Regional Sustainability最新文献

Climate change studies are diverse with no single study giving a comprehensive review of climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy development in West Africa. The unavailability of an all-inclusive study to serve as a guide for practitioners affects the effectiveness of climate change adaptation strategies proposed and adopted in the West African sub-region. The purpose of this study was to review the impacts of climate change risks on the crop, fishery, and livestock sectors, as well as the climate change adaptation strategies and climate-related policies aimed at helping to build resilient agricultural production systems in West Africa. The review process followed a series of rigorous stages until the final selection of 56 articles published from 2009 to 2023. Generally, the results highlighted the adverse effects of climate change risks on food security. We found a continuous decline in food crop production. Additionally, the livestock sector experienced morbidity and mortality, as well as reduction in meat and milk production. The fishery sector recorded loss of fingerlings, reduction in fish stocks, and destruction of mariculture and aquaculture. In West Africa, climate-smart agriculture technologies, physical protection of fishing, and inclusion of gender perspectives in programs appear to be the major adaptation strategies. The study therefore recommends the inclusion of ecosystem and biodiversity restoration, weather insurance, replacement of unsafe vessels, and strengthening gender equality in all climate change mitigation programs, as these will help to secure enough food for present and future generations.

Global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and health crises necessitate a shift towards sustainable diets. Incorporating sustainability into food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) is essential for this shift, and cultural considerations also play a vital role, as food culture significantly influences dietary habits. Considering that Asia and Europe exhibit distinct food cultures, tailored approaches are necessary. Additionally, countries face diverse nutritional challenges, ranging from malnutrition to diet-related diseases, and regional variation in environmental impact necessitates context-specific strategies. Achieving sustainable nutrition depends on understanding cultural influences and regional dynamics. This paper compares China’s and Germany’s dietary guidelines and dietary patterns and their impact on sustainability. It shows that Chinese and German FBDGs only slightly differ, despite the different eating cultures and habits of each country. Alone the recommended amounts for eggs and fish are considerably higher in China than in Germany. However, in both China and Germany, actual dietary patterns deviate from the dietary guidelines. In China, concomitant with economic growth and urbanization, a dietary shift towards increased consumption of animal products and decreased consumption of vegetables and cereals has been observed in the last decades, which has led to a decline in nutritional deficiencies but an increase in obesity and overweight. Obesity and overweight are also on the rise in Germany. A dietary shift could therefore also be beneficial for public health. While following the respective national guidelines would benefit the environment, alternative diets such as a plant-based diet offer even lower environmental footprint. Revising guidelines to prioritize sustainability in addition to health aspects while considering regional contexts and cultural preferences is recommended to foster sustainable eating habits globally. This approach is pivotal for promoting dietary shift towards sustainability on a global scale.

Forest resources play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of rural communities residing in forest-rich areas. In India, a forest-rich country, a significant proportion of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is consumed locally, supporting numerous rural communities relying on forests for essential resources, such as firewood, timber, and NTFPs. This study focuses on two forest-dominant districts in West Bengal of India, namely, Jhargram District and Paschim Medinipur District. Furthermore, this study aims to enhance the understanding of forest-dependent communities by comparing the standard of living among different village classes. Thus, we categorized villages into three classes based on the distance from home to forests, including inner villages, fringe villages, and outer villages. Through focus group discussions and household surveys, we explored the sources of local economy, income sources of household, and reasons for economic diversification in different village classes. The study findings confirm that substantial variations existed in the income sources and the standard of living in these villages. Forest income varied dramatically among the three village classes, with inner villages having greater forest income than fringe villages and outer villages. Meanwhile, households in outer villages depended on forests and engaged in diverse economic activities for their livelihoods. Compared with inner and fringe villages, households in outer villages derived a significant portion of their income from livestock. This discrepancy can be attributed to challenges, such as inadequate transportation, communication, and underdeveloped market chains in inner villages. Moreover, these findings emphasize the need to develop sustainable forest management practices, create alternative income-generation opportunities, and improve infrastructure and market access in inner villages, as well as promote economic diversification in outer villages. Through targeted policy measures, these forest-rich regions can achieve improved livelihoods, enhanced standard of living, and increased resilience for their communities.

The existing approaches for the design of tourist areas often lead to limited flexibility in project implementation. To realize a more flexible approach, in this study, we formulated a model for planning and designing tourist areas at the local level. Moreover, specific tools for analyzing tourist areas and ensuring sustainable development under changing conditions were developed. This study was conducted in two tourist regions, Biryuzovaya Katun tourist complex and Belokurikha destination (including Belokurikha City with Belokurikha 2 Gornaya tourist complex and surrounding areas), in the Altay Mountains. We employed the recreation opportunity spectrum and proposed a system-integrated programming approach for the design of tourist areas at the destination and site levels. The key of this approach was the collection and analysis of current spatial data, including the spatial distribution of attractions and visitor flows. We constructed heat maps using video recording and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) observation data. Moreover, we analyzed the video stream using an image-analyzing framework You Only Look Once (YOLO) v5 software. The heat map of visitor flows based on video recording data in the Andreevskaya Sloboda museum of Belokurikha 2 Gornaya tourist complex allowed us to highlight the most attractive sites in this area and classify them into one of three types: points of functional concentration, points of transitional concentration, and points of attractions. The heat maps in Biryuzovaya Katun tourist complex, created using UAV observation data, allowed us to determine the spatiotemporal patterns of visitor flows and tourists’ preferences throughout the day within four time intervals: 09:00–12:00, 13:00–14:00, 14:00–15:00, and 16:00–18:00 (LST). The maximum visitor flow density occurred from 16:00 to 18:00 in the beach area of the artificial lake. A comparison between the visitor-concentrated sites and the current facilities provided insights into the demand for attractions and facilities and the lacking areas. Heat maps are useful in analyzing the land use at the site level, while zoning based on the recreation opportunity spectrum can be used to design tourist areas at the destination level. The proposed methods for analyzing the use of tourist areas contribute to the development of adaptive tourism design.

Rapid urbanization creates complexity, results in dynamic changes in land and environment, and influences the land surface temperature (LST) in fast-developing cities. In this study, we examined the impact of land use/land cover (LULC) changes on LST and determined the intensity of urban heat island (UHI) in New Town Kolkata (a smart city), eastern India, from 1991 to 2021 at 10-a intervals using various series of Landsat multi-spectral and thermal bands. This study used the maximum likelihood algorithm for image classification and other methods like the correlation analysis and hotspot analysis (Getis–Ord Gi* method) to examine the impact of LULC changes on urban thermal environment. This study noticed that the area percentage of built-up land increased rapidly from 21.91% to 45.63% during 1991–2021, with a maximum positive change in built-up land and a maximum negative change in sparse vegetation. The mean temperature significantly increased during the study period (1991–2021), from 16.31°C to 22.48°C in winter, 29.18°C to 34.61°C in summer, and 19.18°C to 27.11°C in autumn. The result showed that impervious surfaces contribute to higher LST, whereas vegetation helps decrease it. Poor ecological status has been found in built-up land, and excellent ecological status has been found in vegetation and water body. The hot spot and cold spot areas shifted their locations every decade due to random LULC changes. Even after New Town Kolkata became a smart city, high LST has been observed. Overall, this study indicated that urbanization and changes in LULC patterns can influence the urban thermal environment, and appropriate planning is needed to reduce LST. This study can help policy-makers create sustainable smart cities.