Environmental and Sustainability Indicators最新文献

{"title":"Vegetation cover survey methods at cross-roads: Choice of aerial photography or satellite imagery by Japanese municipalities","authors":"Yuki Sofue,&nbsp;Ryo Kohsaka","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100471","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100471","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Master Plan for Parks and Open Spaces (or <em>Midori-no-Kihonkeikaku</em>), municipalities delineate their future visions, goals, and strategies for the conservation and promotion of green areas. Regular surveys are typically conducted, especially in densely populated urban areas, to assess and monitor these green areas. However, the data collection approaches are not standardized and left to the discretion of each municipality, considering factors such as cost, effort, desired accuracy, and comparability with historical data. Consequently, the data published by various municipalities lack uniformity, complicating comparisons and a comprehensive understanding of the situation. Furthermore, the rapid advancement in image analysis technology has placed municipal survey methods in a transitional phase. This study targeted 20 special status cities, called “ordinance designated cities” in Japan, to ascertain the current state of vegetation cover surveys method in each city. Interviews were conducted with ordinance designated city from 30th May to 2nd June. As of 2024, eight ordinance designated cities utilized aerial photography and nine used satellite imagery to measure vegetation cover, indicating a nearly equal distribution. Additionally, three cities did not measure vegetation cover. Most cities had not altered their survey methods, but those that did primarily cited cost as the driving factor, with many transitioning from aerial photography to satellite imagery. This shift raised concerns about the consistency of past and future data, underscoring the need to develop methods for integrating data with varying resolutions and coverage areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100471"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143178838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agricultural land around river confluences could strongly suppress floods occurrences","authors":"Takeshi Osawa","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flooding poses a significant threat to socioeconomic systems, with risks expected to escalate in the future due to factors such as climate change and urbanization. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) emphasizes the role of natural and seminatural ecosystems, particularly agricultural ecosystems, in disaster impact mitigation such as by flood prevention benefits. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Eco-DRR in agricultural land around river confluences across Japan, where frequent flooding occurs. Using flood occurrence data from 2010 to 2018 in 1917 municipalities across Japan, statistical models were established incorporating agricultural land, urbanized areas, and the number of dams as explanatory variables to predict flood frequency. Previous studies have demonstrated that agricultural land located in the water storage zone contributes to flood suppression, whereas high land in urbanized areas is associated with increased flooding risk. Therefore, this condition was incorporated into the models. Two patterns were tested: one using all agricultural land and another focusing on agricultural land within a 1-km buffer around river confluences. The results demonstrate that agricultural land near river confluences significantly enhances flood suppression compared to all agricultural land. In contrast, urbanized areas within water storage zones were associated with increased flood risks. The findings suggest that conserving agricultural land in flood-prone confluence areas offers substantial flood mitigation benefits, whereas urban expansion in these areas heightens flood risks. Therefore, prioritizing the preservation of agricultural land around river confluences is crucial for flood risk reduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100533"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143179234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between exposure to urban neighborhood natural environments and human health: A systematic review of multiple exposure indicators","authors":"Xingcan Zhou ,&nbsp;Kojiro Sho ,&nbsp;Hongfei Qiu ,&nbsp;Shenglin Chang ,&nbsp;Qingya Cen","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to the natural environment in urban neighborhoods is essential for community interventions to improve human health. Although cross-sectional evidence suggests potential benefits, the understanding regarding how to integrate stronger associations to improve natural environments remains lacking. This article synthesized longitudinal and experimental health evidence using different nature exposure indicators. We searched three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles published through June 2024; cross-sectional studies lacking temporality and qualitative case studies were excluded, and 96 studies were selected after screening 16102 records. Nature exposure indicators were categorized into availability, accessibility, visibility, and perceptibility. Notably, most studies measured availability using vegetation indices and area proportions, whereas accessibility was often analyzed in combination with availability in multidimensional assessments. Recent increases in visibility and perceptibility assessments, though infrequent, generally revealed significant positive relationships with human health. Among the 167 associations identified, 81.4% exhibited positive relationships with health, of which 70.06% were statistically significant. The highest percentage of negative results was observed in respiratory and emotional health outcomes. Nonsignificant or negative associations could be related to buffer size, nature coverage, or socioeconomic factors, and should prompt future research to explore underlying mechanisms and expand health practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100548"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142757289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate extreme indices and its implication on crop production: The case of Mana district, Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia","authors":"Biyeshi Ayansa Abdissa ,&nbsp;Dessalegn Obsi Gemeda","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is manifesting globally, with its effect on agricultural productivity becoming more apparent. There is no doubt that climate change is already affecting the economic development of developing countries. This research utilizes 40 years of historical climate data (1981–2021) to analyze temperature and rainfall trends and extreme climate indices in Mana district of Jimma zone in south-western Ethiopia. The significance level of temperature and rainfall trends and climate extreme indices were detected using Mann-Kendall's test statistics and the RClimDex, respectively. The study revealed that monthly maximum value of daily maximum temperature (TXx) and monthly minimum value of daily maximum temperature (TXn) experienced a statistically significant increasing trend (P &lt; 0.05). The results also revealed that the mean maximum temperature ranged from 21 to 32 °C, while the average minimum temperature varied between 10.9 and 14.23 °C. Conversely, none of the rainfall trends and extreme indices demonstrated statistical significance. Results reveal that warm nights, warm days, and diurnal temperature ranges were experienced an increasing trend, which have tremendous impacts on crop production. Further studies should be conducted using climate data from multiple stations to measure the impacts of climate extremes on crop yield, which can give a tangible evidence for policymakers to design climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100549"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142759185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy and CO2 fluxes in the early stage development of reclaimed and unreclaimed post-mining areas","authors":"Aysan Badraghi ,&nbsp;Ondřej Mudrák ,&nbsp;Jiří Kučera ,&nbsp;Leonardo Montagnani ,&nbsp;Jan Frouz","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100547","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100547","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The carbon exchange in post-mining areas and the impact of various restoration practices—(i) reclaimed (alder plantation on leveled microtopography in 2019) and (ii) unreclaimed (spontaneous development on wave-like microtopography)— on carbon and energy fluxes remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we conducted the first direct measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), latent heat (LE), and sensible heat (H) using paired eddy covariance towers at both reclaimed and unreclaimed sites during the growing seasons of 2020, 2021, and 2023 in the early stage of succession in Czechia. Our novel results show that early post-coal mining sites were net sources of CO₂ but became carbon sinks on a monthly scale within four years, highlighting the rapid ecosystem recovery at both sites. Significant differences in NEE, gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco), and LE were observed between the two sites. Initially (2020 and 2021), the effect of alder seedlings was negligible. Differences in NEE and LE were mainly caused by higher emissions (Reco) at the unreclaimed site due to lower soil bulk density and higher runoff at the reclaimed site due to compacted soil, both influenced by heavy summer rainfall. By 2023, alder growth (GPP) became the primary factor differentiating the two sites. Climatic variables influenced fluxes similarly at both sites, although correlations were stronger at the unreclaimed site. Our findings suggest that natural succession can lead to CO₂ sinks comparable to alder plantations, offering a practical alternative for post-mining land restoration in Central Europe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100547"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Smallholder farmers' perceptions of climate variability and its risks across agroecological zones in the Ayehu watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia","authors":"Abebe Biresaw Bitew ,&nbsp;Amare Sewnet Minale","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding farmers' perceptions of climate variability is crucial for developing adaptation strategies that reflect farmers' experiences and observations. This study investigates perceptions of climate variability and associated risks among smallholder farmers in the Ayehu watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. The study surveyed a sample of 338 participants selected randomly. We employed the Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator to examine the actual trends and magnitude of temperature and rainfall. Further, this study used the Severity Index (SI) and Standardized Climate-Related Risk Perception Index (SCRRPI) to assess farmers' perceived features of climate variability and associated risks. We used a binary logit model to identify the determinant factors influencing farmers' perceptions of climate variability. Findings showed a non-significant decline in annual rainfall (0.96 mm/year) but a significant increase in <em>Kiremt</em> season rainfall (5.4 mm/year). The minimum temperature rose by 0.03 °C per year, while the maximum increased by 0.02 °C annually. In the lowland area, 86% of farmers noted a rise in temperature trends, while 79% indicated a decrease in rainfall. ANOVA results indicated significant differences in climate perception across zones (P &lt; 0.01), with farmers' views aligning with actual climate data trends. SCRRPI identified crop pests, declining yields, drought, and water scarcity as perceived climate risks across agroecological zones. The binary logistic regression revealed that climate information, farming experience, and extension services significantly shaped farmers' perceptions. The study concludes that farm households' perceptions of temperature and rainfall variability vary across agroecological zones. Policymakers should consider these differences when developing climate adaptation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"25 ","pages":"Article 100546"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142757291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An in-depth multiscale analysis of farmland abandonment and recultivation dynamics in the Yangtze River Delta, China: A landscape ecology perspective empowered by google earth engine","authors":"Jianwen Wang ,&nbsp;Yimin Chen ,&nbsp;Zhifeng Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoping Liu ,&nbsp;Xia Li","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Farmland abandonment represents the extreme utilization of marginal land and results from the interplay between humans and the environment. In the Yangtze River Delta region of China, a significant economic hub, understanding the landscape patterns and driving mechanisms of farmland abandonment and recultivation land is crucial for regional sustainable development. This study aims to map the extent of farmland abandonment in 2020 and recultivation land in 2021 across the Yangtze River Delta, analyze the landscape patterns of farmland abandonment and recultivation land on multiple scales, and explore their driving mechanisms. Utilizing multi-source data and the Land Use Trajectory Change Method on the Google Earth Engine platform, we classified land use and identified farmland abandonment, fallow land, active farmland, and recultivation land. Spatial statistical analysis was conducted to investigate the distribution and patterns of farmland abandonment and recultivation land at Yangtze River Delta, provincial, and municipal scales. Additionally, a stepwise multiple linear regression model was employed to dissect the main driving forces of farmland abandonment and recultivation land. Results revealed that farmland abandonment in the Yangtze River Delta region exceeded an abandonment rate of 10%, with a reclamation rate in the following year of less than 30%. The spatial distribution of farmland abandonment and recultivation land varied significantly across different scales. On the Yangtze River Delta scale, farmland abandonment was positively influenced by altitude, distance to rivers, and temperature, while recultivation land was positively correlated with night light intensity. At the provincial and municipal scales, the driving forces exhibited scaling effects, with different factors becoming significant. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of farmland abandonment in the Yangtze River Delta region. The results provide a scientific basis for formulating land use policies, promoting sustainable agricultural development, and ensuring ecological balance. By uncovering the land use status and ecosystem balance influenced by human-environment interactions, this study offers insights into achieving a harmonious coexistence between economy, society, and ecology in the Yangtze River Delta region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100541"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Security vs efficiency of the water-energy-food nexus. A study of the economies of the regions of Spain","authors":"Manuel Morales-García,&nbsp;Miguel A. García-Rubio","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100543","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100543","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article addresses the conflict between socio-economic efficiency versus security-related sustainability in the provision of limited natural resources. We use the framework of the water, energy and food nexus in a novel approach that allows us to identify strengths and weaknesses in the economic structure of the regions analysed. We use the economies of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain as a case study. We simultaneously use integrated indicators of security, based on the availability, sufficiency and sustainability of resources, and data envelopment analysis to assess socio-economic and environmental efficiency. The results show significant differences in the sustainability of the nexus, with values ranging from 62% in Madrid to 83% in Galicia, while socio-economic and environmental efficiency ranges from 1.16% in the Basque Country to 0.63% in Navarre. A growing trend is also detected in the gap between the most and least resource-efficient regions. The two-dimensional analysis of security versus efficiency, as well as the separation of the latter into efficiency change and technical change, makes it possible to detect weaknesses and classify the 17 autonomous communities into 4 groups according to their success in both dimensions. The conclusions offer possible lines of public policy for the improvement of regional economies based on this analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100543"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Policy effects of water rights trading (WRT)","authors":"Jia Liu,&nbsp;Ke Shi,&nbsp;Zhaohua Wang,&nbsp;Chenyu Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100537","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100537","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's emphasis on rapid economic growth in the past years has led to irrational exploitation and utilization of water resources. Water rights trading (WRT), as an important initiative carried out by the Chinese government, has been implemented for eight years but mainly in some pilot provinces. In this paper, a multi-point difference-in-difference model is constructed to study the causality of WRT policies in China from 2012 to 2021 and verifies the scientific validity of the research results through parallelism test, time and individual placebo test, endogeneity test of Logit reverse causality, and robustness test. The impact of the WRT system on the utlization efficiency of water resources, as well as its mechanism and heterogeneity characteristics, is mainly explored. The research results demonstrate that WRT helps to improve the utilization efficiency of water resources in polot provinces, which is even more pronounced in the presence of government expenditures. In addition, the effect of WRT implementation is signigicantly related to regional industrial technological empowerment and residents' awareness of environmental protection and insignificantly related to regional agricultural sophistication. The findings of this study will provide empirical support for the Chinese government's local strategy of establishing a unified national WRT market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100537"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142698166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing environmental sustainability: Optimal municipal-industrial waste burial site selection in Bandar Abbas, Iran using a fuzzy multi-criteria approach incorporating physical-geotechnical factor","authors":"Mahdi Ranjbari ,&nbsp;Mohammad Amiri ,&nbsp;Alireza Rasekhi Sahneh ,&nbsp;Mahdi Faghihi","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2024.100542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bandar Abbas, Iran faces a significant challenge with the disposal of approximately 500 tons of waste daily, often leading to severe environmental contamination due to improper disposal practices. Existing methodologies for waste management site selection in the region have largely overlooked critical physical-geotechnical factors, focusing primarily on ecological and structural criteria. This study aims to fill this gap by employing a novel fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach that integrates environmental, ecological, structural, and physical-geotechnical factors for optimal burial site identification. Using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to weigh the criteria, this research develops information layers for each aspect. Euclidean distance mapping, combined with fuzzy operators (AND, OR, SUM, Product) and varied gamma values, generates a superposition map for site suitability analysis. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is then applied to rank potential sites and identify the most suitable locations. The results indicate that ecological criteria have the greatest influence on site selection, followed by structural, environmental, and physical-geotechnical factors. Key sub-criteria affecting site selection include proximity to sensitive habitats, residential areas, rivers, and fault lines. Based on the TOPSIS ranking model, five suitable burial locations in Bandar Abbas were identified, with Area 4 (west of Tal Siah Village) emerging as the optimal site. This study contributes to advancing waste management practices by offering a comprehensive, data-driven framework that balances environmental sustainability and geotechnical considerations, providing valuable insights for global application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 100542"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142698164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}