Search Results (1,189)

The increasing challenges of urbanization and environmental degradation have led to a greater need for built environments that minimize ecological consequences while actively contributing to ecosystem services (ES). Bio-Inspired Design (BID) is a promising approach that translates natural-system ideas into architectural and urban solutions. This study investigates how BID can be used to deliver and improve ecosystem services, like climate regulation, air purification, and energy, in the built environment, focusing on applications in hot climates and at the meso scale. The study conducts a qualitative and integrative analysis of bio-inspired concepts derived from existing research and innovative practices. It examines specific ecosystem services—selected based on previous studies—and illustrates how these strategies can improve environmental performance in urban contexts. A conceptual framework for linking biological analogies to urban functions is proposed. The framework emphasizes the interdisciplinary relationships between architecture, urban design, material science, and environmental engineering. This provides a helpful guide for researchers and practitioners on how to use BID to enhance sustainability results. The study suggests that incorporating BID principles into urban design procedures can potentially transform built environments into active contributors to ecosystem functioning, enabling them to provide ES rather than merely consuming resources. While this conclusion is conceptual, the framework highlights pathways for more resilient and sustainable urban futures. Full article

This research aims to analyze strategic risks from financial digitalization, highlighting the disruptive role of Fintech firms and Neobanks, the associated challenges and opportunities, and how traditional banks can adapt to remain competitive and stable in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem. A qualitative methodology was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 10 executives and risk management experts from the financial sector. The study employed a concurrence analysis to identify semantic relationships among categories. The unit of analysis was the paragraph, and concurrence was computed based on the frequency with which two categories appeared within the same segment. Key findings indicate that the most significant risks are linked to technological competition, regulatory shifts, cybersecurity, and consumer trust. Conversely, notable opportunities exist in technological modernization, enhanced regulatory compliance, collaboration with digital players, and the development of user-centric products and services. This study introduces the concept of a cultural gap in strategic adaptation, distinct from resistance to change, by emphasizing misalignment between organizational culture and the pace of digital transformation. This gap poses a strategic risk by delaying execution, increasing exposure to regulatory and technological risks, and reducing competitiveness. Full article

Global environmental changes significantly alter ecosystem services (ESs), particularly in fragile regions like the Tibetan Plateau. While methodological advances have improved spatial assessment capabilities, understanding of how multiple drivers interact to shape ecosystem service heterogeneity remains limited to regional scales, especially across complex alpine landscapes. This study aims to clarify whether multi-factor interactions produce nonlinear enhancements in ES explanatory power and how these driver–response relationships vary across heterogeneous terrains. We quantified spatiotemporal patterns of four key ecosystem services—water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon sequestration (CS), and habitat quality (HQ)—across the southeastern Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020 using multi-source remote sensing data and spatial econometric modeling. Our analysis reveals that SC increased by 0.43 t·hm⁻²·yr⁻¹, CS rose by 1.67 g·m⁻²·yr⁻¹, and HQ improved by 0.09 over this period, while WY decreased by 3.70 mm·yr⁻¹. ES variations are predominantly shaped by potent synergies, where interactive explanatory power consistently surpasses individual drivers. Hydrothermal coupling (precipitation ∩ potential evapotranspiration) reached 0.52 for WY and SC, while climate–vegetation synergy (precipitation ∩ normalized difference vegetation index) achieved 0.76 for CS. Such climate–restoration synergies now fundamentally shape the region’s ESs. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) further revealed distinct spatial dependencies, with southeastern regions experiencing strong negative effects of land use type and elevation on WY, while northwestern areas showed a positive elevation associated with WY but negative effects on SC and HQ. These findings highlight the critical importance of accounting for spatial non-stationarity in driver–ecosystem service relationships when designing conservation strategies for vulnerable alpine ecosystems. Full article

Background/Objectives: Digital transformation is increasingly essential for healthcare organizations to improve operational efficiency and service quality. However, in developing countries such as Indonesia, many lower-middle-class hospitals lag due to limited financial, human, and infrastructural resources. This study examines how environmental dynamism—comprising regulatory changes, market pressures, and technological shifts—affects the digital capabilities of these hospitals. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted in Class C and D hospitals across Indonesia. Respondents included hospital directors, deputy directors, and IT heads. Data were collected through structured questionnaires measuring environmental dynamism and digital capability using a six-point Likert scale. Reliability testing yielded Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.96 for both constructs. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between environmental dynamism and digital capability. Results: Findings reveal a weak positive correlation (r = 0.1816) between environmental dynamism and digital capability. Although external factors such as policy regulations and technological competition encourage digital adoption, hospitals with limited internal resources struggle to translate these pressures into sustainable transformation. Key challenges include low ICT budgets, inconsistent staff training, and insufficient infrastructure. Conclusions: The results suggest that environmental change alone cannot drive digital readiness without internal capacity development. To foster resilient digital healthcare ecosystems, policy interventions should integrate regulatory frameworks with practical support programs that strengthen resources, leadership, and human capital in lower-middle-class hospitals. Full article

Understanding residents’ perceptions of ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS) is crucial for protected areas governance. This study, conducted in China’s Three-River-Source National Park (TNP), employed participatory rural appraisal and household questionnaires to examine local cognitive patterns of ES and EDS, along with their socio-spatial heterogeneity and perceived synergies and trade-offs among them. The key findings are as follows: (1) Cultural services received the highest scores, followed by regulating services, whereas provisioning services, especially food provisioning, were rated as relatively inadequate. Safety threats were considered the most severe EDS. Overall, a Matthew Effect emerged: services with high current perception scores showed an improving trend, while those with low scores deteriorated. (2) Spatially, ES/EDS evaluation scores exhibited a “core zone < general control zone < peripheral zone” gradient. Socio-demographic and economic factors also influenced residents’ perceptions; women and the elderly were especially more concerned about food and energy supply shortages and safety issues. (3) The relationships among the various ES and EDS are primarily synergistic rather than trade-offs. Specifically, gains in regulating services were associated with enhanced cultural services, while declines in provisioning services and intensified safety threats coincided with the deterioration of material EDS. These findings offer a scientific basis for managing protected areas in high-altitude, ecologically fragile regions and provide practical insights for balancing ecological conservation with community development. Full article

The “Anthropocene” has witnessed unprecedented challenges to the sustainability of human development. Resolving the contradiction between humans and land and achieving coordinated development has become a pressing issue across many disciplines in the era of ecological civilization. This study adopts an ecological perspective to investigate the symbiotic relationship between humans and land in the “Five Poles” urban agglomerations of the Yellow River Basin. In this framework, ecosystem service value and human well-being are employed to quantify “human” and “land,” respectively. The Lotka–Volterra model is then applied as a structural analogy to quantify the dynamic interactions within this symbiotic relationship, treating ecosystem service value and human well-being as two interdependent systems with feedback mechanisms. For the “Five Poles” urban agglomerations in the Yellow River Basin, the ecosystem service and human well-being pressures, along with the symbiosis indices for the period 2011–2020, were calculated and categorized. The results were first subjected to a visual analysis to describe the spatial patterns. Subsequently, spatial autocorrelation analysis was employed to quantitatively investigate the clustering and heterogeneity of these patterns, thereby systematically elucidating the spatial characteristics of human–land symbiosis in the Yellow River Basin. The findings indicate that: (1) the human–land relationship in the Yellow River Basin has evolved from partial interaction to mutualism, reflecting improved coordination within the regional human–land system. (2) The evaluation of this relationship improved between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020. (3) High-evaluation areas have shifted from east to west, exhibiting distinct agglomeration characteristics. Full article

Firms globally are transforming digitally to enhance performance through building differentiated organizational capabilities within their digital ecosystem to maximize value. Drawing from the dynamic capability theory, this study aims to investigate the sources of sustainable competitive advantage, based on data from the UAE, by examining the impact of strategic orientations on firms’ survival through integrated strategic capabilities, adaptive marketing capability, and market ambidexterity. The choice of the UAE was based on two rational reasons. First, the adoption of new technologies is excelling in the UAE’s competitive environment especially AI, cloud, and data solutions across services industries, e.g., ICT, Telecom, Aviation, etc. Second, the government drives the digital economy to enhance the country’s positioning globally. Following a quantitative approach with a sample size of 185 service firms operating in the UAE, the study identifies how strategic orientations enable service firms’ long-term survival. Moreover, it assesses the moderating role of digital transformation between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage through integrated strategic capabilities. Thus, it provides a better understanding of the dynamic capabilities of firms transforming digitally. The study revealed that strategic orientations positively enable the development of integrated strategic capabilities. The latter mediate significantly between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage. It confirms that digital transformation is strengthening the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage through the integrated strategic capabilities. The study contributes to evolving new forms of integrated strategic capabilities as sources for sustainable competitive advantage. It confirms the adaptive marketing capability and market ambidexterity integration and thus enriches the dynamic capability theory and ambidexterity theory body of knowledge. Full article

The uncoordinated water–sediment relationship, fragile eco-environment and unbalanced economic development in the Wei River Basin (WRB) pose serious challenges to its high-quality development. Most existing studies focus on static structures or single elements, making it difficult to systematically reveal the complex interrelationships among ecosystem services (ESs) supply, transmission and demand. To address this issue, this paper innovatively combines the “system perspective” with the “flow network model”. From the perspective of flood-sediment transport, eco-environmental and socio-economic (FES) subsystems, we take the WRB as its research object and systematically analyzes the supply–demand relationship of ESs, the pathways of the ESs flows and ecological compensation (EC) strategies at multiple scales. By constructing a supply–demand assessment model for six types of ESs combined with the water-related flows model, the enhanced two-step floating catchment area method and the gravity model, this paper simulates the ESs flows driven by different transmission media (water, road and atmosphere). The results showed the following: (1) a significant spatial mismatch was observed between the high-supply areas at the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains and the high-demand areas in the Guanzhong Plains. Furthermore, the degree of this mismatch increased with decreasing scale. (2) The pathways of different ESs flows were influenced by their respective transmission media. The water-related flows passed through areas along the Wei River and the Jing River. The carbon sequestration flows were identified in the upper reaches of the Luo River and between the core urban agglomerations of the Guanzhong Plains. The crop production flows were significantly influenced by the scale of urban crop demand, radiating outward from Xi’an City. (3) At the county and watershed scales, The EC fund pools of 7.5 billion yuan and 2.6 billion yuan were formed, respectively. These EC funds covered over 90% of the areas. These findings verify the applicability of the “FES subsystems” framework for multi-scale EC and provide a theoretical basis for developing an integrated EC mechanism across the entire basin. Full article

In northwestern Ecuador, where more than 90% of the original forest cover has been lost, it is unknown how soil chemistry influences bat diversity. This study evaluated bat diversity, non-herbaceous plant community structure, and soil nutrients in 30 plots distributed across crops on two farms separated by 32 km. Soil analyses revealed variations in organic matter and nutrients, identifying calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron as the most influential. A total of 1662 individuals of 24 non-herbaceous plant species and 193 individuals of 16 bat species were recorded, dominated by frugivorous and nectarivorous guilds. Generalized linear mixed models showed significant relationships between bat diversity indices and soil nutrients. These elements improve tree growth, fruiting, and flowering, which increases the quality and availability of food resources for bats. In return, these mammals provide key ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Our findings highlight that soil chemistry indirectly regulates bat communities by influencing vegetation structure and resource availability. This integrated approach underscores the importance of soil–plant–animal interactions in tropical agricultural landscapes, offering practical guidance. Full article

In Japan, the flowering of the red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) marks the autumn equinox. To evaluate the effect of climate change on Japanese people’s sense of seasons and this cultural ecosystem service, we examined the spatiotemporal variability of the flowering day (FD) of red spider lily at 9 sites (Maebashi, Choshi, Nagano, Kanazawa, Shizuoka, Tsu, Nara, Wakayama, and Okayama) over the past 60 to 70 years through its relationship with the autumn equinox. (1) Delaying trends were statistically significant (0.12–0.16 days per year) at 4 sites (Nagano, Tsu, Nara, and Wakayama). (2) Bayesian inference analysis with a beta distribution showed that the probability of FD being later than the autumn equinox has increased in the 2010s at all sites. (3) The year-to-year variability of FD was positively correlated with average temperature during the period of flower stalk elongation (late August to mid-September) at 7 sites (except Nagano and Shizuoka). These results suggest that the probability of FD being later than the autumn equinox will increase under further warming during the period of flower stalk elongation, thus affecting people’s sense of seasons and this cultural ecosystem service. Full article

As agricultural heritage systems provide crucial ecosystem service functions, conducting functional zoning serves as a fundamental and essential approach to implementing the ecological civilization strategy and promoting targeted conservation and sustainable utilization. Taking the Mountain Spring Water Fish Farming System in Kaihua, Zhejiang, a site recognized as a China-Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage System, as a case study, this research integrates the equivalent factor method and the Self-Organizing Map neural network clustering method to evaluate ecosystem service values, identify ecosystem service clusters, and conduct ecological functional zoning. Protection and utilization strategies are subsequently proposed for each functional zone. The results show the following findings: (1) From 2005 to 2020, the total ecosystem service value of the system exhibited a fluctuating yet overall declining trend, decreasing by approximately 0.25%; (2) five ecosystem service clusters were identified, within which services generally showed synergistic relationships, while trade-offs were mainly concentrated between food provision and other ecosystem services; (3) based on these findings, the study area was divided into five functional zones—the Heritage Culture Core Zone, the Ecological Restoration and Conservation Priority Zone, the Industrial Integration and Development Zone, the Ecological–Industrial Transition and Optimization Zone, and the Multi-Value Protection and Exploration Zone. Specific protection and utilization strategies were proposed for each zone. This study provides a novel theoretical perspective and practical reference for rational ecological functional zoning, as well as the protection and sustainable use of agricultural heritage systems. Full article

The Rocky Desertification area has high sensitivity and poor anti-interference ability in the ecosystem. It is challenging to achieve sustainable development in a rocky desertification area. Given this issue, the System Dynamics model, the Future Land Use Simulation (FlUS) model, the Integrated Valuation and Trade-offs of ESs (InVEST) model, and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) were integrated in this study to analyze future ecosystem service change in Wenshan Prefecture under SSP1-1.9, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. The following results are obtained. (1) The area of cultivated land, construction land, forest land, and grassland increased in SSP1-1.9; the area of forest land and grassland decreased in SSP2-4.5 scenario and SSP5-8.5 scenario. (2) The water supply (WS), carbon sequestration (CS), and soil conservation power (SDR) under the three different scenarios were improved compared with 2020. Among them, habitat quality (HQ) demonstrated a slight increase trend under the SSP1-1.9 scenario but decreased under the other two scenarios. (3) WS, CS, and HQ exhibited a tradeoff relationship in the three scenarios compared with 2020. (4) In the SSP1-1.9 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios, the synergistic relationships among CS, HQ, SDR, and WS were particularly detected in the northern, southern, and central parts of the study area. Additionally, climate change and vegetation-dominated ecological environment are the main driving mechanisms affecting ES changes. This paper summarizes the spatial differences in the change trend and synergistic tradeoff and lays a crucial scientific foundation for the ecological protection of karst landform areas. Full article

Forest cover dynamics strongly influence ecological integrity and resource sustainability, particularly in ecotonal landscapes, where vegetation is highly sensitive to climate variability, long-term climate change, and anthropogenic disturbances. This study examined Forest Land (FL), representing all areas of dense, canopy-forming woody vegetation with forest-like structure, aggregated from SANLC classes, in relation to eight other land cover classes across three periods: 1990–2014, 2014–2022, and 1990–2022. The study used South African National Land Cover datasets and the TerrSet–LiberaGIS Land Change Modeller to quantify changes in magnitude, direction, and source–sink relationships. Analyses included post-classification comparison to determine spatial changes, transition matrices to identify land-cover conversions, and asymmetric gain–loss metrics to reveal sources and sinks of forest change. The result shows that between 1990 and 2014, forests remained marginal and fragmented in the eastern central part of the study area, while shrubland increased from 40.4% to 60.2% at the expense of grasslands, cultivated land, bare land, wetlands, and forest land. From 2014 to 2022, FL regeneration was pronouncedly increased from 2% to 6%, especially along riparian corridors and reservoir margins, coinciding with shrubland decline (99.3%) and grassland recovery (261.2%). Over the entire 1990–2022 period, FL increased from 2.4% to 6% expanding into bare land, cultivated land, grassland, shrubland, and wetlands. Asymmetric analysis indicated that forests acted as a sink during the first period but as a source of ecological resilience in the second and final. These findings demonstrate strong vegetation feedback to hydrological and anthropogenic drivers. Overall, the findings underscore the potential for forest recovery to enhance biodiversity, ecosystem services, carbon storage, and hydrological regulation, while identifying priority areas for riparian conservation and integrated catchment management. Full article

The Guizhou Plateau, with the most extensive and representative karst landforms worldwide, is characterized by severe soil erosion and a highly fragile ecological environment. However, large-scale assessments of soil conservation services in this region remain limited. A key challenge lies in identifying appropriate datasets and methodologies for regional-scale soil conservation service evaluations, particularly under conditions of data scarcity or limited data accuracy. In this study, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle imagery, runoff plot observations, ground survey data, and multi-source satellite remote sensing data were integrated to refine LS and C in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), thereby establishing a parameterized and localized soil erosion model. This improvement provided a methodological foundation for soil conservation service research in the region. Subsequently, the spatiotemporal variations in soil conservation services in the Guizhou Plateau over the past two decades were assessed. Furthermore, the relationships between soil conservation services and other key ecosystem services, including water conservation and carbon sequestration, were quantitatively examined, and the driving factors were analyzed. Soil conservation on the Guizhou Plateau exhibited an improving trend from 2000 to 2020. In karst areas, the relationship between soil conservation and water conservation was primarily influenced by temperature, altitude, and vegetation coverage, whereas in non-karst areas, it was regulated by rainfall and slope. Ecological restoration projects have enhanced the synergy between soil conservation and carbon sequestration by promoting vegetation cover. These findings could contribute to the next stage of ecological engineering initiatives and ecological policy implementation in Guizhou. Full article

The relationship between insect diversity and crop production has been of continuous scientific interest. Understanding insect community dynamics using various sampling and monitoring methods at different crop phenology stages is crucial for enhancing pest management and ecosystem service functioning. The present study assessed the influence of four trap types (Blue, Yellow, White, and Malaise) applied at four tomato developmental stages (start of planting, flowering, flowering fruit development and harvest) on insect diversity in northeastern Tunisian open-field conditions. A total of 1771 insect individuals belonging to seven orders and 31 families were trapped, with the order Hymenoptera being the most common in the sampled plots, which was represented by 25 families. Trap type exerted a strong effect on both abundance and alpha diversity parameters. Yellow pan traps showed the highest diversity, with family richness (S) ranging from 1 to 16, Shannon diversity (H) reaching 2.54, Simpson (Is) diversity ranging from 0.72 to 0.90 and Pielou’s evenness (J) ranging from 0.83 to 0.98. Blue and white traps displayed intermediate diversity (Blue: S = 6 and H = 1.7; White: S = 7 and H = 1.6), while Malaise traps captured the least diverse assemblages (S = 4, H = 1.2 and Is = 0.65). These differences were highly significant (p < 0.05). Phenological stage significantly structured Hymenoptera diversity. Richness peaked at the start of planting (S = 1–16 and H up to 2.54) and declined sharply at harvest (S = 1–6). Pollinator families (Apidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae) were the most abundant during flowering, whereas parasitoid families (Braconidae, Eulophidae) dominated during the fruit development stage. Beta diversity analyses (NMDS, stress = 0.25) and PERMANOVA showed that trap type and phenological stage jointly explained 15.5% of the variation in community composition (R² = 0.155, p = 0.014). Although a strong taxonomic overlap among traps was observed, Indicator Value analysis revealed significant trap-specific associations, including the family Andrenidae with Blue traps and the family Scoliidae with White and Yellow traps. Overall, the results of the present study demonstrate that both trap type and crop phenology significantly influence insect population diversity. A multi-trap sampling strategy combining colored pan traps and Malaise traps could be recommended to accurately characterize insect communities and associated ecosystem services in Mediterranean open-field tomato systems. Full article