{"title":"Drivers of short-term recovery in vegetation greenness and canopy height in burned areas of Southwest China","authors":"Pan Xie, ZhiGao Yang, Feng Liu, Xin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100950","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100950","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest fires are major disturbances to forest ecosystem structure and function. Understanding post-fire vegetation recovery and its drivers is crucial for forest restoration. This study investigates 20 forest sites burned in Southwest China in 2020. Post-fire vegetation recovery was evaluated in two dimensions using multi-source remote sensing: vegetation greenness represented by Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and canopy height. Recovery was quantified with Relative Recovery Index (RRI) and annual growth rate. A Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was employed to explore the driving effects of multiple factors,including topography, climate, fire severity, and pre-fire vegetation conditions, on post-fire vegetation recovery. It was found that there was an asynchrony between the recovery of EVI and canopy height after fire, EVI recovered faster than canopy height after fire (RRI≤0, 38.27 % vs 6.37 %; RRI 0.5–1.0, 53.8 % vs 17.4 %), thus potential overestimation for forest recovery if assessed using optical indices solely. GAM results indicated that EVI recovery was primarily driven by precipitation, temperature, fire severity, and pre-fire EVI; canopy height recovery was mainly influenced by slope, fire severity, and pre-fire canopy height, with elevation and precipitation influenced recovery through interactions with other factors. High fire severity enhanced EVI recovery but suppressed canopy height recovery, while pre-fire vegetation conditions negatively affected the short-term recovery of both metrics. For both single and interactive driving factors, the effects on the recovery of EVI and canopy height were predominantly nonlinear rather than purely linear. The results advance knowledge of post-fire vegetation recovery mechanisms and support informed evaluation and management of affected ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100950"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220625","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":"Are Swiss farmers overworked? Evidence from a labour requirement calculation model","authors":"Stefan Mann, Katja Heitkämper, Daniel Hoop","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focuses on workload as a sustainability indicator comparing the modelled demand for labour—based on a farm's production portfolio—with the deployed labour resources on the farm, according to self-declared statistics. It uses a sample of 700 farms that provide detailed bookkeeping data. The descriptive analysis indicates that 10 % of the sample are underworked, whereas 34 % are clearly overworked, with a labour deficit exceeding 20 %. The econometric analysis shows that diversified farms and those focusing on husbandry are the most likely to experience overwork. It also reveals that farms working with contractors face a higher risk of overwork, while employing hired workers reduces this risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100942"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158243","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":"Quantifying and separating the impact of climate change and human activities on vegetation in transboundary regions","authors":"Zelin Yu , Luguang Jiang , Ye Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vegetation plays a central role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet its dynamics are strongly shaped by both climate change and human activities. Quantifying and separating the impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics has remained a central challenge. However, current research still lacks precise quantitative evaluation methods to characterize the respective influence of climatic and human activities, particularly in increasingly dynamic transboundary regions. This study addresses the gap by proposing an improved threshold segmentation method through a case analysis of the Altai Mountains (AM) transboundary region. The results reveal that 21.97 % of the area showed significant restoration, while 1.05 % experienced significant degradation, with notable differences across countries. The region is undergoing warming and increased humidity, with precipitation being more strongly correlated to vegetation changes. In areas of significant restoration, human activities and climate change contributed 11.97 % and 8.74 %, respectively. The proportion of restoration driven by human activities was 14.37 % in Mongolia and 15.71 % in Russia, while it was less than 10 % in both China and Kazakhstan. Over 80 % of the restoration areas driven by climatic factors were distributed in Mongolia. In terms of the effectiveness of protected area implementation, those in China, Mongolia and Russia have all played a significant protective role. Our improved significance-threshold segmentation method proves highly effective for identifying driving factors in arid and semi-arid regions, showing great potential for broader application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100943"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220725","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}
Yize Li , Change Zheng , Ye Tian , Xiaodong Liu , Feng Chen , Wenbin Cui
{"title":"Prediction and key drivers analysis of forest surface Dead Fine Fuel Moisture Content: A stacking ensemble learning and IoT-based system","authors":"Yize Li , Change Zheng , Ye Tian , Xiaodong Liu , Feng Chen , Wenbin Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dead Fine Fuel Moisture Content (DFFMC) is a critical factor influencing wildfire risk and fire spread behavior in forest fire management. DFFMC field-measurement relies on manual sampling, suffering from slow response, high labor costs, and limited spatial coverage. Moreover, existing predictive models of DFFMC are mostly based on single machine learning algorithms, which struggle to balance spatial generalization and local fitting capabilities, thereby limiting overall model performance. This study proposes a DFFMC prediction approach that integrates a stacking ensemble learning model with a hybrid dataset from different regions and Internet of Things (IoT) technology, offering the advantages of high accuracy, high spatial generalization, and rapid responsiveness. A stacking ensemble learning model was trained using publicly available international datasets covering diverse ecological and climatic zones. To evaluate the model’s spatial generalization capability, field data collected from Bajia Country Park in Beijing, China, were used exclusively as an independent validation set. The model demonstrated strong predictive performance on the domestic dataset, achieving a correlation coefficient of 0.91 and a mean absolute error below 2. Key drivers analysis revealed that humidity and precipitation are the key drivers of DFFMC. Partial dependence plots indicate nonlinear DFFMC responses when humidity exceeds 60% and precipitation surpasses 3 mm. Bivariate dependence analysis further highlights complex interactions among meteorological factors, underscoring the value of multi-factor modeling for accurate DFFMC prediction and wildfire risk management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100937"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220623","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":"Nonlinear dynamics of environmental performance in Asia: The role of economic complexity, renewable energy, and green technologies","authors":"Habibeh Salimi, Azar Sheikhzeinoddin","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100938","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing environmental issues stemming from unsustainable practices highlight the necessity to assess and enhance global environmental performance. This research explored the factors influencing environmental performance (EPI) in 25 Asian countries from 2000 to 2022. Firstly, EPI was computed using indicators related to climate change, ecosystem vitality, and environmental health. Then, using a panel ARDL, the factors affecting the EPI were examined in two countries: total selected Asian countries and developing Asian countries. The components included the Economic Complexity Index (ECI), renewable energy consumption (REC), environmental technologies (ET), gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and the Human Development Index (HDI). The findings revealed that Japan achieved the highest score on the EPI, whereas India and Pakistan received the lowest scores. Furthermore, Iran's score raises alarm due to significant challenges, especially in climate change and biodiversity. Additionally, the results rejected the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory for all the Asian countries examined, demonstrating that the Environmental Complexity Index (ECI) is related to sustained enhancements in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and can support sustainability while decreasing environmental impact. However, a nonlinear relationship was discovered for developing Asian countries, supporting a variation of the EKC theory. While REC and ET are generally associated with positive short-term effects on EPI, particularly in developing countries, they can result in negative or intricate consequences in the long run. This emphasizes the critical need to adapt environmental policies to the varying developmental stages of countries, strengthen governance, and proficiently manage renewable technologies and energy through an integrated life cycle approach. Additionally, it encourages international partnerships to realize sustainable development in Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100938"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158242","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":"Interpreting conflicting sustainability indicators: The paradox of coupling and coordination in Hainan's urban-ecological system","authors":"Shulong Yan , Rui Zhang , Yuehan Liu , Qingrui Li","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainability indicators are intended to guide environmental policy, but what happens when they tell conflicting stories? This study confronts this critical governance paradox through an in-depth case study of Hainan Island, a globally significant ecological hotspot undergoing intense urbanization. We employed the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) model to analyze two decades (2000–2020) of urban and ecological data, quantitatively assessing both the intensity of their interaction (coupling degree) and its quality (coordination degree). Our results reveal a stark “separation phenomenon”: while the coupling degree remained exceptionally high (>0.94), suggesting a tightly integrated system, the coordination degree collapsed from a healthy 0.724 to a state of imbalance at 0.544. This divergence exposes a dangerous phase of “exploitative coupling,” where urban expansion efficiently consumed natural capital, creating a misleading picture of systemic health. This research provides a crucial, actionable lesson for environmental management: coordination, not mere coupling, is the true compass for sustainability. Our findings directly inform an adaptive governance framework that uses indicator divergence as an early warning trigger for policy intervention. We argue for a fundamental policy shift towards fostering “synergistic coupling,” offering a new model for navigating the complex trade-offs between development and conservation in sensitive regions worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100940"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105912","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}
Xindi Dou , Wei Li , Yujia He , Yu Zhao , Qianqian Sang , Yiyi Wang , Chenxing Wang , Yan Yan
{"title":"Assessing the future effectiveness of ecological protection and restoration by compiling ecological patterns & services indicators and multi-scenario simulation","authors":"Xindi Dou , Wei Li , Yujia He , Yu Zhao , Qianqian Sang , Yiyi Wang , Chenxing Wang , Yan Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing globalisation has exerted pressure on global ecosystems, therefore, ecological restoration must be employed to control ecological degradation. Due to natural succession's nonlinear responses and ecological hysteresis effects, ecological restoration exhibits a temporal lag in its impact on ecosystems. Existing studies primarily focus on immediate effects prior to and following project implementation, yet they don't model, predict, or assess its future restoration effectiveness beyond immediate project cycles. In this study, the restoration future effectiveness within the Jingzhou Shan-Shui initiative will be examined, utilising a “scenario driven\"-\"patter evolution\"-\"service response” framework. A “Restoration-Pattern-Service” indicator was developed based on the PLUS-InVEST model to compare four scenarios, namely, Natural Development (ND), Extensive Economy (EE), Ecological Rest oration (ER), and Eco-friendly Development (ED), with future potential ecological risk areas identified. The main findings were as follows: By 2035, built-up land in the ND and EE will reach 5.24 % and 5.99 %, with a more limited expansion under ED and ER; Ecosystem patterns-services varied across scenarios, with ED and ER exhibit better; More potential risk areas were found in EE and ND; In ED and ER scenarios, risk hotspots will concentrate in cropland-urban inter-transition zones. This study finds the integration of ecological restoration into regional development may optimise ecosystem outcomes, hence, future activities should seek to achieve an equilibrium between regional development and ecological conservation. The main objective of this essay is to provide methodological support for monitoring and management in assessing the future effectiveness of restoration, while offering a scientific basis for formulating and optimising regional sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100939"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220723","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}
Usman Ullah , Wasim Abbas Shaheen , Gaafar Mohamed Abdalkrim , Noman Shafi , Teodora Odett Breaz , Mohammed Jaboob , Abdullahi Sani , Abdul Malik
{"title":"Past and present of energy: The role of green finance, technological innovation, and financial risk in sustainability indicators","authors":"Usman Ullah , Wasim Abbas Shaheen , Gaafar Mohamed Abdalkrim , Noman Shafi , Teodora Odett Breaz , Mohammed Jaboob , Abdullahi Sani , Abdul Malik","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The world is facing the problems of climate change with massive disasters in developing and underdeveloped countries across the globe. However, this study explores the relation between technology innovation, green finance, trade openness, infrastructure, economic growth, FDI and energy efficiency. This study contributes to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 14 (Climate Action) by examining how technological innovation, green finance and economic factors influence energy efficiency, supporting sustainable development through enhanced energy systems and reduced environmental impact. The study data range is from 2003 to 2019, countries from every part of the world based on the availability of data. The data for this study is collected from world development indicators, world governance indicators and OECD databases. The results indicate that green finance and technology innovation show significant relation with energy efficiency. This study's findings suggest that to achieve sustainable & energy efficient economies on a country level, solutions like green finance, technological innovation and soft infrastructure would be helpful. Based on these empirical basis, policymakers in territories to financial risk-persuaded environmental destruction should fully integrate policies or initiatives that maintain prudent financial structures to mitigate environmental shocks and their associated multiplier effect on the environmental objectives established to defend both the current and future generations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100936"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220830","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":"Spatiotemporal variations and driving factors of ecosystem health in Anhui Province, China","authors":"Fanghu Sun , Yuqing Miao , Zhengqin Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100935","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100935","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and driving factors of ecosystem health is essential for optimizing regional ecological management and guiding targeted restoration efforts. However, research on regional ecosystem health remains limited in rapidly urbanizing inland provinces such as Anhui. This study employed an integrated approach by combining the VORS model with the XGBoost-SHAP framework to assess ecosystem health in Anhui Province and identify its key driving factors. Results indicated that ecosystem service (25.6 %), resilience (6.3 %), and vigor (4.8 %) demonstrated declining trends between 1990 and 2020, while organization (1.8 %) showed a slight increase. These changes underscore the profound impacts of rapid urbanization and land use change on ecosystem health in Anhui Province. The ecosystem health exhibited a distinct south-high-north-low spatial pattern, strongly associated with geomorphological types, and decreased from 0.666 in 1990 to 0.633 in 2020, yet remained at a sub-health level (II). Furthermore, we found that the following order of ecosystem health across different land use types: forest > cropland > grassland > water areas > built-up land. Among all cities, only Suzhou, Bozhou, Bengbu, and Fuyang exhibited improved ecosystem health, while Tongling, Hefei, Anqing, and Wuhu suffered the largest declines, contributing collectively to 47 % of the total provincial decline. Urbanization level and topographical factors (elevation and slope) were the key factors. This study systematically analyzed the changes in ecosystem health, providing an important reference for formulating reasonable land use policies and promoting the implementation of the sustainable development goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100935"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105769","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":"An investigation of perceived situational factors influencing responsible tourist consumption behaviours in the Kruger National Park","authors":"Michael Kuseni, Uwe P. Hermann","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100931","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.100931","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In a new era of responsibility, responsible tourist consumption behaviours (RTCBs) are vital in sustaining livelihoods for both the present and future generations. As such, RTCBs have been applied in practice and widely addressed in tourism enquiries. While most studies have debated the factors that generally influence RTCBs, few have assessed the influence of situational factors on individuals' intention to engage in RTCBs within national parks located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the lens of the attitude-behaviour-context theory and the situated cognation theory, this study examines and evaluates the impact of situational factors on shaping RTCBs. The study adopts a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach. The study targeted visitors to the Kruger National Park (KNP). Utilising a sample of 237 respondents who were conveniently sampled, the level of importance and satisfaction visitors attached to 12 situational factors adopted to encourage RTCB in KNP was established. The study findings reveal that respondents perceive situational factors as essential in influencing RTCBs, yet they are not fully convinced of their availability. By examining these perceptions, this research uncovers insights into the effectiveness of situational factors in fostering sustainability in national parks, while also contributing to the park's long-term preservation goals. The findings from this investigation could provide valuable insights into enhancing responsible practices among tourists and informing the refinement of management strategies in the KNP and other similar ecotourism destinations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100931"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158241","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}