Biodiversity offsets have become a widely accepted means of attempting to compensate for biodiversity loss from development, and are applied in planning and decision-making processes at many levels. Yet their use is contentious, and numerous problems with both the concept and the practice have been identified in the literature. Our starting point is the understanding that offsets are a kind of biodiversity

Hundreds of oil wells were drilled along Oil Creek in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, birthing the modern oil industry. No longer in operation, many wells are now classified as abandoned, and, due to their age, their locations are either unknown or inaccurately recorded. These historic-well sites present environmental, safety, and economic concerns in the form of possible methane leaks and physical

Community-based conservation and resource management (CBCRM) programs often incorporate the dual goals of poverty alleviation and conservation. However, robust assessments of CBCRM program outcomes are relatively scarce. This study uses a multidisciplinary, systems approach to assess the ecological and social dimensions of success of an internationally acclaimed CBCRM program. This program, located

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01412-3

Our digital age is characterized by both a generalized access to data and an increased call for participation of the public and other stakeholders and communities in policy design and decision-making. This context raises new challenges for political decision-makers and analysts in providing these actors with new means and moral duties for decision support, including in the area of environmental policy

The negative effects of roads on wildlife populations are a growing concern. Movement corridors and road-kill data are typically used to prioritize road segments for mitigation measures. Some research suggests that locations where animals move across roads following corridors coincide with locations where they are often killed by vehicles. Other research indicates that corridors and road-kill rarely

Riparian zones provide multiple benefits in agricultural landscapes, but nitrogen (N) loading can cause N2O emissions. There is a knowledge gap on how different types of riparian vegetation influence N2O emissions. This study quantified N2O emissions from a rehabilitated riparian zone with deciduous trees (RH), a herbaceous (grassed) riparian zone (GRS), a natural forested riparian zone with deciduous

Community participation in climate change adaptation (CCA) programs has been advocated for long, but its implementation remains uncertain. There is also very little understanding and consensus on how and to what extent local communities can and should be involved in these projects. Arguably, both the concept and practice of community participation remain equivocal and contentious due to a lack of systematic

As China’s demand for paper products increases, China’s paper industry faces enormous pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By using material flow analysis in combination with input–output analysis, this study measured the waste paper recovery rate in a more accurate method and analyzed the impact of waste paper recycling on the carbon emissions from China’s paper industry. China’s waste paper

There has been much written about the negative social and environmental impacts of large hydropower dams, particularly the impacts on people and the environment caused by flooding linked to the creation of large reservoirs. There has also long been recognition of the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge for understanding ecological processes and environmental impacts. In this paper, however

Biological monitoring is the evaluating changes in the environment using the biological responses with the intent of using such information in quality control of the ecosystem. Biomarkers and bioindicators are two main components of the hierarchy of biomonitoring process. Bioindicators can be used to monitor changes of ecosystems and to distinguish alteration of human impact from natural variability

Wildlife value orientations (WVOs) are used to address human–wildlife conflicts by developing value-framed messaging. However, little is known about whether WVOs (i.e., mutualism, domination) are useful in distance-related wildlife safety communication strategies. This study explores the predictive ability of mutualism and domination value orientations on study participants’ levels of agreement with

Local communities contribute to broader biodiversity protection goals when managing their immediate environment when they establish protected areas. However, their efforts are geographically constrained and often uncoordinated. We compare protected areas established by local communities through the direct democracy process in California, US, to protected areas created and managed by two conservation

Subnational entities are recognizing the need to systematically examine options for reducing their carbon footprints. However, few robust and comprehensive analyses are available that lay out how US states and regions can most effectively contribute. This paper describes an approach developed for Georgia—a state in the southeastern United States called “Drawdown Georgia”, our research involves (1)

The intensification of the Baltic Sea eutrophication is associated with the increase of anthropogenic nutrients loads, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus introduced into surface waters from a diffuse, point and natural background sources. Despite the observed decreasing trends in nutrient concentrations in some parts of the Baltic Sea, eutrophication-related indicators continue to deteriorate. This accelerates

The ability of communities to react to risks and disturbances is for their balance, development, and sustainability. The concept of resilience provides a way to think about policies and actions for future changes in socioeconomic and ecological-environmental systems. This paper analyzes, in the context of mining, the perception of the resilience of Canaã dos Carajás population in Pará State, Brazilian

Who worries first about an invasive alien species: scientists or the general public, or do both become concerned simultaneously? Taking thirteen invasive alien species in the Netherlands, this article reconstructs the development of their public and scientific salience: the attention they attracted and the knowledge about them. Salience was assessed from the number of publications from 1997 onwards

Cactus has shown great capabilities as a bio coagulant/flocculent in the treatment of wastewater and as a factor for sustainable development of the environment, due to its abundance and non-toxicity for human health. This has encouraged the present study based on the design of experiments to optimize the two operating factors: the bio coagulant dosage and initial pH. The effect of these considered

Tidal marshes are increasingly vulnerable to degradation or loss from eutrophication, land-use changes, and accelerating sea-level rise, making restoration necessary to recover ecosystem services. To evaluate effects of restoration planting density and sea-level rise on ecosystem function (i.e., nitrogen removal), we restored three marshes, which differed in elevation, at Weeks Bay National Estuarine

The complex relationship that exists between water resources and agricultural production has been increasing constantly globally. Several factors are interacting to influence the management of water resources making the system complex and dynamic. To increase the understanding of these complex and dynamic systems, relevant tools are needed to identify the causal relationships that exist between the

Stream classification frameworks are important tools for conserving aquatic resources. Yet despite their utility, most classification frameworks have not incorporated network connectivity. We developed and compared three biologically informed stream classification frameworks considering the effects of variables indexing local habitat and/or connectivity on stream fish communities. The first framework

Water utilities in arid regions deal with multifaceted issues of natural groundwater contamination, high treatment costs, and low water rates. These utilities rely on intermittent supplies resulting in numerous water quality failures at source, treatment, distribution, and in-house plumbing systems. The present research presents an inclusive risk assessment methodology for managing water quality from

Social networks and related social processes play a critical role in natural resources and environmental governance. In this paper, an environmental governance case is analyzed from a social network perspective. We explore how social networks of proponents for and opponents against environmental regulations are formed and developed and how these social networks facilitate or hinder environmental regulations

While there are regulatory requirements that regulators should assess the impact of landscape-scale changes on the success of US Clean Water Act wetland compensatory mitigation sites, these requirements are poorly specified and very little work has been done to characterize how landscape change impacts CWA compensation sites. We created a rapid assessment method with both site-based and landscape-scale

Globally, many river systems are under stress due to overconsumption of water. Governments have responded with programmes to deliver environmental water to improve environmental outcomes. Although such programmes are essential, they may not be sufficient to achieve all desired environmental outcomes. The benefits of environmental water allocation may be improved using ‘complementary measures’, which

In evaluating effectiveness for collaborative environmental governance arrangements, a key concern is describing not just the processes and actors that are a part of these systems, but also the impacts that these processes have on ecological and social conditions. Existing research delineates an emphasis on process variables over outcome variables, as well as the difficulties of demonstrating causal

Selected heavy metal-trace element (Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, and V) levels were determined by the ICP-MS method in whole-blood samples of fishermen and control group who accommodate in four provinces of the Marmara Sea. Mercury (1.267 ± 1.061 µg/L to 0.796 ± 0.853 µg/L) and lead (17.8 ± 9.0 µg/L to 12.0 ± 6.83 µg/L) levels were higher in the fishermen group than that of control group

Hurricane Maria, a category 4 tropical cyclone, hit the US non-incorporated territory of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. Widespread physical and natural infrastructure damage was observed, especially in already vulnerable coastal communities. As public sector funding availability for natural infrastructure (ex. coastal ecosystems) increases, mechanisms for its efficient and equitable allocation

As urbanization affects the quality of regional ecosystems, which are needed to ensure the well-being of residents, urban land management plans should consider ecosystem services. While several studies have assessed urbanization impacts on regional ecosystem services in developing urban areas, they used limited approaches that only considered options pertaining to urban green space management. A modeling

The emerging and underdeveloped countries in Africa face numerous difficulties managing infectious waste during the SARS-CoV-2 disease, known as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the main aim of this paper is to help decision-makers in African countries to select the best available waste management strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research undertakes seamless assessment and prioritization

This study presents an effective approach to tackle the challenge of long-term monitoring of contaminated groundwater sites where remediation leaves residual contamination in the subsurface. Traditional long-term monitoring of contaminated groundwater sites focuses on measuring contaminant concentrations and is applicable to sites where contaminant mass is removed or degraded to a level below the regulatory

Climate change effects and increasing levels of imperviousness, cause many urban areas globally to experience larger rainfall runoff volumes that need to be managed to protect property and infrastructure, and avoid environmental pollution. Conventionally engineered, ‘grey’ stormwater infrastructure often is outdated and unable to control these increased runoff volumes. Green stormwater infrastructure

Chemical compositions of atmospheric fine particles like PM2.5 prove harmful to human health, particularly to cardiopulmonary functions. Multifaceted health effects of PM2.5 have raised broader, stronger concerns in recent years, calling for comprehensive environmental health-risk assessments to offer new insights into air-pollution control. However, there have been few studies adopting local air-quality-monitoring

Governance gaps at both the federal and state level increasingly necessitate local action and remain a key driver of community-based solutions. A localist paradigm—encompassing models such as community-based management, citizen science, and cooperative research—offers a promising approach for bridging governance gaps by engaging citizens, co-producing knowledge, fostering trust, and developing innovative

The province of British Columbia, Canada, began its community forests (CF) program by permitting a range of governance structures, both to allow flexibility and to discover the most appropriate structures for this new forestry tenure. The majority of municipalities participating in this program elected to hold their CF tenure through a separate corporation or limited-liability partnership arrangement

Fire behavior should be estimated accurately and multidimensionally to reduce the dangers and harmful effects of forest fires and to develop effective fire management strategies. Therefore, in this study, the most important factors affecting fire behavior were determined by statistical methods using data of 59 large forest fires that occurred between 1977 and 2017 in Turkey. Some data were obtained

This study aims to investigate leaching characteristics of zinc slag according to leaching tests, including; TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure), SPLP (Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure), ASTM-D3987 (American Society for Testing and Materials), and TS EN-12457-4 (Turkish Standards Institute) tests methods. The present study describes the adsorption potential of natural and biochar

Despite perceptions of high water availability, adequate access to sufficient water resources remains a major challenge in Alaska. This paper uses a participatory modeling approach to investigate household water vulnerability in remote Alaska and to examine factors that affect water availability and water access. Specifically, the work asks: how do water policy stakeholders conceptualize the key processes

The purposes of this study is to show the corporate characteristics of companies which have been operating in the fields of small-scale treatment plants’ (SSTPs’) design, construction, and installation processes, and to exhibit findings/perceptions of company employees on issues such as the initial investment and operating costs, common production and operating problems, the functionality of the small-scale

The state of Alaska is experiencing increased coastal erosion due to climatic changes that threaten shoreline, infrastructure, and Alaska Native ways of life. While several Alaska Native villages have been impacted by severe erosion, additional communities face burgeoning erosion concerns. St. Paul, a remote island located in the Bering Sea, Alaska, and home to ~450 Unangan, or Aleut, residents, is

The subarctic Teno River is one of the most significant spawning rivers for Atlantic salmon in Europe. In 2009, research indicated that the Teno salmon stock was in a weak state, and concern about the future of Atlantic salmon in the Teno River arose on both sides of the river, in Finland and Norway. In 2017, the governments ratified the new Teno fishing agreement (Teno Fishing Act 2017). The agreement

U.S. public university campuses are held directly responsible for compliance with many of the same federal- and state-level environmental regulations as cities, including stormwater management. While operating as ‘cities within cities’ in many respects, campuses face unique constraints in achieving stormwater regulatory compliance. To compare the abilities of campuses to comply with stormwater regulations

Wetland decline under post-European settlement and land use change across western Canada has led to mitigation strategies, including wetland creation. Created wetlands can trigger environmental change, including woody species encroachment, in turn altering vegetation and soil. We quantify changes in shrub abundance from prior to wetland creation (1949) until 60 years later (2012) within a Mixedgrass

Public and private companies make significant water infrastructure investments to meet increasing water demand. In this context, investments in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which play an important role in recycling of used water, are also increasing. This study investigates determination of the efficiency scores of WWTPs considering each metropolitan municipality as a decision-making unit (DMU)

Understanding the trade-off between the loss of ecological lands and farmland to urbanisation could alleviate negative consequences to the environment and food security. This study aims to analyse the impact of urbanisation on ecological lands and farmland by comparing respective losses of habitat quality and agricultural productivity potential. Different scenarios are established indicating the priority

Although climate information can aid farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change, its accessibility and adoption by subsistence farmers hinge on the collaboration between farmers and climate information providers. This paper examines collaborations among actors in the process of climate information production and dissemination in the Namibian agricultural sector. The aim is to investigate the extent

Effective management of invasive plants conserves biodiversity values, reduces economic costs, and minimizes negative impacts on human health. Fostering people’s awareness of invasive plants is one of the most cost-effective approaches in preventing the spread and introduction of invasive plants. Therefore, this study aims to understand (1) people’s knowledge and risk perceptions, (2) associations

The concept of institutional interplay (i.e., the interaction between institutions) is critical if the challenges to multilevel governance are to be better understood and addressed. Drawing on the literature on institutional interplay, this paper develops an analytical approach to examine challenges to multilevel coastal governance. São Paulo Macrometropolitan region (MMP, in Portuguese) is used to

Land-use planning is an important policy instrument for governing landscapes to achieve multifunctionality in rural areas. This paper presents a case study conducted in Na Nhan commune in the northwest montane region of Vietnam to assess land-use strategies toward multiple ecosystem services, through integrated land-use planning. The assessment employed the Land-Use Planning for Multiple Ecosystem

The scarcity of environmental data means that other sources of information are needed to complement empirical evidence for conservation decisions. We, therefore, aimed to explore Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) on mammal abundance and qualitative population trends through interviews from 331 local people in and around Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana. The results show that 62% of the respondents

Soil heavy metal pollution threatens ecological health and food security. It is significant to classify pollution risk management and control zones, which can effectively cope with soil pollution and scientifically carry out soil remediation projects. In this study, based on 665 soil samples collecting from Ningbo (southeast China), single pollution index and Nemerow composite pollution index (NCPI)

Soil contamination by heavy metals is becoming a serious environmental problem especially in saline and sodic soils and information on different fractions of metals is useful to predict their mobility and availability in soil. Addition of organic amendments, as an important technique to remediation of metals has been considered recently. Therefore, the effect of sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar on

The future and benefits of mosaic landscapes have been a source of scientific and societal concern due to increasing population growth, climate change, urbanization, and expanding agricultural commodities. There is a growing call for integrated landscape approaches in which landscape actors discuss trade-offs between different land uses with a view to reaching a negotiated decision on the allocation

Social media are being increasingly used to inform visitor use management in parks and protected areas. We review the state of the scientific literature to understand the ways social media has been, and can be, used to measure visitation, spatial patterns of use, and visitors’ experiences in parks and protected areas. Geotagged social media are a good proxy for actual visitation; however, the correlations

Increasing urbanization, landscape conversion, and resource consumption represent the most important, visible and irreversible human-induced actions on Earth. As a consequence, nowadays it is of seminal importance to understand and assess how anthropic pressures are related to the provision of ecosystem services (ES). This paper focuses on urban parks and their provision of water-induced ecosystem

The establishment of national parks in Brazil has been made based on a history of conflicts with local populations living within the limits or buffer zones of protected areas. These conflicts begin with disputes over territorial ownership. They affect local livelihoods, access to and use of space and natural resources, and create power asymmetries. In response to these conflicts, the Federal Conservation

This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of conventional and organic rice cultivations and proposes a sustainable conceptual framework of rice farming based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. A cradle-to-gate LCA was performed by using the ReCiPe 2016 method and SimaPro 8.5 software. The functional unit was one ton of rice grains harvested. Primary data were obtained from the farmer

Water treatment plants play a major role in the cycle of water recovery and reuse. Besides the benefits of water treatment plants, they have a great impact on the environment, social life, economy, and natural habitats. In this sense, decision-makers should effectively plan the construction and operational activities of plants, taking into account the expectations of users. Growing public expectations