Article
Environmental Studies
Patrick J. Likongwe, Frank B. Chimaimba, Sosten S. Chiotha, Treaser Mandevu, Lois Kamuyango, Hesekia Garekae
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of community involvement in urban green space management on ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation, finding a diverse range of tree species in two hills within Zomba city, with higher tree density and significant increase in green cover on Sadzi hill.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ricardo Reale, Luiz Cesar Ribas, Teresa Cristina Magro Lindenkamp
Summary: The study reveals that most sustainable companies do not implement effective biodiversity conservation actions to mitigate negative environmental impacts, with conservation actions often concentrated in few areas and mostly mandated by law. Companies prioritize cost-saving in environmental management over ecosystem rebuilding.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Aamir Mehmood Shah, Gengyuan Liu, Zhaoman Huo, Qing Yang, Wen Zhang, Fanxin Meng, Lin Yao, Sergio Ulgiati
Summary: This study applies the Emergy Accounting method to assess the cost and benefit of street trees in urban green infrastructure. It establishes a framework to assign environmental value to different types of services provided by urban forests. The study evaluates the services and dis-services of the street ecosystem in Beijing, and suggests improvements for better management practices.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luiz H. David, Sara M. Pinho, Feni Agostinho, Jesaias Costa, Maria Celia Portella, Karel J. Keesman, Fabiana Garcia
Summary: Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines the advantages of aquaculture and hydroponics. It mimics the natural biological process and is considered a viable alternative for urban regions with limited agricultural land and water resources. This study uses emergy synthesis to assess the sustainability of urban aquaponics farms in Brazil, focusing on the materials used and ecosystem services provided. Results show that the choice of materials greatly influences the energy demand, and aquaponics systems have more efficient feeding management compared to traditional aquaculture. The inclusion of ecosystem services highlights the educational and tourism potential of aquaponics.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Vivienne P. Groner, Jessica J. Williams, Richard G. Pearson
Summary: Biodiversity plays a crucial role in providing ecosystem services, but the contribution of rare and endangered species (RES) to these services is unclear. A systematic review found a lack of quantitative research on the role of RES in agricultural production, which is a major driver of biodiversity change. Further research is urgently needed to inform conservation and agricultural policies.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Diane E. Pataki, Marina Alberti, Mary L. Cadenasso, Alexander J. Felson, Mark J. McDonnell, Stephanie Pincetl, Richard V. Pouyat, Heikki Setala, Thomas H. Whitlow
Summary: Research shows that urban trees provide benefits such as local cooling, stormwater absorption, and health benefits for residents, but have limited potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Due to space constraints, urban trees are more promising for climate and pollution adaptation strategies rather than mitigation strategies.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bosco Lliso, Dominic Lenzi, Barbara Muraca, Kai M. A. Chan, Unai Pascual
Summary: This paper expands the understanding of nature and its contributions to people by exploring the concept of 'disvalues'. Understanding how people express disvalues helps to capture their preferences and subjective perspectives, while considering their socioenvironmental positions.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Elsa Blareau, Pauline Sy, Karim Daoud, Fabrice Requier
Summary: This study in an urban area near Paris found that wild pollinators are able to support strawberry production in an urban agricultural context. Honey bees were not observed visiting the flowers, but fruits were larger when pollinators were able to visit. These results highlight the importance of wild urban pollinators in providing high-quality, local, and sustainable crops in urban areas.
Editorial Material
Forestry
Giuliano Maselli Locosselli, Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
Summary: Urban trees and forests are essential in cities to address environmental challenges and promote well-being. The increase in urban population has created complexity, calling for Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Trees are crucial in NbS due to the ecosystem services they provide. This special issue on Urban Trees advances our understanding of their services, resilience, disservices, and proposes new management strategies. Scientific evidence is crucial in decision-making to enhance well-being in urban areas.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tsegaye T. Gatiso, Lars Kulik, Mona Bachmann, Aletta Bonn, Lukas Boesch, Dustin Eirdosh, Andreas Freytag, Susan Hanisch, Marco Heurich, Tenekwetche Sop, Karsten Wesche, Marten Winter, Hjalmar S. Kuehl
Summary: Despite favorable socio-economic context and high conservation efforts, protected areas have limited effectiveness in halting biodiversity loss. Increasing conservation efforts may be necessary, but the diminishing marginal returns principle implies that even greater efforts and resources would be needed as protected areas approach zero biodiversity loss. Adopting core design principles that consider the social-ecological contexts of protected areas could help overcome the observed hurdles of limited effectiveness and better integrate them into sustainable development efforts.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Niamh Murtagh, Rachael Frost
Summary: Private gardens in urban settings have numerous benefits for the environment and society, including mitigating flooding and urban heat islands. To encourage more front garden planting, understanding householders' motivations is crucial. A large-scale online survey in England identified three motivational factors (enjoyment, aesthetic, and utilitarian) and found that intrinsic motivations, especially for women, strongly predict time spent front gardening. The study provides insights for comparative research and interventions to increase front gardening.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Max R. Piana, Clara C. Pregitzer, Richard A. Hallett
Summary: Cities worldwide are implementing large-scale greening projects to tap into the ecological, economic, and social benefits of urban forests. Urban forested natural areas, though crucial, often lack formal management frameworks and are overshadowed. By adapting traditional silviculture practices with modifications for urban settings, cities can improve the long-term sustainability of urban forests.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Leonie Ratzke
Summary: This study investigates urban dwellers' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for urban biodiversity. The findings indicate that WTP for biodiversity is positive and economically significant, suggesting that conservation and enhancement of urban biodiversity can benefit the local urban population. The study also identifies a satellite-based biodiversity indicator as a potential alternative to conventional species richness indicators, which is significant for regions with limited data availability. These results can inform biodiversity conservation and management decisions by emphasizing the importance of incorporating urban biodiversity in biodiversity policies.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Sergio Alvarez, Jose R. Soto, Francisco J. Escobedo, John Lai, Abu S. M. G. Kibria, Damian C. Adams
Summary: The study highlights the importance of considering public preferences and values when designing urban forest policies, as there are significant differences in willingness-to-pay for various forest structure attributes among different value groups. Using tree functional traits rather than species taxa can lead to more effective decision-making, and address the diverse values held by the public.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Qiang Ren, Chunyang He, Qingxu Huang, Peijun Shi, Da Zhang, Burak Guneralp
Summary: Urban expansion in dryland areas has significant indirect impacts on surrounding habitats, with the potential to threaten a large number of threatened species globally. Strategic management is crucial to mitigate the substantial impacts of dryland urban expansion on biodiversity.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alessandro Concari, Gerjo Kok, Pim Martens
Summary: Research on human behavior in waste management has been growing rapidly in recent years, with this paper using bibliometric analysis and text mining to map the knowledge domain of recycling behavior. Findings show a global interest in this topic, with leading countries in Europe, North America, and Commonwealth regions, as well as China and Malaysia playing significant roles. Key sub-domains in the field include food waste, determinants of recycling behavior, and waste management systems.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Business
Melanie Feeney, Therese Grohnert, Wim Gijselaers, Pim Martens
Summary: This paper explores the role of learning in organizational responses to sustainability. Learning has been identified as a key organizing process for overcoming collaborative action challenges. Through a cross-disciplinary systematic review, this study examines how different disciplines conceptualize and operationalize learning for sustainability and identifies common themes and challenges. Findings highlight the influence of power relations on learning and decision-making processes, as well as the limitations posed by traditional value structures and reflexive complicity.
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ramona Doliff, Pim Martens
Summary: This review evaluates the role of cats in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and finds that cats are susceptible to the virus, but there is currently no evidence of widespread circulation among cats. While cats seem to play a small role in the transmission of the virus, the study also highlights significant research gaps.
Article
Primary Health Care
Monika dos Santos, Juanette John, Rebecca Garland, Romeo Palakatsela, Arnaud Banos, Pim Martens, Bono Nemukula, Murdock Ramathuba, Faith Nkohla, Keobakile Lenyibi
Summary: Climate change poses a significant threat to the health and healthcare system in South Africa, particularly impacting impoverished communities and individuals with underlying medical conditions. South Africa needs to establish a comprehensive framework for action and policy to address this issue, with implementation at the local government level to ensure effectiveness. Additionally, it is important to enhance understanding of the impacts of climate change on health and healthcare systems in South Africa.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE & FAMILY MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
B. Su, P. Martens
Summary: This study examines the level of concern for animal welfare among the Chinese people after the COVID-19 outbreak and finds a significant increase compared to a study conducted in 2015. The impact of COVID-19 has led to a decrease in idealism scores, which weakens the correlation between idealism and concern for animal welfare compared to the 2015 results. The pandemic did not increase relativism scores, but there is a significant correlation between relativism and concern for animal welfare. Factors such as gender, age, educational level, public perception of animals after COVID-19, and visits to zoos and aquariums are found to be predictors of concern for animal welfare.
Article
Anthropology
Mo Chen, Pim Martens
Summary: The relationship between people's concern for the environment and their attitudes toward marine life was investigated in this study, which conducted an online survey in 22 Chinese coastal cities. The findings revealed that residents in coastal China generally endorsed pro-ecological views but were passive in environmental public participation. All five dimensions of environmental concern were positively correlated with marine life attitude, with varying degrees of association with specific categories of the Animal Attitude Scale.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dexon Pasaribu, Bagus Takwin, Pim Martens
Summary: Several studies have shown conflicting results regarding the relationship between religion and concerns for environmental preservation. This study investigates the influence of religious narrative framing and the relation between different religious orientations and general environmental apathy and acceptability for harming animals. The survey conducted in Indonesia found that religious narrative framing affects participants' apathy and acceptability for harming animals, with those exposed to stewardship narratives showing lower levels of apathy and acceptability. Additionally, individuals with higher intrinsic personal religious orientation and lower extrinsic social religious orientation were found to have lower levels of apathy and acceptability.
Article
Agronomy
Mengmeng Chen, Xinliang Wang, Xiaodong Ding, Lu Liu, Lipeng Wu, Shirong Zhang
Summary: Organic fertilizer application can improve P availability and crop growth, but high-level organic fertilization increases the risk of P loss in coastal saline-alkaline paddy soils.
ARCHIVES OF AGRONOMY AND SOIL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Kalle Aro, Jyrki Aakkula, Ville Lauttamaki, Vilja Varho, Pim Martens, Pasi Rikkonen
Summary: This article examines the construction and assessment of scenarios in Finland's climate policy planning. The study reveals that while the scenarios were considered well-executed, there are areas for improvement in terms of collaboration, methodology, and utilization of the scenarios.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bingtao Su, Chao Zhang, Pim Martens, Xianqiang Cao
Summary: A sustainable diet is recognized as an effective solution for environmental and health issues. This study examines the correlation between geographical locations and dietary environmental footprints in China. The results show that residents in the southern region with high disposable income have the highest ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, while the northern residents with low income have the lowest footprint. The findings suggest the importance of considering geographical locations and dietary cultures in reducing environmental impacts.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alessandro Concari, Gerjo Kok, Pim Martens, Nathalie Brink
Summary: This study examines waste separation behavior in households in Maastricht and Zwolle (The Netherlands) using the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit (TRGP). It finds that goals and motivation have an influence on the intention to separate waste, and offers suggestions for promoting behavior change and future research directions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Asiya Khalid, Pim Martens, Aliya Khalid
Summary: Ethical ideologies have a significant impact on students' moral decision making and their attitude towards animal welfare. Both relativistic and idealistic ideologies were found to be associated with a positive attitude towards animals and concern for animal welfare among students. This study highlights the importance of understanding students' ethical ideologies in promoting animal welfare and future decision-making processes.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Orla Kelly, Peta White, Fabrizio Butera, Sam Illingworth, Pim Martens, Maud Huynen, Susan Bailey, Geertje Schuitema, Sian Cowman
Summary: Transdisciplinary sustainability science integrates multiple perspectives and engages with multiple stakeholders to solve real-world sustainability challenges. This article proposes a model for teaching and learning that considers the contemporary pressures of sustainability science praxis, highlighting the importance of social science perspectives in incorporating power, justice, and historical responsibility into sustainability discussions. The article also emphasizes the benefits of using arts-based approaches in the classroom and provides strategies for supporting students in dealing with anxiety and ecological grief.
SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bram Oosterbroek, Joop de Kraker, Maud M. T. E. Huynen, Pim Martens, Koen Verhoeven
Summary: We propose a new spatial model that utilizes geospatial data to assess the impacts of urban green space (UGS) on health. The model addresses the limitations of existing models and aims to meet the needs of urban spatial planners for quantitative assessment of UGS's health benefits and burdens. A hotspot analysis for urban design-related health problems is also described as a potential application of the model, which can help prioritize urban greening strategies and design effective greenspace interventions.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Huihui Liu, Pim Martens
Summary: This paper explores the social and environmental challenges faced by rural areas and emphasizes the importance of stakeholder participation in nature-based solutions (NbS). The study suggests the need to raise awareness of environmental protection among farmers, enhance their participation and sense of ownership, improve their ability to take action, and integrate eco-design into their lives.
