Search Results (2,918)

Public transportation systems in modern cities are transitioning from infrastructure- and technology-centric models to human-centered development. One emerging focus area is rider wellbeing, which integrates physical, emotional, and psychological dimensions of transit experiences. This study investigates rider wellbeing in the Dubai Metro system, leveraging a large-scale survey of 1409 users and analyzing the data using Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA). The research identifies three latent constructs—Service Efficiency and Accessibility (SEA), Physical Environment and Passenger Comfort (PEPC), and Service Operations and Assurance (SOA)—as key determinants of rider wellbeing. The final model demonstrated strong fit (FIT = 0.639; AFIT = 0.621) and established a structural equation: Wellbeing = 0.216(SEA) + 0.513(SOA) + 0.318(PEPC) + ε. Findings reveal the need to prioritize speed, comfort, connectivity, and digital communication enhancements. Sustainable transportation planning is dependent on public transportation being not just available but also perceived as dependable, comfortable, and convenient to use. This study connects metro service characteristics to rider wellbeing and provides evidence to help guide service goals that promote rider retention and social sustainability. The study is unique in that it presents a latent-variable model that evaluates service features collectively (rather than individually) and converts them into interpretable planning levers using Dubai Metro survey data. By improving metro users’ experiences, the framework contributes to the sustainable mobility paradigm by enabling cities to maintain and expand public transportation use, an enabling solution for lowering vehicle dependency and associated negative impacts. This paradigm also benefits the environment by reducing emissions, increasing air quality, and promoting sustainable urban ecosystems. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for improving metro planning in Dubai and contributes broadly to global public transit development. Incorporating wellbeing into transportation planning supports smart city goals, enhances rider satisfaction, and fosters sustainable urban mobility. Full article

The emergence of the Smart Cities paradigm and the rapid expansion and integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies within this context have created unprecedented opportunities for high-resolution behavioral analytics, urban optimization, and context-aware services. However, this same proliferation intensifies privacy risks, particularly those arising from cross-modal data linkage across heterogeneous sensing platforms. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a comprehensive, statistically grounded framework for generating synthetic, multimodal IoT datasets tailored to Smart City research. The framework produces behaviorally plausible synthetic data suitable for preliminary privacy risk assessment and as a benchmark for future re-identification studies, as well as for evaluating algorithms in mobility modeling, urban informatics, and privacy-enhancing technologies. As part of our approach, we formalize probabilistic methods for synthesizing three heterogeneous and operationally relevant data streams—cellular mobility traces, payment terminal transaction logs, and Smart Retail nutrition records—capturing the behaviors of a large number of synthetically generated urban residents over a 12-week period. The framework integrates spatially explicit merchant selection using K-Dimensional (KD)-tree nearest-neighbor algorithms, temporally correlated anchor-based mobility simulation reflective of daily urban rhythms, and dietary-constraint filtering to preserve ecological validity in consumption patterns. In total, the system generates approximately 116 million mobility pings, 5.4 million transactions, and 1.9 million itemized purchases, yielding a reproducible benchmark for evaluating multimodal analytics, privacy-preserving computation, and secure IoT data-sharing protocols. To show the validity of this dataset, the underlying distributions of these residents were successfully validated against reported distributions in published research. We present preliminary uniqueness and cross-modal linkage indicators; comprehensive re-identification benchmarking against specific attack algorithms is planned as future work. This framework can be easily adapted to various scenarios of interest in Smart Cities and other IoT applications. By aligning methodological rigor with the operational needs of Smart City ecosystems, this work fills critical gaps in synthetic data generation for privacy-sensitive domains, including intelligent transportation systems, urban health informatics, and next-generation digital commerce infrastructures. Full article

Chile’s livestock industry faces growing demands for emissions reduction, animal welfare, and value creation, while continuing to play a key role in rural food security and pasture-based production systems. In light of Chile’s varied agroclimatic conditions, a diminishing national herd, and shifting market signals, such as alternative proteins and distinctive meat products, this narrative review explores four complementary transition pathways: sustainable intensification, organic and agroecological systems, heritage livestock, and regenerative practices. We map the structural challenges, including grazing dairy and beef herds, fragmented producer organization, and the absence of unified, farm-scale greenhouse-gas measurements. We assess the management strategies that have the strongest support; viz., efficiency gains at the animal/herd level, adaptive grazing and silvopastoral designs, nutrient cycling via manure management and local by-products, and welfare frameworks that are aligned with national law and World Organisation for Animal Health guidance. Heritage systems (e.g., Chilota sheep breed in the Chiloé archipelago) provide resilience, cultural identity, and low-input baselines for stepwise transitions. Regenerative procedures can improve soil function and drought buffering but require context-specific designs and credible outcome-based verification to avoid greenwashing. Key enabling policies include coordinated certification and labeling covering animal welfare and origin. Additional elements are cooperative and territorial governance, targeted R&D and extension services for smallholders, and a transparent, standardized greenhouse-gas measurement framework linking farm-level actions to national inventories. Chile’s pathway is not a single model but a practical combination shaped by regional conditions that can deliver long-term economic sustainability, ecosystem services, and nutrition. Full article

In the context of global climate change and rapid urbanization, integrating urban blue-green infrastructure into the built environment is essential for mitigating the urban heat island effect and enhancing climate resilience. Focusing on urban riparian corridors as vital natural cooling systems, this study aims to: (1) quantify their cooling performance in terms of intensity and distance; (2) identify the key landscape drivers and their relative importance; (3) uncover nonlinear relationships and determine ecological thresholds for optimal thermal regulation; and (4) translate these findings into science-based guidelines for climate-adaptive design and sustainable management. Taking 27 representative riparian green spaces in Zhengzhou, China (average area: 17,539 m², range: 10,027–42,690 m²) as a case study, nine key factors characterizing vegetation structure and composition, corridor morphology, and blue-green spatial pattern were used as predictors in a Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) model to analyze their contributions and marginal-effect thresholds. Results show that these corridors provide substantial cooling, with an average intensity of 5.43 °C extending over 215.56 m. Canopy Density, 3D Green Volume per Unit Area, and Green Cover Ratio emerged as the three core drivers, jointly explaining >86% of the cooling performance. The key innovation lies in identifying explicit, design-oriented ecological thresholds—for example, cooling efficacy stabilizes when Green Cover Ratio reaches ~77%, Canopy Density attains 0.7, and the Blue-Green Space Width Ratio approaches 1:1. These thresholds can be directly translated into performance benchmarks for sustainable urban planning and landscape engineering, providing evidence-based parameters for optimizing vegetation structure and spatial configuration. This study demonstrates that applying quantified ecological thresholds can transform riparian corridors into efficient climate-resilient infrastructure, thereby synergistically improving thermal comfort, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting sustainable land use in urban environments. Full article

African grasses deliberately introduced for cattle forage have become among the most destructive invaders of tropical wetlands globally, yet invasion mechanisms and management strategies remain poorly understood. We conducted field experiments examining competition dynamics between the invasive African grass Echinochloa pyramidalis and native wetland species in La Mancha, Mexico—a Ramsar site of international importance. Experiment 1 tested invasion potential within native Sagittaria lancifolia zones using four treatments: control, herbicide removal, E. pyramidalis transplant, and combined removal + transplant. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant treatment and time effects on invasion success, with vegetation removal facilitating invasion (relative importance value increasing from 0 to 149.4 ± 26.6 after 18 months) while transplants alone failed to establish (RIV < 7.0). Sagittaria maintained 35–48% biomass across treatments, demonstrating coexistence capacity. Experiment 2 examined natural invasion of the vegetation ecotone over 49 months. Mixed-effects models revealed that E. pyramidalis increased dominance in its zone (β = 9.98, z = 4.77, p < 0.001) but showed minimal expansion into the adjacent Sagittaria habitat, indicating propagule limitation rather than competitive exclusion as the invasion constraint. Sagittaria removal within E. pyramidalis zones significantly reduced invasion temporal increase (β = −6.44, z = −2.18, p = 0.030), suggesting biotic resistance. Results demonstrate that E. pyramidalis possesses invasion potential but requires disturbance to overcome establishment barriers. These findings support prevention-based management prioritizing disturbance limitation in intact wetlands and demonstrate that hydrological management maintaining permanent flooding (>30 cm depth) can effectively control established invasions by exploiting C4 photosynthetic limitations. Conservation implications for Mexican coastal wetlands—which lack legal protection equivalent to mangroves despite comparable ecosystem services—are discussed. These findings inform evidence-based management of African grass invasions in tropical wetlands worldwide. Full article

This research addresses the challenge of assessing ecosystem services, ecosystem condition, and agricultural externalities in a Latin American socio-ecological context, where primary production is both a major economic activity and a pressure on ecosystems. In Uruguay, the intensification of agriculture and livestock farming has raised concerns about nutrient-related externalities affecting water and soil quality. Although the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA)—Ecosystem Accounting framework is used for better ecosystem management, it does not explicitly represent externalities. Using the Santa Lucía sub-basin in Uruguay (supplying water to 60% of the population) as a case study, this research combines the Soil and Water Assessment (SWAT) Tool with ecosystem accounting principles to assess ecosystem services, ecosystem condition, and externalities. Model outputs are used to compile partial ecosystem accounts in physical terms, integrating spatially explicit indicators. Results show that nutrient losses to surface waters, interpreted as agricultural externalities, are predominantly driven by diffuse sources associated with croplands and dairy systems and shaped by hydrological connectivity. Despite data and model-related uncertainties, the approach supports hotspot identification and the spatial targeting of interventions and provides the basis for future monetary assessment, illustrating how hydrological modeling can complement ecosystem accounting in data-scarce contexts. Full article

Human activity-driven territorial spatial competition profoundly affects ecosystem service value (ESV). However, the spatiotemporal patterns of “urban–agricultural–ecological space” (UAES) competition in China’s key agricultural regions and their quantitative effects on ESV have not been systematically investigated. Therefore, this study first constructed a “UAES competition–ESV response” analytical framework and selected Henan Province, a representative key agricultural region in China, as the study area. Subsequently, utilizing land-use remote sensing monitoring data from five periods (1980 to 2020), this study systematically analyzed the spatiotemporal competition characteristics of UAES in Henan Province and its impact on ESV using GIS spatial analysis method, the Geo-informatic Tupu method, and improved ESV evaluation model. The results indicate that from 1980 to 2020, Henan Province experienced a gradual shrinkage of agricultural space, rapid urban expansion, and a slight decline in ecological space. Urban encroachment on agricultural land is the primary spatial competition manifestation, which is most pronounced in the core area of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration. This urban expansion and subsequent agricultural encroachment on ecological land are key ESV loss drivers, causing losses of USD 812.41 million and USD 1663.24 million, respectively. The indirect ESV loss from cropland displacement substantially exceeded direct losses from urban expansion. This study provides critical insights into the trade-offs between urban expansion, agricultural development, and ecological protection in agricultural regions undergoing urbanization. The findings inform spatial planning and ecological conservation strategies in Henan Province and other similar agricultural regions. Full article

Land use and land cover change (LULC) is a critical catalyst for global climate patterns, environmental conditions, and ecological dynamics. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) methods have accelerated research on the impacts and variability of climate change. In ecologically sensitive karst regions, LULC poses significant challenges to sustainable urbanization. As a representative karst mountain city in China, Guiyang has undergone rapid spatial transformation, yet quantitative studies on its long-term LULC trajectories within an integrated spatial modeling framework remain insufficient. This study analyzed LULC dynamics in Guiyang from 2007 to 2022 and projected changes for 2027, 2032, 2037, and 2042. Using the CA-ANN model within the QGIS MOLUSCE plugin, we calibrated the model with multi-temporal LULC data and nine spatial drivers, including topographic, proximity, and socioeconomic factors. The model structure was optimized through iterative testing, resulting in a final configuration of 8 hidden layers and 500 iterations. This setup achieved high validation accuracy during training, with a hindcast simulation overall accuracy of 84.42% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.73 for simulating the 2022 land cover. Future projections indicate that impervious surfaces will continue to expand in a spatially constrained manner, reaching 332.82 km² by 2042, while shrubland area will sharply decrease to 10.75 km². Cultivated land and forest areas show relative stability with fluctuations. The projected patterns may exacerbate risks associated with surface runoff and ecological fragmentation due to established linkages between land use/cover change and ecosystem services. Through spatially explicit, multi-temporal scenario simulations, the findings underscore the urgent need in Guiyang’s unique karst setting to deeply integrate land-use planning with ecological conservation strategies, so as to strengthen regional ecological resilience. Full article

Rapid land use and land cover (LULC) changes in densely populated watersheds pose serious challenges to the sustainability of ecosystem services (ES), yet their spatially explicit economic consequences remain insufficiently understood. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal dynamics of LULC and ecosystem service values (ESVs) in the Citarum Watershed, Indonesia, one of the country’s most critical and intensively transformed watersheds. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery from 2003, 2013, and 2023 was classified using a Random Forest algorithm, while future LULC conditions for 2043 were projected using a Multi-layer Perceptron–Markov Chain (MLP–MC) model under three scenarios: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Protecting Paddy Field (PPF), and Protecting Forest Area (PFA). ESVs were quantified at multiple spatial scales (county, 250 m grids, and 100 m grids) using both the Traditional Benefit Transfer (TBT) method and a Spatial Benefit Transfer (SBT) approach that integrates biophysical indicators with socio-economic variables. The contribution of LULC transitions to ESV dynamics was further assessed using the Ecosystem Service Change Intensity (ESCI) index. The results reveal substantial historical forest and shrubland losses, alongside rapid expansion of settlements and dryland agriculture, indicating intensifying anthropogenic pressure on watershed functions. Scenario analysis shows continued degradation under BAU, limited mitigation under PPF, and improved forest retention under PFA; although settlement expansion persists across all scenarios. Total ESV declined from USD 2641.33 million in 2003 to USD 1585.01 million in 2023, representing a cumulative loss of 46.13%. Projections indicate severe ESV losses under BAU and PPF by 2043, while PFA substantially reduces, but does not eliminate economic degradation. ESCI results identify forest and shrubland conversion to settlements and dryland agriculture as the dominant drivers of ESV decline. These findings demonstrate that integrating multi-scenario LULC modeling with spatially explicit ESV assessment provides a more robust basis for ecosystem-based spatial planning and supports sustainable watershed management under increasing development pressure. Full article

Young caregivers, defined as individuals under 25 years of age who provide unpaid care to a family member(s) with illness, disability, or age-related needs, remain significantly underrecognized in Canada despite their valuable contributions to the healthcare system. Limited awareness, fragmented services, and adult-centred caregiving infrastructures leave them vulnerable to social isolation, disrupted education, and poor mental health. Unlike the United Kingdom and Australia, Canada lacks a coordinated national strategy to identify and support young caregivers. This qualitative study examines caregiving organizations across multiple Canadian provinces, exploring current practices, barriers, and future visions for supporting young caregivers. Group interviews were conducted with 18 service providers from caregiving organizations in Alberta, BC and Nova Scotia. Four themes emerged through analysis: (1) The Landscape of Existing Caregiving Organizations, (2) Barriers and Challenges to Supporting Young Caregivers, (3) Navigating a Pandemic, and (4) a Journey and Vision Worth Supporting. Organizations reported a strong interest in expanding support for young caregivers with a vision for cross-sector collaboration and school-based outreach. However, challenges such as inadequate funding and a lack of formal recognition limits their capacity in building youth programs. Findings from the study highlight the need for systemic reform, including early intervention models, sustainable funding, and formal recognition of young caregivers within policy frameworks. Addressing these gaps will not only uplift young caregivers, but also strengthen Canada’s broader caregiving and healthcare ecosystem. Full article

Citrus orchards provide essential ecosystem services and mitigate atmospheric CO₂ through carbon sequestration, but increasing abandonment in the Mediterranean, which is expected to intensify in coming decades, threatens ecosystem services, food security, and climate regulation by raising atmospheric CO₂ concentration levels. This study aims to quantify the economic value of carbon sequestration associated with the abandonment of citrus orchards in the Mediterranean region. The InVEST model was applied to estimate the economic value of carbon sequestration in abandoned citrus orchards in Lentini from 2018 to 2030. Citrus orchard abandonment results in an average loss of 4.4 Mg C ha⁻¹ in carbon storage and 3.6 Mg C ha⁻¹ in carbon sequestration over time. The economic assessment of carbon sequestration under abandonment conditions indicates average economic losses ranging from −89.3 to −393.0 EUR ha⁻¹ and from −268.0 to −1179.1 EUR per microfarm as social carbon prices increase from EUR 25 to EUR 110. Severe orchard abandonment, affecting up to 50% (≈118 microfarms) and 75% (≈177 microfarms) of the total area, would generate substantial economic losses in carbon sequestration, amounting to −0.9 × 10⁵ EUR ha⁻¹ and −1.3 × 10⁵ EUR ha⁻¹, respectively. Citrus orchard abandonment reduces carbon sequestration, causing economic losses and weakening climate mitigation. Full article

Accurate estimation of Leaf Area Index (LAI) is essential for monitoring vegetation structure and ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban environments, particularly in small, heterogeneous patches typical of semi-arid cities. This study presents a comparative assessment of four empirical LAI estimation methods—NDVI-based, NDVI-advanced, SAVI-based, and EVI-based methods—applied to atmospherically corrected Sentinel-2 Level-2A imagery (10 m spatial resolution) over a 0.045 km² urban–agricultural polygon in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. Multi-temporal observations acquired during the 2023 growing season (June–August) were used to examine intra-seasonal vegetation dynamics. In the absence of field-measured LAI, a Random Forest regression model was implemented as an inter-method consistency analysis to assess agreement among index-derived LAI estimates rather than to perform external validation. Statistical comparisons revealed highly systematic and practically significant differences between methods, with the EVI-based approach producing the highest and most dynamically responsive LAI values (mean LAI = 1.453) and demonstrating greater robustness to soil background and atmospheric effects. Mean LAI increased by 66.7% from June to August, reflecting irrigation-driven crop phenology in the semi-arid study area. While the results indicate that EVI provides the most reliable relative LAI estimates for small urban–agricultural patches, the absence of ground-truth data and the influence of mixed pixels at 10 m resolution remain key limitations. This study offers a transferable methodological framework for comparative LAI assessment in data-scarce urban environments and provides a basis for future integration with field measurements, higher-resolution imagery, and LiDAR-based 3D vegetation models. Full article

River and lake health assessment has evolved from a purely ecological concept to a multidimensional framework integrating ecosystem integrity and social service functions. Based on a comprehensive dataset of 1412 papers (1991–2024), this study combines bibliometric mapping with a systematic review to track the evolution of biological monitoring and assessment methodologies. Quantitative analysis of keywords reveals that while traditional focuses on heavy metals, fish, and sediments remain dominant, there is a significant shift towards integrated frameworks where biological indicators (e.g., benthic macroinvertebrate integrity and fish retention) are increasingly coupled with social services. We critically review three assessment paradigms: single-factor bio-indicators, biological predictive models such as RIVPACS and AUSRIVAS, and multi-factor comprehensive models. The study identifies critical gaps in ecological connectivity and the management of transboundary lakes under climate change. Consequently, we propose a strategic roadmap leveraging the National Ecological Connectivity Optimization Platform and mandatory “health audits” for transboundary waters to ensure the long-term sustainability of aquatic biodiversity. This review provides a scientific basis for balancing biodiversity conservation with sustainable water resource utilization. Full article

This study investigates forest bioeconomy business models through a bibliometric analysis of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles retrieved primarily from the Scopus database. The purpose of the analysis was to identify prevailing research trends, collaborative structures, and thematic priorities that define this emerging field. A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating qualitative thematic coding with quantitative network analysis of co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence. The findings demonstrate a strong regional concentration of research activity in Northern and Central Europe, particularly in countries such as Finland, Germany, and Sweden, where forest-based bioeconomy strategies are strongly linked to national and EU policy frameworks. Core thematic clusters emphasize sustainability, circular economy principles, and participatory governance, reflecting the integrative and systemic orientation of current scholarship. The co-authorship networks highlight the role of a small but influential group of scholars and institutions in shaping knowledge production and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. To advance the global relevance of the forest bioeconomy, the study recommends expanding geographic coverage to underrepresented regions, enhancing cross-disciplinary partnerships, and aligning research more closely with international policy agendas to support inclusive, circular, and sustainable forest-based transitions. Full article

The construction of reservoirs has undeniably provided numerous conveniences and benefits to human societies. However, it has also markedly altered downstream flow regimes, leading to essential fish habitat loss that directly undermines the ecosystem services provided by fish populations, thereby jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of fishery resources. Existing assessments of spawning suitability largely concentrate on static characteristics of available spawning grounds, while the dynamics of habitat suitability migration and contraction in response to changing environmental flows remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we classified hydrological years into wet, flat, and dry categories to reflect the varying environmental flow requirements during the fish-spawning period. Using the Mike21 hydraulic model together with a spatial suitability analysis for spawning habitats, we quantified spawning ground suitability from both temporal and spatial perspectives. Taking the four major Chinese carps (FMCC) and the Dongta spawning ground in the Pearl River as a case study, our findings reveal that the proportion of highly suitable habitats closely tracks the environmental-flow trajectories. Throughout the FMCC spawning period, the spatial pattern of high suitability zones undergoes a marked migration in response to flow variations across wet, flat, and dry years, consistently shifting upstream. Specifically, as discharge rises from low-flow to high-flow events, the most suitable areas move from downstream deep-pool sections toward upstream shallow riffle zones, which is crucial for the sustainable development of fishery resources. Full article