Search Results (262)

This study explores the environmental justice issues associated with landfill compensation policies in Bantargebang, Indonesia. Although compensation programs have been implemented for many years, communities living near landfills continue to experience ongoing environmental damage and significant health concerns. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research explores systemic barriers through in-depth interviews, observations, and water quality analysis. The findings indicate that labeling the program as “Social Assistance” within the Local Government Information System (SIPD) redefines ecological compensation as a fixed form of charity, rather than as a mechanism for genuine environmental restitution. Laboratory data show severe bacteriological contamination, with Total Coliform levels reaching 95%, forcing residents to bear substantial “hidden costs” for clean water, perpetuating a cycle of financial dependence. The growing normalization of health hazards is evident in over 5000 annual cases of acute respiratory infections, and the deadly landslide in March 2026, in which claimed seven lives and injured six others. These incidents underscore the failure of existing remediation approaches to safeguard human dignity and well-being. To address these shortcomings, this study proposes the adoption of an Integrated Compensation Model based on Green Social Work. This model emphasizes structural investment, spatial risk-based indices using quantitative data, and budget coding adjustments within the SIPD. This approach highlights the urgent need to move beyond temporary charitable assistance and instead pursue meaningful environmental justice, while positioning social workers as “Social-Ecological Brokers” who help restore dignity and well-being in communities often treated as “sacrifice zones.” Full article

Conserved lands play a central role in sustaining ecological functions within working agricultural regions, yet their capacity to maintain wetland conditions varies widely depending on hydrologic persistence and seasonal dynamics. This study assesses the hydrologic performance of Nebraska’s major conservation programs using multi-year Sentinel-2 satellite observations spanning from 2018 to 2024. Five land-protection categories were evaluated: the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and additional protected lands mapped in the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). To capture hydrologic dynamics across scales, we quantified parcel-level inundation percentages alongside program-level wetness metrics that represent cumulative surface-water extent. Lands enrolled in WRP and WPA generally exhibited higher inundation levels at the 0% threshold across annual and seasonal periods, with variability across programs, reflecting their role in wetland restoration and habitat provision. WMAs showed greater seasonal variability but retained water under higher persistence thresholds (≥25% and ≥50%), underscoring their importance in maintaining semi-permanent wetland conditions during drier periods. Wetland-associated CRP lands provide essential short-duration wetness that supports regional hydrologic connectivity across working agricultural landscapes. Similar seasonal patterns were observed across other protected lands, which generally contributed to episodic surface water rather than long-term hydrologic storage. Seasonal analyses highlighted strong intra-annual variability driven by snowmelt, precipitation regimes, and evapotranspiration. Collectively, the results demonstrate substantial differences in hydrologic function among conservation programs and provide an empirical basis for prioritizing investments toward lands that most effectively sustain wetland habitats and water-quality benefits. Full article

Sustainable land stewardship is increasingly essential in South Africa’s wine-producing regions (WPR), where climate variability, ecological sensitivity, and economic pressures interact to shape vineyard management practices. This study synthesizes data from 107 vineyard websites and 20 in-depth stakeholder interviews to examine how sustainability is conceptualized and practiced across the region. Results show that growers prioritize biodiversity conservation, soil health, and water-efficient management as foundational to long-term resilience, with widespread adoption of practices such as mulching, cover cropping, habitat restoration, and integrated pest management. Website-derived data reveal substantial participation in sustainability certifications, including the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) program and WWF Conservation Champions, although implementation depth varies among producers. Interviews underscore that climate extremes—particularly drought—have intensified reliance on soil-moisture conservation and adaptive irrigation strategies. Producers also identified escalating input costs, shifting markets, and export barriers as central economic challenges, contributing to diversified business models that include tourism and direct-to-consumer sales. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that sustainable viticulture in South Africa’s WPR is shaped by dynamic interactions between environmental stewardship and economic adaptation. Strengthening collaboration and aligning local practices with global sustainability frameworks can enhance the region’s ecological resilience and support the long-term viability of its wine industry. Full article

This study presents the vegetation of a Mediterranean area in Croatia, abandoned by the military three decades ago after two centuries of use. From 2023 to 2025, 97 phytosociological relevés were taken using the Braun–Blanquet approach. Based on numerical classification, we identified seven plant associations, two subassociations, and two communities within nine floristically and ecologically distinct vegetation classes. Military presence shaped the landscape in several ways. Large parts of the peninsula remain near-natural, covered by high maquis with minimal disturbance. Plateau shooting ranges, formerly grasslands, now represent rare habitats due to ongoing succession. Within former barracks, plantings included low-maintenance species providing rapid greening and visual screening. Evergreen conifers were favored for year-round greenery, while deciduous trees and ornamental shrubs provided shade and aesthetic value. Given current neglect and ongoing successional trends, the site requires a carefully planned management program aimed at habitat restoration, control of shrub encroachment, and maintenance of open and semi-open vegetation to preserve biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity. Full article

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.) was a foundation species whose loss reshaped eastern North American forests. Ongoing breeding with blight-resistant Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) represents the leading strategy for its restoration. However, breeding programs have focused almost exclusively on pathogen resistance, leaving susceptibility to native seed predators unexamined—a critical gap, because nut production underpins the ecological function that restoration seeks to recover. Here, we investigate how hybridization level affects infestation by the lesser chestnut weevil (Curculio sayi (Gyllenhal, 1836)), monitoring 25 genetic lines across four genetic categories (Chinese, F₁, backcross, and American) for larval emergence, weight loss, damage, and emergence timing over eight weeks. Hybridization dramatically altered susceptibility: F₁ hybrids were the most susceptible category. No larval emergence was observed from American chestnuts, and backcross hybrids remained substantially susceptible despite three–four generations of backcrossing. These results expose a fundamental trade-off for restoration: blight resistance derives from the Chinese genome, whereas weevil resistance appears to be associated with the American genome. Backcross lines bred for blight resistance retain weevil susceptibility, and F₁ hybrids risk functioning as pest sinks that amplify local weevil populations. Incorporating weevil resistance screening into breeding programs could help us to ensure that restored chestnuts can fulfill their historical role as mast-producing foundation trees. Full article

Identifying suitable habitats for ecosystem restoration is critical for conserving globally threatened biodiversity. Baseline data on the distribution and range of biogenic habitat-forming species at high spatial resolution are essential for informing habitat management strategies and preserving ecosystem integrity. We identified suitable sites for habitat restoration by integrating community ecological data for Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Turcz., a valuable restoration tree species, with insights from ensemble modeling. Habitat suitability was predicted using an ensemble species distribution model. A total of 89 occurrence records and nine environmental variables were used to develop the single algorithm models. Model performance was assessed using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the True Skill Statistic (TSS). Future habitat suitability was evaluated using projected climate change scenarios. Under more extreme climate change scenarios, the future suitable habitat of Q. mongolica is projected to gradually contract toward the high-altitude areas of Mt. Gariwang. The primary environmental variable is elevation, and rising temperatures due to climate change negatively impact habitat suitability for Q. mongolica. Therefore, adaptation measures must be established to mitigate these impacts, such as protecting the reference ecosystems of Q. mongolica. This integrated approach offers a nature-based solution for guiding climate change-integrated restoration programs in Mt. Gariwang and globally. Full article

Kings Park and Botanic Garden is a globally recognised botanic garden and research institution in the biodiversity hotspot of southwest Western Australia. A history of the contribution of staff and researchers at Kings Park and Botanic Garden to the knowledge and promotion of the flora of Western Australia is provided. Through an analysis of the published literature, reports, and correspondence with former staff, a strong history of collaborative, world-class research is outlined. This paper focuses on the contributions of staff and students who have discovered and promoted Western Australian flora from the planning and establishment of the Botanic Garden in 1961 up to 2015. Early research was conducted by a small number of individuals with structured research programs emerging much later. Significant contributions have been made in the fields of plant conservation, plant ecology, seed biology, ecosystem restoration, plant systematics and mycorrhizal associations. Key partnerships with universities, other government organisations and industry have been fundamental to the focus and success of research programs. Full article

China has implemented extensive land restoration programs and now leads the world in artificial forest area. However, such plantations often face degradation, largely due to soil nutrient deficiency. In contrast, near-natural restoration tends to result in better soil quality, ecosystem integrity, and stability. This study focuses on three near-naturally restored sites on the Loess Plateau—a critical part of China’s National Ecological Security Barrier System, which has undergone substantial ecological restoration in recent decades. Using soil stoichiometry to assess nutrient balance and land sustainability, we investigated two forest types (Betula platyphylla, BP; Larix principis-rupprechtii, LP) and a mixed shrubland (Ostryopsis davidiana and Cotoneaster multiflorus, OD–CM). Soil profiles were sampled at 20 cm intervals from the surface to bedrock. We measured soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents, along with key environmental factors. The results show the following: (1) The two forest lands exhibited similar C and N levels, which were 1.23–1.26 and 1.40–1.51 times higher, respectively, than those in the shrubland. (2) Lower C/N (BP: 25.05; LP: 23.46) and higher N/P (BP: 4.83; LP: 5.00) in the forest lands indicated lower nitrogen limitation versus the shrubland (C/N: 28.55; N/P: 3.44). (3) Key influencing factors varied across land restoration types, indicating that the vegetation community’s composition mediates nutrient cycling through nutrient uptake and litter input. (4) Relative to plantations in the same region, near-naturally restored lands had 3.47–5.64 times higher C content and 1.51–2.51 times higher N content. Moreover, near-natural communities exhibited higher C/N (21.68–30.56) and C/P (85.92–132.97) compared to plantations (C/N: 8.8–13.1; C/P: 9.16–31.2), reflecting more efficient nitrogen and phosphorus utilization. Thus, near-natural land restoration enhances soil carbon sequestration, nitrogen fixation, and nutrient use efficiency on the Loess Plateau, supporting its promotion as a superior land management strategy for enhancing land sustainability and ecosystem services in this area. Full article

Vegetation in Northeast China has undergone complex changes under the dual pressures of climate change and human activities. Quantifying long-term vegetation dynamics and identifying their key drivers are critical for regional sustainability, ecological engineering construction, and environmental conservation. Ecological restoration plays a pivotal role in vegetation protection and recovery in this region; however, it has often been overlooked as a core driver in previous studies. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation in Northeast China based on the long-term satellite-based leaf area index (LAI) datasets from 2000 to 2020, investigated the factors driving the spatiotemporal variation in LAI, and quantified the respective contributions of climate change and human activities to its change. The results showed that: (1) The LAI in Northeast China increased at a rate of 0.0292 yr⁻¹ since 2000, with 80.8% of the region showing vegetation improvement, predominantly within ecological restoration zones; however, urbanization induced severe local vegetation degradation. The Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) exhibited the highest LAI growth rate (0.0315 yr⁻¹), followed by the Shelterbelt Program for Liaohe River (SPLR) and the Three-North Shelterbelt Program (TNSP) (0.0313 yr⁻¹ and 0.0294 yr⁻¹, respectively). (2) Land use type, soil type, and evapotranspiration were the primary single drivers of LAI spatial heterogeneity, and the interaction between land use and soil types has the most significant impact on it. (3) Climate change and human activities jointly accounted for 78.4% of the LAI variations across the study area, with the relative contribution of human activities (C_HA = 68.9%) being significantly higher than that of climate change (C_CC = 31.1%). In the vegetation browning regions of the three ecological restoration zones, the contribution of human activities exceeded 60%. In contrast, the dominant drivers of vegetation greening varied substantially among the zones: greening in the TNSP and SPLR was primarily regulated by climate change (C_CC > 50%), whereas in the NFCP it was mainly driven by human activities. This study highlights the key role of human activities (especially ecological restoration programs) in the improvement of vegetation cover in Northeast China, which can help to assess the benefits of ecological restoration in Northeast China, provide references for ecological and environmental management policy formulation, and promote the construction of regional ecological civilization. Full article

Disentangling the impacts of ecological restoration from climate change is an ongoing challenge in remote sensing since the traditional correlative approaches often cannot elucidate causal mechanisms. To overcome this, we introduce a Causal Remote Sensing Framework that uses multi-source satellite data (2000–2020), machine learning (XGBoost, SHAP) and causal inference (T-Learner) to build pixel-level counterfactuals. Using this framework, we assessed the Return Grazing to Grassland Program (RGGP) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Our results demonstrate that a warming and wetting climate improved Water yield (WY) while at the same time decreasing sand fixation (SF) in 83.6% of the region. Notably, the restoration project became the main factor that slowed this decline. After controlling for observational selection bias, the program had a net positive effect of (+6.02 t hm⁻²), reducing degradation in 64.6% of treated areas. This framework provides a practical way for the remote sensing community to go beyond change monitoring to allow the diagnosis of the causal mechanisms in complex human-environment systems. Full article

Sapium discolor is a valuable native species in southern China, valued for its rapid growth and vibrant foliage, and widely used in ecological restoration and landscaping. To identify superior propagation materials with fast growth and red leaves, regional open-pollinated progeny trials of 10 elite trees were established in Nanping, Sanming, and Zhangzhou (Fujian Province) in 2015. Growth (tree height and diameter) was monitored from 2015 to 2023, and leaf color (the proportion of red in leaf color) was assessed in 2024. The species showed early fast growth, with mean tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) reaching 7.98 m and 9.99 cm at six years, then slowing. Family-level phenotypic variation was limited. ANOVA revealed highly significant differences among families for growth traits from 2016 onward and for leaf color in 2024. Broad-sense heritability was moderate for 2023 tree height (0.3839), DBH (0.1879), and 2024 leaf color (0.2102), with low narrow-sense heritability, indicating non-additive genetic effects. Clonal selection based on genotypic values achieved notable genetic gains, especially for growth. One superior clone combined improvements in height (13.1%), diameter (10.1%), and red coloration (8.3%). These results highlight the value of clonal selection and the need to consider genotype × environment interactions in breeding programs. Full article

The black soil region of Northeast China (NEC) is China’s most important food production base. Long-term inefficient land use has made its ecosystem vulnerable to widespread degradation, prompting the implementation of ecological restoration projects (ERPs) to enhance ecosystem service (ES) resilience. Yet, the complex interactions among key ESs, including grain production (GP), water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), and carbon storage (CS), as well as the spatial non-stationarity of their driving factors post-ERPs, have caused spatially heterogeneous, scale-dependent ES relationships. To address these gaps, this study aims to analyze temporal changes in ESs across multiple scales in NEC from 2000 to 2020. By mapping the interactions and quantifying their intensities, we revealed spatial variations in driving factors under different ERPs. The results show that the Natural Wetland Conservation Project (NWCP) and Three-North Shelterbelt Program (TNSP) have led to overall improvements in all ESs. In contrast, the Grain for Green Program (GFGP), the Land Salinity/Sodicity Amelioration Project (LASP), and the Natural Forests Conservation Program (NFCP) are associated with trade-offs between ESs. Interactions between ESs exhibited clear spatial scale dependence, and the dominant drivers varied across scales and restoration contexts. These findings highlight the importance of considering spatial scale and non-stationarity when evaluating ecological restoration outcomes. This study provides a scientific basis for the development and management of ecological restoration programs in intensively managed agricultural regions worldwide, particularly those undergoing multiple, overlapping restoration interventions, from a multi-scale spatial perspective. Full article

The Campos Rupestres, ancient and nutrient-poor mountaintop ecosystems in Brazil, harbor exceptional biodiversity and endemism but face severe threats from mining and urban expansion. Native grasses (Poaceae), represented by nearly 300 documented species—many of them poorly studied—are fundamental elements of these ecosystems. They provide critical ecological services, including soil stabilization, enhancing carbon storage and nutrient cycling, regulating water availability, and resilience to disturbances. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the diversity, functions, and propagation of Campos Rupestres grasses, with emphasis on their potential in ecological restoration. Despite their ecological importance, large-scale use of native grasses remains incipient, constrained by limited knowledge of reproductive biology, low seed viability, and scarce commercial seed availability. Advances in propagation include seedling and plug production, vegetative propagation, and rescue/reintroduction strategies, which have shown promising results in post-mining restoration. However, reliance on seed collection from natural populations risks depleting already limited genetic resources, highlighting the need for ex situ production systems. Expanding research on taxonomy, ecology, and cost-effective propagation methods, alongside supportive policy and market development, is crucial for integrating native grasses as cornerstone species in restoration programs. Bridging these gaps will enhance biodiversity conservation and restoration in one of the world’s most threatened megadiverse systems. Full article

Wind erosion is one of the most severe environmental problems in arid and semi-arid regions, posing a serious threat to ecological security and human settlements. Afforestation is widely acknowledged as a practical strategy for mitigating wind erosion. However, quantitative assessments of the relationship between forest restoration and wind erosion control remain limited, particularly over long temporal scales and at fine spatial resolutions. This study takes Duolun County, Inner Mongolia, as a representative case to examine the role of large-scale forest restoration in controlling wind erosion. Specifically, land use dynamics from 1985 to 2024 were mapped using a time series of Landsat imagery to identify forest expansion. Then, the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) was applied to simulate the spatiotemporal variations in wind erosion and sand fixation. Finally, a scenario-based framework contrasting forested and non-forested conditions was used to isolate and quantify the contribution of forest restoration to wind erosion control. Results showed that forest cover increased significantly from 3.95% to 36.19% over the past 40 years, with expansion primarily concentrated in the central desertified regions and the northern hilly areas. Sand fixation increased from $8.70\times {10}^5$ t to $8.20\times {10}^6$ t, with an average annual growth of $9.06\times {10}^4$ t/year. Spatially, growth rates were more pronounced in the central and northern regions than in the south. Ecological restoration programs contributed substantially to wind erosion control, with their attributable sand fixation increasing from near zero to $6.61\times {10}^5$ t, with an average annual rate of $8.21\times {10}^3$ t/year. These findings provide new insights into the role of large-scale forest restoration in enhancing sand fixation and mitigating wind erosion. Full article

Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) is a perennial forage species characterized by extensive root systems that contribute to ecological restoration and stress resilience. This study aimed to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of root growth and development through transcriptome analysis at three developmental stages (20, 28, and 42 days after germination). Morphological analyses revealed progressive increases in root length, biomass, and surface area over time. Transcriptomic profiling identified 28,518 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between R-28 and R-20, 35,581 DEGs between R-42 and R-20, and 24,418 DEGs between R-42 and R-28, indicating extensive transcriptional reprogramming during root development. Functional enrichment analyses highlighted pathways involved in ribosome biogenesis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, and energy regulation. Notably, 45 bHLH, 57 NAC, 56 WRKY, and 6 GRAS genes were differentially expressed and well-annotated, underscoring their regulatory roles in root system development. Furthermore, 65 nitrogen metabolism-related genes and multiple hormone signaling pathways, including auxin, abscisic acid, and ethylene, exhibited dynamic expression patterns coordinating developmental and stress-responsive processes. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the regulatory networks governing A. cristatum root development and offer valuable genetic resources for functional genomics studies, ecological restoration efforts, and breeding programs. Full article