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Using machine learning to uncover synergies between forest restoration and livelihood support in the Himalayas Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Pushpendra Rana, Harry W. Fischer, Eric A. Coleman, Forrest Fleischman
In recent years, governments and international organizations have initiated numerous large-scale tree planting projects with the dual goals of restoring landscapes and supporting rural livelihoods. However, there remains a need for greater knowledge of drivers and conditions that enable positive social and environmental outcomes over the long term. In this study, we used interpretable machine learning
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Enhancing the role of International NGOs in promoting the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation policies: insights from an International Union for Conservation and Foundation of Netherlands Volunteers led project in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Annisa Triyanti, Carel Dieperink, Dries Hegger, Trang T. Vu, Thi Tang Luu, Duc Canh Nguyen, Hong Quan Nguyen
Several international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) function as boundary organizations and try to promote ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as a pivotal climate change adaptation strategy for coastal areas. This is being done in Vietnam. Few studies, however, have investigated how these INGOs operate, what challenges they face, and what conditions support them to successfully promote the implementation
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State role and involvement in determining wetland mitigation performance standards in the United States Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Jessica Anne Bryzek, Walter E. Veselka IV, James T. Anderson
Wetlands are important ecosystems that contribute to the sustainability of global ecosystems and provide ecosystem functions and services to human civilization. However, many anthropogenic land use practices have led to the degradation of wetlands, making them globally imperiled ecosystems. Within the United States, wetland mitigation is a federally regulated restoration strategy that offsets and compensates
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9 Dimensions for evaluating how art and creative practice stimulate societal transformations Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Joost M. Vervoort, Tara Smeenk, Iryna Zamuruieva, Lisa L. Reichelt, Mae van Veldhoven, Lucas Rutting, Ann Light, Lara Houston, Ruth Wolstenholme, Markéta Dolejšová, Anab Jain, Jon Ardern, Ruth Catlow, Kirsikka Vaajakallio, Zeynep Falay von Flittner, Jana Putrle-Srdić, Julia C. Lohmann, Carien Moossdorff, Tuuli Mattelmäki, Cristina Ampatzidou, Jaz Hee-jeong Choi, Andrea Botero, Kyle A. Thompson, Jonas
There is an urgent need to engage with deep leverage points in sustainability transformations—fundamental myths, paradigms, and systems of meaning making—to open new collective horizons for action. Art and creative practice are uniquely suited to help facilitate change in these deeper transformational leverage points. However, understandings of how creative practices contribute to sustainability transformations
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Drought frequency, conservancies, and pastoral household well-being Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Randall B. Boone, Carolyn K. Lesorogol, Kathleen A. Galvin
Portions of group ranches of northern Kenya communally held by pastoralists have been removed from grazing to support wildlife and encourage tourism and the resources that follow. These community-based conservancies (CBCs) were designed to benefit CBC members through regular payments, potential for wages, improved security, etc. We used a coupled-systems simulation approach to quantify potential changes
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Joining collective impact and community science: a framework for core collaborative community science Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Monika M. Derrien, Weston Brinkley, Dale J. Blahna, Alberto J. Rodríguez, Roseann Barnhill, Christopher Zuidema, Katie Beaver, Elisabeth Grinspoon, Sarah Jovan
We propose the core collaborative community science framework, an original conceptual framework that integrates and modifies best practices from community science and collective impact groups to support investigations of environmental health and justice. The core collaborative community science framework differs from more typical frameworks for community science, which often frame projects as static
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Community knowledge as a cornerstone for fisheries management Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-31 Kayla M. Hamelin, Anthony T. Charles, Megan Bailey
The imperative to include stakeholders and rightsholders in fisheries management over the past 30 years has led to many changes in management regimes around the world, a key one being a move toward collaboration and co-management. This is reflected, for example, in Canada, where the newly revised Fisheries Act (2019, c.14, s.3) incorporates this imperative in part by citing “community knowledge” as
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To burn or not to burn: governance of wildfires in Australia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Sarah Clement, Ahjond Garmestani, Jo Ann Beckwith, Pele J. Cannon
Globally, wildfires are increasing in extent, frequency, and severity. Although global climate change is a major driver and large-scale governance interventions are essential, focusing on governance at smaller scales is of great importance for fostering resilience to wildfires. Inherent tensions in managing wildfire risk are evident at such scales, as objectives and mandates may conflict, and trade-offs
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Collaborative care in environmental governance: restoring reciprocal relations and community self-determination Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Sibyl Diver, Mehana Blaich Vaughan, Merrill Baker-Medard
From communities rooted in place to transnational coalitions, this special feature applies concepts of collaborative care rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems to the field of environmental governance. We highlight restorative, liberatory practices rooted in caretaking ethics and reciprocal human-nature relations. Our approach also centers decision making by those most connected to a given resource
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Resilient and sustainable natural resource production: how are farmers and foresters coping? Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Johanna Yletyinen, Irene Kuhmonen, Philip Stahlmann-Brown
Adapting to the anthropogenic environmental change while transitioning to a more sustainable and more productive natural resource management places unprecedented demands on natural resource production. Meeting this complex challenge without unwarranted environmental degradation or loss of livelihoods requires understanding and managing the resilience of properties that produce natural resources. However
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Individual and collective political efficacy predict farmer engagement and support for groundwater policies: implications from the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Meredith T. Niles, Courtney R. Hammond Wagner, Natalia Aristizábal, Carolyn R. Hricko, Adam N. Petrucci, Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz
Common-pool resource theory suggests that the direct participation of local natural resource users in the management of common-pool resources can lead to effective management regimes. Nevertheless, the drivers of participation in common-pool resource management, including policy decision processes, and the effects of participation on stakeholder attitudes and policy preferences are relatively understudied
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Holomua Marine Initiative: community-generated socio-cultural principles and indicators for marine conservation and management in Hawaiʻi Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Meghan K. Tait, Kapono Matthew Gaughen, Anita Tsang, Maya M. Walton, Stacia D. Marcoux, Luna Kekoa, Melissa Kunz, Mehana Blaich Vaughan
Marine managers commonly use ecological indicators in planning and evaluations; however, few programs monitor social and cultural impacts of management. Practical approaches to identifying and monitoring social and cultural aspects of communities’ relationships with their environment could assist many agencies in understanding the impacts of their efforts to achieve conservation goals. The Hawaiʻi
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Technology adoption and weed emergence dynamics: social ecological modeling for maize-legume systems across Africa Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Timothy R. Silberg, Robert B. Richardson, Cosme P. Borges, Laura K. Schmitt Olabisi, Maria Claudia Lopez, Marcia Grisotti, Vimbayi G. P. Chimonyo, Bruno Basso, Karen A. Renner
Ecological practices such as intercropping maize (Zea mays) with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) have been promoted to combat parasitic weeds like Striga (Striga asiatica). Intercropping has been promoted across Africa as a Striga control practice (SCP) and food security measure. Despite past efforts, millions of smallholder farmers (cultivating < 2 ha of maize) still struggle to implement SCPs. Social
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Keeping up with the landscapes: promoting resilience in dynamic social-ecological systems Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Patricia N. Manley, Jonathan W. Long, Robert M. Scheller
Forest managers working in dry forest ecosystems must contend with the costs and benefits of fire, and they are seeking forest management strategies that enhance the resilience of forests and landscapes to future disturbances in a changing climate. An interdisciplinary science team worked with resource managers and stakeholders to assess future forest ecosystem dynamics, given potential climatic changes
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Climate adaptive water policy in Australia’s Murray Darling basin: soft options or hard commitments? Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Nadeem Samnakay, Jason Alexandra, Carina A. Wyborn, Isobel Bender
Adapting to climate change is a pressing societal imperative. Here, we examine water governance arrangements in Australia’s Murray-Darling basin, evaluating their attributes and adequacy for fostering climate adaptation. We synthesize data from expert interviews and review water and climate policies, analyzing their framing, logic, and dominant discourses. Our analysis indicates that prescriptive top-down
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Environmental change and resource access in aquatic food systems: a Photovoice case study of Cambodian fisheries Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Kathryn J. Fiorella, Heather Magnuson, Antara Finney Stable, Chork Sim, Voleak Phan, Elizabeth L. Fox
Ecosystem services and the biodiversity that supports them directly provision food and livelihoods to millions around the world within environments increasingly facing multifaceted changes. Yet the perspectives of resource users on the value of those resources and the challenges they face amid social-ecological change are still too often poorly understood. In this study, we use Photovoice methodology
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Using geotagged crowdsourced data to assess the diverse socio-cultural values of conservation areas: England as a case study Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Merry Crowson, Nick J. B. Isaac, Andrew J. Wade, Ken Norris, Robin Freeman, Nathalie Pettorelli
Humanity benefits immensely from nature, including through cultural ecosystem services. Geotagged crowdsourced data provide an opportunity to characterize these services at large scales. Flickr data, for example, have been widely used as an indicator of recreational value, while Wikipedia data are increasingly being used as a measure of public interest, potentially capturing often overlooked and less-tangible
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What would attract women to forest-based climate action? Learning from decades of female participation in an infant and maternal health system in Indonesia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Stibniati S. Atmadja, Manuel Boissière, Dian Ekowati, Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo
Low female participation in community-based forest actions for mitigating and adapting to climate change (i.e., “forest climate actions”) increases gender inequalities and could reduce intervention effectiveness. Factors preventing women’s participation in forestry are well-researched, while factors motivating women’s participation is comparatively lacking. We fill this gap by (i) identifying women’s
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Artistic practice, public awareness, and the ngahere: art–science–Indigenous Māori collaborations for raising awareness of threats to native forests Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Molly Mullen, Sophia C. R. Jerram, Mark Harvey, Nick W. Waipara, Chervelle Athena
We build a rationale for a nuanced approach to raising public awareness of ecological threats through interweaving art, science, and Mātauranga Māori (Indigenous Māori knowledge). The thinking we present emerges from the first phase of a transdisciplinary project, Toi Taiao Whakatairanga, which explores the ways the arts can raise public awareness of two pathogens that are ravaging native trees in
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Assessing long-term conservation impacts on adaptive capacity in a flagship community-based natural resources management area in Botswana Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Lin Cassidy, Narcisa G. Pricope, Forrest R. Stevens, Jonathan Salerno, David C. Parry, Michael Murray-Hudson, Joel Hartter, Andrea E. Gaughan
Over the past three decades community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) has sought to address the concurrent needs of economic development and ecological protection at the local level, but there is often strong divergence between development and conservation interests and successes. In particular, CBNRM has not always led to expected socioeconomic outcomes, while information of its impact
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Localizing a just transition: a case study of St. George, Alaska Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Andreanne Doyon, Emeralde O'Donnell, William J. Trousdale, R. George Pletnikoff
This paper explores the St. George Economic Development Strategy and strategy development process through a just transitions lens. St. George is a remote island located in Alaska’s Bering Sea, and is home to a small community of Unangan people facing a declining population, infrastructure deficit, and high unemployment. Through a qualitative content analysis and informal interviews, we analyzed how
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Forgotten forests: expanding potential land use in traditional Hawaiian agroecosystems, and the social-ecological implications Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Tiffany M. Lee, Noa Kekuewa Lincoln
The development of agricultural systems is a fundamental component of social-ecological transformation and a predominant factor influencing social behavior and structuring. However, oversimplification of traditional agricultural production often occurs and limits the understanding of past populations’ abilities to mitigate potential risks and enhance food security through effective land management
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Adjusted to reality? Mandate and functioning of the General Integral Commission of the Grande Tárcoles Rivershed in Costa Rica Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Barbara Schröter, Karina Castro-Arce, Bernardo J. Aguilar-González
The Grande de Tárcoles River in Costa Rica is one of the most polluted and degraded river basins in Central America. At the same time Costa Rica is a country internationally recognized for progressive environmental management. At least on paper, the country fosters sustainable river management in the form of integrated water resources management (IWRM). In the specific case of the Grande de Tárcoles
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Restorative practices, marine ecotourism, and restoration economies: revitalizing the environmental agenda? Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Eliana Ferretti, Simon F. Thrush, Nicolas I. Lewis, Jenny R. Hillman
In this study, we introduce the concept of restorative marine ecotourism (RME) to explore the potential environmental gains of coupling marine ecotourism operations and marine restoration initiatives. Restoring marine ecosystems has become a priority in the international environmental agenda and the field needs novel management strategies to overcome the main challenges. Marine ecotourism provides
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Citizens’ attitudes toward the protection of flying squirrels in urban areas Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Artti Juutinen, Suvi Ilvonen, Emmi Haltia, Katja M. Kangas, Jani P. Pellikka, Parvez Rana, Anne Tolvanen
The Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) is included among the strictly protected species of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EC) of the European Union, which is one of the key instruments for biodiversity preservation in Europe. Strict protection of the species has a potential to cause conflicts in areas where forest management and urban development compete for the same space with the flying squirrel
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Transitioning toward “deep” knowledge co-production in coastal and marine systems: examining the interplay among governance, power, and knowledge Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Ella-Kari Muhl, Derek Armitage, Kevin Anderson, Cindy Boyko, Sara Busilacchi, James Butler, Christopher Cvitanovic, Linda A. Faulkner, Julie A. Hall, Geoffrey Martynuik, Kura Paul-Burke, Trevor Swerdfager, Hilary Thorpe, Ingrid E. van Putten
Knowledge co-production (KCP) is presented as an effective strategy to inform responses to complex coastal and marine social-ecological challenges. Co-production processes are further posited to improve research and decision outcomes in a wide range of problem contexts (e.g., biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation), for example, by facilitating social learning among diverse actors. As
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Wind power distribution across subalpine, boreal, and temperate landscapes Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Johan Svensson, Wiebke Neumann, Therese Bjärstig, Camilla Thellbro
Onshore wind power is increasingly expanding to meet global and national goals to increase renewable, clean, and fossil-free energy production. In many countries and regions, however, historical and current land use is extensive, and the expansion of wind power has to be well-tuned to avoid risking irreversible legacy losses of existing and traditional land uses, landscape values, and cultures. Hence
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The crises inherent in the success of the global food system Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Ville Lähde, Tere Vadén, Tero Toivanen, Paavo Järvensivu, Jussi T. Eronen
Food systems around the world are increasingly interwoven into a global network. The dominant productionist paradigm emphasizes aggregate production volumes, a focus on few key products, and the dominant role of large exporting countries and transnational corporations. This article proposes a new conceptualization of food systems that illuminates the unequal structure and the lock-ins of this network
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Motivations and sensitivities surrounding the illegal trade of sea turtles in Costa Rica Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Helen Pheasey, Richard A. Griffiths, Eleni Matechou, David L. Roberts
Illegal wildlife trade can threaten biodiversity and economic development. Criminal enterprises may add wildlife products to their list of illicit goods by using established trade routes, networks, and individuals. On the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, killing of sea turtles and removal of their eggs is commonplace. However, beyond conservation NGOs reporting evidence of illegal take, little is known
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Shaping garden landscape with medicinal plants by migrant communities in the Atlantic Forest, Argentina Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Monika Kujawska, N. David Jiménez-Escobar
Migrants’ home gardens may be created from elements of both old and new landscapes. We assume that medicinal plant assemblages in migrants’ gardens are shaped by plant diversity and availability, therapeutic needs, and heritagization processes. Which of the factors prevail: those related to biodiversity and ecology, epidemiology, or heritage and memory? In this paper we offer new knowledge on the garden
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Trade-offs in adapting to changes in climate, land use, and water availability in California Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Tamara S. Wilson, Lorraine E. Flint, Ruth Langridge
Changes in land use and land cover, water systems, and climate are inextricably linked, and their combined stresses have had severe impacts in many regions worldwide. Integrated adaptation planning can support adaptive capacity by helping institutions manage land and water resources at regional to local scales. Linkages between these stressors mean that planners are often faced with potential trade-offs
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Leverage points and levers of inclusive conservation in protected areas Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Miguel A. Cebrián-Piqueras, Ignacio Palomo, Veronica B. Lo, María D. López-Rodríguez, Anna Filyushkina, Marie Fischborn, Christopher M. Raymond, Tobias Plieninger
Inclusive conservation approaches that effectively conserve biodiversity while improving human well-being are gaining traction in the face of the sixth mass extinction of biodiversity. Despite much theorization on the governance of inclusive conservation, empirical research on its practical implementation is urgently needed. Here, using a correlation network analysis and drawing on empirical results
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Strategies of the Sámi movement in Sweden: mobilization around grievances related to the ecological conditions of reindeer pastoralism, 2012–2022 Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 David Harnesk
Reindeer pastoralism, practiced by groups of the Indigenous Sámi people in Sweden, is being threatened by a new wave of encroachments. In this paper I take stock of how the Sámi movement has mobilized around grievances related to the ecological conditions that support natural pasture-based reindeer pastoralism. I apply the contentious politics approach to social movement theory, and Felix Kolb’s conceptualization
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Mountains of inequality: encountering the politics of climate adaptation across the Himalaya Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Ritodhi Chakraborty, Costanza Rampini, Pasang Yangjee Sherpa
There has been a widespread call for the development of transformative adaptation knowledge and strategies in the Himalayan region because of the intensifying onset of climate change impacts. But such transformative thinking is absent in much of Himalayan climate knowledge production, which builds on environmental deterministic and techno-managerial renditions of exceptional precarity; advocates for
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Local ecological knowledge and multidisciplinary approach lead to discovery of hidden biodiversity in the deep ocean of Labrador, Canada Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 David Cote, Bárbara M. Neves, Joey Angnatok, Wilfred Bartlett, Evan N. Edinger, Lauren Gullage, Rodd Laing, Alexandre Normandeau, Vonda E. Hayes, Owen A. Sherwood, Maxime Geoffroy
International commitments to preserve global biodiversity target the protection of 30% of marine habitats by 2030. The lack of even basic knowledge of many marine areas (e.g., deep oceans) combined with short timelines require integrative knowledge and multidisciplinary techniques to be used to efficiently identify areas worthy of protection. Here we outline a case study of the discovery of the Makkovik
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The role of diverse cultural identities in the perceived value of urban forests in Melbourne, Australia, and implications for urban ecosystem research and practice Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Camilo Ordóñez Barona, Cherese Sonkkila, Jessica M. Baumann, Caragh G. Threlfall, Dieter F. Hochuli, Richard A. Fuller, Melanie Davern, Stephen J. Livesley
Urban nature management is usually guided by the most common, frequently mentioned, or easily elicited perceptions expressed by a dominant cultural group. This is unlikely to encourage widespread community support or foster urban nature stewardship in the long run. Considering how people representing diverse cultural identities perceive the value of urban nature is key to meeting diverse community
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Recognizing the importance of near-home contact with nature for mental well-being based on the COVID-19 lockdown experience Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Magdalena L. Lenda, Piotr Skórka, Małgorzata Jaźwa, Hsien-Yung Lin, Edward Nęcka, Piotr Tryjanowski, Dawid Moroń, Johannes M. H. Knops, Hugh P. Possingham
Several urban landscape planning solutions have been introduced around the world to find a balance between developing urban spaces, maintaining and restoring biodiversity, and enhancing quality of human life. Our global mini-review, combined with analysis of big data collected from Google Trends at global scale, reveals the importance of enjoying day-to-day contact with nature and engaging in such
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Mai Ka Pō Mai: applying Indigenous cosmology and worldview to empower and transform a management plan for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Kalani Quiocho, Kekuewa Kikiloi, Keoni Kuoha, Alyssa Miller, Brad Kaʻaleleo Wong, Hōkū Kaʻaekuahiwi Pousima, Pelika Andrade, ʻAulani Wilhelm
Environmental conservation management planning has an important role in creating conditions for social learning, adaptive governance, and improvements for co-management arrangements with Indigenous peoples. Incorporating Indigenous cosmologies, worldviews, and epistemologies within management planning processes can enable factors that support appropriate management practices for protected areas considered
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Evaluation-perception of site attributes and plant species selection in the public urban green space of a compact city Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Caroline M.Y. Law, L.C. Hui, C.Y. Jim
Understanding citizens’ evaluation of public urban green space (UGS) attributes and plant species features can inform greenspace design to meet public expectations. This study evaluated the public’s responses to UGS attributes and plant species in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey of 827 adult respondents. Principal component analysis followed by cluster analysis were applied to analyze the data
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The ecological success of river restoration in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: lessons learned Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Skylar W. Skinner, Anastasia Addai, Stephen E. Decker, Michael van Zyll de Jong
Despite millions of dollars being spent annually to restore degraded river ecosystems, there exist relatively few assessments of the ecological effectiveness of projects. An evidence-based synthesis was conducted to describe river restoration activities in Newfoundland and Labrador. The synthesis identified 170 river restoration projects between 1949 and 2020. A practitioner’s survey was conducted
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Transboundary flows in the metacoupled Anthropocene: typology, methods, and governance for global sustainability Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Yingjie Li, Nan Jia, Xiang Yu, Nicholas Manning, Xin Lan, Jianguo Liu
The world has become increasingly metacoupled through flows of materials, energy, people, capital, and information within and across systems. Transboundary flows, connecting adjacent and distant systems, are deemed the most critical indicators for measuring the intensity of interactions among coupled human-natural systems. To advance metacoupling flow research and governance, we make the first attempt
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Application of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) to understand the spatial dimension of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) risk in areas adjacent to Gonarezhou National Park of Zimbabwe Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Mark Zvidzai, Knowledge K. Mawere, Rodney J. N'andu, Henry Ndaimani, Chenjerai Zanamwe, Fadzai M. Zengeya
The application of empirical and spatially explicit information to understand the spatial distribution of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) risk zones is increasingly becoming imperative to guide conservation planning and device mechanisms to enhance and sustain the coexistence between wildlife and humans. Spatial information on HWC is scarce in the literature, and previous studies have tended to concentrate
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Lake Superior Manoomin cultural and ecosystem characterization study Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Heather R. Hosterman, Kaylene Ritter, Nancy Schuldt, Darren Vogt, Deanna M. Erickson, Olivia L. Griot, Erin Johnston, Karena Schmidt, Evelyn Ravindran, Roger D. LaBine, Sr. Eric Chapman, William J. Graveen, Deidre M. Peroff, Jimmy Taitano Camacho, Sarah Dance, Brandon S. Krumwiede, Heather Stirratt
Manoomin, wild rice, is integral to the culture, livelihood, and identity of the Anishinaabeg, the indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States that include the Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Algonquin peoples. In addition to the vital role Manoomin has in the lives of the Anishinaabeg, Manoomin is recognized as being ecologically important, feeding migrating and resident wildlife species, providing
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Conceptualizing trust and distrust as alternative stable states: lessons from the Flint Water Crisis Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Joseph A. Hamm, Jennifer S. Carrera, Jenna A. Van Fossen, Kent D. Key, Susan J. Woolford, Sarah B. Bailey, Athena S. McKay, Luther B. Evans, Karen D. Calhoun
Despite the universally recognized importance of fostering trust and avoiding distrust in governance relationships, there remains considerable debate on core questions like the relation between (dis)trust and the evaluations of the characteristics that make a governance agent appear (un)worthy of trust. In particular, it remains unclear whether levels of (dis)trust simply follow levels of (dis)trustworthiness—such
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What we know and do not know about reciprocal pathways of environmental change and migration: lessons from Ethiopia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Kathleen Hermans, Charlotte Wiederkehr, Juliane Groth, Patrick Sakdapolrak
Linkages between environmental change and migration can be reciprocal: declining environmental conditions can trigger people to leave a place, while the movement of people to certain places can have implications for the natural environment and may enhance conflict risks. Although a growing body of research has enriched our knowledge on these two main directions of influence, including the role of conflict
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A Chinese database on ecological thresholds and alternative stable states: implications for related research around the world Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Daikui Li, Ping He, Liping Hou
The concepts of ecological thresholds and alternative stable states were proposed to explain nonlinear changes. However, the greatest obstacle to advance these theories and their managerial applications is a lack of data and research experience. There are almost all types of ecosystems in China, and various ecological degradation and catastrophe events occurred at the end of the 20th century. Considerable
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Collaborative everyday adaptation to deal with peatland fires: a case study on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Rijal Ramdani, Irmeli Mustalahti
Actors across multiple levels, such as the private sector, national and subnational government institutions, and local communities, are expected to have the capacity to adapt to climate impacts and risks. This study analyzes how collaborative governance has been developed and carried out by multiple actors in everyday life to adapt to peatland fires in a situation where climate change variability drives
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To split a stone Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Henrik Österblom, Francisco Gazitúa, Angela Leible
Science and art are often disconnected but, if combined, can help stimulate learning and novelty and guide societal change. How then to bridge the divide between scientists and artists in a way that extends beyond superficial, short-term interactions? We describe an ongoing coproduction practice between a Swedish sustainability scientist and two Chilean artists—a sculptor and painter—striving to find
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Small-scale fisheries and agricultural trade networks are socially embedded: emerging hypotheses about responses to environmental changes Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Blanca González-Mon, Örjan Bodin, Maja Schlüter
Global change is threatening the production and livelihoods of millions of smallholders. The capacity of smallholders to deal with such changes is influenced by the increasingly complex trade networks that connect them to local and global markets. Moreover, the social relationships (e.g., trust, reciprocity) in which these trade networks are embedded likely influence smallholders’ capacity to respond
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Eutrophication, water quality, and fisheries: a wicked management problem with insights from a century of change in Lake Erie Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 James S. Sinclair, Michael E. Fraker, James M. Hood, Euan D. Reavie, Stuart A. Ludsin
Human-driven nutrient inputs into aquatic ecosystems must be managed to preserve biodiversity and to ensure that valued fishery and water quality services are not compromised by hypoxia and harmful algal blooms. Aiming for nutrient inputs that achieve an intermediate level of ecosystem productivity is expected to provide both high fish yield and good water quality. However, we argue that such an intermediate
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Tropical forest environments provide insurance against COVID-19 Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Yoshito Takasaki, Oliver T. Coomes, Christian Abizaid
Research prior to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the rural poor often turn to wild resources to cope with adverse shocks. We report on the first study addressing natural insurance against health shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on riverine communities without road access in the Peruvian Amazon. We consider the most devastating shock people may experience, the death of a close family
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Identifying system archetypes in Nigeria’s rice agri-food system using fuzzy cognitive mapping Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Glory I. Edwards, Kasper Kok, Rik Leemans
Nigeria is a major rice-producing and rice-importing country in Africa, challenged with ensuring rice-food security for its growing population. Successive governments have implemented several strategies to increase local rice production such as rice import restriction policies and agricultural investments. These strategies have yielded results but achieving long-term sustainable growth in Nigeria’s
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The Yamal Nenets’ traditional and contemporary environmental knowledge of snow, ice, and permafrost Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Roza Laptander
Traditional knowledge about snow and ice conditions on and in the ground is essential in the life of the Yamal Nenets. This holistic knowledge helps the Nenets to travel in the tundra, find good pastures for their domesticated reindeer herds, select proper places for making their camps, find firewood, and locate clean snow or ice for drinking water. It is particularly important for reindeer herders
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Global shark fins in local contexts: multi-scalar dynamics between Hong Kong markets and Mid-Atlantic fisheries Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-01 Jesse Rodenbiker, Nina Overgaard Therkildsen, Cheong Chun Li
We analyze multi-scalar social, economic, and policy dynamics of shark fin production and consumption through Hong Kong, the world's leading shark fin entrepôt, and U.S. Mid-Atlantic artisanal fisheries in New Jersey (NJ), a U.S. state that enacted a shark-fin retail ban in 2021. Trade statistics point to a rise in shark fin circulation to Hong Kong in recent years supplied through global pathways
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Development of a wetland management plan for Taiqu Saltpan, Taiwan, by stakeholder engagement and water gate operation Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-01 Hsiao-Wen Wang, Anton Alberta Salim, Ben A. LePage
We examined different water management strategies for Taiqu Saltpan, which is part of the Qigu Saltpan Wetland complex in Tainan, Taiwan. The Taiqu saltpans are surrounded by artificial dikes, lack a water management plan, have insufficient water input during the dry season, and have little to no natural hydrologic connectivity to other wetlands in the Qigu Saltpan Wetland complex. Water is an important
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Wildfire risk governance from the bottom up: linking local planning processes in fragmented landscapes Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-01 Matthew Hamilton, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Cody R. Evers
The growing scale of natural hazards highlights the need for models of governance capable of addressing risk across administrative boundaries. However, risk governance systems are often fragmented, decentralized, and sustained by informal linkages among local-level risk mitigation planning processes. Improving resilience to the effects of environmental change requires a better understanding of factors
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Drivers of ecosystem service specialization in a smallholder agricultural landscape of the Global South: a case study in Ethiopia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-01 Maria Brück, Joern Fischer, Elizabeth A. Law, Jannik Schultner, David J. Abson
The global shift toward agricultural specialization in the 20th century led to unprecedented ecological and socioeconomic changes, both positive and negative, in rural landscapes. Economic theory describes comparative advantage and market participation as two important drivers of such changes. Landscapes in the Global South are still often characterized by subsistence agriculture and direct dependence
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Who’s setting the agenda? Philanthropic donor influence in marine conservation Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-01 Ash Enrici, Rebecca L. Gruby, Michele M. Betsill, Elodie Le Cornu, Jeffrey E. Blackwatters, Xavier Basurto, Hugh Govan, Tarita Holm, Stacy D. Jupiter, Sangeeta Mangubhai
We are in a period of unprecedented growth in conservation philanthropy. How will this influx of private funding affect conservation agendas? Inspired by a collaborative research co-design process, this paper addresses questions about how foundations influence conservation agendas in the places they work. We draw from a case study of the world’s largest philanthropic funder of marine conservation,
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Resilience principles and a leverage points perspective for sustainable woody vegetation management in a social-ecological system of southwestern Ethiopia Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-01 Girma Shumi, Hannah Wahler, Maraja Riechers, Feyera Senbeta, David J. Abson, Jannik Schultner, Joern Fischer
Addressing ecosystem destruction and unsustainable development requires appropriate frameworks to comprehensively investigate social-ecological systems. Focusing on woody plant management in southwestern Ethiopia, we combined social-ecological resilience and a leverage points perspective to (1) assess how stakeholders perceive and operationalize resilience principles; (2) investigate resilience challenges
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The relationship between household structures and everyday adaptation and livelihood strategies in northwestern Pakistan Ecol. Soc. (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-01 Rebecca Nixon, Zhao Ma, Trevor Birkenholtz, Bushra Khan, Laura Zanotti, Linda S. Lee, Ishaq Ahmad Mian
The interactions between household size, capital, and adaptation to social-ecological change has been widely studied; however, little is known about the differences in everyday adaptation to social-ecological change across household structures. Joint family households are increasing in contexts where the nuclear family had previously been the norm, and remains a prevalent structure throughout the world