Hasil untuk "Environmental protection"

M. Faraji, Y. Yamini, Mohammad Rezaee

Jinlian Hu, H. Meng, Guoqiang Li et al.

M. Betsill, H. Bulkeley

We explore how the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program, a network that is simultaneously global and local, state and nonstate, could be conceptualized as part of global environmental governance. We suggest that traditional approaches to international relations— regime theory and transnational networks—offer limited conceptual space for analyzing such networks. These approaches obscure how the governance of global climate change takes place through processes and institutions operating at and between a variety of scales and involving a range of actors with different levels and forms of authority. We contend that it is only by taking a multilevel perspective that we can fully capture the social, political, and economic processes that shape global environmental governance. KEYWORDS: climate change, multilevel governance, global environmental governance, transnational networks.

Eduardo S Brondízio, E. Ostrom, O. Young

Prashanta Kumar, B. Ghodeswar

Maria Bibi, Antonio F. Skarmeta, Shouket Zaman Khan

Global climate change and increased anthropogenic activities are responsible for outbreaks of invasive and endemic pests, diseases, and pathogens. Forest pests pose serious threats to the growth, productivity, and resilience of natural forests and green urban spaces globally. To cope with the hazardous impacts of trunk-boring pests on forest degradation, it is crucial to detect their infestations at early growth stages. However, the borer larvae’s hidden lifestyle and delayed apparent symptoms lead to widespread infestation, resulting in large-scale tree mortality. The development of smart systems is critical to protecting natural forests and forest plantations from the fatal impacts of boring pests. Applications of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and remote sensing (RS) technologies are transforming traditional pest management strategies by developing more sustainable and robust solutions. The integration of these cutting-edge technologies is paving the way for early pest detection, identification, and outbreak prediction by implementing on-site decision support systems (DSS) and remote monitoring of agricultural fields and large-scale forests. Advanced IoT acoustic sensors can record vibrational signals of boring pest larvae activities inside the tree trunk to confirm pest infestations at early stages, assisting forest management stakeholders in taking preventive measures to suppress the pests’ outbreaks in a timely manner. Auditory signals recorded by piezoelectric sensors are affected by external environmental noise. To improve pest detection ability, different AI-based signal enhancement algorithms are deployed to suppress noisy signals and process enhanced signals. Enormously improved RS technologies can monitor dynamic structural changes in forests by capturing multispectral images through satellites and drones equipped with high-resolution cameras, and then the RS data are incorporated into advanced AI algorithms to analyze the pests and disease-induced stress in the forest ecosystem to develop smart forest protection systems. The integration of X-ray imaging and deep learning models is another achievement in the non-destructive management of trunk-boring pests.

T. Ogwueleka

Weidong Chen, Meng Lian

Resources and Environmental Carrying Capacity (RECC) is a comprehensive concept that encompasses the interactions between resources, the environment, and human activities, serving as the foundation for social development strategies. To adequately reflect this complex relationship, a multi-level, multi-dimensional evaluation indicator system must be developed. This paper constructs a regional soil environmental evaluation system incorporating PM2.5 indicators, which is in line with relevant environmental protection policies and planning orientations in our country from 2014 to 2023. It analyzes the level and development trend of RECC in Henan Province and proposes measures for effective management. The results indicate the following: (1) The RECC in Henan Province demonstrates a downward trajectory, marked by temporary fluctuations over time. It hit its nadir in 2019, subsequently undergoing a gradual resurgence; (2) Analysis of individual dimension indicators reveals that the natural carrying capacity has declined from a medium to a relatively weaker level. Meanwhile, environmental carrying capacity has shown a slight downward trend but has generally remained stable. In contrast, socio-economic carrying capacity has demonstrated an upward trend, rising from a medium to a relatively strong level. In terms of early warning measures, it is essential to establish a red warning zone, implement a credit record accountability system, and develop a monitoring warning database along with an information technology platform. This paper demonstrates that the indicator system is effective for evaluating RECC across different dimensions and holds significant reference value for assessing RECC in similar regions.

Abeba Nigussie Retta, Fassil Kebede, Mitiku Haile et al.

Abstract Knowledge of soil spatial variability and mapping is essential. It helps determine the effects of agricultural activities on soil properties, develop appropriate soil management techniques, and promote site-specific agricultural practices. The present study was conducted in the semiarid areas of Northern Ethiopia in the Gumselassa watershed to assess the status, nutrient indexing and variability of selected soil properties. Based on geology, soil type, slope gradient and to a lesser extent soil management practices ten land mapping units (LMUs) were delineated. Soil samples were collected from two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm). Overall, 60 composite soil samples were collected from the 10 LMUs. The soil samples were air-dried, crushed and passed through a 2 mm sieve before analysing the soil's physical and chemical properties. The results revealed that all the analysed soil properties, except bulk density and porosity, varied significantly (P < 0.05) among the LMUs. The soils of all LMUs are strongly alkaline (ranging from 7.8 to 8.5), low in soil organic matter (OM) content (< 3%) and total nitrogen (TN). Similarly, the available phosphorus (AP), available (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents of all LMUs were very low. Based on the nutrient indices, the soil of the watershed had low OM (1.17%), TN (1.27%), AP (1 mg kg−1) and high Ex. K (2.97 cmol ( +)/kg). The study concluded that the overall fertility status of the soils was deficient and unable to support sustainable crop production under smallholder farming. Consequently, integrated soil fertility management practices which help build up the soil OM content and essential nutrients; and ameliorate the elevated alkaline soil pH should be implemented. Future studies should focus on soil spectroscopy and geostatistical models due to the high cost of soil wet chemistry and environmental pollution.

Deng Pan, Menghao Xia, Chuanzhen Li et al.

Abstract Background Pesticide resistance is a serious problem that threatens crop industries. Major resistance towards pyridaben, an acaricidal inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport complex I (METI-Is), has been reported in tetranychids following its extensive use worldwide. Understanding mechanisms of pyridaben resistance is crucial for sustainable resistance management. Results The inheritance of pyridaben resistance was incompletely recessive and controlled by multiple genes in P. citri, which was determined by reciprocal crosses and backcross experiments. Bulked segregant analysis was performed to identify gene loci underlying pyridaben resistance. Subsequently, the two PSST-subunit mutations H107R and the previously undiscovered V103I mutation were positively correlated with pyridaben resistance in different populations or strains by single mite genotyping. The bioassay further showed that H107R contributed to moderate resistance, while V103I in combination with H107R was responsible for a very high level of resistance in homozygous P. citri strains. These contributions to pyridaben resistance were also verified in transgenic Drosophila through the introduction of the wildtype, single- or double-mutated P. citri PSST subunit. In addition, life-table analysis and behavioral measures were conducted to assess the fitness cost associated with resistance development. Accompanied by reduced ATP levels and complex I activity, a fitness cost was observed as reduced fecundity and lower mobility due to PSST mutations. Conclusions Our findings provide direct evidence that PSST mutations conferred the evolution of pyridaben resistance but simultaneously led to a fitness cost due to functional defects in complex I. These data provide theoretical insights into sustainable resistance management in agricultural production.

Jun Liang, Jun Liang, Yongdong Zhou et al.

IntroductionLike pelagic fishes, cephalopods represent fishery resources with high worldwide potential and an important evolutionary node animal group. Thus, exploring the spatial and seasonal variations in cephalopod distribution and their associations with environmental factors is important for elucidating cephalopod diversity and the distribution of cephalopods under changing environmental conditions and for developing reasonable resource management and conservation measures.MethodsOn the basis of trawl survey data from 123 stations in the coastal waters of Zhejiang, China, in the spring and autumn of 2021, the relationships among the cephalopod species composition and diversity characteristics and the spatial and seasonal changes and environmental factors were investigated via the relative importance index (IRI), the alpha diversity index, and the GAM.ResultsThe results revealed that the cephalopods in the coastal waters of Zhejiang belonged to three orders, six families, and 10 genera and that the dominant species were gradually replaced by species of minor economic importance and endemic small-scale fishery species. In spring, Uroteuthis duvaucelii was the dominant species, the resource density in the southern coastal waters of Zhejiang was relatively high, and the overall distribution increased from northeast to southwest. In autumn, U. duvaucelii and Abralia multihamata were the dominant species, and the coastal waters of Zhejiang presented two high-density distribution areas in the northern and central waters, with lower resource density in the southern waters. Analysis of the alpha diversity index revealed relatively low cephalopod community diversity, with significant differences in spatial and seasonal distributions. The GAM revealed that, in spring, surface dissolved oxygen and sea bottom temperature led to significant changes in cephalopod resource density (p&lt;0.05), and water depth significantly affected cephalopod resource density (p&lt;0.01); in autumn, only water depth significantly affected cephalopod resource density (p&lt;0.01).DiscussionThe cephalopod resources in the coastal waters of Zhejiang are under the dual stresses of fishing and environmental changes. The protection and restoration of traditional economic cephalopod resources are needed to ensure their sustainable development and utilization.

Xuhui Ding, Huihui Liu, Jiatong Zhang et al.

Exploring the effect of local government multi-objective competition on the transfer of polluting industries is of great practical significance for promoting the high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This paper adopted the extended shift-share analysis method to measure the scale of inter-provincial transfer of polluting industries in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2008 to 2020. Considering local governments' economic, innovation, talent and environmental protection competition, the paper examined the effects of local government multi-objective competition on the transfer of polluting industries in the region, and tested its spatial spillover effects. The results showed that: 1. Different competitions had different effects on the transfer of polluting industries. Economic competition intensified the transfer of polluting industries, while talent, innovation, and environmental protection competition all restrained it, among which environmental protection competition had the strongest restraining effect. 2. Compared with the transfer of polluting industries, the direction of economic competition and environmental protection competition on the transfer of industries did not change, but the degree of influence was reduced, talent competition instead promoted industrial transfer of the research region to some extent. 3. From the basin level, government competition in the upstream region more obviously intensified the transfer of polluting industries; while from the economic scale level, the restraining effect of government competition in the developed region on the transfer of polluting industries was much stronger. 4. Both innovation and environmental protection competition had positive spatial spillover effects. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the promotion and assessment mechanism of local officials, adopt differentiated competitive constraint mechanisms in accordance with local conditions, guide local governments to transform their development concepts, promote the sharing and common use of technological innovations, and promote the orderly transfer of industries in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

T. Feng, Xinyu Chen, Jie Ma et al.

Production restriction is an environmental regulation adopted in China to curb the air pollution of industrial enterprises. Frequent production restrictions may cause economic losses for enterprises and further hinder their green transformation. Polluting enterprises are faced with the dilemma of choosing environmental protection or economic development. Using panel data on industrial enterprises in China from 2016 to 2019, this paper evaluates the impact of production restrictions on both enterprises' environmental and economic performance with regression models. The results show that production restrictions significantly drop the concentrations of SO2 and NOx emitted from polluting enterprises. Meanwhile, production restrictions have significant negative effects on operating income, financial expenses, net profit, and environmental protection investment. The mechanism analysis reveals that production restrictions mitigate air pollutant concentrations by increasing the number of green patents and improving total factor productivity, which also verifies the Porter hypothesis. However, there is a masking mediating effect of environmental investment, which indicates that the reduction of environmental investment hinders the enterprise's efforts to control air pollution. In addition, heterogeneous analysis shows that the economic shock on microenterprises is larger than that on small enterprises. Implementing production restrictions for microenterprises may be a way to eliminate their backwards production capacity.

N. Gunningham, P. Grabosky, D. Sinclair

L. M. Wedding, S. J. Pittman, C. A. Lepczyk et al.

Abstract Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged as a tool to enable marine ecosystem-based management that seeks to balance human demands for ocean space with environmental protection. However, there is a history of thinking about our ocean systems as spaces, not places. As a result, most MSPs have been implemented without consideration of place. The relationship between people and the rest of nature is at the core of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Due to significant knowledge gaps in sociocultural connections, people and their place-based perspectives and needs are often overlooked in the MSP process. New approaches are required to equip societies with information to inform sustainable ocean planning relevant to environmental change and the local sociocultural context. We encourage the inclusion of a distinct place-based characteristic in MSP and argue that bringing in the concepts of space and place from the discipline of geography can enable a broader view of the seascape in MSP. Here, we provide five core considerations of place-based MSP that include: (1) sense of place; (2) social-ecological systems; (3) ocean and human health; (4) multiple ways of knowing; and (5) social knowledge. We review available methods and suggest a multi-evidence-based approach that can highlight dynamic eco-cultural connections between people and the biophysical patterns and processes of interlinked landscapes and seascapes. Moving towards place-based MSP can help to solve three important issues in the current context of global socio-environmental transformations. First, these key concepts are relevant for interdisciplinary science, as solving problems raised by MSP requires more than superimposing spatial layers of scientific knowledge. Second, marine planning and management is less efficient if policies are not integrated and if issues are addressed by each individual sector rather than in a holistic manner. Third, a place-based approach accounts for individual and collective values and may open new ways to solve governance issues. A shift from understanding and managing ocean spaces to including ocean places can support progress towards sustainable and equitable MSP goals.

Kaiyuan Zhang, Jing Cao, Zhijun Zhao

Abstract Background Proper adjustments of metabolic thermogenesis play an important role in thermoregulation in endotherm to cope with cold and/or warm ambient temperatures, however its roles in energy balance and fat accumulation remain uncertain. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of previous cold exposure (10 and 0 °C) on the energy budgets and fat accumulation in the striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) in response to warm acclimation. The body mass, energy intake, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and nonshivering thermogenesis (NST), serum thyroid hormone levels (THs: T3 and T4), and the activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT), indicated by cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity and uncoupling protein 1 (ucp 1) expression, were measured following exposure to the cold (10 °C and 0 °C) and transition to the warm temperature (30 °C). Results The hamsters at 10 °C and 0 °C showed significant increases in energy intake, RMR and NST, and a considerable reduction in body fat than their counterparts kept at 21 °C. After being transferred from cold to warm temperature, the hamsters consumed less food, and decreased RMR and NST, but they significantly increased body fat content. Interestingly, the hamsters that were previously exposed to the colder temperature showed significantly more fat accumulation after transition to the warm. Serum T3 levels, BAT COX activity and ucp 1 mRNA expression were significantly increased following cold exposure, and were considerably decreased after transition to the warm. Furthermore, body fat content was negatively correlated with serum T3 levels, BAT COX activity and UCP1 expression. Conclusion The data suggest that the positive energy balance resulting from the decreased RMR and NST in BAT under the transition from the cold to the warm plays important roles in inducing fat accumulation. The extent of fat accumulation in the warm appears to reflect the temperature of the previous cold acclimation.

S. Schaltegger, R. Burritt

M. Mert, Gülden Bölük

K. Halsnæs, S. Trærup

Wang-Yu Zhu, Yu-Mei Wang, Ming-Xue Ge et al.

BackgroundExceeding 50% tuna catches are regarded as byproducts in the production of cans. Given the high amount of tuna byproducts and their environmental effects induced by disposal and elimination, the valorization of nutritional ingredients from these by-products receives increasing attention.ObjectiveThis study was to identify the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory (ACEi) peptides from roe hydrolysate of Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and evaluate their protection functions on H2O2-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).MethodsProtein hydrolysate of tuna roes with high ACEi activity was prepared using flavourzyme, and ACEi peptides were isolated from the roe hydrolysate using ultrafiltration and chromatography methods and identified by ESI/MS and Procise Protein/Peptide Sequencer for the N-terminal amino acid sequence. The activity and mechanism of action of isolated ACEi peptides were investigated through molecular docking and cellular experiments.ResultsFour ACEi peptides were identified as WGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12), respectively. The affinity of WGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12) with ACE was −8.590, −9.703, −9.325, and −8.036 kcal/mol, respectively. The molecular docking experiment elucidated that the significant ACEi ability of WGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12) was mostly owed to their tight bond with ACE’s active sites/pockets via hydrophobic interaction, electrostatic force and hydrogen bonding. Additionally, WGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12) could dramatically elevate the Nitric Oxide (NO) production and bring down endothelin-1 (ET-1) secretion in HUVECs, but also abolish the opposite impact of norepinephrine (0.5 μM) on the production of NO and ET-1. Moreover, WGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12) could lower the oxidative damage and apoptosis rate of H2O2-induced HUVECs, and the mechanism indicated that they could increase the content of NO and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) to decrease the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA).ConclusionWGESF (TRP3), IKSW (TRP6), YSHM (TRP9), and WSPGF (TRP12) are beneficial ingredients for healthy products ameliorating hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.