What if the butterfly effect was real? Assessing the contribution of greening plans to urban biodiversity in Italy

This paper summarizes the development tendency of global theoretic researches on green space planning. From the results, it can be concluded that green planning theory, ecology, as well as information technology have a tendency to combine with each other recently. In comparison with the counterparts of other countries, the main shortage of theoretical research on green space in China is the poor layout structure and insufficient subject intersecting. From the point of ecological view, it seems that recent domestic researches have been paid more attention to the ecological benefits, community structure, etc. However, the general research on urban and regional biotopverbundsystem and biodiversity conservation is rarely reported. The application of RS and GIS are basically used in monitoring the current situation of green space. The research of GIS should be strengthened in many aspects, such as analyzing, decision-making. In the future, we should carry on the theoretical research of green space planning according to diverse regional characteristics and urban space function, and strengthen the research on regional green space planning. In the same way, more research for green space planning in national land from the point of biodiversity conservation should be taken into account.

It takes two to dance: Institutional dynamics and climate-related financial policies

Non-technical summary We reviewed published research on natural hazards and community disaster resilience to identify how relationships between people and their experiences of disaster interact to shape possibilities for positive transformative change. Research commonly analyzes processes within and across individual and collective or structural spheres of a social system, but rarely investigates interactions across all three. We present a framework focused on ‘spheres of influence’ to address this. The Framework shows how positive relationships that prioritize restoring shared, meaningful and purposeful identities can lead to expansive and incremental capacity for transformative outcomes for sustainability: a process we liken to the butterfly effect. Technical Summary Sustainability and disaster resilience frameworks commonly neglect the role of agentive social processes in influencing wider structural transformation for sustainability. We applied relational agency and social practice theory to conceptualize transformative pathways for enhanced sustainability through a review of peer-reviewed literature relating to natural hazards and community disaster resilience. We sought to answer two questions: 1. What are the social practices that influence transformative change for disaster resilience in the context of individual, collective and structural spheres of influence? 2. What are the social influencing processes involved, identified through relational agency? We found that empirical studies tend to focus on individual and collective or structural spheres but rarely offer a relational analysis across all three. Our findings highlight that positive relationships that prioritize restoring shared, meaningful and purposeful identities can act as a resource, which can lead to expansive and incremental transformative outcomes for sustainability: a process we liken to the butterfly effect. We present a Sphere of Influence Framework that highlights socialized practices influenced by relationality, which can be applied as a strategic planning tool to increase capacity for resilience. Future research should explore how socio-political practices (the structural sphere) influence distributed power within collective and individual spheres. Social media summary Disasters can generate extraordinary social dynamics. So, how can we optimize these dynamics for enhanced sustainability?

The construction of ecological networks within the context of urbanization is an effective approach to cope with the challenges of urban biodiversity decline, representing a crucial goal in urban planning and development. However, existing studies often overlook the richness and uniqueness within species communities by homogenizing traits of species in the same class. This study proposes a framework for constructing and optimizing ecological networks focused on differential conservation within the same class. By classifying birds into three groups (specialists of water, forest or urban areas) based on their ecological requirements and urbanization tolerance, we constructed an ecological network tailored to their distinct migratory dispersal patterns. We then identified strategic areas including pinch points, barriers, and breakpoints specific to each bird group. Our findings reveal notable variations in suitable habitat distribution among different bird groups in urban environments. Corridor layouts varied according to habitat preferences and migratory dispersal patterns. Despite these differences, urban built-up areas persist as central hubs for the distribution of suitable habitats for 75% of bird species, with peripheral mountain-plain transition areas constituting 63% of crucial dispersal corridors. This emphasizes the critical role of urban built-up areas in maintaining biodiversity and ecological connectivity. Prioritizing connectivity between central urban areas and distant natural spaces is imperative. Our approach innovatively classifies and constructs networks to identify strategic areas with diverse species-specific attributes, providing valuable spatial information for land planning and guiding solutions to enhance target species. While the primary focus is on bird conservation in Beijing, our framework is broadly applicable to global biodiversity management and green planning under urbanization challenges. Overall, this study offers innovative insights for urban planning development and serves as decision support for prioritizing urban actions.

Outstanding challenges for urban conservation research and action

Decision-making in spatial planning is often based only on administrative regulations and procedures. This approach does not guarantee an efficient allocation of scarce financial resources. Consequently, the present paper discusses the practical relevance of an approach to incorporate results of economic valuation into strategic spatial planning for the example of green infrastructure. For this, a contingent valuation was conducted at a reference site in Esslingen, Germany. Here, participants of the survey stated their willingness to pay for different green infrastructure investment categories. Build on the survey results, the possible future foci of regional green infrastructure planning are derived and impacts on regional green infrastructure policy for the case of the Neckar region are investigated.

With governments adopting austerity policies in budget allocation for research in recent decades, demonstrating the impact of research on society has become a significant challenge for scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). For this purpose, this article systematically reviews 65 relevant sources to examine the various impacts of HSS on society. According to findings, HSS creates various instrumental (tangible economic benefits) and intrinsic (long-term non-economic benefits) values through its social and political impacts. These contributions help maintain the functions of adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency, ensuring the survival of society as a social system. The intrinsic social impact of HSS primarily determines the value frameworks of society and the scope of actors’ activities. While defining, preserving, and revitalizing society’s cultural patterns, these cultural and artistic activities also facilitate the efficient allocation of financial and human resources through income generation and job creation—a socio-instrumental impact that generates tangible economic benefits for society. The political impacts of HSS are more indirect, focusing on generating problem-oriented knowledge to address the challenges governments face in various social, economic, scientific, technological, and environmental fields. With the development of such practical knowledge (Mode 2), HSS research contributes to macro-level goal setting, the legislation and revision of policies, the generation and optimal allocation of financial and human resources, and the reflection of cultural values into policies, ensuring the maintenance of society’s functions of goal attainment, integration, adaptation, and latency.

Urban Forestry and Biodiversity in Green Plans, Regulations and Programs: A Screening in Central Italy and Islands

Strategic auditing of human and financial resource allocation in marketing: An empirical study using data envelopment analysis

The environmental rationale for adopting a strategic approach to the environment is compelling. But other‐than‐environmental considerations must always play an important role in adoption of environmental strategies, or green plans, and must affect their substance. The political demand or support for strategic environmental planning is nowhere very strong. A strategic environmental plan adopted by New Zealand in 1995, and developed in the context of broader strategic policy efforts, offers insight into the significance and potential of strategic environmental policy making. Its claims to the contrary, New Zealand's Environment 2010 Strategy was politically feasible because it is strategic in only a limited sense and because it is subsidiary to the overriding goal of economic growth. The ultimate significance of New Zealand's environmental strategy and similar efforts in other nations, then, may lie primarily in their potential for further amendment and development.

This study examines the harmonization of national legal frameworks with the Islamic education system at Al-Istiqamah Modern Islamic Boarding School Ngatabaru using a comprehensive juridical-empirical case study methodology. Employing a qualitative approach, the research systematically explored the intricate relationship between national education regulations and institutional practices through a multi-method data collection strategy. The research methodology employed three primary techniques: in-depth interviews with diverse stakeholders (school leadership, teachers, administrative staff, education supervisors, and student representatives), extensive document analysis of national education regulations and internal school policies, and comprehensive field observations. This approach captured nuanced perspectives on policy implementation and provided a structured framework for understanding legal and institutional dynamics. Findings revealed a sophisticated approach to harmonizing national legal frameworks with Islamic educational systems. The boarding school achieved 83% compliance with national education standards through strategic curriculum integration, with an innovative quality assurance system driving educational improvements. This was evidenced by a 15% increase in national examination scores and an 85% stakeholder satisfaction rate. The study identified critical policy harmonization challenges, including learning time allocation, evaluation system alignment, and teacher competency development. The boarding school responded with adaptive strategies featuring an integrated learning system and targeted teacher professional development programs. The research's significance is highlighted by graduate performance outcomes, with 80% accessing prestigious universities and 75% entering the workforce within one year of graduation. This provides a comprehensive analysis of educational policy implementation in modern Islamic boarding school contexts.

The resources allocation and the dynamic environment determine enterprises performance, and dynamic environment directly affects on business performance, but also indirectly affects the relationship between resources allocation and performance. This paper got resources allocation factors and dynamic environment factor by principal component analysis. Empirical results showed that financial resources allocation and product-sales allocation have positively effect on financial performance; human resources allocation and R&D resources allocation have negatively effect on financial performance. Dynamic environment as the explanatory variable has a significant positively impact on financial performance. Dynamic environment significantly moderates the relationship between different dimensions of resources allocation and financial performance, and the regulating direction and degree is different.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face many challenges and competing demands in the health sector, including maternal and newborn mortality. The allocation of financial and human resources for maximum health impact is important for social and economic development. Governments must prioritize carefully and allocate scarce resources to maximum effect, but also in ways that are politically acceptable, financially and institutionally feasible, and sustainable. Political economy analysis (PEA)-that gets what, when and why-can help explain that prioritization process. We used PEA to investigate how four Asian LMICs (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines) allocate and utilize resources for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). Using mixed research methods including a literature review, field interviews at national and sub-national level, and policy, process and budget analysis in each country, we examined three political economy issues: (1) do these countries demonstrably prioritize MNCH at policy level; (2) if so, is this reflected in the allocation of financial and other resources and (3) if resources are allocated to MNCH, do they achieve the intended outputs and outcomes through actual programme implementation? We also considered the influence of transnational developments. We found that all four countries demonstrate political commitment to health, including MNCH. However, the health sector receives comparatively low public financing, governments often do not follow through on plans or pronouncements, and capacity for related action varies widely. Poor governance and decentralization, lack of data for monitoring and evaluation of progress, and weak public sector human resource capacity were frequent problems; engagement of the private or non-government sectors is an important consideration. Opportunities exist to greatly improve equity and MNCH outcomes in these nations, using a mix of evidence, improved governance, social engagement and the media to influence decisions, increase resource allocation to and improve accountability in the health sector.

Institutional dynamics and technology legitimacy – A framework and a case study on biogas technology

This study explores how secondary school teachers navigate the contradictions inherent in sustainable education reform within institutional environments characterized by standardization and accountability pressures. Although policy frameworks take on a stronger emphasis on the incorporation of sustainability within curricula, there has been a widespread feeling brought about by teachers where they feel disassociated between the rhetoric of reform and what the lack of achievement results in in practice in their classrooms. Based on twelve interviews with teachers that took a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, four important themes, namely, policy-practice dissonance, limited autonomy within a performative system, development of agency as collective, and adaptive resistance through localized pedagogies, were identified. Teachers, despite being hampered by systemic limitations, developed agency in constructing informal networks of support, embedding the concepts of sustainability creatively in subject content, and negotiating curricular demands so as to tally with their ethical convictions. These results indicate that teacher agency in mediating a reform is especially important in an environment where top-down instructions do not align with pedagogical purposes. The authors conclude that sustainable education reform cannot and should not be imposed through strict edicts but should be co-built with and be enabled through an institutional culture that would lead to authentic and transformational changes in practice.