Roadmap for resilient and inclusive transformation of the fisheries sector in India

Based on empirical analysis of 113 climate disasters affecting 3563 listed firms across 31 provinces in China from 2010 to 2022, as documented in the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), this study employs event study and multiple regression to explore the impact of proactive green innovation on firm climate resilience. By categorizing proactive green innovation into process and product innovation and climate resilience into short-term and long-term resilience, a proactive green innovation-firm climate resilience 2 × 2 matrix is constructed to provide innovative insights. This study reveals that proactive green innovation enhances firm climate resilience. Specifically, proactive green process innovation both enhances short-term and long-term climate resilience, while proactive green product innovation only enhances long-term rather than short-term climate resilience. Furthermore, climate disaster has inverted U-shaped interaction effect on the relationship between proactive green innovation and short-term climate resilience and U-shaped interaction effect on the relationship between proactive green innovation and long-term climate resilience. Additionally, this study also investigates the heterogeneous mechanisms of proactive green innovation enhancing short-term and long-term climate resilience based on network embeddedness theory and legitimacy theory.

<i>Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries</i>: A new home for the Blue Revolution

South Africa has vigorously embraced the concept of the blue economy. However, the scope, scale and impacts of South Africa's blue economy initiative, have raised significant concerns amongst local communities, NGOs and scholar activists in South Africa who are challenging South Africa's conceptualization of, and approach to “blue growth.” This paper provides a critique of South Africa's approach to planning, developing and governing the ocean economy and argues that the principles of social justice and environmental sustainability have been sidelined in favor of pursuing rapid economic growth. The paper examines key issues in the literature, environmental assessment processes, various legal cases that deal with mining, oil and gas applications, as well as insights from participation in several workshops with small-scale coastal fishing communities where issues on the blue economy were explored. These issues are discussed in relation to the growing literature on inclusive governance and integration of social justice and equity principles as foundational for fostering a sustainable and equitable blue economy. We conclude with proposals for embedding environmental sustainability and social justice principles, in a co-created blue economy policy and governance framework for South Africa.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ecological restoration, when implemented effectively and sustainably, contributes to protecting biodiversity; improving human health and wellbeing; increasing food and water security; delivering goods, services, and economic prosperity; and supporting climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. It is a solutions-based approach that engages communities, scientists, policymakers, and land managers to repair ecological damage and rebuild a healthier relationship between people and the rest of nature. When combined with conservation and sustainable use, ecological restoration is the link needed to move local, regional, and global environmental conditions from a state of continued degradation, to one of net positive improvement. The second edition of the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration (the Standards) presents a robust framework for restoration projects to achieve intended goals, while addressing challenges including effective design and implementation, accounting for complex ecosystem dynamics (especially in the context of climate change), and navigating trade-offs associated with land management priorities and decisions. The Standards establish eight principles that underpin ecological restoration. Principles 1 and 2 articulate important foundations that guide ecological restoration: effectively engaging a wide range of stakeholders, and fully utilizing available scientific, traditional, and local knowledge, respectively. Principles 3 and 4 summarize the central approach to ecological restoration, by highlighting ecologically appropriate reference ecosystems as the target of restoration and clarifying the imperative for restoration activities to support ecosystem recovery processes. Principle 5 underscores the use of measurable indicators to assess progress toward restoration objectives. Principle 6 lays out the mandate for ecological restoration to seek the highest attainable recovery. Tools are provided to identify the levels of recovery aspired to and to track progress. Principle 7 highlights the importance of restoration at large spatial scales for cumulative gains. Finally, ecological restoration is one of several approaches that address damage to ecosystems and Principle 8 clarifies its relationships to allied approaches on a “Restorative Continuum”. The Standards highlight the role of ecological restoration in connecting social, community, productivity, and sustainability goals. The Standards also provide recommended performance measures for restorative activities for industries, communities, and governments to consider. In addition, the Standards enhance the list of practices and actions that guide practitioners in planning, implementation, and monitoring activities. The leading practices and guidance include discussion on appropriate approaches to site assessment and identification of reference ecosystems, different restoration approaches including natural regeneration, consideration of genetic diversity under climate change, and the role of ecological restoration in global restoration initiatives. This edition also includes an expanded glossary of restoration terminology. SER and its international partners produced the Standards for adoption by communities, industries, governments, educators, and land managers to improve ecological restoration practice across all sectors and in all ecosystems, terrestrial and aquatic. The Standards support development of ecological restoration plans, contracts, consent conditions, and monitoring and auditing criteria. Generic in nature, the Standards framework can be adapted to particular ecosystems, biomes, or landscapes; individual countries; or traditional cultures. The Standards are aspirational and provide tools that are intended to improve outcomes, promote best practices, and deliver net global environmental and social benefits. As the world enters the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), the Standards provide a blueprint for ensuring ecological restoration achieves its full potential in delivering social and environmental equity and, ultimately, economic benefits and outcomes.

Coastal development in Malaysia increasingly pits economic growth against environmental sustainability and social equity, with Terengganu emerging as a critical case study of these tensions. This study examines stakeholder engagement processes in Terengganu’s coastal governance, focusing on how power imbalances, institutional weaknesses, and competing priorities shape environmental decision-making. Through qualitative interviews and focus groups with government officials, private developers, NGOs, and local community leaders (n=20), the research reveals that despite participatory mandates, decision-making remains dominated by state and corporate actors, marginalizing vulnerable groups such as small-scale fishers and indigenous communities. NGOs play a watchdog role but face limited enforcement power, while developers prioritize short-term economic gains over long-term ecological resilience. The findings support two key hypotheses: (1) greater stakeholder inclusivity leads to more sustainable outcomes, and (2) power asymmetries systematically hinder equitable participation. Drawing parallels with governance innovations in Malaysia’s Halal supply chains, where certification standards and accountability mechanisms have enhanced compliance, this study proposes policy reforms to strengthen participatory frameworks. Recommendations include establishing independent oversight bodies, institutionalizing benefit-sharing mechanisms, and integrating traditional ecological knowledge into planning processes. The study contributes to global debates on environmental governance by demonstrating how top-down development models exacerbate social-ecological conflicts while offering pathways for more inclusive and adaptive coastal management. Future research should explore digital tools (e.g., AI, blockchain) for enhancing transparency and the potential for scaling these reforms across Southeast Asia’s rapidly developing coastal zones.

The article is devoted to the study of topical issues of sustainable development management in territorial communities under conditions of increasing economic instability. The limitations of traditional static management models in response to rapid changes and crisis phenomena are considered. The necessity and essence of the adaptive management concept as a flexible, iterative approach involving experimentation, monitoring, and adjustment of strategies are substantiated and revealed. Based on an analysis of previous research, the importance of financial stability, flexible institutional structures, and decentralization for ensuring the adaptability of communities is highlighted. The necessity of integrating structural, target, and process approaches to forming sustainable development models is emphasized. The practical aspects of successfully implementing sustainable development principles are demonstrated using the example of Freiburg (Germany). Summarizing the considered aspects of adaptive management of sustainable development of territorial communities in conditions of economic turbulence, it is worth emphasizing the critical importance of transitioning from static to flexible models of sustainable development management at the local level, especially in the context of increasing economic instability and the unpredictability of the modern world. Old traditional approaches, oriented towards linear planning and rigid hierarchical structures, are proving insufficiently effective for responding to the rapid changes and crisis phenomena that characterize economic turbulence. In conditions of uncertainty, the ability of communities to quickly adapt, experiment, learn from their own experience, and adjust strategies becomes a key factor in ensuring their long-term resilience and progress towards sustainable development. The conceptual framework of adaptive management reveals it as an iterative decision-making process that includes monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of actions. Integrating adaptive management principles into the context of sustainable development of communities allows for increasing their ability to use resources effectively, respond to challenges, stimulate innovation, and involve the community in management processes. The research underscores the prospects for building effective adaptive models of sustainable development in Ukraine, emphasizing the need for systematic work at the political, strategic, institutional, and financial levels and community involvement. In the context of economic turbulence and future post-war recovery, implementing adaptive approaches to sustainable development management is a key condition for ensuring the long-term prosperity and resilience of Ukrainian territorial communities. Keywords: sustainable development, territorial communities, adaptive management, economic turbulence, development strategies.

One of the most promising economic arenas in the coming decades is the ocean and there are currently numerous initiatives to the ‘blue economy’ discourse that revolves around the argument that small-scale fishers’ livelihoods require greater attention. To synthesize current scientific knowledge and address prevailing research gaps surrounding this discourse, I conduct a scoping review of global literature on the blue economy, blue growth, social equity, and Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) analyse different international policy papers and national-level blue economy plans. To explore the need for further research, this review focuses on how different aspects of the blue economy risks lead to inequity in the pursuit of ocean sustainability. Based on the initial content analysis, I identify evidence for undermining social equity and justice related to the ocean and find that social equity is often overlooked in national-level blue economy and blue growth initiatives. This overlooking leads to or accelerates processes of coastal and ocean grabbing, displacement, dispossession, and exclusion which strongly impact the livelihoods of marginalized coastal communities, particularly, small-scale fishers in various parts of the world. The collected evidence suggests that there is a missing link between international policy deliberations and national-level implementation plans in the blue economy context. Numerous studies claim that critical re-thinking of policies is required to ensure the sustainability of blue economy trajectories. Unchecked economic growth in the ocean as in other realms can reinforce inequities and unjust and inequitable resource distribution patterns. To pre-empt, mitigate, and resolve likely conflicts, deeper insights are needed to address the impacts of the blue economy and blue growth on coastal livelihoods. I suggest investigating the causes of conflict and further research on how governance responds to sustain small-scale fisheries while embracing the blue economy and blue growth agendas.

This paper takes the move from the uncertainty surrounding ecosystem thresholds and addresses the issue of ecosystem-state assessment by means of ecological integrity indicators and 'ecological risk'. The concept of 'ecological risk' gives a measure of the likelihood of ecosystem failure to provide the level of natural ecological goods and services expected/desired by human societies. As a consequence of human pressures (use of resources and discharge into the environment), ecosystem thresholds can be breached thus resulting in major threats to human health, safety and well-being. In this study we apply the concept of 'ecological risk' to two case-studies in the German exclusive economic zone: eutrophication and construction of offshore wind farms. The effects of different future scenarios for single-uses upon ecosystem integrity are analysed as well as the effects of one combined scenario. We conclude that in the short term construction of offshore wind farms can influence some processes to a much larger degree than eutrophication, however, combined impacts deriving from eutrophication and offshore wind farm construction need a more detailed analysis. Due to non-linear ecosystem processes, effects of combined or multiple uses of marine resources in terms of 'ecological risk', cannot be extrapolated from single-use scenarios.

Government expenditure and taxation have a significant influence on the long-term adaptation and resilience of societies to climate and other environmental shocks. Unprecedented fiscal spending in the COVID-19 recovery offered an opportunity to systematically enhance adaptation and resilience to future shocks. But did the ‘build back better’ rhetoric manifest in more resilient policy? We develop a dedicated fiscal policy taxonomy for climate change adaptation and resilience (A&R)—the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Financing Taxonomy (CRAFT)—and apply this to analyse ~8,000 government policies across 88 countries. We find that US$279–334 billion (9.7–11.1%) of economic recovery spending potentially had direct A&R benefits. This positive spending is substantial in absolute terms but falls well below adaptation needs. Moreover, a notable portion (27.6–28%) of recovery spending may have had negative impacts on A&R, acting to lock in non-resilient infrastructure. We add a deep learning algorithm to consider A&R themes in associated COVID-19 policy documents. Compared with climate mitigation, A&R received only one-third of the spending and was mentioned only one-seventh as frequently in policy documents. These results suggest that the COVID-19 fiscal response missed many opportunities to advance climate A&R. We draw conclusions for how to better align fiscal policy with A&R.

Many environmental flow (e-flow) studies and applications have predominantly used state—(i.e., at a single time point) and rate—(i.e., temporal change) based demographic characteristics of species representing lower trophic levels (e.g., fish communities) to build flow-ecology relationships, rather than using a process that incorporates population dynamics. Recent studies have revealed the importance of incorporating data on species traits when building flow-ecology relationships. The effects of flow on keystone megafauna species (i.e., body mass ≥ 30 kg) reverberate through entire food webs; however, the relationships between flow and these species are not well understood, limiting the scope of the relationships used in flow management. Here, we fill this gap by incorporating the habitat selection traits at different flows of a freshwater apex predator, Ganges River dolphin (GRD, Platanista gangetica gangetica), which plays a significant role in maintaining the structure, functions and integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. Using temporally and spatially measured GRD habitat selection traits, we quantified flow-ecology responses in the Karnali River of Nepal during the low-flow season when habitat was heavily reduced and water demand was highest. We define ecological responses as suitable habitat templates with enough usable surface area to support GRD fitness by improving reproduction and survival. We measured the available and occupied habitats to develop flow-ecology responses. Variation in flow resulted in substantial differences in the ecological response across time and space, suggesting that aquatic species adjusted in a variety of habitats to support their life histories and maintain viable populations. The limited availability of suitable habitats combined with uninformed water regulations by humans likely places GRDs under severe physiological stress during low-water seasons (i.e., January–April), suggesting that reduced flows contribute to the process of endangering and extirpating highly sensitive endemic aquatic biodiversity. Our study reveals that ad hoc or experience-based flow management is no longer tenable to maintain the integrity and functionality of aquatic ecosystems. We stress that quantifying the flow-ecology relationships of foundational species, particularly megafauna, in response to flow variation is crucial for monitoring the effects of water alterations and determining the minimum flows needed for maintaining healthy and functional freshwater ecosystems in the Anthropocene.

Maintaining the natural variability of a river’s flow regime is one of the most critical strategies sustaining the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems. This research seeks to determine the ecological flow regime for management of streamflow existing reservoirs. The ecological flow regime is a human-modified flow regime that captures the natural flow variability for maintaining the structure and the functional integrity of the aquatic ecosystems. The design procedure uses regionalization analysis, the ratio method, and linear regression analysis techniques with hydrologic indicators to simulate the altered flow variability caused by human-based annual streamflow reduction. Because it is difficult for reservoir operators to achieve the strict standard of natural flow regime, a discontinuity ratio method is used to express the reservoir’s expected effect on the change in hydrologic indicator values. The final product of the ecological flow regime analysis produces a target reservoir operation and management that will provide a flow regime necessary to sustain the integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

Andean high-altitude ecosystems are critical to sustaining biodiversity, agriculture, and the livelihoods of indigenous populations. However, accelerating glacier retreat, irregular precipitation, and intensive water use have exacerbated ecosystem degradation and water insecurity. This study conducts a scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) of peer-reviewed and grey literature (2000–2025) to examine how water footprint (WF) management through its blue, green, and gray components can be operationalized within an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to ensure equitable access and ecological sustainability in the Andes. Quantitative synthesis from 72 sources shows that agricultural withdrawals account for over 78% of total blue-water use, while glacier-fed runoff has declined by 32% over the past two decades. Empirical evidence from Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia demonstrates that integrating indigenous irrigation systems with modern efficiency technologies reduces consumptive water use by up to 25% and enhances wetland biodiversity indices by 15–20%. These findings support the development of an Integrated Water-Biodiversity-Rights Framework (IWBRF) that links WF indicators (WFAM and ISO 14046) with ecosystem integrity and social equity metrics. The study advances theory by clarifying how WF indicators inform rather than replace IWRM and HRBA decision processes, offering a practical model for achieving water justice, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience in fragile Andean ecosystems.

In this paper, we support the adoption of an empirical approach in development ethics research and show that the theoretical insights and methodological guidelines in Sen’s capability approach (CA) can offer helpful guidance to development ethicists on designing and execution of such research. To this end, we show how specific insights in the CA guide one to identify and engage with relevant stakeholders in extensive dialogues about the ethical issues underlying their development practices and in gathering empirical data for further ethical reflections. Drawing on an empirical development ethics research project we conducted in the fisheries sector of Ukerewe District in Tanzania, we illustrate how the CA supported us in identifying 310 representatives of various categories of small-scale fishers and stakeholders, and in designing and executing empirical development ethics research in the form of progressive stages of dialogues in stakeholder groups. The participants in these stakeholder groups reflected on and assessed their individual and collective values, capacities, roles and interests in the fisheries sector. In turn, we gathered empirical data on (i) the nature and causes of the poverty of small-scale fishers and ways to overcome it, (ii) the moral roots of the prevalence of institutional and professional apathy, and (iii) stakeholders’ motivations and concrete actions to support the redressing of the challenges facing small-scale fishers. Later, we used these empirical data to theorise about moving small-scale fishers from poverty to prosperity, and about the development ethic best suited to guide future initiatives in combatting poverty and generating wealth through the fisheries sector in Ukerewe District. &#x0D; Keywords: Empirical Ethics, Development Ethics, Capability Approach, Small-scale Fisheries, Poverty, Ukerewe District, Tanzania

Improving small-scale fishermen’s subjective well-being in Indonesia: Does the internet use play a role?

The role of the capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the Korean national economy: An input–output analysis