Ecological Objectives Research Articles

HOLISTIC MARKETING AND SUSTAINABILITY: INSIGHTS FROM A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL RESEARCH

Sustainability has grown into vital focus in global business practices, with companies increasingly integrating sustainable strategies into their marketing approaches. However, research on the convergence of sustainability and holistic marketing still needs to be completed, especially in emerging economies. A cohesive understanding is necessary for businesses to adopt comprehensive strategies that serve both financial and ecological objectives. This study investigates global research trends in incorporating sustainability into holistic marketing. Using a bibliometric analysis, data from 105 peer-reviewed articles published between 1996 and 2024 were analyzed and sourced from Scopus through the PRISMA framework. Visualization tools like VOSviewer were used to map co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and citation patterns. The results reveal that sustainability is increasingly becoming a focal point in marketing strategies, with significant contributions from developed economies like the United States and the United Kingdom, while emerging economies like India are gradually entering the discourse. The co-occurrence analysis identified four key thematic clusters: sustainability and innovation, marketing and product development, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and supply chain management, and decision-making processes. The findings of this study indicate a growing alignment between sustainability and holistic marketing, particularly in innovation and product development. However, the research remains concentrated in developed regions, highlighting the need for more studies in emerging markets. The results suggest a need for greater collaboration between areas to foster a more global approach to sustainable marketing practices.

Comparing commonly used aquatic habitat modeling methods for native fish

Aquatic habitat suitability models are increasingly coupled with water management models to estimate environmental effects of water management. Many types of habitat models exist, but there are no standard methods to compare predictive performance of habitat model types for use with water management models. In this study, we compared three common aquatic habitat model types: a hydraulic-habitat model, a habitat threshold model, and a geospatial model. Each of the models predicted native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout distribution in the Bear River Watershed (Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, USA) at a monthly timestep. We compared the differences in predictive performance among models by validating 1) environmental predictors of the models with field observations from summer 2022, using the coefficient of determination (R²), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) index, and percent bias (PBIAS) and 2) habitat suitability estimates generated by each model with fish presence data and three accuracy metrics developed for this study. Validation of environmental predictors revealed observed conditions were not well represented by any of the three models—a function of either outdated, incorrect, or over-generalized input data. Validation of habitat suitability predictions using Bonneville Cutthroat Trout presence data showed the habitat threshold model most accurately classified fish presence observations in suitable habitat, but suitable habitat was likely overpredicted. While more precise habitat modeling methods may be useful to support generalized habitat estimates for native fish, overall, simple models, like the habitat threshold model, are promising for incorporating ecological objectives into water management models.

The Fierce Urgency of Now: The Case for Including the Environmental Field in Clinical Work

ABSTRACT The same forces that have caused climate change have also affected people. The impact of those forces has been hard to see because physical environments are primarily perceived as separate from the person. This bifurcation of the human-ecosystem relationship may be a factor in many common mental health problems as well as in continued environmental abuse. In this paper, I advocate for understanding the baseline human-ecosystem relationship along with speculating about climate change’s impacts on mental health. Knowing this relationship can augment psychotherapeutic techniques to create a more integrated human-ecosystem relationship, mitigate the effects of climate change on psychological well-being, and foster increased care for the environment. Using object-relations theory and environmentally informed structural-developmental theory, I suggest the existence of ecological object relationships. They are acted upon systemically (Actor Network Theory), acquired developmentally through an integrationist view of language, and become units of analysis that can be therapeutically applied in clinical work. Ecotherapy is a therapeutic approach that utilizes the clinician, the physical environment, and the person being treated in a temporal framework that can heal the dissociative split in the human-ecosystem relationship, strengthening mental and communal health.

The Red in the Sky

ABSTRACT Bodnar’s paper strives to expand upon the growing body of psychoanalytic thinking concerned with the human-ecosystem relationship and the impact of climate change on mental health. She proposes the existence of an ecological object relationship and advocates for a therapeutic approach that integrates Ecotherapy into clinical work. Through personal reflections and references to issues related to climate breakdown, I will elaborate upon Susan Bodnar’s call for a fuller understanding of our relationship to our more-than-human world.

Unveiling game meat: an analysis of marketing mix and consumer preferences for a forest ecosystem product

This study explores the dynamics of the game meat market, with a particular focus on venison and wild boar meat, to assess the impact of a nuanced marketing mix and strategy grounded in a comprehensive customer analysis. By conducting three pivotal research studies—namely, the Omnibus Survey (2022) and Consumer Market Analysis Polls (2021 and 2023)—and analysing their data, this research comprehensively analyses buyers’ preferences, motivations, and purchasing patterns. This paper is guided by three research questions aimed at examining the relationship between the game meat consumption and engagement in forest ecosystem services, including forest visitation, the sociodemographic characteristics of consumers and the criteria for market segmentation. The analysis focuses on identifying factors influencing the game meat consumption and examines how these factors may influence consumer behavior over time. It also explores the implications for the development of marketing strategies, based on Michael E. Porter’s approach, which is discussed in detail. Additionally, the research evaluates the role of game meat within the context of forest ecosystem services, its contribution to forest reforestation initiatives, and its relevance in the formulation of forest policy. This examination highlights the dual nature of game meat as both a market commodity and a critical element in ecosystem management and policy frameworks, seeking to harmonize the economic and ecological objectives.

A multi-objective approach for timber harvest scheduling to include management of at-risk species and spatial configuration objectives.

Sustainable forestry typically involves integration of several economic and ecological objectives which, at times, may not be compatible with one another. Multi-objective prioritization via harvest scheduling programs can be used to elucidate these relationships and explore solutions. One such program is a spatially explicit harvest scheduler that adopts the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to iteratively find management solutions to achieve multiple objectives (Habplan). Although this program has been used to address forest management scheduling and simulation-based tasks, its utility is constrained by time-intensive data preparation and challenges with incorporating spatial configuration objectives. To address these shortcomings, we introduce an open-source software package, HabplanR, streamlines data preparation, sets parameters, visualizes results, and assesses spatial components of ecological objectives. We developed four example objectives to incorporate into a multi-objective management problem: habitat quality indices for three species "types" (open, closed, and intermediate-canopy-associated species), and harvested pine pulpwood (revenue). We demonstrate the utility of this package to find management schedules that can accommodate potentially conflicting habitat needs of species, while achieving economic targets. We produced 100 software runs and prioritized individual objectives to select four management schedules for further comparisons. We compared outcome differences of the four schedules, including a spatial comparison of two high performing schedules. The software package makes costs and benefits of different schedules explicit and allows for consideration of the spatial configuration of management outcomes in decision-making.

Non-breeding conditions induce carry-over effects on survival of migratory birds

Identifying the processes that limit populations is a foundational objective of ecology and an urgent need forconservation. For migratory animals, researchers must study individuals throughout their annual cycles to determine how environmental conditions limit demographic rates within each period of the annual cycleand also between periods through carry-over effects and seasonal interactions.1,2,3,4,5,6 Our poor understanding of the rates and causes of avian migration mortality7 hinders the identification of limiting factors and the reversal of widespread avian population declines.8,9 Here, we implement new methods to estimate apparent survival (hereafter survival) during migration directly from automated telemetry data10 in Kirtland's Warblers (Setophaga kirtlandii) and indirectly from mark-recapture data in Black-throated Blue Warblers (S.caerulescens). Previous experimental and observational studies of our focal species and other migratory songbirds have shown strong effects of Caribbean precipitation and habitat quality on food availability,11,12,13,14 body condition,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 migration timing,11,12,15,16,20,21,22,23 natal dispersal,24,25 range dynamics,26 reproductive success,20,22,27 and annual survival.18,19,20,23,28,29,30,31 Building on this research, we test the hypotheses that environmental conditions during the non-breeding period affect subsequent survival during spring migration and breeding. We found that reduced precipitation and environmental productivity in the non-breeding period strongly influenced survival in both species, primarily by reducing survival during spring migration. Our results indicate that climate-driven environmental conditions can carry over to affect survival in subsequent periods and thus likely play an important role in year-round population dynamics. These lethal carry-over effects may be widespread and are likely magnified by intensifying climate change.

Forest structural complexity and ignition pattern influence simulated prescribed fire effects

BackgroundForest structural characteristics, the burning environment, and the choice of ignition pattern each influence prescribed fire behaviors and resulting fire effects; however, few studies examine the influences and interactions of these factors. Understanding how interactions among these drivers can influence prescribed fire behavior and effects is crucial for executing prescribed fires that can safely and effectively meet management objectives. To analyze the interactions between the fuels complex and ignition patterns, we used FIRETEC, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics fire behavior model, to simulate fire behavior and effects across a range of horizontal and vertical forest structural complexities. For each forest structure, we then simulated three different prescribed fires each with a unique ignition pattern: strip-head, dot, and alternating dot.ResultsForest structural complexity and ignition pattern affected the proportions of simulated crown scorch, consumption, and damage for prescribed fires in a dry, fire-prone ecosystem. Prescribed fires in forests with complex canopy structures resulted in increased crown consumption, scorch, and damage compared to less spatially complex forests. The choice of using a strip-head ignition pattern over either a dot or alternating-dot pattern increased the degree of crown foliage scorched and damaged, though did not affect the proportion of crown consumed. We found no evidence of an interaction between forest structural complexity and ignition pattern on canopy fuel consumption, scorch, or damage.ConclusionsWe found that forest structure and ignition pattern, two powerful drivers of fire behavior that forest managers can readily account for or even manipulate, can be leveraged to influence fire behavior and the resultant fire effects of prescribed fire. These simulation findings have critical implications for how managers can plan and perform forest thinning and prescribed burn treatments to meet risk management or ecological objectives.

Is Economic Development Really Becoming Sustainable?

This paper provides a contextualisation of the sustainable development discourse within the framework of the neoliberal turn and its impact on economic debates. The prevailing belief asserts that prioritising economic aspects contributes to overall wellbeing, the attainment of social goals, and increased allocation of resources towards ecological objectives, thereby fostering sustainable development. However, several authors have contested this perspective, arguing that relying on the dominant economic policy framework does not lead to sustainable outcomes. These critical voices advocate for a comprehensive approach that integrates social and ecological dimensions into the economic development framework, rather than treating them as separate entities. This paper demonstrates that achieving sustainable development requires more than the mere inclusion of ‘sustainable goals’ in the conventional understanding of economic development. It does so by critically analysing relevant literature and examining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the concept of a circular economy. This necessitates substantial changes in our understanding of the economic system, emphasising its embeddedness and embracing a normative concept of justice.

Heterogeneous Porter Effect or Crowded-Out Effect: Nonlinear Impact of Environmental Regulation on County-Level Green Total Factor Productivity of Pigs in the Yangtze River Basin of China

Green total factor productivity (GTFP) is critical to both the economic and ecological objectives of pig breeding. This research utilizes the SBM-ML model to calculate the GTFP of pig breeding in 381 counties within the Yangtze River Basin from 2014 to 2021. Then the GTFP is further decomposed into technical efficiency (MLEC) and technical progress (MLTC) to conduct in-depth exploration. The regression results reveal that: (1) Environmental regulation (ER) has significant double-threshold effects on GTFP, MLEC, and MLTC. (2) MLTC is the main force of GTFP growth, and stronger ER does not always lead to better GTFP growth. (3) GTFP is boosted by mechanization enhancement and industrial agglomeration limitation. (4) Counties in non-provincial capital cities and those closer to the river exhibit greater ER threshold effects. (5) Both pig price and transportation efficiency play a moderating role. (6) Further analysis demonstrates that ER simultaneously reduces pig production capacity and carbon emissions, as well as improves the water quality. And the reduction of ER, although beneficial for capacity, has a significant negative impact on GTFP. Finally, this study concludes with policy recommendations to boost the new quality productivity in the pig industry.

The Collaboration in the Case of Gongliao Water Terrace Restoration: An Attempt to Realize Terrestrial Ecological Objectives

The Collaboration in the Case of Gongliao Water Terrace Restoration: An Attempt to Realize Terrestrial Ecological Objectives

Identifying stakeholder preferences for rebuilding a Canadian Atlantic redfish fishery—limitations and benefits of different opinion survey approaches

Fisheries management authorities seek to improve the incorporation of stakeholders’ preferences into decision-making but conventional approaches to assessing stakeholder viewpoints may risk under-representing a diversity of opinions. In Atlantic Canada’s units 1 and 2 redfish fisheries, there are competing visions about re-developing the fishery following historical overfishing. A management strategy evaluation (MSE) sought to identify which fishery objectives should guide the formulation of performance metrics. Following the MSE, we carried out a study to further sample the social, economic, and ecological objectives for the fishery using multiple questioning methods: i.e., workshops, questionnaires, and interviews. Results of interviews and questionnaires identified areas of consensus and complexity of opinion among the different groups (commercial, government and Indigenous), and showed that the workshop-based performance metrics defined in the MSE underrepresented the diversity of stakeholder preferences, particularly regarding social and economic goals. Multi-method and multi-disciplinary approaches to formalizing objectives are resource-intensive. However, there is value in applying multiple methods to systematically develop and formalize performance metrics that accurately reflect a diversity of stakeholders’ priorities for the fishery.

The state against the environment? Water management and the regulation of tensions between sectoral policies in France

AbstractThe effectiveness and efficiency of environmental policy largely depends on how other policies take account of ecological objectives, whether in the industrial, agricultural, urban planning, transport, housing or budget sectors. The state bears responsibility for how these public policies interrelate, including establishing a hierarchy of priority or allowing one area to ignore another. What can we learn about environmental policy from an analysis of the tensions between multiple sectoral policies, and more generally about the state and the political and institutional functioning that shapes the management of an environmental issue? Taking water management in France as a case study, this article argues that an approach focused on the regulation of tensions between various public policies can shed new light on the structural difficulties of environmental policy. It shows how ideas, norms, interests, strategies, professional cultures, and so forth, that underpin public policy outside the environmental field shape the handling of ecological issues. It also highlights the way the state views and handles these tensions between policies through institutional arrangements and socio‐political compromises with influential sectoral actors and social groups.

Whether the Natural Forest Logging Ban Promotes the Improvement and Realization of the Ecosystem Service Value in Northeast China: A Regression Discontinuity Design

To protect forest land from loss and mitigate the global climate crisis, China has proposed a stringent natural forest protection plan, known as China’s natural forest logging ban (NFLB). This policy aims to halt the over-exploitation of natural forests, restore forest ecosystem functions, and promote regional green economic development. This study uses a regression discontinuity design (RDD) model to quantitatively and comprehensively assess the effectiveness of this policy in the key state-owned forest regions in Northeast China. Additionally, it analyzes the heterogeneity and structural characteristics of the policy’s effects on the internal composition of ecological and economic systems. The empirical results are as follows: (1) Ecological and economic impacts: The policy has successfully achieved its ecological objectives by significantly enhancing the quality and value of ecosystem services. However, it has also had a notable adverse impact on economic development, particularly in the timber supply sector, reducing the conversion efficiency of ecosystem service values into economic benefits. (2) Structural analysis: The logging ban effectively promoted the value of various ecosystem services, particularly enhancing regulatory and support functions, with a LATE estimate of approximately 8.47 units. The implementation of the policy caused a negative growth in the output value of supply-oriented ecological products, and the significance level was lower than 0.1. Conversely, the LATE estimates for different types of GDP indicate a negative growth in supply-type GDP due to the policy, with p < 0.1. (3) Heterogeneity: On the one hand, a simplistic and singular approach to logging prohibition may constrain the efficiency of enhancing ecosystem service values. On the other hand, although the policy disrupted the majority of traditional forest enterprise operations, business models focusing on quality and technology improvements were able to mitigate this impact.

Local hydrography and interactions with benthic megafauna explain fish assemblage structure on the shallow inner shelf of Paraná, southern Brazil

An important objective of fish ecology is to understand pure and shared effects of abiotic, biotic, and spatial predictors of fish assemblages’ structure on continental shelves. This study aims to assess the structure of the bottom-associated fish assemblage on the shallow inner continental shelf of Paraná, southern Brazil, in response to physicochemical, biological, and spatial factors. We hypothesize that this structure is associated with the benthic megafauna, particularly with the distribution of the Brazilian seabob shrimp Xiphopenaeus kroyeri, an abundant fishing resource on the shallow coast of Paraná. We used uni and multivariate analyses to examine the distribution of abundance, richness, and composition of ichthyofauna in the region. Using variance partitioning analysis, we determined the pure and shared effect of spatial (latitude and longitude), physicochemical, and spatiotemporal distribution patterns of crustaceans, echinoderms, and mollusks as potential predictors of the structure of the fish assemblage. The data were obtained monthly from a one-year bottom trawl survey, comprising five transects and four depths (six, nine, 12 and 15 m) in a 60 km long section of the inner continental shelf, under the influence of estuaries. We captured 57578 demersal fish, comprising 37 families and 88 species. The average abundance of fish per haul was 387 individuals at a depth of 6 m, decreasing to 114 individuals per haul at 15 m. Average richness also decreased along the bathymetric profile, from 15 to 10 species per haul. Fish abundance and richness responded positively to a seasonal estuarine discharge pattern that was stronger in summer and autumn. High biomass of juvenile seabob shrimp in shallower regions also explained the higher abundances and richness. The results also suggest the existence of two fish assemblages in the region, associated with the distribution of the megafauna and segregated by depth, water surface transparency, and sediment particle size composition. Despite significant seasonal variations, controlled by precipitation and bottom water temperature, the structure of fish assemblages responded to the pure and shared effects of the three predictive components in all seasons. In particular, local coastal hydrography and the prey-predator relationship between fish and seabob shrimp were ecologically relevant processes for structuring fish assemblages at the inner continental shelf of Paraná. This study highlights the complexity of ecological interactions within demersal fish assemblages and the importance of considering biotic and abiotic factors in understanding fish distribution patterns at the spatial scale of inner continental shelves that are influenced by estuaries.

Spatial distribution of benthic taxonomic and functional diversity in the Yellow River Basin: From ecological processes to associated determinant factors

One of the fundamental objectives in ecology is to investigate the ecological processes and associated factors governing the abundance and spatial distribution patterns of biodiversity. However, the reaction of biological communities to environmental degradation remains relatively unknown, even for ecologically crucial communities like macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystems. Here, we sampled 117 locations to quantify relative contributions of geographical and environmental factors, including water quality, land use, climate, and hydrological factors, to determine the absolute and relative compositions of macroinvertebrate communities and their spatial distribution in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), the sixth-longest river system on Earth. We assessed relative roles of species sorting and dispersal in determining macroinvertebrate community structure along YRB. Our results demonstrated that alpha and beta diversity indices showed an increase from the up- to low-reaches of YRB. The middle and low-reaches exhibited elevated species diversity and both regions exhibited relatively stable community compositions. The biodiversity of macroinvertebrates was influenced by a combination of geographical factors and environmental variables, with environmental factors predominantly serving as the principal determinants. Results of multiple linear regression and variance decomposition showed that the effect of environmental factors was approximately three times greater than that of spatial factors. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that species sorting, driven by environmental gradients, plays a significant role in shaping the community structure of macroinvertebrates in running water ecosystems at the basin scales. Moreover, the factors contributing to substantial shifts in biodiversity across different segments of YRB indicate that distinct river sections have been influenced by varying stressors, with downstream areas being more susceptible to the impacts of water pollution and urbanization resulting from human activities.

Navigating divergent perspectives on critical habitat designation: Insights from the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) conservation in Spain

The designation of critical habitats is a conservation tool extensively used worldwide. Although the effectiveness of this tool has been proved globally, its implementation in Spain is scarce, probably due to the ambiguous character of its definition in policy and other related problems. This study provides insight into some of these aspects and how different groups of experts interpret the concept of critical habitat. We used the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) as a case study of an endangered species for which critical habitats must be designated. We interviewed 47 experts of the species, from researchers to environmental agency technicians, about the objectives that critical habitats should address, and which facilitating and constraining aspects should be considered in such designation. By grouping the answers in different categories and running ordination analyses (Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling) we found that researchers mainly focused on ecological objectives for critical habitats, compared to the rest of the respondents who also considered socioeconomic aspects as basic objectives for critical habitats. Only 36% of the experts mentioned ecological factors as constraints to such designation, while socioeconomic constraints were mentioned by all but two of the experts (96%). These results suggest differences in the conceptualization of critical habitat between scientists and managers, from pure ecological requirements of the species to the actual implications and socioeconomic constraints of its implementation, respectively. Integrating multiple stakeholders and views will reflect these differences into the operational understanding of critical habitats and will ensure that future critical habitat designations are effective management tools.

Financing ecosystem restoration

The global community has outlined ambitious ecosystem restoration targets. Yet implementation is slow, and a lack of funding is a key barrier to upscaling restoration activities. Most restoration projects are funded by public institutions and recent high-level initiatives have emphasised the need to scale private finance in restoration. Private finance can be channelled into restoration through various financial mechanisms but is held back by a lack of return-making investment opportunities. Various institutions have now been created to commodify previously non-market ecosystem services and make them investable, most prominently voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity compliance market-like mechanisms, such as biodiversity-offsetting systems targeting the achievement of 'no net loss' of biodiversity for a given regulated sector. However, attracting private finance into restoration comes with risks, as private finance objectives in restoration often are misaligned with wider social and ecological objectives. Private finance mechanisms to date have tended to underinvest in monitoring and impact evaluation mechanisms and to favour investments in cost-effective nature-based solutions such as plantation monocultures over naturally regenerated ecosystems. Many technological and institutional solutions have been proposed, but these cannot mitigate all risks. Therefore, scaling of ecosystem restoration through market-like mechanisms requires substantial fundamental investments in governance and civil society oversight to ensure that ecological integrity and social equity is safeguarded. Here, we outline the high-level policy landscape driving restoration finance and explore the roles and potential of both public and private investment in restoration. We explain how some common mechanisms for drawing private investment into restoration work in practice. Then, we discuss some of the shortcomings of past private finance initiatives for ecosystem restoration and highlight essential lessons for how to safeguard the ecological and social outcomes of private investments in ecosystem restoration.

The Construction of Two-tier Equity Structure of Joint Stock Companies in China from the Perspective of Green Finance

In this modern era business and changing landscapes, the construction of a two-tier equity structure within Chinese joint stock companies has proved to be a very innovative and augmented strategy. This paper scrutinizes the unorthodox integration of financial architecture and ecological sustainability by evaluation of this structure through the lens of green finance. The interlacing of the principles of environmental responsibility with mainframes of corporate governance enlightens the unique dynamics and outcomes of the two-tier equity model. This study comprehensively analyses and elucidates how this mainframe facilitates the shareholder interests as they align with long-term ecological objectives. This in turn cultivates a promising environment for sustainable development. As we draw onto the theoretical calculations and perspective supplemented with empirical evidences, this research study gives birth to amenable perspectives that the green finance has the potential to transform the Chinese context by shaping the future trajectory of corporate structures. Using a dataset consisting of Chinese publicly traded companies from 2001-2017, this study investigates how a lack of funding has led to a scarcity of environmentally friendly technologies in China. We also investigate how green finance laws help businesses overcome financial hurdles on the road to eco-friendly innovation. It has been observed that a company's capacity for green innovation decreases as its financial constraints grow, and that privately held businesses are at greater danger of this happening than government-owned ones.

Multi-Dimensional Collaborative Optimization Model for Agricultural Water Rights Based on Water Price Reform under Changing Environment

Agricultural water rights trading has become an effective means to solve the shortage of agricultural water. However, in the context of uncertainty, the key elements of the water rights trading system and their interactions remain unclear. Therefore, this study constructs a multi-dimensional collaborative optimization model for agricultural water rights based on water price reform under a changing environment. The model quantitatively characterizes the synergistic effects of resource, economic, social, environmental, and ecological objectives on initial water rights allocation and trading. At the same time, the model uses a system dynamics model and intuitionistic fuzzy number to reflect the impact of a changing environment and uncertainty of the management system on water rights allocation and trading. The results show that through water rights trading, the overall coordinated development of farms has been improved, and the economic benefits and water resources utilization efficiency have been improved.