{"title":"Environmental complaint insights through text mining based on the driver, pressure, state, impact, and response (DPSIR) framework: Evidence from an Italian environmental agency","authors":"Fabiana Manservisi , Michele Banzi , Tomaso Tonelli , Paolo Veronesi , Susanna Ricci , Damiano Distante , Stefano Faralli , Giuseppe Bortone","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Individuals, local communities, environmental associations, private organizations, and public representatives and bodies may all be aggrieved by environmental problems concerning poor air quality, illegal waste disposal, water contamination, and general pollution. Environmental complaints represent the expressions of dissatisfaction with these issues. As the time-consuming of managing a large number of complaints, text mining may be useful for automatically extracting information on stakeholder priorities and concerns. The paper used text mining and semantic network analysis to crawl relevant keywords about environmental complaints from two online complaint submission systems: online claim submission system of Regional Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy (Arpae) (“Contact Arpae”); and Arpae's internal platform for environmental pollution (“Environmental incident reporting portal”) in the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. We evaluated the total of 2477 records and classified this information based on the claim topic (air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, waste, odor, soil, weather-climate, sea-coast, and electromagnetic radiation) and geographical distribution. Then, this paper used natural language processing to extract keywords from the dataset, and classified keywords ranking higher in Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) based on the driver, pressure, state, impact, and response (DPSIR) framework. This study provided a systemic approach to understanding the interaction between people and environment in different geographical contexts and builds sustainable and healthy communities. The results showed that most complaints are from the public and associated with air pollution and odor. Factories (particularly foundries and ceramic industries) and farms are identified as the drivers of environmental issues. Citizen believed that environmental issues mainly affect human well-being. Moreover, the keywords of “odor”, “report”, “request”, “presence”, “municipality”, and “hours” were the most influential and meaningful concepts, as demonstrated by their high degree and betweenness centrality values. Keywords connecting odor (classified as impacts) and air pollution (classified as state) were the most important (such as “odor-burnt plastic” and “odor-acrid”). Complainants perceived odor annoyance as a primary environmental concern, possibly related to two main drivers: “odor-factory” and “odors-farms”. The proposed approach has several theoretical and practical implications: text mining may quickly and efficiently address citizen needs, providing the basis toward automating (even partially) the complaint process; and the DPSIR framework might support the planning and organization of information and the identification of stakeholder concerns and priorities, as well as metrics and indicators for their assessment. Therefore, integration of the DPSIR framework with the text mining of environmental complaints might gene","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 261-281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45837025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Expert elicitations of smallholder agroforestry practices in Seychelles: A SWOT-AHP analysis","authors":"Daniel Etongo , Uvicka Bristol , Terence Epule Epule , Ajith Bandara , Sandra Sinon","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Agroforestry can leverage the co-benefits of climate change adaptation and mitigation while conserving biodiversity and restoring degraded and deforested lands. The preference of relevant stakeholders regarding agroforestry practices enhances sustainable land management through strategic decision-making in Seychelles and other island states. A suitable approach for assessing stakeholders’ preferences of agroforestry is the implementation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) approach in combination with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The entry point of this study is an extensive literature review process, during which 28 SWOT factors were identified. These SWOT factors were deliberated on during a half-day workshop with agricultural experts who agreed on 20 SWOT factors that reflect the local realities of the Seychelles through a consensus approach. Using the SWOT-AHP approach, focus group discussions were conducted to examine the perceptions of researchers and extension workers about the adoption of agroforestry in Seychelles. The results indicated that the positive aspects of smallholder agroforestry outweigh the negative aspects. For example, increased agricultural production, control runoff and soil erosion receive the highest scores among the strength factors perceived by researchers and extension workers, respectively. The willingness of international organizations to fund agroforestry-related projects and the existence of native tree species on farmlands have the highest scores among the opportunity factors. The lack of education, information, and communication between the government and farmers, and the small land size and crop competition have the highest scores among the weakness factors. Lastly, change in government policies on land use has the highest score among the threat factors by researchers, whereas the most significant threat is climate change and variability for the extension workers. The provision for a thirty-year land lease agreement in the National Agroforestry Policy of Seychelles is viewed by both groups as an incentive that could potentially drive the adoption and acceptability of agroforestry. Furthermore, better coordination of various efforts to promote agroforestry and more substantial extension services for farmers, especially the role of technologies for optimal production on small plots of land, can enhance climate resilience in Seychelles and other small island developing states.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 282-295"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42013312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qamer Ridwan , Zishan Ahmad Wani , Nahila Anjum , Jahangeer Ahmad Bhat , Mohd Hanief , Shreekar Pant
{"title":"Human-wildlife conflict: A bibliometric analysis during 1991–2023","authors":"Qamer Ridwan , Zishan Ahmad Wani , Nahila Anjum , Jahangeer Ahmad Bhat , Mohd Hanief , Shreekar Pant","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The escalating conflict between human and wildlife due to competing demands for limited space and resources has raised concerns worldwide, and understanding the dynamics of this conflict is crucial for devising effective strategies and policies. The present study is an attempt to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the published literature on the topic of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) for the period of January 1991–February 2023. For carrying out the analysis of the data obtained from Web of Science, the ‘Bibliometrix’ tool, developed through the R programming language, was used. The findings of the study revealed that a total of 1592 documents have been published on the HWC research topic from January 1991 to February 2023 within 338 sources. It is observed that the number of publications has continuously increased since 1991, with an annual growth rate of 5.16%. A total of 4995 authors have contributed to the targeted research field. Of the 388 sources, the journal ‘Biological Conservation’ is the most relevant and productive, followed by ‘Oryx’ and ‘Human Dimensions of Wildlife’. Based on the country production analysis, authors from 110 countries have contributed to the field, and the USA has the highest frequency of publications on HWC, followed by the UK and Australia. The USA also has the highest multiple country publications and has collaborated with 88 countries, with the highest frequency of collaboration with the UK, followed by India, Australia, and South Africa. The most frequently used keywords include ‘human-wildlife conflict’, ‘conservation’, ‘conflict’, ‘human-wildlife’, ‘wildlife’, ‘wildlife management’, ‘livestock’, ‘management’, ‘coexistence’, and ‘carnivore’. The present study identifies the most prolific authors, sources, institutions, and countries, as well as the study hotspots in the subject of HWC, which may assist researchers in finding the best working and publication platforms. Further, it may also help them identify reliable research partners to acquire the best findings and develop more effective strategies and policies to address the issue.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 309-321"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46711199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examination of the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"Sadat Daaki Ssekibaala, Twaha Ahmed Kasule","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The relationship between environmental degradation and poverty has increasingly become the focus of national strategic decision-making in recent years. However, despite several theoretical explorations on the nexus, a dearth of empirical literature on the poverty-environmental degradation nexus, specifically on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), still exists. In this study, we investigated the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in SSA. We hypothesized that poverty is both a cause and effect of environmental degradation, and this relationship is explained as a vicious cycle. Unlike previous studies, we employed several alternative indicators of environmental degradation to examine the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in this study. We used data from 41 countries of SSA between 1996 and 2019 and employed the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. The findings suggest a cyclical relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in SSA, which confirms that an increase in poverty leads to an increase in environmental degradation, especially in deforestation and PM2.5 emissions. Similarly, the increase in environmental degradation positively affects poverty in SSA. We also confirmed that exogenous conditioning factors such as population growth rate, education, industrialization, and income inequality, institutional quality indicators such as governance effectiveness, control of corruption, freedom ad civil liberty, and democracy, and endogenous factors including fossil fuel energy use, fuelwood energy use, household health expenditure, infant mortality rate, and agriculture productivity influence the nexus between poverty and environmental degradation. The findings on the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in SSA are a testimonial evidence that both poverty and environmental degradation are significant issues in SSA. Hence, poverty alleviation policies in SSA should not lead to PM2.5 emissions and deforestation, which may as well force people into a poverty-environmental degradation trap. Instead, poverty reduction policies should simultaneously achieve environmental conservation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 296-308"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44178063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Measuring the agricultural sustainability of India: An application of pressure-state-response model","authors":"S. Jatav, K. Naik","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.05.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2023.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42645406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yun Hao, Miao Wu, Xiaoyun Zhang, Lixian Wang, Jingjing He
{"title":"Research on the implementation of the convention on biological diversity among the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries","authors":"Yun Hao, Miao Wu, Xiaoyun Zhang, Lixian Wang, Jingjing He","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48142327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Oluwakemi Bolanle Akintan , Johnson Adedeji Olusola , Olaniyi Patrick Imole , Moyosoluwa Odunayo Adeyemi
{"title":"Geotechnical and GIS-based environmental factors and vulnerability studies of the Okemesi landslide, Nigeria","authors":"Oluwakemi Bolanle Akintan , Johnson Adedeji Olusola , Olaniyi Patrick Imole , Moyosoluwa Odunayo Adeyemi","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Landslide is a geological hazard typically associated with extreme events such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall, volcanic eruptions, changes in groundwater level, etc. This study was carried out in Okemesi-Ekiti (also known as Okemesi), Southwest Nigeria, with the purpose of using remote sensing and GIS technologies to analyze the environmental factors (grain size, direct shear strength resistance, rainfall data, wet density, surface, and slope) resulting in the occurrence of the Okemesi landslide. The study also aimed to conduct a vulnerability analysis in the study area to identify regions with a probability of landslide occurrence. The grain size analysis of the soil in the Okemesi landslide area showed that slope materials comprised 17.14% gravel, 59.31% sand, and 19.48% fines, thus the soil type could be classified as poorly graded gravely sand with a high possibility of landslide occurrence. The geomorphic characteristics of the study area was characterized by slopes ranging from 0.00° to 49.00°, while most slopes in the area were less than 8.00°. The slope aspect direction was mainly in south (157.51°–202.50°), southwest (202.51°–247.50°), west (247.51°–292.50°), and north (0.00°–22.50° and 337.51°–360.00°). The highlands were primarily bounded by the slope directions of north (0.00°–22.50° and 337.51°–360.00°), northeast (22.51°–67.50°), east (67.51°–112.51°), and southeast (112.51°–157.50°), which indicated the potential direction of mass movement. The study area can be divided into three vulnerability zones: high, medium, and low, with the area percentages of 9.00%, 61.80%, and 29.20%, respectively. The analysis suggested that the Okemesi landslide was likely triggered by rainfall, which might have weakened the physical structure of slope materials. Understanding the causes and impacts of landslides is crucial for policy-makers to implement measures to mitigate landslide hazards, protect infrastructure, and prevent the loss of life in the landslide-prone regions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 249-260"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48575144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of taxes on the 2030 agenda for sustainable development: Evidence from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries","authors":"Md. Mominur Rahman","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Multiple ecological and socioeconomic problems have occurred worldwide, raising the awareness of sustainability. This study aims to examine the impact of taxes on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This research used effective average tax (EAT), tax on personal income (TPI), tax on corporate profits (TCP), and tax on goods and services (TGS) as the variables of taxes, and employed secondary data from 38 OECD countries covering 2000–2021. The study also used Breusch-Pagan Lagrange Multiplier (LM), Pesaran Scaled LM, Bias-Corrected Scaled LM, and Pesaran Cross-sectional dependence (CSD) tests to analyze the existence of cross-sectional dependency. Then, we established the stationarity of variables through second-generation panel unit root tests (Cross-sectional Augmented Dickey-Fuller (CADF) and Cross-sectional Im, Pesaran, and Shin (CIPS)), and confirmed the long-run cointegration of the variables by using second-generation panel cointegration test (Westerlund cointegration test). The results showed that EAT, TPI, TCP, and TGS are positively associated with SDGs. However, the change in TPI has a smaller effect on SDGs than the change in EAT or TCP or TGS. The result of panel causality indicated that EAT, TPI, and TGS have a unidirectional causal relationship with SDGs. The study also found that TCP has a bi-directional causal relationship with SDGs. Moreover, the finding indicated that the OECD countries need to focus on tax policies to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study is based on the theory of optimal taxation (TOT), which suggests that tax systems should be designed to maximize social welfare. Finally, we suggests the importance of taking a comprehensive approach for the managers and policy-makers when analyzing the impact of taxes on SDGs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 235-248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44523604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yun Hao , Miao Wu , Xiaoyun Zhang , Lixian Wang , Jingjing He
{"title":"Research on the implementation of the convention on biological diversity among the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries","authors":"Yun Hao , Miao Wu , Xiaoyun Zhang , Lixian Wang , Jingjing He","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2023.08.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the most extensive and populous comprehensive regional cooperation organization in the world, covering about half of the world's population, with not only a huge consumer market, but also rich natural resources and strong productivity. As one of the important platforms for the implementation of the Green Belt and Road Initiative, it is an important opportunity for the SCO to actively participate in global governance and contribute to building a community of global life. To investigate the status of biodiversity conservation in the SCO countries, we used literature analysis approach. We surveyed the performance and international cooperation status of the SCO countries in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), listed facing problems and threats to biodiversity conservation, including not optimistic biodiversity conservation project implementation status, contradiction between ecological protection and economic development, impacts of human activities, lack of funds and talents, etc., and analyzed the biodiversity protection needs of the SCO countries from the perspectives of project and policy implementation status and international cooperation. According to the cooperation between China and the other SCO countries on biodiversity conservation and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework goals, we gave some recommendations: (1) promoting access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing; (2) integrating multiple funds and innovating the implementation of funding mechanism; (3) developing talent training and exchange programs and deepening multilateral cooperation; (4) strengthening cross-border cooperation and improving cooperation network; and (5) establishing a coordination mechanism for biodiversity conservation within the framework of the SCO.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"4 3","pages":"Pages 322-331"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}