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Mangrove ecotourism is gaining immense popularity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a neoliberal conservation tool, and it has contributed significantly to the growth of the tourism sector in the region over the past two decades. However, there is no comprehensive review on the full extent of mangrove ecotourism activities and the contribution to mangrove conservation/restoration and economic growth in the region. A systematic literature review approach was used to examine the evolution of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries from 2010 to 2023. A total of 55 articles were retrieved from the Google and Google Scholar search engines, and the Scopus and Web of Science databases were incorporated. We synthesized the results and provided perspectives on the following: (1) the geographical and temporal distribution of studies in relation to mangrove extent, (2) key sites, attractions, and values for mangrove ecotourism activities, (3) the positive and negative impacts of mangrove ecotourism, and (4) existing mangrove conservation and restoration initiatives for the growth of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries. The findings underscore the significance of mangrove ecotourism in supporting economic development, protecting coastal ecosystems, and sustaining local livelihoods in the GCC countries. However, this study highlights the crucial need for sustainable coastal environmental management through integrated land use planning and zoning to address the negative impacts of anthropogenic pressures on mangrove ecosystems and ecotourism attractions. The use of remote sensing tools is invaluable in the monitoring of mangrove ecosystems and associated ecotourism impacts for informing evidence-based conservation and restoration management approaches. Thus, harnessing mangrove ecotourism opportunities can help the GCC countries with balancing economic growth, coastal environmental sustainability, and community well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct evidence-based approaches are vital to evaluating newly proposed theories on the persistence of soil organic carbon and establishing the contributions of abiotic and biotic controls. Our primary goal was to directly identify the mechanisms of organic carbon stabilization in native-state, free soil microaggregates without disrupting the aggregate microstructure using scanning transmission x-ray microscopy coupled with near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (STXM-NEXAFS). The influence of soil management practices on microaggregate associated-carbon was also assessed. Free, stable soil microaggregates were collected from a tropical agro-ecosystem in Cruz Alta, Brazil. The long-term experimental plots (>25 years) comparing two tillage systems: no-till and till with a complex crop rotation. Based on simultaneously collected multi-elemental associations and speciation, STXM-NEXAFS successfully provided submicron level information on organo-mineral associations. Simple organic carbon sources were found preserved within microaggregates; some still possessing original morphology, suggesting that their stabilization was not entirely governed by the substrate chemistry. Bulk analysis showed higher and younger organic carbon in microaggregates from no-till systems than tilled systems. These results provide direct submicron level evidence that the surrounding environment is involved in stabilizing organic carbon, thus favoring newly proposed concepts on the persistence of soil organic carbon.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] plays an important role in sustainable agriculture, reducing the limitations associated with other sources of N such as fertilizers and soils. Our major objective was to evaluate the weekly pattern of BNF in soybean influenced by nodule formation, using three different laboratory-cultured Bradyrhizobium strains. Plants were grown in 1-m polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns for 17 week in a greenhouse and BNF was determined using an integrated approach by assessing nodule formation, stem ureide-N, and N partitioning in plant parts. Bradyrhizobium strains showed overall similar plant performance and N2-fixation capacity. During the beginning of flowering/full bloom (R1/R2) growth stages, nodule formation significantly increased and reached a maximum at pod-filling (R4) stage. Stem ureide-N was detected at early growth stages even with fewer small nodules, which significantly increased after the beginning of pod formation (R3). Peak N2-fixing rate (g N kg-1 d-1) started to decline after the onset of seed filling (R5.5). Relationship between BNF and nodule parameters (nodule number [R² = .65] and nodule weight [R² = .62]) suggested that they can be used as predictors of BNF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]