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Marine and coastal ecosystems are among the most productive environments in the world and their stocks of natural capital offer a bundle of vital ecosystem services. Anthropogenic pressure seriously threatens health and long-term sustainability of marine environments. For these reasons, integrated approaches capable of combining ecological and socio-economic aspects are needed to achieve nature conservation and sustainability targets. In this study, the value of natural capital of the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area (EI-MPA) was assessed through a biophysical and trophodynamic environmental accounting model. The emergy value of both autotrophic and heterotrophic natural capital stocks was calculated for the main habitats of the EI-MPA. Eventually, the emergy value of natural capital was converted into monetary units to better communicate its importance to local managers and policy-makers. The total value of natural capital in the EI-MPA resulted in 1.12·10 21 sej, equivalent to about 1.17 billion of euros. In addition, using Marxan software, the results of the environmental accounting were integrated with spatial data on main human uses. This integration took into account the trade-offs between conservation measures and human exploitation by means of two different scenarios, with and without considering human uses in the EI-MPA. The comparison between the scenarios highlighted the importance of taking into account human activities in marine spatial planning (MSP), allowing the identification of key areas for natural capital conservation. In conclusion, this study showed the importance of integrating environmental accounting with conservation planning to support effective strategies for ecological protection and sustainable management of human activities. The results of this study represent a first benchmark useful to explore alternative nature conservation strategies in the EI-MPA, and, more in general, in Mediterranean MPAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October 2014 samples were collected from olive trees growing in South-Eastern Sicily (Italy) that were showing wilting symptoms. In the field, clear signs of flagging appeared on young twigs and lateral shoots, and many leaves had fallen to the ground. Initial laboratory examinations of attacked twigs revealed the presence of a large number of adults of Rhyzopertha dominica (F., 1792). Sampling was repeated during the following 2 years, and while an outbreak of the pest did not occur, continuous damage was observed. In 2016, exclusively using pheromone-baited traps in olive trees, a large number of adults were captured. The main local climatic parameters were monitored from 2014 to 2016 and compared with the population levels. The incidence of damage and survival of R. dominica in an environment different from its usual one (stored grain) deserves attention, especially considering that climate change could greatly affect pest demographics and put olive trees in this area and further afield at risk of increased damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergy accounting method has been widely applied to terrestrial and marine ecosystems although there is a lack of emergy studies focusing on phytoplankton primary production. Phytoplankton production is a pivotal process since it is intimately coupled with oceanic food webs, energy fluxes, carbon cycle, and Earth's climate. In this study, we proposed a new methodology to perform a biophysical assessment of the global phytoplankton primary production combining Machine Learning (ML) techniques and an emergy-based accounting model. Firstly, we produced global phytoplankton production estimates using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. Secondly, we assessed the main energy inputs supporting the global phytoplankton production. Finally, we converted these inputs into emergy units and analysed the results from an ecological perspective. Among the energy flows, tides showed the highest maximum emergy contribution to global phytoplankton production highlighting the importance of thise flow in the complex dynamics of marine ecosystems. In addition, an emergy/production ratio was calculated showing different global patterns in terms of emergy convergence into the primary production process. We believe that the proposed emergy-based assessment of phytoplankton production could be extremely valuable to improve our understanding of this key biological process at global scale adopting a systems perspective. This model can also provide a useful benchmark for future assessments of marine ecosystem services at global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amelioration of air quality represents one of the most complex challenges that the European Union is facing today. Although a successful strategy to improve air quality should decisively act on pollution sources, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) may provide a huge contribution to tackle air pollution, while delivering a wide range of Ecosystem Services and enhancing the Natural Capital. In this paper, we analyzed, in both biophysical and monetary terms, the role of the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) in improving air quality in the Metropolitan City of Naples (Southern Italy) by implementing an accounting model of PM 10 removal. Our findings indicate that about 1,148 Mg of PM 10 were annually removed by the UGI, for a monetary value of 36 million euros per year. We also assessed the impact of a devastating wildfire that occurred in 2017 in the study area, which resulted in a loss of PM 10 removal of about 97 Mg and led to an estimated monetary loss of 3 million euros per year. The results also showed that PM 10 removal efficiency largely varies seasonally and across different functional groups of vegetation, highlighting the role of functional biodiversity in the provision of Ecosystem Services under Mediterranean climate conditions. In conclusion, we maintain that the biophysical and economic assessment of Ecosystem Services can support local managers and policymakers in charge of developing urban planning strategies aimed at ensuring sustainable development and human well-being in metropolitan cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes imposed to nature by human activities and related impacts on all environmental matrices have become a critical issue. Gradually, humans began to perceive and face the magnitude of the impact of human economy on natural ecosystems and the implications for human well-being. From this perception, the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services arose, highlighting the relationships between natural and human economy while boosting environmental conservation and management. In this framework, the definition and application of metrics and models capable of accounting for natural capital value are much needed. This is even more important when a protection regime is established (such as in the case of marine protected areas) to evaluate the efficacy of undertaken conservation measures. In this study, a biophysical and trophodynamic environmental accounting model was developed to assess the value of natural capital in marine protected areas. The model of natural capital assessment is articulated in three main steps: 1) trophodynamic analysis, providing an estimate of the primary productivity used to support the benthic trophic web within the study area, 2) biophysical accounting, providing an estimate of the biophysical value of natural capital by means of emergy accounting, and 3) monetary conversion, expressing the biophysical value of natural capital into monetary units. This conversion does not change the biophysical feature of the assessment, but instead it has the merit of allowing an easier understanding and effective communication of the ecological value of natural capital in socio-economic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three lake ecosystems with different trophism were investigated. • Matter and energy flows in lake ecosystems were evaluated. • Emergy and eco-exergy methods were jointly applied. • Natural capital value resulted higher for the eutrophic lake. • The eco-exergy/emergy ratio showed a better efficiency of the mesotrophic lake. Healthy ecosystems are capable of maintaining their structures and functions, ensuring the generation and maintenance of natural capital stocks delivering ecosystem services flows vital for human well-being. The development of ecosystems can be investigated by using different ecological goal functions. Among them, emergy and eco-exergy can be used to unfold the role of matter and energy flow exchanges in the functioning of ecological systems. In this paper, the emergy and eco-exergy accounting methods were integrated to investigate three forest lake ecosystems characterized by a different trophism (oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic) and located in the Tuchola Forest UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (Northern Poland). In particular, emergy was used to account for the work of nature invested to generate natural capital stocks, while eco-exergy was used to characterize the development stage of lake ecosystems reflecting their trophic and health state. The eutrophic lake showed the highest emergy investment (4.36∙1012 sej m−2) for the generation of natural capital stocks, mainly due to the high convergence of nutrient flows. The eutrophic lake also showed the highest value of eco-exergy density (1.38∙106 KJ m−2) mainly due to the high ß value of macrophyte and aquatic birds. Finally, the eco-exergy / emergy ratio was calculated to assess the efficiency of the three lake ecosystems. The mesotrophic lake showed the highest value of the ratio (1.43∙10−3 J sej-1), highlighting a better efficiency in maintaining and developing ecosystem structure and organization. Overall, the outcomes of this study were consistent with the different trophism of the investigated lakes, confirming how external driving forces can orient the development and complexity of lake ecosystems. In conclusion, integrated assessments adopting an ecosystem and holistic perspective can result in a promising approach to investigate lake ecosystems worldwide, providing useful scientific information to policy makers committed to ensure the sustainable management of surface water ecosystems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste is becoming a global issue since about one third of all the food produced worldwide for human consumption is wasted every year along the food supply chain while a large number of people (822 million) still do not have enough food for an active and a healthy life. In addition to the ethical aspects connected to wasting this huge amount of food in a still food insecure global context, this scenario also implies hidden environmental costs and impacts negatively impacting the biosphere. Indeed, a large consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources and the release of emissions are sustained to produce food becoming waste. All this prevents from reaching the achievement of several United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims at unfolding hidden environmental impacts of food waste in fifteen different countries at both individual and national scale by means of selected LCA-based indicators. At individual level, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United States of America (USA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Canada showed worse indicators compared to South Africa, Lebanon, Argentina, and Mexico. At national scale, all the environmental impact indicators calculated for the USA resulted much higher when compared to all the other investigated countries. In particular, in the case of USA, the annual contribution of food waste to the climate change, fossil depletion, and water depletion impact categories resulted in 172 Mt CO 2 eq., 22 Mt oil eq., and 11 billion m3 water, respectively. Considering the remarkable ethical and environmental implications of food waste, the outcomes of this study are useful to inform citizens and policy makers about the urgent need for adopting more responsible and sustainable food consumption patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]