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Prescribed burning is applied as a restoration tool to promote biodiversity in boreal forests. Common objectives include promoting multilayered pine forests, increasing deadwood, and generating fire-scars. However, the extent to which these objectives are achieved and how they relate to weather conditions and stand characteristics remains poorly understood. We surveyed 32 prescribed burns in Sweden to evaluate the outcomes of key conservation objectives and their relationship to weather conditions and stand characteristics. In addition, we compared weather patterns and seasonal timing between prescribed burns and wildfires. We found that conservation objectives were met with large variations between sites but were generally better achieved under drier weather conditions and at sites with higher proportion of spruce. Wildfires occurred under significantly drier conditions and later in the summer than prescribed burns. We conclude that optimizing prescribed burning as a restoration tool requires better alignment between conservation objectives, stand characteristics, and weather conditions.

Gender equality is a ubiquitous national goal, yet sectoral gender data gaps to support this goal persist. These gaps are both structural and sexist, concealing women’s contributions and impeding actions that would strengthen livelihoods and economic development, food security, and environmental sustainability. The small-scale fisheries sector offers a cogent example of this phenomenon. Building on lessons from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests initiative, we identify systemic changes and specific indicators needed to fill these gaps. This requires multiple data streams, many of which come from outside fisheries agencies, e.g., government statistical or census organizations, sourced from responsible agencies across multiple areas—economy and environment, governance and support services, and health and nutrition. Closing gender data gaps requires making the policy case and working across agencies to create an enabling institutional environment. Only then can data reflect and respond to the lives of the ~ 500 million people who depend on small-scale fisheries.

Organised illegal and informal mining is growing globally, employing many unemployed youth, women, and children. In South Africa, rural communities see it as a means to reduce poverty and integrate into the economy. Despite numerous laws and regulations by the government and the Chamber of Mines to curb these practices due to their significant environmental implications and health risks the problems are escalating instead. Furthermore, while some levels of success have been achieved in addressing these menace, the efforts by the government through legislation have failed considerably in addressing the environmental challenges associated with these activities. This study uses qualitative methods comprising of interviews, field observations, and literature materials to explore the root causes of these activities and their threat to environmental sustainability. The findings reveal poverty and unemployment as primary drivers, while weak governance and law enforcement as underlying factors. The study calls for a shift from punitive policies to inclusive strategies that address social and economic needs, stressing on education, awareness, and public participation in environmental challenges associated with illegal mining.

The environment is often the silent victim of war, but environmental degradation resulting from war is poorly understood. Since the environmental legacy of war can last decades or centuries, environmental peacebuilding and reconstruction efforts must consider the impacts of war on the environment. In the case of the Israel-Palestine conflict, far-reaching and severe environmental damage has been documented. Three key environmental considerations for Gaza are discussed: (I) environmental pollution, (II) habitat degradation and (III) habitat fragmentation. Based on the environmental issues highlighted, recommendations regarding post-war reconstruction efforts are presented.

With growing calls for people-centred and equitable approaches to regeneration and restoration, this review paper contributes to enhancing understanding of the role of communities in restoring landscapes across the world. Addressing the lack of clarity around tangible pathways for equitable and inclusive forms of landscape regeneration, we focus on exploring the practices and forms through which communities engage with landscape regeneration and restoration. We undertake a systematic review of an international selection of community-based landscape regeneration initiatives worldwide to better understand how communities engage with, manage and lead regeneration practices. We map landscape regeneration and restoration initiatives across international contexts based on four themes around community organisation, land ownership, engagement and land values. Borne out of this review, we propose an analytical framework for community-based landscape regeneration in order to support and mobilise more democratic and socially just approaches to ecological regeneration initiatives.

Conservation organizations face budget constraints and must prioritize land acquisitions carefully. Market responses to conservation actions can shift land prices and relocate development. We examine how variations in local land markets affect decisions about where to protect land. Using a protected area prioritization framework, we evaluated how spatial differences in market feedback influence the conservation return-on-investment (ROI) of acquisitions and the optimal distribution of acquisition budgets. Using simulations and parameters for southern Appalachian forests, we find that areas with elastic demand and inelastic supply yield higher conservation ROI. Our results indicate that failing to account for local market feedback can reduce conservation effectiveness, incurring opportunity costs of 7%. Only 49% of the optimal budget allocation matched when local feedback was considered versus not. These findings stress the importance of incorporating spatial market data into protected area planning to maximize ecological returns.

Plastic pollution is a global One Health crisis, yet research has focused largely on marine environments. The Amazon—the world’s largest drainage basin and second most plastic-polluted river—has received limited scientific attention. This scoping review is the first to apply a systematic protocol (PRISMA-ScR) to assess plastic contamination across Amazonian ecosystems. We reviewed 52 peer-reviewed studies reporting plastic litter and fragments in terrestrial and aquatic environments of the biome. Most evidence concerns microplastics in Brazilian sites along the main Amazon River, with a focus on fish. However, plastics were also found in sediments, plants, and diverse fauna including birds, reptiles, and mammals. No studies reported nanoplastics. The contamination of key food and water sources poses a major One Health risk for traditional populations. We identify urgent research gaps—especially in non-fish fauna, tributaries, and other Amazonian countries—and highlight the need for targeted mitigation through waste management and education.

Amid growing concerns over sustainable development failures, scholars are exploring the ‘regenerative paradigm’ as a pathway for systemic change; yet, its paradigmatic foundations remain underexamined. Using thematic analysis, we analyse the regenerative knowledge field through an integrative review of 320 cross-disciplinary articles on regenerative approaches, synthesising findings into an interactive Regenerative Paradigm Map with 7 principles, 33 themes, and 253 specific elements. We assess all Map components against an analytical framework of 14 paradigm criteria to evaluate whether regeneration constitutes a paradigm, finding it meets several criteria but not others. We interpret results through the lens of paradigm blindness, interpreted as entrenched worldviews impacting all paradigms. We conclude with a critical reflection on how select Map components may support a shift away from growth-oriented systems and conceptualise the Tensions of Paradigm Shifts to discuss blind spots in scholarly interpretations of regeneration, which may contribute to paradigm blindness within the field.

This paper explores the obstacles to implementing climate change policies, emphasizing the interplay of economic, social, and political factors. Important barriers are the non-enforceability of international agreements and politicians motivated by a short-run goal of retaining office. A stable national legal framework is required that integrates clear principles, enforceable regulations, proactive judicial oversight, and inclusive public participation to bridge the gap between ambitious goals and feasible outcomes. Social acceptability of efficient instruments such as carbon taxes is also a constraint. Implementation problems are illustrated using the European automobile sector. The European Union has imposed a ban on the sale of new thermic vehicles after 2034. The ban will lead to job losses, regional economic disparities, and potential social unrest. Electric vehicles are still more costly than thermic vehicles, and they do not address congestion, safety, and parking externalities. Ultimately, a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and inclusive approach is vital for combating climate change.

This study investigates how the seven core resilience principles are integrated into assessments of forest system resilience to natural or human-induced disturbances across engineering, ecological, and social-ecological resilience concepts. Following PRISMA guidelines, a literature search in the Web of Science database using the keywords “resilience”, “forest” and “ecosystem services” yielded 1828 studies, of which 330 met the selection criteria. The most commonly used criterion was diversity, a sub-criterion of “diversity and redundancy”, appearing in 50% of studies. The results indicate that social and governance-related principles, learning and experimentation (7%), participation (11%), and polycentric governance (9%) have not been frequently addressed. Although numerous studies have employed various principles for assessing forest resilience, none have considered all seven principles jointly. This highlights a significant research gap, emphasising the need to quantify these principles in forest systems. Understanding forest-community dynamics is essential for enhancing the long-term resilience and sustainability of both systems.