Search

Many countries worldwide have developed guidelines for offsetting impacts on nature and landscape. Suitable locations are the prerequisite for the implementation of these measures, and this might lead to conflicts with agriculture. In addition, comprehensive planning is often lacking and potential added values for nature conservation are not exploited. Concepts such as the so-called production-integrated compensation (PIC) have been introduced to give farmers the opportunity to actively participate in the offsetting process and improve cooperation. However, up to now, PIC has only rarely been put into practice. Against this backdrop, we have developed a regional planning tool for the implementation of PIC in practice. Based on geodata such as soil data, agricultural structure, or natural conditions at the field and landscape level, the general suitability, and specific measure-based recommendations for each plot can be verified with the help of a decision support system. These factors are assessed from both a nature and an agricultural perspective. The goal here is to highlight synergy effects and increase the likelihood of the proposed measures being implemented. Our tool facilitates the integrated planning of biodiversity offsets at regional level. In this way, it can promote the bundling and networking of measures. However, on-site analyses should be undertaken to complement the implementation of measures.

Outcomes from restoration projects are often difficult for policymakers and stakeholders to assess, but this information is fundamental for scaling up ecological restoration actions. We evaluated technical aspects of the interventions, results (ecological and socio-economic) and monitoring practices in 75 restoration projects in Mexico using a digital survey composed of 137 questions. We found that restoration projects in terrestrial ecosystems generally relied on actions included in minimal (97%) and maximal (86%) intervention, while in wetlands, the preferred restoration strategies were intermediate (75%) and minimal intervention (63%). Only a third of the projects (38%) relied on collective learning as a source of knowledge to generate techniques (traditional management). In most of the projects (73%), multiple criteria (>2) were considered when selecting plant species for plantings; the most frequently used criterion was that plant species were found within the restoration area, native or naturalized (i.e., a circa situm criterion; 88%). In 48% of the projects, the biological material required for restoration (e.g., seeds and seedlings) were gathered or propagated by project implementers rather than purchased commercially. Only a few projects (between 33 and 34%) reached a high level of biodiversity recovery (>75%). Most of the projects (between 69 to71%) recovered less than 50% of the ecological services. Most of the projects (82%) led to improved individual relationships. The analysis revealed a need to implement strategies that are cost-effective, the application of traditional ecological knowledge and the inclusion of indigenous people and local communities in restoration programs at all stages—from planning to implementation, through monitoring. We also identified the need to expand research to develop effective tools to assess ecosystems’ regeneration potential and develop theoretical frameworks to move beyond short-term markers to set and achieve medium- and long-term goals. Cautious and comprehensive planning of national strategies must consider the abovementioned identified gaps.

Energy-related environmental problems have been hot spot issues in regional energy system sustainable development. Thus, comprehensive planning of energy systems management is important for social and economic development, as well as environmental sustainability. In addition, uncertainties and complexities, as well as their potential interactions pose a great challenge for effective management in energy and environmental system. This study proposes a stochastic factorial energy systems management model to conduct uncertainties and risks in the energy systems, as well as handle their interaction effects among different environmental policies. The developed method can not only tackle uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and even interval values, but also be applied to determine decision alternatives associated with multiple economic penalties if the formulated environmental policy targets are violated. Meanwhile, by introducing the factorial technology, it can analyze a parameter&rsquo, s impact on the system and their coordination effect. To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method, the developed model was applied to a hypothetical case study for energy structure optimization under considering energy supply, SO2 emissions reduction, and environmental quality requirements. Multiple facilities, related environmental pollutants, and energy demand levels were taken into account. Moreover, the key factors of the system and their interaction effect were discovered. The results indicated that the developed method can resolve meritorious uncertainties in decision-making and analysis, generate effective management programming under multi-levels of the proposed energy and environmental systems. The method can be used for supporting the adjustment for allocating fossil fuels and renewable energy resources, analyzing the tradeoff between conflicting economic and environmental objectives and formulating the local policies.

Modeling spatial-temporal dynamic of land use change is of great necessity for understanding the status of the past, causes of the change, and prediction of the future. This study aims to objectify three topics which include identifying the past land use changes, modeling the future changes, and subsequently considering their driving forces. The change detection analysis has shown that about 12,081.8 ha of the study area has changed since 1984 to 2014. Moreover, the models of cellular automata (CA) and Markov chain were applied in order to predict the land use changes of 2024 and 2034. The simulated transition matrix showed that about 6780 ha and 10,835 ha would change during the periods of 2014–2024 and 2014–2034, respectively. Furthermore, the results of the logistic regression model showed that the human driving forces of distance to roads, distance to wells, distance to streams, and distance to residential areas have had a negative effect on the process land use changes. Additionally, a questionnaire was used to obtain information considering the management factors of preventing land use changes, the perception of the natural resources’ experts and in turn finding some socioeconomic and policy forces on land use changes. The Friedman’s test analysis indicates that the factors of the official rules of government, economy, weakness of regulatory systems, and development activities, e.g., infrastructure and industrial projects, were identified as the leading causes of converting natural ecosystems to other land uses, particularly to cropland. Therefore, the decision-makers and managers should be assigned comprehensive planning for the protection, restoration, and development of natural resources, especially in this region.

Policy integration is currently cresting a wave of interest, with new legal frameworks, programs, and processes emerging. Does integrated sustainability planning, to take one key motivator of this interest in integration, offer more than environmental planning, climate change planning, or other sectoral moves? This article reviews planning research and practice in integration in the context of diverse aspirations for sustainability. Normative claims, central to environmental policy integration, are seldom distinguished in theory or tested in practice. Applying a normative framework to sustainability policy integration in current practice, we find evidence of risks to applying each and contradictions within the set.

In spite of increasing support for rainwater harvesting by public agencies, environmental organizations and well-defined industry guidelines, the researchers found a strikingly limited number of municipalities with formal rainwater harvesting policies and programs. With literature on rainwater harvesting limited to mostly instructional material, the researchers were compelled to examine the feasibility of rainwater harvesting guidelines and practices. International and domestic rainwater harvesting guidelines were considered. The researchers surveyed municipalities which have implemented rainwater harvesting policies and ordinances to determine the extent to which industry prescribed guidelines are feasible. The subject jurisdictions commonly regulated rainwater harvesting through ancillary city codes or programs though one enacted a stand-alone rainwater harvesting ordinance. The respondents evaluated system performance primarily through water conservation. The jurisdictions studied also concurred that identification of acceptable end-uses of rainwater and public education were the most feasible industry guidelines. System costs were identified as the main barrier to implementing rainwater harvesting. Economic subsidies and comprehensive planning policies were associated with program success.

Translating sustainability policy goals into concrete action has proven to be a complex challenge for government agencies, municipalities and businesses. Existing planning and decision-making methods, such as Comprehensive Planning, Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Systems, are being used to address this focus on sustainability. United States Army policy requires the use of these three procedures by installation planners and managers, providing a unique opportunity for innovation. This paper examines the applicability of these procedures for implementing the Army's sustainable operations policy goals, and explores how the current independent and disconnected implementation can be improved through integration. Included in this analysis is a review of organizational barriers to integrated planning and management. The analysis is applicable outside the Army as these three decision-making procedures are used in many contexts, and installation management shares many characteristics ...