Search Results (374)

Driven by climate change and stringent ecological conservation policies, arid and semi-arid pastoral areas face acute grassland degradation and forage–livestock imbalances. In Sunan County (Gansu Province, China), herders have increasingly turned to off-site grazing—leasing crop fields in adjacent oases during autumn and winter—to alleviate local grassland pressure and adapt their livelihoods. However, the interplay between the evolving land use system (L) and this emergent borrowed pasture system (B) remains under-explored. This study introduces a coupled analytical framework linking L and B. We employ multi-temporal remote sensing imagery (2018–2023) and official statistical data to derive land use dynamic degree (LUDD) metrics and 14 indicators for the borrowed pasture system. Through entropy weighting and a coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), we quantify subsystem performance, interaction intensity, and coordination over time. The results show that 2017 was a turning point in grassland–bare land dynamics: grassland trends shifted from positive to negative, whereas bare land trends turned from negative to positive; strong coupling but low early coordination (C > 0.95; D < 0.54) were present due to institutional lags, infrastructural gaps, and rising rental costs; resilient grassroots networks bolstered coordination during COVID-19 (D ≈ 0.78 in 2023); and institutional voids limited scalability, highlighting the need for integrated subsidy, insurance, and management frameworks. In addition, among those interviewed, 75% (15/20) observed significant grassland degradation before adopting off-site grazing, and 40% (8/20) perceived improvements afterward, indicating its potential role in ecological regulation under climate stress. By fusing remote sensing quantification with local stakeholder insights, this study advances social–ecological coupling theory and offers actionable guidance for optimizing cross-regional forage allocation and adaptive governance in arid pastoral zones. Full article

Intersectionality, especially with a race–class–gender focus, has been used to study many facets of women’s experiences. However, this framework has been underutilized in the study of breastfeeding prevalence. Our study is the first of its kind to use intersectionality to illuminate breastfeeding network prevalence disparities with empirical data. We use insights from this theory to examine breastfeeding patterns reported by women living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Mississippi makes an excellent site for such an examination, given its history of racial discrimination, entrenched poverty, and strikingly low rates of breastfeeding, particularly for African American women. We identify a series of factors that influence racial disparities in lactation network prevalence, that is, breastfeeding among friends and family of the women we surveyed. Our investigation relies on survey data drawn from a random sample of adult women who are representative of the Mississippi Gulf Coast population supplemented by a non-random oversample of African American women in this predominantly rural tri-county area. Results from the first wave of the CDC-funded 2019 Mississippi REACH Social Climate Survey reveal that Black-White differentials in breastfeeding network prevalence are significantly reduced for African American women who report (1) higher income levels and (2) more robust community support for breastfeeding. We conclude that breastfeeding is subject to two key structural factors: economic standing and community context. An appreciation of these intersecting influences on breastfeeding and long-term efforts to alter them could bring about greater breastfeeding parity among African American and White women in Mississippi and perhaps elsewhere. We end by identifying the practical implications of our findings and promising directions for future research. Full article

Temporary use of space in degraded areas is gaining significance in spatial planning due to limitations and conflicts stemming from traditional models that overlook social (soft) environmental components. This article addresses the lack of socio-ecological indicators in contextual analyses that precede planning processes in degraded areas. Using a plural case study approach across sites in Portugal and Slovenia, it combines primary data from semi-structured questionnaires and terrain analysis with secondary sources. The findings reveal that only specific types of temporary uses foster dynamic and adaptive social networks among stakeholders. These networks enhance the social and environmental sustainability of urban areas, particularly when socio-ecological indicators are refined to account for informal practices, community engagement and cultural value. Furthermore, the study highlights how these practices contribute to social sustainability by supporting inclusive governance models and stimulating local economies. A key finding of the study is the identification of a strong link between social networks and environmental sustainability, highlighting the need to incorporate updated socio-ecological indicators into spatial planning for degraded areas. Temporary uses are not merely stop-gap solutions but also strategic tools for cultivating sustainable urban areas. Full article

The importance of maintenance activities for improving the quality of water sources and guaranteeing a steady supply of water has increased significantly because of current social concerns. Water supply pipe corrosion is an issue that can cause leaks and lower water quality. The identification of hydraulic anomalies in water pumping systems is the subject of this project. A database was created of data acquired from a water supply network with pipes of various lengths and sizes. In hydraulic systems, sensor meters are mounted at various sites with distinct physical features, pipe sizes, and vital supply points. The input parameters used for a model are the sensor parameters, and the model analyzes the correlation between the input parameters (sensors) and determines which parameters are the most important, deciding on the output of the model, and thereby building the simplest model, which requires the least input parameters and gives the most accurate prediction results. In this project, using on the input signal from the sensors, the k-nearest neighbors machine learning algorithm was used to correlate/predict whether the pump was shut down (broken) for a certain period of time. Full article

The emphasis on collaborative governance and effective leadership to bring any social change is gaining prominence among researchers. This study investigates how leadership and collaborative governance can drive social change in waste management in Campania, using a qualitative, multi-site case study approach. Interviews of relevant politicians, public managers, citizens, waste management organizations and academics were conducted (2023–2024). This research uses the lens of multiple theoretical frameworks such as collaborative governance, network agency, public value framework and transformational leadership to explore different dynamics of the research such as stakeholder engagement, public value creation and leadership effectiveness in waste management. Moreover, several obstacles in the way of achieving social change in Campania concerning waste management and environmental sustainability are identified. The findings of this study added to the theoretical understanding of collaborative governance and social change through the demonstration of how transformational leadership, stakeholder participation and trust-based relationships drive good waste management while identifying structural limitations such as corruption and organized crime that hindered governance. Practically, it highlights five interconnected themes from interviews of leadership that civic leaders and managers must establish to promote positive social change: Difficulties in leadership effectiveness, civic potential unused, media mobilization, hope for a miracle and stakeholder engagement diversification. The public value framework is used to analyze the potential role of leadership in bringing change in society. The research findings are replicable and can be applied to a similar set of circumstances. This study advances existing research by addressing the gap in understanding how collaborative governance and transformational leadership can be integrated to tackle waste management and environmental sustainability challenges. The findings can be applied to other regions facing similar governance challenges, making it relevant for global sustainability efforts. Italy’s government has green-lighted projects to make these activities more visible while downplaying their negative impacts on the environment and public health. Full article

Construction workers’ unsafe behaviors (CWUBs) are a primary cause of construction safety accidents in railway tunnel engineering (RTE). Understanding the causation mechanism between construction safety accidents, CWUBs, and their influencing factors is crucial for improving safety management. However, research in this area remains insufficient. This study systematically identifies 9 types of construction safety accidents, 11 types of CWUBs, and 35 influencing factors, covering three core dimensions: organizational management, individual safety capacity, and safety environment. Using the 24model, this study qualitatively elucidates the causation mechanism and identifies the primary and secondary causation relationships among 55 factors. On this basis, a network model of CWUBs in RTE is developed and quantitatively analyzed using social network analysis from the perspectives of the overall network, block network, and individual network, resulting in the identification of a critical network comprising 27 key factors. Based on the findings, nine targeted intervention measures are proposed, encompassing pre-emptive prevention, on-site control, and emergency management. This study innovatively integrates the 24model and social network analysis, systematically analyzing the causation mechanism of CWUBs in RTE from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. This research not only provides a systematic and innovative analytical framework for CWUBs in RTE, addressing a critical gap in the study of unsafe behaviors and accident causation in complex systems, but also offers practical guidance for safety risk management. Additionally, it enriches the theoretical framework of unsafe behavior research, providing valuable insights for further studies in related fields. Full article

Contemporary urban environments continuously transform and evolve due to rapid urbanisation and development pressures, putting historical and cultural heritage sites at risk. To cope with this, it is essential to frequently re-evaluate and redefine protective boundaries and strategies for developing them to reflect current and emerging urban patterns. Defining protection boundaries is an inherently complex task consisting of intricate and interrelated spatial, social, and cultural networks and elements. What is more, the data layers used to represent different dimensions of cities are diverse and generated by various sources. In order to make any decision capable of addressing this multifaceted problem, it is essential to employ a thorough decision-making framework capable of accounting for multiple criteria. In this study, a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) offers a structured approach to managing the complexities of setting these protective zones. Despite their extensive use in diverse site selection contexts, applying AHP and GIS to determine urban protection boundaries remains underexplored. The method was explored and tested in a case study in North Cyprus. The proposed method systematically includes economic, architectural, environmental, social, and legal data layers, aiming to generate a more comprehensive model for developing protection boundaries tied to multidimensional and contextual complexities, as well as considering rapid urbanisation patterns. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on heritage preservation and sustainable urban development by providing an evidence-based analytical method for managing the evolving challenges of urban heritage protection. The results indicate that experts see social and environmental factors as the most significant, emphasising the significance of community engagement and ecological considerations in heritage conservation. Additionally, the study highlighted regulatory gaps, particularly in maintaining architectural compatibility within the historical context. These findings underscore the importance of integrating stakeholder perspectives and adjusting local regulations to enhance the resilience and effectiveness of heritage protection strategies. Full article

This study explores creative tourism strategies in community-based tourism for sustainable development, focusing on the millennium-old Ban Chiang UNESCO World Heritage site in Thailand. It aims to uncover how creative tourism strategies support community-based tourism by optimizing development through cultural preservation, heritage revitalization, and sustainable outcomes. The research investigates how creative tourism approaches foster community-based tourism and how a community achieves sustainable socio-economic growth using the Community Capitals Framework (CCF). Using a qualitative case study approach, this research employs in-depth interviews, participant and non-participant observation, and document analysis to explore the interactions between creative tourism, community-based tourism, and sustainability. The findings reveal that creative tourism strategies can promote environmental conservation, cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and social well-being in Ban Chiang. This study highlights the successful development of strategies and collaborative actions by Ban Chiang’s community enterprise network for creative tourism progression, emphasizing multilateral stakeholder collaboration in enhancing community capital. The research proposes a model for creative tourism strategy and community capital development aimed at sustainability. It provides valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and local communities aiming to leverage creative tourism for sustainable development. By emphasizing the synergies between creative tourism and community-based tourism, it offers practical guidance for enhancing destination management, fostering community engagement, and promoting cultural and environmental conservation. This study bridges a critical gap in the literature by demonstrating how the CCF can be implemented to create positive impacts on creative tourism in heritage destinations such as Ban Chiang, presenting novel insights into its potential as a driver for positive transformation. Full article

Despite growing evidence on the influence of neighborhood characteristics on maternal well-being, there is a critical gap in the availability of validated instruments for measuring these constructs across different cultural settings. Existing neighborhood-related scales often lack cross-cultural validation, limiting their applicability in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding the impact of neighborhood characteristics is crucial given its multigenerational impact. We used data from the Evidence for Better Lives dataset to assess the conceptual and measurement equivalence of the community scales of neighborhood cohesion, intergenerational closure, and neighborhood and social disorder, testing for measurement invariance across eight low- and middle-income countries. Secondly, we examined patterns of associations with prenatal maternal stress, well-being, and depressive symptoms through the use of nomological networks. We found that the conceptual and measurement equivalence of the neighborhood domains were comparable across the eight studied countries. Additionally, our results suggest that higher levels of neighborhood and social disorder and lower levels of cohesion and intergenerational closure in the community are associated with adverse maternal outcomes across the included sites. The results of this study stress the importance of exploring the community context when assessing maternal well-being and supports the need to advocate for community-based interventions that promote safer physical and social environments within maternal programs and urban planning. Full article

For occupant safety in vehicular networks, emergency messages derived from vehicular incidents should be exchanged only during their validity period and in zones containing involved entities. Problems arise for mobile entities in vehicular networks that change their location over time, where data may be further communicated in out-of-context space and time. Current solutions extend from the naive assumption of notifying every entity in the network about emergencies with data flooding and clusters and by means of specific communication only in the affected zones—geo-routing—of incidents’ relative data. However, delivering useless data to uninvolved entities results in wasted resources and more overheads in the former cases and the work of obtaining knowledge and secondary site services from neighbors in the latter. In this paper, we propose that the common task of disseminating emergency messages for occupant safety among entities should only be communicated only where and when useful, namely, if spatio-temporal constraints apply regarding those incidents. Our solution is inspired by the communication of working social insects that exchange data through pheromones regardless of closeness or knowledge among colony members for food retrieval. The results show that communication based on space–time constraints makes better use of resources than other solutions. Full article

In Italy, the number of people living in coastal areas reaches 70% of the total population. By the end of the century, the sea level rise estimated along Italian coasts is between 1.31 and 1.45 m on a non-conservative basis. Considering its high vulnerability to rising sea levels and flooding, Italy holds a strong potential for floating urban development due to its extensive coastline and inland hydrographic network. The main drivers of floating urban development include these increasing threats posed to waterfront communities and the shortage of land for urban expansion, food production, and energy harvesting. However, not all waterfront areas are suitable for accommodating urban development on water because of site-specific urban, social, cultural, infrastructural, climate, and hydrographic features. This paper presents the results of a geospatial analysis carried out using geographic information systems and a statistical analysis of instrumental measurements to map the most suitable regions for floating urban expansion along Italian waterfronts. The mapping identifies six potential zones of interest marked by the co-existence of environmental and socio-urban needs. This study reveals how coastal–riverine interface zones are generally more susceptible to the cumulative effects of climate change and, at the same time, are centers of intense economic, cultural, and social activity. Full article

Traditional villages are irreplaceable cultural heritage sites, and studying their architectural spatial networks is key to preserving both the villages and their culture. This research focuses on four Bouyei villages in Central Guizhou, using social network analysis, spatial gene theory, and diversity analysis to explore their architectural spatial network characteristics. Findings include the following: (1) Zhenshan Village has the best network condition, while that or the others is average; (2) all the villages show low vulnerability Cp-1 genes; (3) Bouyei architectural networks are stable and continuous; and (4) the network is influenced by military culture, feng shui, agricultural culture, Buyi ethnic spiritual beliefs (Mo Belief Culture), topographical conditions, and modern planning interventions. The study aims to deepen the understanding of the cultural values and spatial layout characteristics of traditional villages, while preserving the cultural heritage of traditional settlements and ethnic minorities. Full article

The extraction, processing and transport of crude oil in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has long been associated with collateral environmental damage to the largest mangrove ecosystem in Africa. Oil pollution is impacting not only one of the planet’s most ecologically diverse regions but also the health, livelihoods, and social cohesion of the Delta region inhabitants. Quantifying and directly associating localised oil pollution events to specific petrochemical infrastructure is complicated by the difficulty of monitoring such vast and complex terrain, with documented concerns regarding the thoroughness and impartiality of reported oil pollution events. Earth Observation (EO) offers a means to deliver such a monitoring and assessment capability using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements as a proxy for mangrove biomass health. However, the utility of EO can be impacted by persistent cloud cover in such regions. To overcome such challenges here, we present a workflow that leverages EO-derived high-resolution (10 m) synthetic aperture radar data from the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation combined with machine learning to conduct observations of the spatial land cover changes associated with oil pollution-induced mangrove mortality proximal to pipeline networks in a 9000 km² region of Rivers State located near Port Harcourt. Our analysis identified significant deforestation from 2016–2024, with an estimated mangrove mortality rate of 5644 hectares/year. Using our empirically derived Pipeline Impact Indicator (PII), we mapped the oil pipeline network to 1 km resolution, highlighting specific pipeline locations in need of immediate intervention and restoration, and identified several new pipeline sites showing evidence of significant oil spill damage that have yet to be formally reported. Our findings emphasise the critical need for the continuous and comprehensive monitoring of oil extractive regions using satellite remote sensing to support decision-making and policies to mitigate environmental and societal damage from pipeline oil spills, particularly in ecologically vulnerable regions such as the Niger Delta. Full article

This study investigates how religious rhetoric and popular mobilisation contributed to the preservation and propagation of Daoist traditions at the mountain Maoshan 茅山 from late Qing to Republican China (1864–1937), focusing particularly on the corpus of religious texts related to Maoshan and its tutelary gods, the Three Mao Lords 三茅真君. Through a detailed analysis of primary sources, including editions of the Maoshan Gazetteer, liturgical manuals such as the scripture (jing 經), litany (chan 懺), and performative texts such as the precious scroll (baojuan 寶卷) of the Three Mao Lords, this study identifies six key rhetoric strategies employed by Maoshan Daoists, using the acronym IMPACT: (1) Incorporation: Appending miracle tales (lingyan ji 靈驗記) and divine medicine (xianfang 仙方) to address immediate and practical needs of contemporary society; (2) Memory: Preserving doctrinal continuity while invoking cultural nostalgia to reinforce connections to traditional values and heritage; (3) Performance: Collaborating with professional storytellers to disseminate vernacularized texts through oral performances, thereby reaching broader audiences including the illiterate. (4) Abridgment: Condensing lengthy texts into concise and accessible formats; (5) Canonization: Elevating the divine status of deities through spirit-writing, thereby enhancing their religious authority; (6) Translation: Rendering classical texts into vernacular language for broader accessibility. Building upon J.L. Austin’s speech act theory, this study reconceptualizes these textual innovations as a form of “text acts”, arguing that Maoshan texts did not merely transmit religious doctrine but actively shaped pilgrimages and devotional practices through their illocutionary and perlocutionary force. Additionally, this study also highlights the crucial role of social networks, particularly the efforts of key individuals such as Zhang Hefeng 張鶴峰 (fl. 1860–1864), Long Zehou 龍澤厚 (1860–1945), Jiang Daomin 江導岷 (1867–1939), Wang Yiting 王一亭 (1867–1938) and Teng Ruizhi 滕瑞芝 (fl. 1920–1947) who facilitated the reconstruction, reprinting and dissemination of these texts. Furthermore, this study considers pilgrimages to Maoshan as a form of popular mobilisation and resistance to anti-clerical and anti-superstition campaigns, illustrating how, against all odds, Maoshan emerged as a site where religious devotion and economic activity coalesced to sustain the local communities. Ultimately, despite the challenges identified in applying speech act theory to textual practices, the findings conclude that the survival and revival of Daoist traditions at Maoshan was not only a result of textual retention and innovation but also a testament to how religious rhetoric, when coupled with strategic social engagement, can fuel popular mobilisation, reignite collective devotion, and reshape cultural landscapes in transformative ways. Full article

Recreational Ecological Parks (REPs) play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable development by promoting ecotourism, conserving biodiversity, and providing inclusive recreational opportunities with minimal environmental impact. Assessing the potential for REP development is crucial to optimize the sustainable use of natural resources and enhance ecological and socio-economic benefits. This study introduces a sustainability-oriented Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (SMCDA) framework to evaluate and optimize REP development in Mazandaran Province, Iran. The framework incorporates 33 criteria across five categories: 13 for network connectivity and accessibility; 10 for facilities, services, and tourism potential; 4 for landform and land use; 3 for natural hazards; and 3 for climate conditions. Criteria were standardized using the minimum–maximum method and weighted based on expert input via the Best–Worst Method. A weighted linear combination approach was then applied to generate REP suitability maps. Existing recreational and tourism (R&T) sites were assessed against these maps, and a non-parametric bootstrapping method quantified uncertainties in suitability classifications. The results revealed that approximately 8%, 17%, 26%, 30%, and 19% of the study area fell into very low, low, moderate, high, and very high suitability classes, respectively. Among 151 R&T sites, 33% and 34% were situated in areas classified as very high and high suitability. Prediction rates were most accurate in the very high suitability category, while uncertainty analysis indicated a mean of 13% and a standard deviation of 1.7%, with uncertainties predominantly concentrated in lower suitability classes. The findings underscore the SMCDA framework’s efficacy in guiding sustainable REP development by identifying optimal sites and managing uncertainties. This study contributes to sustainability by integrating ecological, economic, and social dimensions into decision-making processes, thereby fostering resilience and long-term environmental stewardship in tourism planning. Full article