Journal of Environmental Management最新文献

Reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques are crucial for enhancing the sustainability of high-quality timber production in tropical regions. This study evaluates whether improved forest management techniques (RIL), compared to conventional logging (CL), significantly alter above-ground biomass (AGB) stocks 30 years after logging. The experiment took place in a forest area near Paragominas, Pará, Brazil. Tree diameters at 1.3 m aboveground (dbh) were measured twelve times between 1993 and 2023 across two selective management systems (RIL and CL) and an unlogged control plot. Each system was implemented on a single 24.5 ha plot. Biomass stock per area (Mg.ha^-1) was estimated for (i) the forest as a whole, (ii) logged species, (iii) species with logging potential, and (iv) species with no timber value. The Gompertz model was fitted for all treatments, and its equations were evaluated using RMSE, RMSE%, AIC, R², and the Box-Ljung (temporal autocorrelation), Shapiro-Wilk (normality), and White (heteroscedasticity) tests. After 30 years, the biomass balance was 70.68, -11.35, and 0.12 Mg ha^-1 for RIL, CL, and control plots, respectively. RIL (353.42 Mg ha^-1; 95 % CI: 263.41-443.43 Mg ha^-1) showed statistically higher maximum stocks from the adjusted Gompertz model than CL (192.91 Mg ha^-1; 95 % CI: 175.02-210.81 Mg ha^-1) and control (178.60 Mg ha^-1; 95 % CI: 175.30-181.90 Mg ha^-1). This trend was consistent across all species groups. An evaluation of the biomass stock structure, based on ecological indicators for the CL system, revealed a decrease in biomass stocks (46.6 %, 43.9 %, and 41.4 % in years 0, 30, and 60, respectively). These percentages were calculated from equations fitted with 30 years of data and then extrapolated to 60 years, representing an approximation of a climax forest (409 Mg ha^-1, as reported in the literature). Conversely, for RIL, this trend was reversed, showing an increase over time (45.1 %, 61.7 %, and 66.3 % in years 0, 30, and 60, respectively). The application of RIL demonstrated superior modeled biomass recovery relative to CL, specifically for the first logging cycle under site-specific conditions.

Despite growing recognition of the significance of circular supply chains (CSC) in attaining net-zero goals and environmental sustainability, their long-term efficacy is nevertheless threatened by chronic leakage. With the goal of meeting this challenge, human capabilities should be strategically increased alongside technology improvements. In this regard, human capital development (HCD), which is the methodical development of talents, expertise, and flexibility, becomes a key factor in promoting creativity, adaptability, and cooperation so as to reduce CSC leakage. However, despite its significance, little is known about how HCD might support more efficient CSC within the larger Industry 5.0 (I5.0) paradigm. Through the alignment of human-centered knowledge and skills with the revolutionary and technical potential of I5.0, this study explores HCD as a strategic approach to limit CSC leakage. This study adopts the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) paradigm and the dynamic capability view to analyze the factors that facilitate and hinder the use of HCD-enabled I5.0 for leakage reduction initiatives. The results show that integrating HCD into CSC promotes ESG-aligned transitions toward net-zero objectives while also enhancing flexibility and stakeholder cooperation. The research's findings include: (1) developing a multi-stakeholder framework that combines human-focused technological innovation with ESG initiatives; (2) utilizing the SPARC (Social challenge, Pragmatism, Action, Result, and Connections) framework to demonstrate how HCD-enabled I5.0 can improve CSC resilience; and (3) providing a comprehensive strategy for preventing leaks through stakeholder-driven initiatives, collaborative human-capital outcomes, and improved ESG cooperation, with practical implications for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

Amid the global push toward a twin green and digital transition, developing human capital and strengthening digital capabilities have become critical to achieving sustainability goals. Yet, empirical evidence on how these two dimensions interact to shape environmental outcomes remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the synergistic effects of digital capability and human capital development on the transition toward low-carbon and renewable energy systems. Using a panel dataset of 189 countries from 1990 to 2023, we construct a Digital Capability Index (DCI) and a Human Capital Index (HCI) to capture national-level skills, knowledge, and workforce readiness for the digital-green transformation. Employing a two-step System GMM estimator to mitigate endogeneity and dynamic persistence issues, the results reveal that both digital capability and human capital independently reduce carbon emissions and enhance renewable energy adoption. More importantly, their interaction produces a significant amplifying effect, indicating that digitalization yields stronger environmental benefits when supported by an educated and skilled workforce. These findings advance understanding of the human dimension of the twin transition and offer actionable insights for policymakers to align education, training, and digital strategies with sustainability-oriented development.

Agriculture's reliance on ecosystem services underscores the intrinsic link between crop production and habitat conservation. This study employs an agent-based model to explore how farm size influences the provision of public goods-specifically habitat conservation-within agricultural landscapes. We compare two management strategies: Farm-Scale Management (FSM), driven by individual profit maximization, and Landscape-Scale Management (LSM), which seeks to optimize collective outcomes. Pollination serves as a proxy for ecosystem services, while farm profit represents economic output. Our results show that large farms tend to invest more in habitat conservation, whereas small farms prioritize immediate yield. The spatial configuration of farms also plays a critical role: centrally located farms act as "big pigs" in public goods games-contributing more to conservation-while peripheral farms behave as "piglets," exhibiting self-interested behavior. These dynamics underscore the complexities of coordinating conservation efforts and highlight the need to consider farm size, spatial configuration, and the risk of free-riding when designing agri-environmental policies. Our model provides novel insights into the dynamic governance of habitat conservation as a public good within complex agricultural systems.

Plant-microbe interactions regulate soil greenhouse gas (GHGs) fluxes, yet their responses to climate extremes remains unclear. In a factorial experiment combining plant composition (bare soil, monoculture, intercropping) with contrasting temperatures, we found that the soil global warming potential (GWP) mitigation effect of intercropping under extreme high temperature (EHT) significantly declined by 17.4 % compared with normal temperature (LT). EHT suppressed plant biomass (-41.9 % to -86.6 %), diminished soil carbon sequestration (-0.9 % to -6.9 %), and increased the r/K strategy ratios (+0.7 % to +5.7 %). It further erased the clear separation between intercropping and monoculture microbial communities evident under LT and upregulated key N-loss genes (e.g., nirS, norC), jointly undermining the microbial basis of plant-mediated GHGs mitigation. Our findings highlight that while plant diversity stabilizes soil biogeochemistry and constrains GHGs release, its buffering efficacy is inherently fragile under EHT, providing new evidence of limits to biotic regulation in a warming world.

Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana, is often portrayed as the "world's most toxic dump," but such depictions obscure how informal recycling is sustained through governance and political economy. This study asks: how do political, economic, and regulatory structures organize informal e-waste work, and with what consequences? The research draws on qualitative case study involving 100 in-depth interviews, five focus group discussions, and participant observation (total of 150 participants). A structured thematic analysis examined three domains: regulated informality, labor precarity, and environmental governance. Findings reveal that informality was not an absence of regulation but a governance strategy. State actors enforced rules selectively, collected informal levies, and relied on local leaders to mediate access. Workers faced hazardous conditions, insecure housing, and migration-driven precarity, while profits were concentrated among intermediaries. Environmental discourses that framed Agbogbloshie as toxic justified evictions and redevelopment, and donor-led formalization projects excluded the very recyclers they claimed to assist. The study contributes to debates on urban informality and environmental justice by showing that informal e-waste economies are durable systems deliberately maintained through selective regulation, not temporary or chaotic anomalies. The central implication is clear: informal recyclers are indispensable to global waste economies yet treated as expendable. Recognizing and integrating their labor-rather than displacing or criminalizing it-is essential for building equitable and sustainable urban futures.

Soil seed bank plays a vital role in restoring degraded ecosystems, and its compositional similarity with aboveground vegetation serves as an early warning signal of ecosystems approaching critical thresholds toward irreversible degradation. Grazing exclusion has been widely implemented to restore degraded grasslands. However, the global pattern of soil seed bank response to grazing exclusion and the underlying mechanisms remain ambiguous. To address this, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis using 1011 paired observations from 76 publications to assess the effects of grazing exclusion on soil seed bank characteristics (i.e., density and richness) and the similarity between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation in grasslands worldwide. Our results showed that grazing exclusion increased soil seed density and richness by 54 % and 13 %, respectively, while it did not alter the similarity between seed bank and aboveground vegetation. Additionally, grazing exclusion increased the soil seed density of grasses, forbs, perennials and annuals, albeit to varying degrees. The positive effects of grazing exclusion on soil seed bank were more pronounced in regions with lower precipitation, in topsoil layer relative to deeper layers, in heavily degraded grasslands relative to light and moderate degraded grasslands, and in steppe relative to other grassland types. Moreover, the positive effects of grazing exclusion on soil seed banks strengthened with its duration, whereas its benefits for aboveground vegetation diminished with longer duration. Finally, structural equation modelling demonstrated that variations in soil seed banks under grazing exclusion were jointly explained by changes in aboveground biomass, aboveground species richness, and the soil seed density of different plant functional groups. This study advances our understanding of soil seed bank dynamics under grazing exclusion and offers clear practical applications for the management and restoration of degraded grasslands.

A stratified structure is the fundamental physical characteristic of lakes and reservoirs, determining the vertical convection and mixing processes. Owing to the lack of systematic quantification of thermal response processes under the synergistic effects of reservoir operation and climate change, the future evolution of thermal regimes in cascade reservoirs remains unclear. In this study, the thermal response characteristics in cascade reservoirs under future climate warming were investigated based on a regional climate change model and a 2D hydrodynamic model in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River. The results revealed that after the joint operation of the cascade reservoirs, the inflow water temperature in the downstream reservoir was homogenized, and cold water in the hypolimnion was replaced by warm water, resulting in a decrease in the thermal stratification strength. The stratification stability index (SI) value of the downstream reservoir, i.e., the Xiangjiaba Reservoir, decreased by 689.8 kg/m² (62.4 %) under four-level joint operation compared to that under individual operation. In terms of the response of the thermal regimes of cascade reservoirs to climate warming, compared to that under the RCP 2.6 scenario, the SI value increased by 15.1 % and the thermal stratification time increased by approximately 20 days of Xiangjiaba Reservoir under the RCP 8.5 scenario. Overall, the spatial negative cumulative impact of cascade reservoirs and the temporal positive cumulative impact of climate change on the thermal regimes of downstream reservoirs were comparable. This study could provide theoretical support and effective tools for understanding the potential systemic effects and strategies for coping with climate change and the development of cascade reservoirs in the future.

Composting of green waste (GW) is a sustainable strategy for organic waste recycling; however, its efficiency is often constrained by the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulosic components. This study evaluated the synergistic effects of biochar (BC) and a compound microbial inoculant (VT) on lignocellulose degradation and overall composting performance. Nine treatments were established with varying BC (0 %, 3 %, and 6 %) and VT (0 %, 0.2 %, and 0.4 %) additions over a 35-day composting period. Among all treatments, the co-application of 6 % BC and 0.2 % VT (T8) produced the greatest improvement, with the highest peak temperature (PK, 63.7 °C), an extended thermophilic phase of 8 days and a shortened composting duration of 26 days. The sustained high temperatures enhanced lignin peroxidase, laccase and cellulase activities, which promoted lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose degradation by 22 %, 27 % and 12 %. At the same time, T8 improved nutrient retention, increasing total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium by 22 %, 27 % and 12 %, and supporting stronger organic matter (OM) mineralization that contributed to a higher germination index (129 %). BC improved the composting environment by enhancing aeration, increasing water permeability, and moderating pH, thereby supporting microbial activity, while VT strengthened lignocellulolytic enzyme secretion. Their synergistic interaction regulated carbon-nitrogen turnover, enhanced OM mineralization, and reduced nutrient loss. These findings demonstrate that coordinated BC-VT application can create a more favorable composting microenvironment, accelerate lignocellulose decomposition, enhance nutrient retention, and improve final compost quality. This synergistic approach offers a promising strategy for efficient and sustainable GW composting and resource utilization.

The critically endangered Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) has suffered catastrophic population declines due to habitat fragmentation and overexploitation, with complete cessation of natural spawning observed since 2017. While accurate distribution data are crucial for conservation, conventional monitoring approaches remain limited in marine ecosystems. To address this critical knowledge gap, we developed and applied an integrative framework combining environmental DNA (eDNA) with species distribution modeling (SDM) to detect the distribution of Chinese sturgeon in the East China Sea. We developed Chinese sturgeon-specific real-time PCR assays to analyze 244 water samples from 73 stations in the East China Sea. Our results showed a 20.5 % occurrence rate of sturgeon, with notable spatial aggregation in the Zhoushan Archipelago and Hangzhou Bay. Vertical distribution analysis revealed that 53.3 % of the positive detections occurred in benthic water. While a Mantel test correlated Chinese sturgeon presence with turbidity, salinity, and chlorophyll-a, the MaxEnt model, which incorporated nine variables for prediction, identified mean temperature, maximum pH, and total suspended matter as the primary factors determining habitat suitability. The resulting habitat suitability map indicated that the coastal waters of Zhejiang represent the optimal habitat. Habitat suitability projections under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) predict a reduction in habitat suitability. Our study (1) is the first to integrate eDNA and SDM for Chinese sturgeon in marine habitats, addressing a critical knowledge gap in the sturgeon life cycle, and (2) provides a transferable framework for conservation prioritization of endangered migratory fishes under climate change. Our study provides a transferable framework for conservation prioritization of endangered migratory fishes under climate change, and the identified turbid coastal zones emerge as critical conservation targets requiring immediate protection measures.