Ambio最新文献

Life cycle thinking is a fundamental concept of sustainability endeavors in most disciplines. The share of non-expert users applying life cycle thinking-based methodologies and tools is nowadays already significantly larger than the respective expert community. This perspective discusses life cycle thinking with a focus on its implications, limitations, and potential ways to overcome them from this non-expert perspective. While building on a long history and bringing undoubted advantages, we raise the question of whether thinking in life cycles alone is sufficient in light of today's sustainability challenges. Four key limitations are found in the literature, all directly related to the definition of the concept itself. Solution attempts and sensitivity for these issues exist in the expert community only. We raise the discussion about going beyond the often-eponymous focus on life cycle thinking with holistic systems thinking and updated terminology.

Social perceptions of wild ungulates depend on their abundance and the socioeconomic context. These perceptions shape attitudes toward management and explain social behavior toward the species. Our objective was to evaluate attitudes and behavioral intentions toward wild ungulate management in the Iberian Peninsula. We conducted a survey of 440 participants in mainland Spain. Respondents generally supported non-lethal methods, though attitudes varied with socioeconomic context. A key finding was that attitudes did not directly translate into behavioral intentions, suggesting the influence of cognitive dissonance or social norms. While many respondents supported education and awareness actions, a considerable share reported no intention to participate or provide financial support. Recreational hunting was broadly rejected. Notably, hunters' involvement in management was associated with attitudes that more strongly predicted behavioral intentions. These results highlight the complexity of the social landscape and underscore the need to adapt management strategies to socioeconomic settings and behavioral drivers.

This study assesses the agrobiodiversity richness, traditional knowledge, and conservation status associated with four key crops-banana, taro, pumpkin, and mustard green-in Northwest Vietnam. Using the 5-cell method, 133 farmer varieties were identified in Mai Son and Sa Pa districts. Mai Son showed the highest level of varietal diversity in banana and pumpkin, while Sa Pa had the higher richness in mustard green and taro. Ethnic groups, particularly Thai and Dao households, played a key role in maintaining this diversity. The findings reveal significant vulnerability to varietal loss, particularly for banana and taro. In contrast, pumpkin varieties in Sa Pa and mustard greens in both districts appear less vulnerable. Declining cultivation of certain farmer varieties is driven by changing preferences, market limitations, and climate variability. Results underscore the need for on-farm conservation strategies such as custodian farmer networks, biodiversity seed fairs, seed banks, improved market access, and nutritional education, to safeguard local varietal diversity and promote sustainable farming systems in the region.

Biodiversity loss is a global challenge that requires conservation policies integrating ecological, social, and economic considerations. While scientific evidence guides policy decisions, public preferences can also shape strategies, sometimes diverging from optimal ecological outcomes. This study examines the alignment between expert and public preferences regarding wildlife management in Spain, one of Europe's most biodiverse countries. Using a discrete choice experiment conducted among experts attending the 2021 Spanish Society for the Conservation and Study of Mammals (SECEM) Conference, we compared their views with those of the Spanish public. Both groups prioritized managing scarce species over overabundant ones, though experts showed greater concern about human impacts on wildlife. Experts also exhibited more nuanced views on conservation beyond protected areas. Latent class modeling identified five behavioral classes within each group, highlighting substantial preference heterogeneity. Experts and the public also diverged in their willingness to pay for conservation efforts. These results emphasize the need to integrate expert knowledge with public values for socially acceptable and ecologically effective policies.

Natural ecosystems face significant pressure from climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing socio-economic and political stressors-all of which are exacerbated by military conflict. This paper focuses on Ukraine and examines the root causes of disturbances in the country's forest socio-ecological systems (SES), as well as the impacts of the ongoing war, to identify recovery pathways. Using a multi-method approach, we assess factors affecting Ukraine's forest SES and identify three key recovery pathways: (1) an economic focus through forest use for low-carbon recovery, including timber for reconstruction and small-scale energy production; (2) a "close-to-nature and close-to-people" approach, leveraging digital tools and innovations for climate-resilient recovery; and (3) anticipatory governance and socio-ecological innovation. Relying on a single pathway risks long-term vulnerability. We highlight that integrating recovery pathways creates synergies. Coordinated actions within Ukraine and from international actors are essential to enable a recovery aligned with "build back better" principles. Our findings offer valuable insights for Ukraine and other conflict-affected regions.

Global water conflicts are increasing due to climate stress, rising demand, and declining availability. Conflict resolution requires determination of their causes. This study aims to establish and analyze the main drivers of water conflicts worldwide through a systematic literature review of a total of 178 studies through PRISMA methodology in addition to a qualitative and territorial analysis. The review showed that the most used methodology in water conflict studies is qualitative. The territorial analysis found that these studies predominate in South America and Asia, in countries such as Chile, Brazil, Peru, and Iran. Key drivers include water scarcity, inequitable access, economic activities, governance and quality issues, particularly in South America, South Asia, and Africa. Chile presents the largest number of studies reviewed. Factors associated to governance was the most influential in water conflicts. Most studies are in areas affected by drought or industrialization and concentrated in developing countries. Integrated Water Resources Management appears as a potential tool for addressing underlying conflict drivers.

European wolf populations are expanding into human-dominated landscapes, triggering novel interactions with citizens and public concerns that may disrupt the traditional urban-rural divide in wolf attitudes and reshape conservation paradigms. We modelled the spatiotemporal distribution and valence of the wolf reports received through a dedicated phone service in Tuscany, Italy (2021-2024). Reports were significantly more common in: (i) late winter, aligning with the peak dispersal period and increased wolf movements. (ii) recently recolonized areas, suggesting a wolf-novelty effect, and (iii) urban areas, where negative valence was also more likely. Public concerns about wolves are increasingly emerging in urban areas, potentially disrupting the traditionally more supportive urban stance on wolf presence. In one of the European regions where wolf recovery began earlier and progressed further, our findings signal a broader shift in public attitudes that may weaken support for wolf conservation, potentially anticipating similar developments in areas of more recent recovery.

This paper offers a new perspective on the valuation of the impacts of industrial ocean pollution. Rising levels of industrial pollutants have a profound impact on marine resource-dependent peoples, particularly those dependent on seafood consumption. We argue that current regulation of these pollutants is both insufficient and inequitable, as it only accounts for impacts on physical health while ignoring cultural implications. This paper introduces the "cultural tipping point" as a new framework that integrates the impacts of ocean pollution on peoples' physical and cultural health and well-being. Drawing on anthropology, marine sciences, public health, and critical Indigenous studies, the cultural tipping point synthesizes diverse concepts of "cultural keystone species," food sovereignty, and industrial pollution. Ultimately, our goal is to make the cultural impacts of ocean pollution legible within global governance networks, and to advocate for greater allocation of societal resources to address this issue.

Community values toward landscapes, particularly before mining begins, are often overlooked in conventional social impact assessments in the mining industry. These emotional, cultural and relational values tend to be intangible and difficult to incorporate into formal planning tools. We propose public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) as an underutilized method to address this gap. Rooted in participatory planning and spatial analysis, PPGIS offers a unique way to integrate landscape values into social impact assessments. When applied early in the mine lifecycle, PPGIS can inform both project design and closure planning, ensuring that social and cultural dimensions of landscapes are considered from the outset.  It aligns with regulatory requirements for meaningful community engagement, baseline assessment and closure visioning, and can strengthen both procedural fairness and social licence to operate. By combining technical data with local knowledge, PPGIS can support more inclusive, place-based and value-driven approaches to mine development and closure.