AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-07DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02416-9
Hanna Ahtosalo, Charlotta Harju, Eliisa Kylkilahti, Jani Lukkarinen, Katja Lähtinen, Henna Syrjälä
{"title":"Bringing in the citizen: Stakeholder participation in co-production processes of sustainable housing.","authors":"Hanna Ahtosalo, Charlotta Harju, Eliisa Kylkilahti, Jani Lukkarinen, Katja Lähtinen, Henna Syrjälä","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02416-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02416-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Incorporating citizen views through stakeholder engagement enhances the democratic and equitable governance of sustainability transitions. Using stakeholder theory as a conceptual frame, this study evaluates the use of different stakeholder participation processes to co-produce solutions for more sustainable housing in Finland. This study examines how citizens are positioned, levels of participation, and factors affecting success. Data were collected in three participatory processes: a service design process, a hackathon, and transition arenas, which sought to improve citizens' opportunities for more sustainable housing. Our results show that citizens were positioned differently across the stakeholder processes. Although all processes aimed for high levels of participation-such as collaboration and empowerment-the achieved levels varied and, in some cases, remained limited. Moreover, several contextual, organizational, and process-related factors influenced the outcomes and shaped how participating stakeholders perceived citizens' views. Addressing these challenges is crucial when selecting participatory methods for research, planning, and policy.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-07DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02415-w
Md Saifullah Bin Aziz, Seikh Razibul Islam, Md Mostafizur Rahman Mondol, Mobin Hossain Shohan, Md Mehedi Alam, Mohammad Mahfujul Haque
{"title":"Diagnosing irreducible uncertainty for adaptive environmental management: A transferable framework from wetland fisheries.","authors":"Md Saifullah Bin Aziz, Seikh Razibul Islam, Md Mostafizur Rahman Mondol, Mobin Hossain Shohan, Md Mehedi Alam, Mohammad Mahfujul Haque","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02415-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02415-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental decision-makers increasingly confront non-stationary systems where predictive models fail, yet management actions remain urgent. Conventional approaches assume sufficient data and stability for forecasting, but these assumptions are often violated in data-limited contexts of the Global South. We present a diagnostic forecasting framework that acknowledges irreducible uncertainty and provides decision-support tools for adaptive governance. Rather than pursuing complex models that may produce misleading precision under irreducible uncertainty, our framework emphasizes diagnostic capacity: understanding system state, identifying stressors, decomposing uncertainty, and preparing for plausible futures. Applied to a 35-year wetland fisheries dataset from Bangladesh, model selection uncertainty contributed 40% of forecast variance, with prediction intervals exceeding historical variability. While trends in climate variables were significant, climate-ecology relationships became nonsignificant when controlling for shared temporal trends, indicating dominance of local anthropogenic stressors. The framework delivers three management-ready outputs: diagnostic monitoring, stressor-led intervention pathways, and scenario-based decision rules transferable across socioecological contexts worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-06DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02419-6
Kaveh Samimi-Namin, John A Burt, Friedhelm Krupp, Bernhard Riegl
{"title":"Marine environmental risks from armed conflict in the Persian Gulf: Past warnings, present urgency.","authors":"Kaveh Samimi-Namin, John A Burt, Friedhelm Krupp, Bernhard Riegl","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02419-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02419-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Persian Gulf is both an ecologically fragile marine system and a global energy chokepoint. Past conflicts have shown that warfare in the region can cause extensive and persistent damage to coastal and marine habitats. Today, that risk is amplified by the Gulf's shallow, semi-enclosed character, restricted exchange with the open ocean, extreme temperature and salinity, expanding hypoxia, and heavy reliance on desalination and other seawater-dependent infrastructure. Armed conflict could therefore trigger oil and chemical releases, chronic contamination, and habitat degradation, with cascading consequences for fisheries, water security, shipping, and industrial operations. Because these impacts are foreseeable and could be severe, prolonged, and transboundary, environmental preparedness in the Gulf should be integrated into regional security, infrastructure protection, and emergency planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-06DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02414-x
Jake M Robinson, Kate Robinson, Alexia Barrable
{"title":"Viewing ourselves as nature: Holobiont literacy influences nature connectedness.","authors":"Jake M Robinson, Kate Robinson, Alexia Barrable","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02414-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02414-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The human holobiont concept-humans as symbiotic assemblages of a host and trillions of microbes-offers a compelling lens for understanding human-nature relationships. This study examined whether: (a) prior holobiont knowledge correlates with nature connectedness, (b) exposure to holobiont information influences nature connectedness and (c) people feel more or less connected to microbes than to other natural entities. Using a randomised, blinded online survey (n = 190), participants were assigned to a holobiont treatment group (n = 91) receiving multimedia information or a control group (n = 99) receiving neutral content. Nature connectedness was measured before and after exposure. Results showed that prior holobiont knowledge was associated with higher nature connectedness, and, strikingly, that exposure to holobiont information significantly increased nature connectedness scores. No differences were found across nature types. These findings suggest that framing humans as holobionts may strengthen psychological connections to nature, with implications for environmental psychology, education and well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-05DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02402-1
Benjamin Ghasemi, Gerard T Kyle, Monica E McGarrity
{"title":"Understanding mitigation intentions for aquatic invasive species: A protection motivation theory perspective.","authors":"Benjamin Ghasemi, Gerard T Kyle, Monica E McGarrity","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02402-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02402-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aquatic invasive species (AIS) threaten freshwater ecosystems, and recreational boating is a major vector of their spread. This study applies Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), extended with moral obligations, to examine predictors of Clean, Drain, Dry (CDD) behavior among 2977 boaters in Kansas, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. Structural equation modeling showed that problem awareness strongly influenced perceived threat severity, response efficacy, perceived difficulty, and personal norms, which in turn predicted CDD behavior. Multigroup analyses revealed significant state-level differences in both mean values and structural relationships. Utah respondents reported higher awareness, threat perceptions, and compliance, whereas Texas respondents reported lower levels. These patterns likely reflect differences in the contexts of outreach, prevention, and enforcement. Findings highlight the importance of integrating cognitive and normative factors in AIS interventions and tailoring strategies to state-specific conditions. The study advances PMT by emphasizing the role of problem awareness and moral obligations in shaping pro-environmental behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147832155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-03DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02409-8
Maija Toivanen, Daniel Santos, Aleksi Räsänen
{"title":"Geodiversity and resilience: A scoping review.","authors":"Maija Toivanen, Daniel Santos, Aleksi Räsänen","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02409-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02409-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Resilience thinking has become central to addressing environmental and societal challenges, yet it focuses primarily on ecological and social dimensions while physical foundations remain underrepresented. This systematic scoping review examined 90 geodiversity and geoheritage studies (2012-2025) analysing connections to resilience concepts. While most reviewed studies lack explicit resilience frameworks, they demonstrate extensive implicit resilience engagement, particularly through maintaining diversity and redundancy, managing slow variables, encouraging learning, and broadening participation. Geodiversity enriches resilience thinking by treating physical environments not as passive backdrops but as active participants in system change, and by bridging natural and social dimensions that are typically managed separately. Three interrelated barriers limit integration of resilience and geodiversity: disciplinary communities remain disconnected, evidence emphasizes description over mechanisms, and institutional infrastructure for geodiversity governance lags behind that for biodiversity. Overcoming these barriers through collaborative efforts could ground resilience thinking in the geological reality that underlies all sustainability challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-03DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02387-x
Yosr Ammar, Jens Olsson, Elena Gorokhova, Martin Sköld, Suzanne Faxneld, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Anne L Soerensen
{"title":"The effect of shifts in fish community structure on PCDD/F temporal variability in common guillemot (Baltic Sea).","authors":"Yosr Ammar, Jens Olsson, Elena Gorokhova, Martin Sköld, Suzanne Faxneld, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Anne L Soerensen","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02387-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02387-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>After 1970s, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) concentrations peak in Baltic biota, concentrations started to decline following environmental legislation. However, in common guillemot eggs, this decline plateaued in 1990s, despite continued emissions reductions. Here, we test whether these contrasting trends can be explained by environmental and food web structural changes, including prey availability. Analysing temporal variation in the Central Baltic offshore fish community, including guillemot prey, we identified three structural phases: cod and herring dominance (1976-1986), sprat dominance (1987-2001), and stickleback population increase (2002-2021). We linked them with corresponding phases in PCDD/F trends: a steep decline (- 6.4% yr<sup>-1</sup>), a plateau (0.27% yr<sup>-1</sup>), and a slower decline (- 3.8% yr<sup>-1</sup>). Fish community structure shifts were driven by changes in temperature, salinity, zooplankton size, and fishing pressure. We concluded that climate- and human-driven structural changes in food webs cascaded through trophic levels, affecting PCDD/F concentrations in guillemot eggs.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-03DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02375-1
Yvonne Brodrechtova, Andrea Majlingová, Zoltán Balogh, Emil Gatial, Ján Zelenka, Maroš Sedliak
{"title":"Formulating a concept of operation (ConOps): A stakeholders-assisted standardization process for developing an integrated wildfire management platform.","authors":"Yvonne Brodrechtova, Andrea Majlingová, Zoltán Balogh, Emil Gatial, Ján Zelenka, Maroš Sedliak","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02375-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02375-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wildfire management is undergoing rapid transformation as data fusion, artificial intelligence, and participatory approaches are used to enhance ecosystem resilience and community safety. This paper presents the development of a concept of operations (ConOps) within the EU project SILVANUS, aimed at supporting design of an integrated, data-driven platform for wildfire management. The ConOps was developed using a methodology that combines systems engineering principles, standardized information management, and participatory stakeholder engagement across ten international pilot sites. Through iterative refinement, it captures the operational context and system requirements in pre-fire, active fire, and post-fire phases. The analysis identifies key limitations in existing wildfire management systems such as fragmented technologies, inconsistent data standards, limited interoperability, and weak institutional coordination. The proposed ConOps provides a structured and replicable framework to address these challenges. While the methodology effectively supports requirement definition and operational scenario development, real-world pilot testing remains necessary to assess implementation challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-05-03DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02390-2
Chandrima Home, Siddhartha Krishnan, Yash Veer Bhatnagar, Abi Tamim Vanak
{"title":"Shifting linkages: Agro-pastoralism changes in the Upper Spiti Landscape and the emerging role of free-ranging dogs.","authors":"Chandrima Home, Siddhartha Krishnan, Yash Veer Bhatnagar, Abi Tamim Vanak","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02390-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02390-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Himalayan mountains have been going through a series of ecological and social transformations. In systems where communities depend on natural resources, externalities in government policies and development interventions can have unexpected consequences for people-environment relationships. Our study investigates agro-pastoralism changes across a decade in the Upper Spiti Landscape in Himachal Pradesh, India. It evaluates these changes in the framework of ecological and social perturbations with respect to human-dog relationships. We compared livestock population trends across a temporal scale using interviews and secondary data. Our results indicate a decline in livestock population across the years from 2003 to 2013, specifically a reduction in small-bodied livestock due to dogs. The study highlights the changing agriculture-livestock nexus with increasing demands for manure from outside. Dogs in the landscape have emerged as disrupters influencing the intricately linked production systems. The research reiterates the need for concerted efforts by multiple agencies for dog population management.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}
AmbioPub Date : 2026-04-30DOI: 10.1007/s13280-026-02397-9
Michaela Perunová, Roman Modlinger, Vilém Jarský, Tomáš Hlásny
{"title":"Stakeholder perceptions of forest disturbance drivers and management responses are aligned in Central Europe.","authors":"Michaela Perunová, Roman Modlinger, Vilém Jarský, Tomáš Hlásny","doi":"10.1007/s13280-026-02397-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02397-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forest disturbances are increasingly understood as social-ecological phenomena involving diverse actors. Here, we focused on one of the Europe's largest recent disturbances-the drought-triggered bark beetle outbreak in Central Europe (2017-2022). Based on a survey of 165 respondents, we examined perceived disturbance drivers, response actions, and the alignment between them as an indicator of a value-action gap that is often present in social-ecological and governance systems. Climatic and forest structure-related factors were identified as the dominant drivers, aligning with current scientific understanding, whereas socio-economic and management constraints were perceived as less influential. Reported responses reflected awareness of climate-change risks and involved workforce training, adaptive change in species composition, and water-retention measures. Cause-action alignment was observed in nearly half of respondents, particularly among managers and legal entities. We found a relatively sound understanding of disturbance causes and corresponding responses, likely shaped by recent experience with an unprecedented disturbance impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":461,"journal":{"name":"Ambio","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}