Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101376
Manob Das , Arijit Das
Green spaces offer vital cultural ecosystem services (ES), and these ES are essential for human health and well-being. But the green spaces in cities are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to explore the use and perception of cultural ES from green spaces in Kolkata Megacity Region (KMR). A number of statistical analyses such as Kruskal-Wallis test, Correlation Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were applied to assess patterns of ES use and perceptions from green spaces. The results showed that green spaces were primarily valued for recreation, social interactions, aesthetics, and health benefits. Recreation ES showed strong correlations with social relations (0.868, 0.775), inspiration (0.878, 0.751), aesthetics (0.896, 0.83), sense of place (0.987, 0.851), and health (0.78, 0.853). Hierarchical clustering revealed that 58.33% of ES in Rabindra Sarabor fell into Cluster 2, while Eco Park had the highest share in Cluster 1 (37.50 %). PCA indicated that PC1 and PC2 explained 69 % and 31 % of the variance in Rabindra Sarabor, while Eco Park showed 54% total variance. The findings highlight the importance of integrating cultural ES into urban planning for enhanced human well-being. Strategic landscape management can ensure the sustainability of these spaces, fostering community engagement and environmental resilience.
{"title":"Use and perception of cultural ecosystem services from green spaces: A case from Kolkata Megacity Region (India)","authors":"Manob Das , Arijit Das","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101376","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101376","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green spaces offer vital cultural ecosystem services (ES), and these ES are essential for human health and well-being. But the green spaces in cities are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to explore the use and perception of cultural ES from green spaces in Kolkata Megacity Region (KMR). A number of statistical analyses such as Kruskal-Wallis test, Correlation Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were applied to assess patterns of ES use and perceptions from green spaces. The results showed that green spaces were primarily valued for recreation, social interactions, aesthetics, and health benefits. Recreation ES showed strong correlations with social relations (0.868, 0.775), inspiration (0.878, 0.751), aesthetics (0.896, 0.83), sense of place (0.987, 0.851), and health (0.78, 0.853). Hierarchical clustering revealed that 58.33% of ES in Rabindra Sarabor fell into Cluster 2, while Eco Park had the highest share in Cluster 1 (37.50 %). PCA indicated that PC<sub>1</sub> and PC<sub>2</sub> explained 69 % and 31 % of the variance in Rabindra Sarabor, while Eco Park showed 54% total variance. The findings highlight the importance of integrating cultural ES into urban planning for enhanced human well-being. Strategic landscape management can ensure the sustainability of these spaces, fostering community engagement and environmental resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101376"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Balaenoptera edeni (Bryde's whale complex) plays a pivotal role in maintaining marine ecosystem balance. However, the Bryde's whale population is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures, including habitat disruption and food scarcity. Despite these challenges, the lack of comprehensive scientific data impeded conservation efforts, particularly in the Gulf of Thailand. This study addresses these knowledge gaps by examining the key factors influencing Bryde's whale populations, integrating interdisciplinary principles, and applying robust analytical tools such as the Delphi method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This research identifies and prioritizes the risk factors affecting Bryde's whales in the upper Gulf of Thailand. The ten sub-factors influencing the Bryde's whale population—non-aggressive behavior, coastal dwellers, long lifespan and top consumer, climate change, water pollution, underwater noise, habitat loss due to coastal development, spatial use conflict, unregulated whale watching, and competition for food resource by human—were synthesized using the Delphi method. A hierarchical model structured these sub-factors into two overarching groups (environmental and human-induced factors) to identify the most critical risk factors affecting the Bryde's whale population. The findings reveal that human-induced threats, such as spatial use conflicts, competition with humans for food resources, water pollution, and unregulated whale-watching practices, are of the highest concern. The integrated Delphi and AHP methods effectively evaluated these risks, allowing for the systematic analysis of stakeholder input and reducing decision-making bias through pairwise comparisons. The results offer valuable insights for developing targeted conservation strategies to safeguard the Bryde's whale population in the upper Gulf of Thailand.
{"title":"How well are Our Whales? Assessing key risks to Bryde's whales in the Gulf of Thailand using integrated Delphi-AHP method","authors":"Sittinon Sanor , Saowanee Wijitkosum , Somrudee Meprasert Jitpraphai","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Balaenoptera edeni</em> (Bryde's whale complex) plays a pivotal role in maintaining marine ecosystem balance. However, the Bryde's whale population is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures, including habitat disruption and food scarcity. Despite these challenges, the lack of comprehensive scientific data impeded conservation efforts, particularly in the Gulf of Thailand. This study addresses these knowledge gaps by examining the key factors influencing Bryde's whale populations, integrating interdisciplinary principles, and applying robust analytical tools such as the Delphi method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This research identifies and prioritizes the risk factors affecting Bryde's whales in the upper Gulf of Thailand. The ten sub-factors influencing the Bryde's whale population—non-aggressive behavior, coastal dwellers, long lifespan and top consumer, climate change, water pollution, underwater noise, habitat loss due to coastal development, spatial use conflict, unregulated whale watching, and competition for food resource by human—were synthesized using the Delphi method. A hierarchical model structured these sub-factors into two overarching groups (environmental and human-induced factors) to identify the most critical risk factors affecting the Bryde's whale population. The findings reveal that human-induced threats, such as spatial use conflicts, competition with humans for food resources, water pollution, and unregulated whale-watching practices, are of the highest concern. The integrated Delphi and AHP methods effectively evaluated these risks, allowing for the systematic analysis of stakeholder input and reducing decision-making bias through pairwise comparisons. The results offer valuable insights for developing targeted conservation strategies to safeguard the Bryde's whale population in the upper Gulf of Thailand.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101366"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101367
Inácio Ribeiro , Hélder Silva Lopes , Paula C. Remoaldo , Vítor Ribeiro , Juliana Araújo Alves , Lígia Silva
Climate change has a global impact, particularly in urban areas. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gaining prominence as an important alternative, harnessing natural processes to deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, owing to their multifaceted nature. In Europe, NbS are being primarily explored in urban environments to enhance resilience to extreme climatic events. This study consisted of a systematic review of 66 projects funded by the European Union (EU) between 2014 and 2023, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), a set of standards aimed at improving the quality and transparency of systematic reviews. The review was carried out through the analysis of EU research and development repositories, based on criteria including funding period, project description, geographical location, typology, methods adopted in each project, and the main challenges identified, which underscore the urgency of innovative solutions to manage natural systems in urban environments. The qualitive and quantitative analysis indicates the wide geographical distribution of the projects, with significant applications in countries such as Spain (n = 76), Italy (n = 40), France (n = 36), Germany (n = 29), and Portugal (with n = 28). Projects were categorized according to their purpose, methodology, and technologies employed, highlighting a diversity of approaches, sufficiently replicable to ensure feasibility in future projects that promote urban sustainability and adaptation to climatic adversities.
The urban challenges faced in the implementation of the projects analysed include issues related to the deployment and replication of solutions, community behavioural change, collaboration between different stakeholders, and funding. Furthermore, the various target groups involved reflect a collaborative approach to the co-creation of NbS, aimed at maximizing benefits and strengthening community resilience, with a particular focus on government entities (n = 50), citizens (n = 41), the scientific community (n = 26), the business community (n = 21), and civil society/NGO (n = 13), thereby achieving the objectives set. This study underscores the importance of NbS as a tool to address social, economic, and environmental challenges, particularly in cities, contributing to the development of more resilient communities. However, in order to effectively respond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), greater efforts are required to ensure the inclusion of NbS and a broader variety of measures in public policies, given that 2030 has been set as the target year for achieving the SDGs.
{"title":"Contribution of nature-based solutions (NbS) to resilience - A review of European projects between 2014 and 2023","authors":"Inácio Ribeiro , Hélder Silva Lopes , Paula C. Remoaldo , Vítor Ribeiro , Juliana Araújo Alves , Lígia Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change has a global impact, particularly in urban areas. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gaining prominence as an important alternative, harnessing natural processes to deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, owing to their multifaceted nature. In Europe, NbS are being primarily explored in urban environments to enhance resilience to extreme climatic events. This study consisted of a systematic review of 66 projects funded by the European Union (EU) between 2014 and 2023, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), a set of standards aimed at improving the quality and transparency of systematic reviews. The review was carried out through the analysis of EU research and development repositories, based on criteria including funding period, project description, geographical location, typology, methods adopted in each project, and the main challenges identified, which underscore the urgency of innovative solutions to manage natural systems in urban environments. The qualitive and quantitative analysis indicates the wide geographical distribution of the projects, with significant applications in countries such as Spain (<em>n</em> = 76), Italy (<em>n</em> = 40), France (<em>n</em> = 36), Germany (<em>n</em> = 29), and Portugal (with <em>n</em> = 28). Projects were categorized according to their purpose, methodology, and technologies employed, highlighting a diversity of approaches, sufficiently replicable to ensure feasibility in future projects that promote urban sustainability and adaptation to climatic adversities.</div><div>The urban challenges faced in the implementation of the projects analysed include issues related to the deployment and replication of solutions, community behavioural change, collaboration between different stakeholders, and funding. Furthermore, the various target groups involved reflect a collaborative approach to the co-creation of NbS, aimed at maximizing benefits and strengthening community resilience, with a particular focus on government entities (<em>n</em> = 50), citizens (<em>n</em> = 41), the scientific community (<em>n</em> = 26), the business community (<em>n</em> = 21), and civil society/NGO (<em>n</em> = 13), thereby achieving the objectives set. This study underscores the importance of NbS as a tool to address social, economic, and environmental challenges, particularly in cities, contributing to the development of more resilient communities. However, in order to effectively respond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), greater efforts are required to ensure the inclusion of NbS and a broader variety of measures in public policies, given that 2030 has been set as the target year for achieving the SDGs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101367"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-08-07DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101317
Marcelo Odorizzi de Campos , Regina Aparecida Leite de Camargo , Camila Fernanda Bassetto , Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra , Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri , Newton La Scala Jr. , Rouverson Pereira da Silva
In Brazil, changes in land use and forests are responsible for more than 70 % of CO2 equivalent emissions. The federal administration created, in 2011, the Low Carbon Agriculture (LCA) Program of rural credit, to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies. Thus, the hypothesis of this work understands that rural credit from the LCA Program was capable, over 8 years, of expanding the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and, thus, positively impacting land use and occupation in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Therefore, the objectives of this work were: (i) to establish relationships between the rural credit flow of the LCA Program and municipal agricultural practices in Minas Gerais; and (ii) to determine the impact of the LCA Program on the adoption of mitigation technologies and land use in Minas Gerais, for the 2013–2020 time series. The results of this study showed that the municipalities with access to LCA Program credit were those with higher agricultural activity and a greater extent of degraded pasture areas. On average, these municipalities had 0.39 km2 of silviculture area, compared to 0.12 km2 in those without access, and 58.8 cattle per producer, versus 34.9 in non-beneficiary areas. They also concentrated 16.5 % of degraded pastures, while municipalities without credit had 9.6 %. Between 2013 and 2020, there was a 41 % reduction in intermediately degraded pastures and a 13.4 % increase in non-degraded pastures across the state. Thus, it can be concluded that LCA Program credit was statistically relevant for areas in need of recovery, contributing to improved pasture quality and more efficient land use in Minas Gerais. The findings highlight the role of targeted rural credit as a key mechanism to drive and enable land use transitions in agriculture toward more resilient systems adapted to future climate instabilities.
{"title":"Impact of rural credit on sustainable transformation of Brazilian agriculture: The case of the Low Carbon Agriculture (LCA) Program in Minas Gerais, Brazil","authors":"Marcelo Odorizzi de Campos , Regina Aparecida Leite de Camargo , Camila Fernanda Bassetto , Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra , Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri , Newton La Scala Jr. , Rouverson Pereira da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Brazil, changes in land use and forests are responsible for more than 70 % of CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent emissions. The federal administration created, in 2011, the Low Carbon Agriculture (LCA) Program of rural credit, to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies. Thus, the hypothesis of this work understands that rural credit from the LCA Program was capable, over 8 years, of expanding the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and, thus, positively impacting land use and occupation in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Therefore, the objectives of this work were: (i) to establish relationships between the rural credit flow of the LCA Program and municipal agricultural practices in Minas Gerais; and (ii) to determine the impact of the LCA Program on the adoption of mitigation technologies and land use in Minas Gerais, for the 2013–2020 time series. The results of this study showed that the municipalities with access to LCA Program credit were those with higher agricultural activity and a greater extent of degraded pasture areas. On average, these municipalities had 0.39 km<sup>2</sup> of silviculture area, compared to 0.12 km<sup>2</sup> in those without access, and 58.8 cattle per producer, versus 34.9 in non-beneficiary areas. They also concentrated 16.5 % of degraded pastures, while municipalities without credit had 9.6 %. Between 2013 and 2020, there was a 41 % reduction in intermediately degraded pastures and a 13.4 % increase in non-degraded pastures across the state. Thus, it can be concluded that LCA Program credit was statistically relevant for areas in need of recovery, contributing to improved pasture quality and more efficient land use in Minas Gerais. The findings highlight the role of targeted rural credit as a key mechanism to drive and enable land use transitions in agriculture toward more resilient systems adapted to future climate instabilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101317"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144902915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-25DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101398
Xue Zhao, Wanghai Tao, Quanjiu Wang, Shiyao Liu, Jingjing Cao
Saline-alkali land is a major global issue in soil degradation, particularly in typical coastal areas like the Yellow River Delta, hindering sustainable development in agriculture and the environment. The management of saline-alkali land requires a comprehensive, long-term, multi-disciplinary approach, with the improvement of saline-alkali land partition being a crucial prerequisite. To propose a comprehensive management plan for coastal saline-alkali land, this study conducted an analysis of 23 ecological and environmental factors, including climate, topography, soil, vegetation, and groundwater. Based on this analysis, the study suggested a zoning and classification approach for governance. Within the first layer of influencing factors, groundwater and soil factors hold the highest weights, followed by climate, while vegetation and topographical influences carry the lowest weights. Among the second layer of influencing factors, weights for the current status of saline-alkaline land, groundwater depth, and groundwater mineralization are relatively higher. According to the zoning model, the saline-alkaline land in the Yellow River Delta is categorized into five zones based on the degree of difficulty: Easy governance area, Mild saline-alkali governance area, Moderate saline-alkali governance area, Severe saline-alkali governance area, and Wetland ecological protection area, respectively accounting for 8.98 %, 12.78 %, 19.49 %, 20.89 %, and 28.56 % of the total coastal saline-alkaline land area in the Yellow River Delta. Corresponding control schemes are proposed for different saline-alkaline land management zones, involving the rational allocation of water conservancy projects, chemical improvement, vegetation restoration and bioremediation, field management, and other measures. This study is intended to provide a scientific reference for coastal saline-alkali land improvement and regional agricultural development.
{"title":"Spatiotemporal characterization of ecological elements and zoning of saline-alkaline land management in the Yellow River Delta","authors":"Xue Zhao, Wanghai Tao, Quanjiu Wang, Shiyao Liu, Jingjing Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saline-alkali land is a major global issue in soil degradation, particularly in typical coastal areas like the Yellow River Delta, hindering sustainable development in agriculture and the environment. The management of saline-alkali land requires a comprehensive, long-term, multi-disciplinary approach, with the improvement of saline-alkali land partition being a crucial prerequisite. To propose a comprehensive management plan for coastal saline-alkali land, this study conducted an analysis of 23 ecological and environmental factors, including climate, topography, soil, vegetation, and groundwater. Based on this analysis, the study suggested a zoning and classification approach for governance. Within the first layer of influencing factors, groundwater and soil factors hold the highest weights, followed by climate, while vegetation and topographical influences carry the lowest weights. Among the second layer of influencing factors, weights for the current status of saline-alkaline land, groundwater depth, and groundwater mineralization are relatively higher. According to the zoning model, the saline-alkaline land in the Yellow River Delta is categorized into five zones based on the degree of difficulty: Easy governance area, Mild saline-alkali governance area, Moderate saline-alkali governance area, Severe saline-alkali governance area, and Wetland ecological protection area, respectively accounting for 8.98 %, 12.78 %, 19.49 %, 20.89 %, and 28.56 % of the total coastal saline-alkaline land area in the Yellow River Delta. Corresponding control schemes are proposed for different saline-alkaline land management zones, involving the rational allocation of water conservancy projects, chemical improvement, vegetation restoration and bioremediation, field management, and other measures. This study is intended to provide a scientific reference for coastal saline-alkali land improvement and regional agricultural development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101398"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The “Nexus” concept has emerged as an effective approach to natural resources management, that integrates management and governance across sectors and scales, emphasizing the need to consider interconnections and interdependencies among multiple sectors and dimensions. Research over the past decade has contributed to developing tools and methods for effectively mapping and analyzing these interdependencies, and the use of mixed qualitative/quantitative modeling of the Nexus is seen as a relevant opportunity. Stakeholder engagement in Nexus modeling remains crucial to ensure that policy-relevant messages are produced. Focusing on the Tarquinia plain (Italy), where a strong interdependency (and conflict) exists between agriculture and the state of the environment, this study applies both a participatory Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) and a agro-hydrological model (SWAT) to analyze a Nexus system. The combination of these tools is mainly functional: the CLD facilitates participatory Nexus mapping and helps stakeholders identify key challenges, while SWAT provides an in-depth analysis of those challenges, quantifying the impacts of drivers (e.g., climate change) and the potential effectiveness of measures. Attention is given to soil loss assessment and erosion rates, as an effect of irrigated agriculture. The study highlights the potential of the proposed approach to support finding suitable strategies to guarantee a balanced and sustainable development of areas where a strong Nexus among societal and environmental needs exists.
{"title":"“Nexus” analysis using Participatory System Dynamics Modelling and agro-hydrological Modelling: hints from an agricultural basin in Central Italy","authors":"Marwah Yaseen , Alessandro Pagano , Raffaele Giordano , Silvia Vanino , Stefano Fabiani , Valentina Baratella , Vito Iacobellis , Aras Izzaddin , Ivan Portoghese","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The “Nexus” concept has emerged as an effective approach to natural resources management, that integrates management and governance across sectors and scales, emphasizing the need to consider interconnections and interdependencies among multiple sectors and dimensions. Research over the past decade has contributed to developing tools and methods for effectively mapping and analyzing these interdependencies, and the use of mixed qualitative/quantitative modeling of the Nexus is seen as a relevant opportunity. Stakeholder engagement in Nexus modeling remains crucial to ensure that policy-relevant messages are produced. Focusing on the Tarquinia plain (Italy), where a strong interdependency (and conflict) exists between agriculture and the state of the environment, this study applies both a participatory Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) and a agro-hydrological model (SWAT) to analyze a Nexus system. The combination of these tools is mainly functional: the CLD facilitates participatory Nexus mapping and helps stakeholders identify key challenges, while SWAT provides an in-depth analysis of those challenges, quantifying the impacts of drivers (e.g., climate change) and the potential effectiveness of measures. Attention is given to soil loss assessment and erosion rates, as an effect of irrigated agriculture. The study highlights the potential of the proposed approach to support finding suitable strategies to guarantee a balanced and sustainable development of areas where a strong Nexus among societal and environmental needs exists.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101374"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101365
Saskia Neumann , Julie M.L. Berta , Thomas Elliot , Lars Bodum
Climate change causes an increase in occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events, especially in densely built cities. Consequently, inequities are created as not only the exposure varies across geographies, but also the sensitivity and adaptive capacity towards climate hazards, which can differ on an individual level. From an urban climate justice perspective, these inequities need to be considered in climate adaptation planning practices, something that is currently lacking in many municipalities. This research explores how municipalities can assess social vulnerability for a more just approach to climate adaptation planning. A case study of the coastal city of Oostende (Belgium) is used to illustrate the method, which combines exposure to climate hazards (fluvial flooding, pluvial flooding, storm surges, and heat) and an established social vulnerability index covering a wide range of social and cultural factors that influence sensitivity and adaptive capacity of those communities. The results are mapped and these facilitate prioritisation for just climate adaptation measures. Namely making parts of the population more visible, which serves to increase the recognition of disadvantaged groups and their realities, which is why adaption measures can be tailored to their specific needs. This can also be used to positively influence the distribution of adaptation measures across the city but also across its inhabitants. Maps such as the ones produced in this study can function as an aid to point towards areas that are especially vulnerable and make the communication of these issues within and outside of the municipality easier. The approach has proven to be user-friendly and easy to implement by Oostende as well as other European coastal cities.
{"title":"Towards urban climate justice: Integrating social vulnerability in climate adaptation planning","authors":"Saskia Neumann , Julie M.L. Berta , Thomas Elliot , Lars Bodum","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101365","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101365","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change causes an increase in occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events, especially in densely built cities. Consequently, inequities are created as not only the exposure varies across geographies, but also the sensitivity and adaptive capacity towards climate hazards, which can differ on an individual level. From an urban climate justice perspective, these inequities need to be considered in climate adaptation planning practices, something that is currently lacking in many municipalities. This research explores how municipalities can assess social vulnerability for a more just approach to climate adaptation planning. A case study of the coastal city of Oostende (Belgium) is used to illustrate the method, which combines exposure to climate hazards (fluvial flooding, pluvial flooding, storm surges, and heat) and an established social vulnerability index covering a wide range of social and cultural factors that influence sensitivity and adaptive capacity of those communities. The results are mapped and these facilitate prioritisation for just climate adaptation measures. Namely making parts of the population more visible, which serves to increase the recognition of disadvantaged groups and their realities, which is why adaption measures can be tailored to their specific needs. This can also be used to positively influence the distribution of adaptation measures across the city but also across its inhabitants. Maps such as the ones produced in this study can function as an aid to point towards areas that are especially vulnerable and make the communication of these issues within and outside of the municipality easier. The approach has proven to be user-friendly and easy to implement by Oostende as well as other European coastal cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101365"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101378
Yanguo Liu , Li Wang , Xiurong He , Jingji Li , Ziqin Wang , Yu Chen , Qiang Zou , Liwei Tan , Mengni He , Xiangjun Pei
Eco-hydrological zoning is a key challenge in eco-hydrology. Large-scale principal component and clustering fail to capture eco-hydrological coupling or support adaptive management. Multiscale eco-hydrological zoning enables refined, coordinated regional management of ecosystems and water resources. Taking the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin as an example, we quantified the eco-hydrological index (EHI) through entropy and catastrophe progression methods and divided into three eco-hydrological zones: a low-water, a normal-water and a multi-water from 2000 to 2020 integration of five scales, and analyzed drivers of zones with the Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) and Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that (1) the low-water zone aligned with sandy land, bare rock, and permanent ice/snow; the normal-water zone correlated with alpine grasslands and the multi-water zone matched alpine wetlands and forests. (2) Over the 20-year period, eco-hydrological zoning pattern overall remained stable, normal-water ecological zone averaged 56.98 %, the low-water and the multi-water ecological zones averaged 18.15 % and 24.87 %, increased 0.18 % and 0.39 %. (3) GDP and vegetation cover were the primary driving factors influencing EHI with the interactions between driving factors primarily characterized by double-factor enhancement, and synergistic effects between drivers substantially exceed their individual contributions. (4) Ecological and topographic factors were positively correlated with EHI, while human activities, climate and hydrology factors were negatively correlated with EHI. Topography indirectly influenced EHI by shaping climate and affecting human activities. The eco-hydrological zoning of Nature reserves and Ecological red lines offers direction for the protection, monitoring, and ecological restoration of protected areas.
{"title":"Multiscale eco-hydrological zoning in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China","authors":"Yanguo Liu , Li Wang , Xiurong He , Jingji Li , Ziqin Wang , Yu Chen , Qiang Zou , Liwei Tan , Mengni He , Xiangjun Pei","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101378","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eco-hydrological zoning is a key challenge in eco-hydrology. Large-scale principal component and clustering fail to capture eco-hydrological coupling or support adaptive management. Multiscale eco-hydrological zoning enables refined, coordinated regional management of ecosystems and water resources. Taking the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin as an example, we quantified the eco-hydrological index (EHI) through entropy and catastrophe progression methods and divided into three eco-hydrological zones: a low-water, a normal-water and a multi-water from 2000 to 2020 integration of five scales, and analyzed drivers of zones with the Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) and Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that (1) the low-water zone aligned with sandy land, bare rock, and permanent ice/snow; the normal-water zone correlated with alpine grasslands and the multi-water zone matched alpine wetlands and forests. (2) Over the 20-year period, eco-hydrological zoning pattern overall remained stable, normal-water ecological zone averaged 56.98 %, the low-water and the multi-water ecological zones averaged 18.15 % and 24.87 %, increased 0.18 % and 0.39 %. (3) GDP and vegetation cover were the primary driving factors influencing EHI with the interactions between driving factors primarily characterized by double-factor enhancement, and synergistic effects between drivers substantially exceed their individual contributions. (4) Ecological and topographic factors were positively correlated with EHI, while human activities, climate and hydrology factors were negatively correlated with EHI. Topography indirectly influenced EHI by shaping climate and affecting human activities. The eco-hydrological zoning of Nature reserves and Ecological red lines offers direction for the protection, monitoring, and ecological restoration of protected areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101378"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-08-08DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101319
Hsin-Wei Hsu , Yu-Hsuan Lo
The cold chain preserves perishables via refrigeration, ensuring safety and reducing waste with precise temperature control. However, traditional methods are associated with high environmental impact and energy consumption. To address the lack of quantitative evaluation methods, this research develops a formula-based framework for sustainable cold chain performance. Using the Modified Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process, the study identifies 12 key performance indicators across three dimensions: Planning, Operation, and Service. Among these, Planning emerges as the most influential, emphasizing the importance of top-management-led energy-saving policies and infrastructure investment. This framework addresses a methodological gap and supports companies in resource prioritization, benchmarking, and tracking progress toward sustainability. Industry experts emphasize energy conservation, service quality, energy-efficient facilities, and tracking systems, while consumers prioritize service quality and product safety, highlighting the need for stakeholder-specific transformation strategies. The study applies these indicators to the aquaculture sector, a highly cold chain-dependent industry, identifying two top-ranked improvement measures: “Joint Carbon Reduction Supply Chains” and “Aquatic Product Quality Monitoring”, which balancing sustainability and product quality. Through benchmarking analysis of eight aquaculture companies, the study demonstrates how peer learning and data-driven evaluation can guide firms in implementing customized solutions such as real-time tracking systems, collaborative warehousing, and energy-efficient infrastructure. Ultimately, this study provides both academic contributions and actionable recommendations, equipping policymakers and industry stakeholders with practical tools to accelerate the transition to greener cold chains. It offers companies clear guidance on resource allocation, helping them align their operations with sustainability goals while meeting regulatory requirements and consumer expectations.
{"title":"Innovative sustainable cold chain evaluation model: Application to the aquaculture sector","authors":"Hsin-Wei Hsu , Yu-Hsuan Lo","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cold chain preserves perishables via refrigeration, ensuring safety and reducing waste with precise temperature control. However, traditional methods are associated with high environmental impact and energy consumption. To address the lack of quantitative evaluation methods, this research develops a formula-based framework for sustainable cold chain performance. Using the Modified Delphi Method and Analytic Hierarchy Process, the study identifies 12 key performance indicators across three dimensions: Planning, Operation, and Service. Among these, Planning emerges as the most influential, emphasizing the importance of top-management-led energy-saving policies and infrastructure investment. This framework addresses a methodological gap and supports companies in resource prioritization, benchmarking, and tracking progress toward sustainability. Industry experts emphasize energy conservation, service quality, energy-efficient facilities, and tracking systems, while consumers prioritize service quality and product safety, highlighting the need for stakeholder-specific transformation strategies. The study applies these indicators to the aquaculture sector, a highly cold chain-dependent industry, identifying two top-ranked improvement measures: “Joint Carbon Reduction Supply Chains” and “Aquatic Product Quality Monitoring”, which balancing sustainability and product quality. Through benchmarking analysis of eight aquaculture companies, the study demonstrates how peer learning and data-driven evaluation can guide firms in implementing customized solutions such as real-time tracking systems, collaborative warehousing, and energy-efficient infrastructure. Ultimately, this study provides both academic contributions and actionable recommendations, equipping policymakers and industry stakeholders with practical tools to accelerate the transition to greener cold chains. It offers companies clear guidance on resource allocation, helping them align their operations with sustainability goals while meeting regulatory requirements and consumer expectations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101319"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144829610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-08-07DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101315
James Gbeku Alidzi , Owusu Amponsah , Joseph Kwawukume , Yetimoni Kpeebi , Stephen Appiah Takyi , Ibrahim Babine Suleman , Gideon Abagna Azunre
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cities often struggle with the degradation of natural Green Infrastructure (GI), especially in cities where customary land tenure is more prevalent. Contrary to the prevailing narrative that traditional authorities are primarily responsible for this decline, this paper applies the collaborative governance theory to demonstrate the prospects of preserving GI in SSA cities through state-traditional institutional co-governance initiatives. Data for the paper was obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Manhyia Palace and key paramouncies, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Kumasi in Ghana. Corresponding spatial data was gathered from satellite images on eight GI in Kumasi. Analysis of the spatial data revealed that prior to the co-governance arrangements, the selected GI were depleting at an annual rate of 4.7 % between 2003 and 2013, and 5.4 % between 2013 and 2019 mainly due to encroachment by grey land uses. Five years after the initiative (2019–2023), the annual rate of decline reduced to 0.9 %, with a total of 20.36 km2 of GI preserved. Drawing from this analysis, we assert that co-governing GI by both state and traditional institutions, as emphasized by the collaborative governance theory, is a viable strategy for preserving GI in cities that are characterised by organic and informal development patterns, often spurred by customary land tenure arrangements.
{"title":"Co-governance for green infrastructure preservation: Collaborative strategies in customary land tenure cities of Sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"James Gbeku Alidzi , Owusu Amponsah , Joseph Kwawukume , Yetimoni Kpeebi , Stephen Appiah Takyi , Ibrahim Babine Suleman , Gideon Abagna Azunre","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cities often struggle with the degradation of natural Green Infrastructure (GI), especially in cities where customary land tenure is more prevalent. Contrary to the prevailing narrative that traditional authorities are primarily responsible for this decline, this paper applies the collaborative governance theory to demonstrate the prospects of preserving GI in SSA cities through state-traditional institutional co-governance initiatives. Data for the paper was obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Manhyia Palace and key paramouncies, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Kumasi in Ghana. Corresponding spatial data was gathered from satellite images on eight GI in Kumasi. Analysis of the spatial data revealed that prior to the co-governance arrangements, the selected GI were depleting at an annual rate of 4.7 % between 2003 and 2013, and 5.4 % between 2013 and 2019 mainly due to encroachment by grey land uses. Five years after the initiative (2019–2023), the annual rate of decline reduced to 0.9 %, with a total of 20.36 km<sup>2</sup> of GI preserved. Drawing from this analysis, we assert that co-governing GI by both state and traditional institutions, as emphasized by the collaborative governance theory, is a viable strategy for preserving GI in cities that are characterised by organic and informal development patterns, often spurred by customary land tenure arrangements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"57 ","pages":"Article 101315"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144826517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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