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As a scientific consequence of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, several initiatives have taken place in order to monitor noise levels trends before and after the lock down phase in several Italian and European cities. In Monza (Italy), since June 2017, a new smart noise monitoring system consisting of 10 sensors developed in the frame of the LIFE MONZA project is continuously measuring acoustic data every second and transmitting them hourly to a dedicated server. The sensors are located both along a main street of the Libertà district characterised by high traffic flows and along secondary streets of the district; they are positioned on (preferably sensitive) buildings facades and on streetlamps. In the present paper results of a study concerning changes occurred in noise levels trends before and during the lock down phase for the smart sensors are presented, together with a comparison with noise levels collected by the same sensors in the equivalent months of the previous year. Some preliminary considerations regarding the reliability of the sensors themselves are also provided.

We present soundwalk of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan from the main gate facing the Inari railway station to the summit. The soundwalk was captured from Samsung Galaxy S8 running NoiseExplorer: an app we have developed for Android and iOS. Fushimi Inari Shrine is the main shrine of the god Inari and sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 meters above sea level. It also includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometers and takes approximately two hours to walk up. This shrine is ranked as the number one most popular sightseeing destination among tourists visiting Japan. A salient feature of the shrine is the rows of nearly 10,000 torii gates in striking orange color, which is known as the Senbon torii. The soundscape at the main gate and the main shrine was found to be dominated by the sound of cicadas. However, midway along the torii gates along the path towards the summit, cicada sound subsides, and the soundscape is more representative of typical footpath on mountain paths. The Leq noise level of 59.6 dBA is well below the typical noise level of other Japanese tourist attractions.

The monoculture vegetable production systems practiced by Zimbabwean farmers has resulted in major disease outbreaks, causing major production constraints. There is need to determine the intensity of pesticides usage and methods of alternative disease management strategies. This study was carried out using 250 randomly selected vegetable farmers by administering questionnaires. The study objectives were to determine farmers’ perceptions on vegetable disease incidence and severity in relation to prevailing weather conditions, and determine common control methods practiced to manage fungal and bacterial disease outbreaks. The results indicated significant increases in fungal and bacterial disease incidence of 84.6% (within community cropping fields) and severity of 73.1% (within individual farmer fields) over the past 5-10 years (P £ 0.05). It also revealed disease incidence being highest [30.8%] during winter (May – July) and rainy months [23.1%] (November – February). Results further indicated 96.2% of the respondents relied on chemical methods, 53.8% used cultural control, and 11.5% used natural control methods. However, none of the farmers used bio-pesticide/biological control methods. In conclusion: farmers are aware of the disease shifts in response to different climate variability but seem unaware of the negative effects of extensive chemical use, nor existence of alternative bio-pesticide/biological disease management strategies.

The urban parks and gardens are usually surrounded by busy streets, commercial buildings and areas of high noise levels due to human activities and heavy traffic. These parks and gardens therefore have a unique function of providing relatively quiet areas to get away from the hustle and bustle of city lives. In this study, the sonic environment of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was the first UNESCO Heritage site in Singapore, was measured on various occasions and benchmarked with various urban gardens and parks around the world, namely the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid. St James’s Park in London, Old Botanical Gardens Hamburg, and Carlton Gardens in Melbourne. The Leq noise level was found to be compatible with the respective Leq noise level of the other urban parks and gardens. The sonic environment of the Singapore Botanic gardens was found to be dominated by cicada sound, human activities and water features. The sound level of various water features such as mini waterfalls and water fountains were also measured and analysed.

The purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding of the notions and conceptual foundations of assurance in the standard setting arena. This will facilitate an informed discussion of the challenges and the role of assurance within an increasingly complex and fragmented corporate reporting regulatory landscape. The study draws on relevant literature on sustainability assurance and an analysis of how the assurance concept has been framed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) through the construction of standards. The analysis highlights that the fragility of the conceptual foundations of assurance, broad-based nature of standards and diversity in practice contribute to the persistent challenges of sustainability assurance. This paper makes an important contribution to the discussions and contemporary debates on the regulation of and through assurance as well as the complex newer concept of integrated assurance. It further contributes to a more informed policy discussion as to how it can(not) strengthen the role of non-financial reporting as an agent of change to encourage more sustainable companies.