SustainabilityPub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-12-20DOI: 10.3390/su18010076
John M Johnston, Matthew C Harwell
{"title":"Effective Strategies for Environmental Health Risk Communication.","authors":"John M Johnston, Matthew C Harwell","doi":"10.3390/su18010076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Effective risk communication designed for risk management increases concern and motivates action by providing guidance and specific actions that can be taken. When exposures to environmental contaminants or stressors are ubiquitous or pollutant sources are not easily controlled, also decreasing sustainability, risk communication is focused on actions for risk reduction and avoidance. Three recommended practices (use of virtual exemplars, narrative, and social media) are discussed as tactics and platforms to inform public beliefs and behaviors and to encourage adoption of long-term planning goals that avoid the consequences of future risks. These risk communication strategies appeal broadly to lay audiences, are not limited to scientists and science-trained risk communicators, and are consistent with the US EPA's SALT Framework, a research-based approach with recommended practices to guide risk communication. The overall strategy is to make risk communication more effective by using approaches that are dynamic, interactive, engaging, and relatable.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"18 1","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13137390/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147843059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-06-13DOI: 10.3390/su17125464
Madeline W Miller, Anchal Malh, Kaan Cem Ketenci, Savannah M Sturla Irizarry, Parth Vaishnav, Zachary E Rowe, Simone Charles, Carina J Gronlund, Shelie A Miller, Marie S O'Neill
{"title":"Energy-Efficient Upgrades in Urban Low-Income Multifamily Housing: Energy Burdens and Lessons Learned for Best Sustainability Practices.","authors":"Madeline W Miller, Anchal Malh, Kaan Cem Ketenci, Savannah M Sturla Irizarry, Parth Vaishnav, Zachary E Rowe, Simone Charles, Carina J Gronlund, Shelie A Miller, Marie S O'Neill","doi":"10.3390/su17125464","DOIUrl":"10.3390/su17125464","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Residents in low-income multifamily housing often struggle to afford energy for essential needs such as heating, cooking, and electronics. Climate change may increase these energy demands, and high energy bills can reflect inefficiencies in a home's systems or envelope. Improving the energy efficiency in low-income housing benefits both social justice and sustainability. However, there is limited information on the impact of energy upgrades in multifamily settings. This study examined the energy-related experiences of low-income families in public housing in Detroit, Michigan, who received energy-conserving measures (ECMs) such as efficient light bulbs, faucets, thermostats, and refrigerators in 2022. Thirty-nine residents completed surveys and provided energy usage data before and after the upgrades; twelve residents provided their hourly energy usage. Over 90% of residents reporting income information had an energy burden exceeding 6%, with higher energy expenses during colder months. While many residents appreciated the upgrades, quantitative evidence of reduced energy burdens was insufficient. Existing utility programs for multifamily residents typically offer minor upgrades but do not include larger appliance replacements or improvements to home insulation. To maximize energy efficiency for low-income families, thus promoting sustainability, more comprehensive programs and retrofits are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"17 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13020696/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147574984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-05-06DOI: 10.3390/su17094177
Kathleen C Williams, Leah M Sharpe, Sebastian Paczuski, Keahna Margeson, Matthew C Harwell
{"title":"How Bridging Approaches Further Relationships, Governance, and Ecosystem Services Research and Practice.","authors":"Kathleen C Williams, Leah M Sharpe, Sebastian Paczuski, Keahna Margeson, Matthew C Harwell","doi":"10.3390/su17094177","DOIUrl":"10.3390/su17094177","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding environmental governance empowers researchers and practitioners alike to work towards solutions that improve both environmental and human well-being outcomes. Collaborative, iterative approaches to governance use bridging approaches such as translational ecology, boundary work, and ecosystem services. The US Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development worked with a variety of collaborators to implement six multi-year coordinated case study research projects. The research projects were designed to support agency collaborators spanning different geographies, ecosystems, and environmental management decision contexts, and to demonstrate that different tools, approaches, and ecosystem service foci can enhance coastal and other water resource sustainability. To better understand the iterative and collaborative nature of the cases and collaborations, researchers conducted an analysis of the comparative case studies based on Williams' (2018) and Ostrom's (1994, 2009) frameworks. The team identified (1) who participated in the processes; (2) what the programs and goals were; (3) where programs worked and their resources; and (4) the resulting outcomes. We demonstrate that stakeholder participation and outcomes look different within different projects, and we conclude that relationships, focus on place, and common goals produce the most impactful results.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"17 9","pages":"4177"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12774332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145918609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2025-05-01Epub Date: 2025-04-30DOI: 10.3390/su17094080
Boluwatife S Olubusoye, James V Cizdziel, Kendall Wontor, Ruojia Li, Rachel Hambuchen, Voke Tonia Aminone, Matthew T Moore, Erin R Bennett
{"title":"Field Evaluation of Rice Husk Biochar and Pine Tree Woodchips for Removal of Tire Wear Particles from Urban Stormwater Runoff in Oxford, Mississippi (USA).","authors":"Boluwatife S Olubusoye, James V Cizdziel, Kendall Wontor, Ruojia Li, Rachel Hambuchen, Voke Tonia Aminone, Matthew T Moore, Erin R Bennett","doi":"10.3390/su17094080","DOIUrl":"10.3390/su17094080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tire wear particles (TWPs), a form of microplastics (MPs) pollution, are transported into waterbodies through stormwater runoff, leading to environmental pollution and impacts on associated biota. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of stormwater filter socks filled with rice husk biochar or pine tree woodchips in reducing TWP pollution in urban runoff in Oxford, Mississippi. Triplicate runoff samples were collected upstream and downstream of the biofilters at two sites during two storm events at peak flow within minutes of the start of the storm and after 30 min. Samples were analyzed for TWPs using a combination of stereomicroscopy, micro-attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-ATR-FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Concentrations (TWPs/L) upstream of the biofilter were variable but highest at the start of the runoff, dropping from an average of 2811 ± 1700 to 476 ± 63 after 30 min at site 1 and from 2702 ± 353 to 2356 ± 884 at site 2. Biochar was more effective than woodchips (<i>p</i> < 0.05) at removing TWPs, reducing concentrations by an average of 97.6% (first use) and 85.3% (second use) compared to 66.2% and 54.2% for woodchips, respectively. Biochar was particularly effective at removing smaller TWPs (<100 μm). Both materials became less effective with use, suggesting fewer available trapping sites and the need for removal and replacement of the material with time. Overall, this study suggests that biochar and woodchips, alone or in combination, deserve further scrutiny as a potential cost-effective and sustainable method to mitigate the transfer of TWPs to aquatic ecosystems and associated biota.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"17 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12802863/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145989792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2025-01-10DOI: 10.3390/su17020488
Merishca Naicker, Denver Naidoo, Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo, Mjabuliseni Simon Ngidi
{"title":"Factors Affecting the Choice and Level of Adaptation Strategies Among Smallholder Farmers in KwaZulu Natal Province.","authors":"Merishca Naicker, Denver Naidoo, Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo, Mjabuliseni Simon Ngidi","doi":"10.3390/su17020488","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020488","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Smallholder vegetable farmers grow diverse crops for family use and surplus sales. These farming activities contribute to enhancing local food security and the economy, but the farmers face challenges like limited resources and climate vulnerability. These smallholder farmers are more susceptible to climate variability and therefore need effective adaptation strategies to mitigate the challenges. This study sought to determine the factors that influence the choice and level of adaptation strategies among smallholder vegetable farmers in KwaZulu Natal Province. Primary data utilized in this study were obtained from 200 participants that were selected through random sampling. The descriptive results indicated that the majority of the farmers experienced climate variability and employed carbon and water-smart agricultural practices. The study employed the Multivariate Probit Model and Count Data Model/GLM Correlation Test to analyze the adaptation strategies and the level of their implementation by the selected vegetable farmers. The first hurdle of the probit model results showed that education level and land size positively and significantly influence smallholder farmers' adaptation strategies, while marital status, household size, income source, soil type, membership of the association, and supply chain involvement had a significant and negative effect on adoption of adaptation strategies. The results from the second hurdle showed that household size, the total size of land used for vegetable production, sandy, silt, and loam soil had a significant and negative effect on the level of adaptation strategy used, whilst the total size of land owned had a positive and significant impact on the level of adaptation strategy used by the smallholder vegetable farmers. The study concludes that education level and total land size are associated with improved farmers' climate variability adaptative capacity. The vegetable farmers' ability to adapt to climate variability challenges was negatively influenced by factors like marital status, household size, and soil type negatively impacted these strategies. The study recommends that the government considerably supports the Climate Smart Agriculture initiatives, such as alternatives like hot houses, training, credit access, and sustainable practices to enhance farmers' resilience and national food security. These may include but are not limited to alternatives like hot houses, as well as addressing barriers through training, credit access, and sustainable practices to enhance farmers' resilience and national food security.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"17 2","pages":"488"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7617608/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2024-12-09DOI: 10.3390/su162310778
Adam K Williams, James K Summers, Linda C Harwell
{"title":"Using Existing Indicators to Bridge the Exposure Data Gap: A Novel Natural Hazard Assessment.","authors":"Adam K Williams, James K Summers, Linda C Harwell","doi":"10.3390/su162310778","DOIUrl":"10.3390/su162310778","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme natural hazard events are increasing across the globe, compelling increased climate research on resiliency. Research concerning issues as integrative as climate change and natural hazard resiliency often requires complex methodologies to account for cumulative influences. Indicators can be used to parse complex data to assess the intersection of inputs and outcomes (i.e., cumulative impacts). The Climate Resilience Screening Index (CRSI) is a good example of an indicator framework as it integrates indicators and their associated metrics into five domains (e.g., natural environment, society, and risk), enabling the index to accommodate a variety of inputs in its assessment of resilience. Indicator research, however, is generally limited by the availability of pertinent data. Natural hazard data concerning exposure, loss, and risk are routinely collected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create and update the National Risk Index (NRI), a composite index. The NRI can be disaggregated to obtain individual underlying metrics about natural hazard exposure. Quantifying natural hazard exposure requires extensive computation, with each hazard type requiring multiple modifying considerations, such as meteorological adjustments made by subject matter experts. Commonly available natural hazard exposure data, like that from FEMA, combines the spatial extent of historical natural hazard events and the determined value of the affected area. Exposure-related data were retrieved from the National Risk Index and used to create a new composite value to represent only the spatial extent of natural hazard events. Utilizing this new methodology to represent natural hazard exposure alleviates the burden of complex computation. It allows exposure data to be more expeditiously integrated into research and indices relating to natural hazards.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"16 23","pages":"10778"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11980775/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2024-11-07DOI: 10.3390/su16229689
Nosipho Zwane, Joel O Botai, Christina M Botai, Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi
{"title":"Sustainability of the Linkages Between Water-Energy-Food Resources Based on Structural Equation Modeling Under Changing Climate: A Case Study of Narok County (Kenya) and Vhembe District Municipality (South Africa).","authors":"Nosipho Zwane, Joel O Botai, Christina M Botai, Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi","doi":"10.3390/su16229689","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229689","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Due to the current and predicted increase in the global demand for water-energy-food (WEF) resources, as well as the inevitable linkages between the WEF sectors and sustainable development, the WEF nexus is rapidly being recognized as a method to effectively manage sustainable development. Many African countries still face challenges in terms of the demand for and accessibility of WEF resources. For this reason, a comparative study of two sites (Narok County and Vhembe District Municipality), which exhibit similar socio-economic, environmental, and technological circumstances, was undertaken. In the present study, we considered 218 questionnaire responses, which we analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the WEF nexus constructs. This study is anchored on the null hypothesis (H0), whereby no interdependencies exist between the state of the climate and WEF resources, as constrained by sustainable development options. The results show that the proposed hypothesis does not hold, but rather, an alternative hypothesis (Ha)-there exist linkages between climate change and WEF resources-holds. This is demonstrated by the descriptive statistics indicating <i>p</i> values < 0.05 for both the <i>t</i>-test and the Bartlett test. Furthermore, analysis from the multi-regression, particularly for the model where we combined the sites, showed <i>p</i> values < 0.05 and higher adjusted r-squared values, which denoted a better fit. The communities in both study sites agree that the regions have experienced a scarcity of WEF resources due to climate change. The results show that climate change is an intrinsic part of the developmental options for the sustainable livelihood of both study sites, which aligns with the 2030 UN agenda on sustainable development goals targets. Moreover, the sustainable management of natural resources that are people- and planet-centric is crucial to climate change adaptation and mitigation, social justice, equity, and inclusion. The SEM results showed with significant confidence that the water, energy, and food sectors are closely interconnected; however, their impact on climate and sustainability is significantly different. Food has a direct positive impact on climate and sustainability, while both water and energy have an indirect negative impact. Moreover, the climate construct indicated a significant direct link to sustainability for all the relationships explored. This is particularly true because, in most underdeveloped countries, sustainable development and societal wellbeing heavily rely on goods and services derived from natural resources and the environment. This study contributes to the nexus modeling research field by introducing SEM as an innovative methodology over a single equation modeling framework in analyzing variables that have complex interrelationships, facilitating advanced WEF nexus resource governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"16 22","pages":"9689"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7617494/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143650835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Carbon Sequestration Capacity after Ecological Restoration of Open-Pit Mines: A Case Study in Yangtze River Basin, Jurong City, Jiangsu Province","authors":"Shenli Zhou, Xiaokai Li, Pengcheng Zhang, Gang Lu, Xiaolong Zhang, Huaqing Zhang, Faming Zhang","doi":"10.3390/su16188149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188149","url":null,"abstract":"Open-pit mining seriously damages the original vegetation community and soil layer and disturbs the carbon cycle of vegetation and soil, causing instability in the mining ecosystem and decrease in the carbon sequestration capacity of the mining area. With the deepening of environmental awareness and the influence of related policies, the ecological restoration of open-pit mines has been promoted. The mining ecosystem is distinct owing to the disperse distribution of mines and small scale of single mines. However, the carbon sequestration capability of mines after ecological restoration has not been clearly evaluated. Therefore, this study evaluated the carbon sequestration capacity of restoration mines, taking the mines of the Yangtze River Basin in Jurong City, Jiangsu Province as the research objects. Firstly, the visual effects of the vegetation and soil in their current status were determined through field investigation, the methods for sampling and data collection for the vegetation and soil were selected, and the specific laboratory tests such as the vegetation carbon content and soil organic carbon were clarified. Meanwhile, the evaluation system consisting of three aspects and nine evaluation indexes was established by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE). The process of evaluation included the following: the establishment of the judgment matrix, calculation of the index weight, determination of the membership function, and establishment of the fuzzy membership matrix. Finally, the evaluation results of the restoration mines were determined with the ‘excellent, good, normal and poor’ grade classification according to the evaluation standards for each index proposed considering the data of the field investigation and laboratory tests. The results indicated that (1) the evaluation results of the mines’ carbon sequestration capacity were of excellent and good grade at a proportion of 62.5% and 37.5%, which was in line with the field investigation results and demonstrated the carbon sequestration capacity of all the restored mines was effectively improved; and (2) the weights of the criterion layer were ranked as system stability > vegetation > soil with the largest value of 0.547, indicating the stability of the system is the main factor in the carbon sequestration capacity of the mines and the sustainability of the vegetation community and the stability of soil fixation on the slope. The proposed evaluation system effectively evaluates the short-term carbon sequestration capability of the restoration mining system according to the visual effects and the laboratory testing results, objectively reflecting the carbon sequestration capacity via qualitative assessment and quantitative analysis. The evaluation method is relatively applicable and reliable for restoration mines and can provide a reference for similar ecological restoration engineering.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142265022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
{"title":"Impact of Households’ Future Orientation and Values on Their Willingness to Install Solar Photovoltaic Systems","authors":"Ridmi Gajanayake, Lester Johnson, Hassan Kalantari Daronkola, Chamila Perera","doi":"10.3390/su16188143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188143","url":null,"abstract":"Solar energy is increasing in popularity as a renewable energy source, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Even though many governments promote solar energy by giving various incentives, its adoption rate in households is slow. Psychological factors have been relatively overlooked in solar adoption, despite the importance of social and economic factors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how psychological determinants impact households’ willingness to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. This study focusses on the future orientation and personal values (biospheric, altruistic, and egoistic values) of households’ and their willingness to install solar PV systems. The research draws from three environmental psychology theories: values orientation theory, value beliefs and norms theory, and the theory of planned behaviour to construct an integrative theoretical model. A survey involving 179 respondents in Australia was conducted and analysed applying the PLS-SEM technique. Findings revealed that future orientation and values are significant predictors of household willingness to install solar PV systems. Further, findings showed that attitude and perceived behavioural control play a significant role in installing solar. The findings will assist policymakers and solar companies in developing lucrative policies and marketing strategies to promote solar PV systems among households.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142265016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
SustainabilityPub Date : 2024-09-18DOI: 10.3390/su16188151
Marco Aurelio Acevedo-Ortiz, Gema Lugo-Espinosa, Yolanda Donají Ortiz-Hernández, Rafael Pérez-Pacheco, Fernando Elí Ortiz-Hernández, Sabino Honorio Martínez-Tomás, María Elena Tavera-Cortés
{"title":"Nature-Based Solutions for Conservation and Food Sovereignty in Indigenous Communities of Oaxaca","authors":"Marco Aurelio Acevedo-Ortiz, Gema Lugo-Espinosa, Yolanda Donají Ortiz-Hernández, Rafael Pérez-Pacheco, Fernando Elí Ortiz-Hernández, Sabino Honorio Martínez-Tomás, María Elena Tavera-Cortés","doi":"10.3390/su16188151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/su16188151","url":null,"abstract":"The increasing demand for food and the overexploitation of natural resources rapidly deplete the planet’s ecosystems, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Nature-based solutions effectively promote agricultural sustainability and environmental conservation but require continuous financial and political support to overcome existing barriers. This research examines these solutions’ effectiveness in Santa María Jacatepec, a biocultural region of Indigenous peoples in the Papaloapan Basin, Oaxaca, Mexico. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative analyses uses National Institute of Statistics and Geography data to evaluate socioeconomic and environmental indicators. The results indicate that despite pressures to develop cattle ranching, communities have maintained rain-fed agriculture, especially the milpa system, ensuring food sovereignty and preserving agricultural biodiversity. Additionally, implementation of Voluntarily Conserved Areas has facilitated access to payments for environmental services, incentivizing ecosystem protection. However, financial and structural challenges persist, limiting the expansion of these solutions. Santa María Jacatepec exemplifies how Indigenous communities can apply nature-based solutions to strengthen agricultural sustainability and environmental conservation. Integrating traditional knowledge and strengthening conservation policies can enhance community resilience and ensure sustainable development amid increasing pressure on natural ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":22183,"journal":{"name":"Sustainability","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142265021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}