypes (BEB4, BEB6, BEB8, J, I, CHS7, CHS8, and COS-I) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all eight genotypes of E. bieneusi identified in the present study belonged to group 2. It is worth noting that some species/genotypes of these intestinal protozoans are zoonotic, suggesting a risk of zoonotic disease transmission in endemic areas. The findings expanded our understanding of the genetic composition and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi in cattle in Heilongjiang Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an infectious vesicular disease of cloven-hoofed animals caused by the FMD virus. It is acute, highly contagious, and has a lot of genetic diversity. The aim of this study was to confirm cases diagnosed in the field as FMD virus (FMDV) infection through identification and molecular characterization based on the amplification of the VP1 gene of FMDV to provide information about serotype, virus clustering, and additional molecular scientific data on FMDV circulating in Indonesia. The samples used in this study were Madura cattle and Ongole Grade cattle, which showed clinical signs of FMD. Twenty-six samples were collected from the vesicular fluid of blister epithelial cells (tongue, gum, and hard palate), oral, and nasal swabs. Those samples underwent a screening test using the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method with a 3D gene target to detect FMDV infection. About 46.15% of samples (12/26) were detected as RT-qPCR positive for FMDV. Those positive results were then amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequenced using the Sanger sequencing technique targeting the VP1 gene fragment of the FMDV. The sequencing results were analyzed by the Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software X version, which includes assembly, alignment using ClustalW, amino acid prediction, genetic distance, and phylogenetic tree construction. The result showed that amino acid sequence variations were found in this gene, including at positions 96, 99, 129, 134, 138, 140, 156, 158, and 197, and no changes were found either at the critical amino acid sites at positions 144 (V), 148 (L), 154 (K), and 208 (P) or in the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif at positions 145-147. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that FMD viruses detected in this study were identified as serotype "O", topotype "Middle East South Asia (ME-SA)", lineage "Ind-2001", and sub-lineage "e" (O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e), which have high homology to the VP1 gene (99-100%) between the viruses studied and the viruses found at the beginning of the FMD outbreak in Indonesia in 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based tourism offers several positive effects, including bringing tourists closer to nature and increasing environmental awareness among them, creating new sources of employment, diversifying local and regional economies, promoting the conservation of local ecosystems, and protecting biodiversity. A pilot exercise based on choice experiments is presented to estimate the monetary value per year of nature-based tourism (NbT). The exercise was applied in the Jamapa watershed in Mexico, and the results showed that NbT would amount to USD 7.7 million, with tourism activities linked to agroforestry and USD 5.5 million around regenerative cattle ranching. These results provide input for decision makers in developing public policies to benefit society, nature, and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deforestation is one of the most relevant transformations characterizing global environmental change in the tropics at present. There is wide consensus in pointing the context-dependent nature of tropical deforestation. In this sense, a better characterization of the phenomenon considering the social context could provide a more accurate picture of tropical deforestation. With this aim, a Q-methodology discourse analysis was conducted to characterise the different discourses that coexist in the particular region of the Paraguayan Chaco concerning the development of cattle ranching and derived deforestation. Four different discourses were identified as making sense the wide range of interests and values coexisting and clashing in the Paraguayan Chaco, namely: the Environmentalist discourse, the Business discourse, the Resigned discourse, and the Possibilist discourse. The results point that the fundamental differences between the discourses are largely explained by the different positions on three specific domains: (i) the socio-economic benefits the expansion of cattle ranching brings about; (ii) the environmental impacts the expansion of cattle ranching and the derived deforestation brings on; and, finally (iii) the degree to which an active intervention from the side of policy making to regulate the expansion of cattle ranching and to minimize possible detrimental effects is seen as necessary. The position of the different discourses in relation to these domains could help policy makers to make measures and regulations more widely accepted and followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thermal stress in subtropical regions is a major limiting factor in beef cattle production systems with around $369 million being lost annually due to reduced performance. Heat stress causes numerous physiological and behavioral disturbances including reduced feed intake and decreased production levels. Cattle utilize various physiological mechanisms such as sweating to regulate internal heat. Variation in these traits can help identify genetic variants that control sweat gland properties and subsequently allow for genetic selection of cattle with greater thermotolerance. Methods: This study used 2,401 Brangus cattle from two commercial ranches in Florida. Precise phenotypes that contribute to an animal's ability to manage heat stress were calculated from skin biopsies and included sweat gland area, sweat gland depth, and sweat gland length. All animals were genotyped with the Bovine GGP F250K, and BLUPF90 software was used to estimate genetic parameters and for Genome Wide Association Study. Results: Sweat gland phenotypes heritability ranged from 0.17 to 0.42 indicating a moderate amount of the phenotypic variation is due to genetics, allowing producers the ability to select for favorable sweat gland properties. A weighted single-step GWAS using sliding 10 kb windows identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining a significant amount of genetic variation. QTLs located on BTA7 and BTA12 explained over 1.0% of genetic variance and overlap the ADGRV1 and CCDC168 genes, respectively. The variants identified in this study are implicated in processes related to immune function and cellular proliferation which could be relevant to heat management. Breed of Origin Alleles (BOA) were predicted using local ancestry in admixed populations (LAMP-LD), allowing for identification of markers' origin from either Brahman or Angus ancestry. A BOA GWAS was performed to identify regions inherited from particular ancestral breeds that might have a significant impact on sweat gland phenotypes. Conclusions: The results of the BOA GWAS indicate that both Brahman and Angus alleles contribute positively to sweat gland traits, as evidenced by favorable marker effects observed from both genetic backgrounds. Understanding and utilizing genetic traits that confer better heat tolerance is a proactive approach to managing the impacts of climate change on livestock farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the exploration of lime kilns in the Yucatan Peninsula has been a recurring part of archaeological work. During the archaeological rescue at Chaactun locality, a kiln was found that presented abundant concretion of a white material presumably the lime. During the excavations, archaeometric and archaeomagnetic samplings were carried out in order to corroborate the archaeological findings. The combined investigation allowed us to study this structure from different perspective and to define the moment of lime burning, the moment of abandonment and its impact during the reuse of the property as a cattle ranch. These results indicate the importance of carrying out systematic samplings in order to integrate the results into the theorical and methodological framework of the use of combustion structures in the Mayan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the development of Pitrufquén (located in the Araucanía Region, Chile, and founded in 1897) from a historical, territorial, urban, and architectural point of view. It is proposed that the city’s development is framed in a new moment, where the Chilean State abandons military criteria and assumes economic-territorial factors where the railroad’s presence is a determining factor. The choice of the site, its particular layout, and the development of its architecture are evidence of this change. From the historical point of view, it is analyzed how, in Pitrufquén, the Mapuche society had cattle raising as the main economic activity, as it had pastures to feed the cattle, the land was suitable for crops, and there was a vital ford to cross the Toltén River. This strategic location was maintained and accentuated by the city’s founding and the railroad’s arrival in 1898, turning the town into a railhead for progress towards the south of the country. In the case of the urban layout, its peculiarity was addressed since, together with Lonquimay, these are the only sections in the La Araucanía region organized based on an ellipse, which, in the case of Pitrufquén, also coexists with a checkerboard layout. The study analyzed its squares, diagonal avenues, and the perimeter ring road. At an architectural level, the article explores the three layers or aspects of the city: The first one studies the wooden architecture with works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the second refers to public architecture, represented by buildings such as the municipality, public services, the post office, and others; and a third layer addresses the modern architecture, such as housing and stores from the period between 1940 and 1960. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Broad-snouted caimans are found in North Argentina. In the past, they were heavily hunted, leading to a decline in their population. To avoid diminishing populations, a sustainable use program under a ranching system was implemented, and broad-snouted caiman populations have recovered significantly. Local communities play a key role as egg harvesters under the concept of incentives for conservation. The current management program in Argentina intends to balance the growth of caiman populations, ensure benefits for local people, and protect valuable wetlands. Each year, the dynamics of the broad-snouted caiman population are monitored through night surveys and the identification of wild nesting in specific areas. These monitoring efforts show that the sustainable use program ensures practices that are sustainable and have a non-detrimental impact on wild populations. On the contrary, the encouragement of local people to preserve caimans and their nesting habitats has generated very positive results, including increased caiman populations and improvements in social and cultural aspects, as well as providing important income to local economies. There are many precedents regarding the advantages of enacting sustainable use programs, but this knowledge is not yet adequately communicated. Even crocodilians are an example of this, and we already have numerous studies about the pillars that programs should follow, regardless of the species and management mechanism implemented. Now the great challenge is to maintain the achievements reached and control threats such as habitat destruction, pollution, and activist groups from reversing them. People and crocodilians have engaged in interactions since the earliest human settlements. After many years of escalating non-regulated use, coupled with emerging threats such as habitat modification, environmental pollution, and the exponential growth of human populations, natural crocodilian populations have been pushed to the brink of extinction. To prevent this, various initiatives have implemented strategies to prevent local extinction. Reinforcing wild populations through reintroductions and head-starting programs has been considered the safest approach to recovering crocodilian populations. Subsequently, the concept of sustainability emerged. In the case of many historically exploited crocodilian species, it became evident that rational utilization need not adversely affect population status; on the contrary, there were clear signs of recovery when local communities were involved. In 1990, the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) was in a critical state due to decades of poaching and the aforementioned threats. In response, the "Monitoring and restocking program of the broad-snouted caiman for management purposes", commonly known as Proyecto Yacaré, was established to study population abundance and assess the biological, ecological, and social response to this management methodology. As a result of the eggs's harvest, a proportion equivalent to or greater than what would have survived in natural conditions was released into the original habitat where the eggs were collected. The surplus was allocated for leather and meat production with a focus on economic and environmentally sustainable practices, without affecting biodiversity or threats to the managed species. The in situ work carried out by this program has been crucial for the recovery of broad-snouted caiman populations under the "incentives for conservation" system, whereby local communities receive benefits for nest identification and egg harvesting. Over time, conservation incentives have become significant contributors to regional economies. This study illustrates how C. latirostris populations increased due to the implementation of egg harvesting by local communities in a natural reserve for management purposes. This population increase was detected through continuous night monitoring and an analysis of the number of nests in the area. Currently, C. latirostris populations have transitioned from being among the most threatened to becoming one of the most abundant throughout their distribution area. Based on the analyzed information, we may affirm that the commercial value of these species is one of the most relevant aspects contributing to the sustainability of these programs, primarily due to the change in perception generated among local communities. Therefore, identifying and controlling factors affecting these programs are fundamental for the conservation of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good information is the basis for good decisions. For many invaluable salmon species, chemical information is necessary to guide and fine-tune their migrations to and from freshwater mating grounds. A problem is that salmon of the current world are running a gauntlet of toxic chemicals arising from diverse anthropogenic inputs and these chemicals are known to disrupt information. There is sufficient evidence that effluents from cities, mines, agriculture and industry contain chemicals that can rapidly, and sometimes irreversibly, impair the olfactory sense that salmon use to gather information. Some toxic inputs may not only be strong enough to impair migration, but be strong enough to redirect salmon away from their routes. There is also evidence that some synthetic chemicals may serve as the basis for 'new' information and be useful in making correct migratory decisions. On the plus side, there are examples of new regulations that limit the input of chemicals of known olfactory toxicity, but on the minus side, increased urbanization and global climate change will likely increase the number and/or severity of some neurotoxic inputs. Here we identify the specific avenues of chemical risks to information disruption and in so doing prioritize and rank the risks to migrating salmon. The data collected here can be used to lay the foundation for modelling the effects of anthropogenic inputs on information disruption in diverse salmonid species from around the world and therefore help secure their longevity in a changing chemical environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Memorias is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociedad y Economia is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The continuous changes and increase of land use into ranching and agriculture have caused shifts in the composition and structure of dung beetle communities due to the modification of vegetation structure. The impact of these changes can be approached using dung beetles as ecological indicators. Agricultural, ranching, and forestry are often integrated into the same farm in different proportions (landscape level), and their degree of integration with habitats changes over time and space. We assessed if different habitat proportions of crop, pasture, and forest land on three farms affect the structure and diversity of dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) communities. Farms included from three to four habitat conditions each (plantations of timber species, banana-coffee plantation, living fences, pastures, secondary and riparian forest). Pitfall traps with dung and carrion as bait were placed across each habitat condition of each farm during three different sampling periods. Across all samplings, 1,198 dung beetle individuals belonging to 21 species were captured. Species diversity and composition vary according to the type of farm and the main factor that modifies this tendency is the proportion of pasture land composing the farm. Farms with a lower proportion of grazing land (11.96% for forestry farms and 32.19% for agricultural farms) and denser vegetation canopy, which cast more shadows, had greater beetle diversity. Conversely, farms having a greater proportion of grazing land had low diversity and a dominant tendency in the species abundance curve. Umbraphile species dominated the forest farm, indicating a strong affinity for shaded environments such as the one provided there, while species displaying no habitat preference exhibited higher abundance in the ranching farm. Additionally, a notable prevalence of small-sized species was observed in the ranching farm, contrasting with a relatively even distribution of sizes in the remaining landscapes. These tendencies suggest that shade positively influences biodiversity conservation. Riparian vegetation, living fences, and banana-coffee plantations are important connectivity elements in agricultural landscapes for shade-adapted dung beetle species.

Species identification plays a significant role in biodiversity conservation. As many species remain unrecognized, particularly in neotropical hotspots like the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (AF), novel molecular techniques are being widely employed to bridge this gap. In this study, we used DNA barcoding and phylogenetic tools to identify a new population of Sphaenorynchus canga in the central region of the Brazilian AF. Our results extend the species' known distribution by approximately 200 km to the south, encompassing a different mountain range than its type locality (Serra do Espinhaço). This disjunct distribution, while not uncommon among amphibians, suggests a historical connection between these two mountain complexes as a biogeographic explanation. Despite the discovery of a new S. canga population, the species continues to face numerous anthropogenic threats such as mining, land use, and cattle ranching. Urgent conservation and research efforts are warranted to ensure the survival of S. canga populations across these habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study establishes a three-party evolutionary game model that includes marine ranch firms, consumers, and the government, with a focus on the digital transformation pattern of marine ranching. Subsequently, the researchers conduct gaming and simulation to analyze the government subsidy strategy in the digital transformation of marine ranching. The following findings are derived: (1) Government subsidies have the potential to facilitate the digital transformation of marine ranches, benefiting both the supply and demand sides. Government subsidies positively influence both the digital transformation of marine ranch firms and the involvement of consumers in this transformation process. (2) The findings from the evolutionary game system demonstrate that alterations in the cost-benefit dynamics of each participant lead to adjustments in the steady state, thereby prompting the government to adapt its optimal subsidy strategy. (3) More government subsidies are not always better. Excessive government subsidies will destroy the stability of the evolutionary game system, which is not conducive to the realization of the digitization of marine ranch. (4) Subsidizing consumers is more effective in driving the digital transformation of marine ranch than subsidizing marine ranch firms. Subsidies to marine ranch firms will destroy the stability of the evolutionary game system, whereas subsidizing consumers contributes positively to its stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science projects are expanding globally, with the African continent, particularly Nigeria, registering significant growth. Here, we document and analyse novel operations of the Nigerian Bird Atlas Project (NIBAP), 2015–2022. This project has employed the use of ornithologists, mainly trained at the A. P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) located in Jos, Nigeria, and its 28 bird clubs established across Nigeria to enlist 827 bird enthusiasts that contribute regular and near real‐time data about bird distribution and relative abundance in the country. Interestingly, NiBAP has recorded about 75% of the bird species known from Nigeria in only about 50% of Nigeria's total surface area, including 39 nationally threatened species. The Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus, Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis, and Grey‐backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata were the most commonly recorded species, while Amurum Forest Reserve, Rennajj Fish Farm, and Obudu Cattle Ranch were the most surveyed sites during the period. Thus, our approach reveals how to increase involvement of nature enthusiasts, ornithologists, and a regional research institute to build local capacity and contribute rich information necessary to alleviate the lack of distributional data about Afrotropical avifauna. We strongly recommend our approach to boost other citizen science projects across Africa and beyond to address the huge lack of biodiversity data, create public awareness, and foster conservation education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study determines the prevalence of eggs of Fasciola hepatica and Calicophoron spp. and of mixed infection in grazing cattle from six cattle ranches in the district of Florida, Department of Amazonas (Peru). Using the natural sedimentation technique, 358 fecal samples were examined. The prevalence of F. hepatica was 69.83 % (95% CI 65.08 - 74.59), followed by Calicophoron spp. 60.34 % (95% CI 55.27 - 65.40) and a prevalence of mixed infection 41.62 % (95% CI 36.51 - 46.73). The presence of F. hepatica eggs did not differ among farms, breeds, and age groups (P>0.05). The presence of Calicophoron spp. and mixed infection with F. hepatica showed differences between towns and breeds (P<0.05), unlike the age groups, which were statistically similar (P>0.05). A high prevalence of fecal eggs of F. hepatica and spp. was found, a situation that could be due to the environmental conditions that allow the optimal development of the intermediate host and the cattle grazing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of diet and its relationship with available resources allows us to evaluate how species that differ in their degree of ecological flexibility respond to natural and anthropogenic variations that affect food availability. In the central Monte desert, extensive cattle ranching reduces the abundance of grass seeds, the most consumed and preferred food by the harvester ants Pogonomyrmex inermis Forel, 1914, Pogonomyrmex mendozanus (Cuezzo & Claver, 2009), and Pogonomyrmex propinqua (Johnson, 2021). We studied the diet of these species in grazed and ungrazed habitats over 4 years, including a period during which the abundance of grass seeds naturally decreased. We expected that ants would modify their diet in grazed sites and that the response would be different among species depending on their ecological flexibility. The three species presented a mainly granivorous diet in both grazing conditions and during the 4 years, but showed differences in the breadth of their diet. Pogonomyrmex inermis and Pogonomyrmex propinqua always had a narrow diet that consisted mainly of grass seeds, while Pogonomyrmex mendozanus modified its diet to include higher proportions of shrub seeds and other items when the abundance of grass seed decreased. In a scenario of scarce resources, this flexibility could represent an advantage over a more strict graminivorous diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important initiative to ensure national food security and repair the ecological environment of the sea, marine ranching concerns the implementation of the major national strategy of constructing a strong marine power. It is related to the advancing of a Chinese modernization characterized by valuing harmony between humanity and nature, and it needs safeguards from the rule of law with compatibility and coordination with international law. Using literature analysis, this study sorts out China's current legislation on the construction and management of marine ranching and finds that: At the central level, a dispersed legislative structure has been formed, based on the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Sea Area Use released in 2001, supplemented by other searelated laws, regulations, rules, and other normative documents. Locally, most coastal provincial- and municipal-level administrations have followed the dispersed legislative structure model, while a few have adopted a model combining the provincial-level dispersed legislation structure with a comprehensive legislation structure at the municipal level. Furthermore, marine ranching has adopted a management system that combines comprehensive and decentralized management with local management as the mainstay and central and local co-management as a supplement. Employing logic and normative analysis methods and from the perspective of the 'four legislative characteristics' (i.e., systemic, holistic, synergistic, and timely characteristics), this study also analyzes the three existing legislative problems within China's current legislation on the construction and management of marine ranching: confusing external boundary standards of different types of sea areas set by different sectors, which have led to many problems in China's marine ranching; deficient legal documents and their provisions regulating marine ranching in the internal and territorial seas in terms of external form and internal system; and the lack of domestic laws regulating marine ranching in the EEZ and continental shelf. Finally, the study suggests paths for constructing a benign quality legal system for marine ranching that meets the requirements of the 'four legislative characteristics' : Administrative regulations, in particular those on the administration of marine ranching, should be formulated and used to harmonize the macro-level construction of the legal system of marine ranching; external boundary standards for different types of sea areas should be scientifically and comprehensively developed; scientific and complete management institutions and mechanisms should be established for marine ranching; and provisions concerning marine ranching should be made in the EEZ and continental shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to evaluate the economic effects of purchases form family farming, under the Brazilian School Feeding Program (PNAE), for the municipalities of Minas Gerais. Of quantitative nature, the chosen method is the multiple linear regression. Four models were estimated, in which the variables are total Gross Domestic Product-GDP (PIB), agriculture and cattle ranching GDP (PIB agropecuário), industry GDP (PIB indústria), and services GDP (PIB serviços). As dependent variables were chosen: the volume of PNAE transfers (in Reais) for family agriculture as the independent variable of interest; the values (in Reais) of rural credit through the Brazilian Program Strengthening Program for Family Farming (PRONAF), the production of family farming agro-industry and the number of family farming establishments linked to cooperatives or associations as the independent control variables. The main results indicate that the independent variable PNAE was statistically significant at 1% for total GDP, industry GDP and services GDP, and statistically significant at 10% for the agriculture and cattle ranching GDP, showing greater effect on total GDP. This means that purchases from family farming, through the PNAE, have positive economic effects on these sectors and, especially, on the total GDP. It is recommended for future researches comparative studies, the application of other quantitative techniques and studies with qualitative approaches. We also recommend research that includes other theoretical lenses for the perception of the effects of public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) represent a substantial threat to cattle globally, exerting adverse impacts on production, health, and economic viability. This study delves into the prevalence and implications of TTBPs in cattle sourced from resource-limited smallholder livestock farms situated in southeastern Iran, proximate to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Blood and tick specimens were systematically collected from a cohort of 230 cattle, comprising 150 asymptomatic and 80 symptomatic individuals. Genomic DNA isolated from blood samples underwent rigorous examination for the presence of key TBPs, including Anaplasma marginale, A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis, A. centrale, Babesia bigemina, and Theileria annulata, utilizing multiple genetic markers. Nucleotide sequence analysis facilitated the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships. The study also evaluated various potential risk factors, such as clinical status, gender, age, breed, tick infestation, and management practices, to elucidate their associations with TTBPs. Among the cattle cohort, a staggering 87.8% (202/230) tested positive for at least one pathogen. Prevalence statistics encompassed A. marginale (72.2%), T. annulata (68.3%), A. phagocytophilum/A. platys-like complex (66.1%), A. centrale (16.7%), B. bigemina (10.0%), and A. bovis (6.1%). Remarkably, mixed infections involving two, three, and four pathogens were detected in 23%, 52.1%, and 2.2% of animals, respectively. Notably, all asymptomatic cattle were positive for at least one TBP. Tick infestation was observed in 62.2% (143/230) of cattle, predominantly caused by Hyalomma anatolicum (82.5%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (13.1%), and R. sanguineus sensu lato (4.4%). Risk factors linked to TBPs encompassed tick infestation, older age, and crossbred animals. Clinical presentations among symptomatic cattle encompassed fever, anemia, weight loss, anorexia, jaundice, and enlarged superficial lymph nodes. This study underscores the pivotal role of asymptomatic carriers in the propagation of TTBPs within endemic regions. Furthermore, it emphasizes the potential for the implementation of molecular diagnostics to unmask subclinical infections, thereby affording the opportunity for targeted interventions aimed at ameliorating the burden of TTBPs in resource-constrained smallholder dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the ecological carrying capacity of marine ranching is a prerequisite and guarantee for ensuring the sustainable development of aquaculture activities, protecting and maintaining the stability and security of marine ecosystems. Based on high-resolution satellite remote sensing data and survey data of Wailingding marine ranching in Zhuhai from 2006 to 2021, this study constructed a marine ecological carrying capacity (MECC) index system with three levels: resources, environment, and ecology. A combination of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and entropy method was applied to assign values to indexes, and then, the MECC of marine ranching was evaluated based on the state-space model and the weighted Bonferroni mean (WBM) model. Results showed that the MECC of Wailingding marine ranching increased from 0.49 (2006) before the marine ranching construction to 0.79 (2021) after the marine ranching construction. Marine ranching had elevated MECC from a loadable state to a fully loaded state. The intertidal subsystem, with a weight of 52.51%, dominates the MECC of marine ranching, in which resource and environmental factors are the major influencing factors. The increased rate of the state-space model (61.73%) was higher than that of the WBM model (44.34%), indicating that the state-space model is more feasible for the MECC assessment of Wailingding marine ranching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herding cattle across the landscape requires three species – horse, cattle, and human – to move together in a goal-orientated, albeit human-centered, activity. In this multispecies activity, they must synchronize through embodied communication and develop a shared understanding of moving conjointly. Together, all three species are socialized, or "zoocialized," to learn to engage in a shared community of communication where they develop a sense of "timing" and "feel" of the others to enable their directed movement together. While not denying or downplaying the power and pain integral to cattle ranching, we explore and interpret the interspecies, multispecies communication, collaboration, and choreography. Based on a multispecies ethnographic methodology, we draw on experiences from cattle herding in the USA, Canada, and Sweden. What emerges are intricate relations of agency, shaped by meanings of species, where human and nonhuman social actors learn to meet and construct a vibrant multispecies community of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scallop culture is an important way of bottom-seeding marine ranching, which is of great significance to improve the current situation of fishery resources. However, there are some problems in site-selection evaluation of marine ranching, such as imperfect criteria system, complex structure, untargeted criteria quantification, etc. In addition, no site-selection evaluation method of bottom-seeding culture areas for scallops is available. Therefore, we established a hierarchy structure model according to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) theory, in which social, physical, chemical, and biological environments are used as main criteria, and marine functional zonation, water depth, current, water temperature, salinity, substrate type, water quality, sediment quality, red tide, phytoplankton, and Zooplankton are used as sub-criteria, on which a multi-parameter evaluation system is set up. Meanwhile, the dualism method, assignment method, and membership function method were used to quantify sub-criteria, and a quantitative evaluation for the entire criteria was added, including the evaluation and analysis of two types of unsuitable environmental situations. By overall consideration in scallop yield; quality, and marine ranching construction objectives, the weight of the main criteria could be determined. Five grades in the suitability corresponding to the evaluation result were divided, and the Python language was used to create an evaluation system for efficient calculation and intuitive presentation of the evaluation outcome. Eight marine cases were simulated based on existing survey data, and the results prove that the method is feasible for evaluating and analyzing the site selection of bottom-seeding culture areas for scallops under various environmental situations. The proposed evaluation method can be promoted for the site selection of bottom-seeding marine ranching. This study provided theoretical and methodological references for the site selection evaluation of other types of marine ranching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern marine ranching construction has drawn growing attention of relevant planning authorities and enterprises with the potential value of oceans becoming apparent. To satisfy the demand for a successful marine ranching construction, site selection is considered as the first and fundamental procedure. This work aims to help planning authorities find the optimal marine ranching site by introducing a methodological evaluation framework for solving this critical problem. Firstly, the advanced CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is extended by using a cloud model to determine the relative importance of attributes in marine ranching site selection problems. Secondly, the Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method is developed by integration with the cloud model to obtain the ranks of alternative sites for marine ranching construction. The proposed cloud model-based CRITIC-EDAS method considers the fuzziness and randomness of the linguistic terms given by experts simultaneously to ensure the scientificity and rationality of decision making. Finally, a real-world marine ranching site selection problem is solved by using the proposed model, where the efficiency and reliability of the proposed model are verified according to the comparison with other traditional multi-attribute decision-making methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Agricultural specialization has increased considerably in Europe over the last decades, leading to the separation of crop and livestock production at both farm and regional levels. Such a transformation is often associated with higher environmental burdens due to excessive reliance on exogenous inputs and manure management issues. Reconnecting crop and livestock production via mixed farming systems (MFSs) could improve circularity and resilience, leading to reduced environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the life cycle environmental performance of a commercial mixed crop–dairy cattle farm in Romania and to compare it against the corresponding specialized systems. The evaluation covered both dairy cattle production (milk and meat) and cash crops. Overall, the results show that the coupled system improves environmental performance by reducing the over-reliance on high-impact inputs like synthetic fertilizers and exogenous feed. The carbon footprint for the milk production of the studied system (1.17 kg CO2 eq.) per kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) was 10% lower than the mean value of common intensive milk production systems. The eutrophication impacts (2.52 × 10−4 kg P eq and 2.67 × 10−4 kg N eq./kg of FPCM) presented values of one order of magnitude less than their specialized counterparts. However, the impacts of the studied MFS, albeit lower than those for comparable specialized systems, still remain relatively high. In particular, methane emissions from enteric fermentation (0.54 kg CO2 eq./kg FPCM) were a major contributor to the carbon footprint. This highlighted the need to address the elevated emissions from enteric fermentation with better feed management, as well as improving and reinforcing the system's self-sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]