Human Natural Systems Research Articles

A fusion scheme for eliminating input interference induced by spelling errors

Spelling errors are a prevalent form of interference that may result from human handwriting or natural language processing systems, such as optical character recognition. This type of interference presents a challenge for natural language processing systems that rely on context-based embeddings to comprehend the exact semantics of a sentence. The proposed fusion scheme is the main focus of this paper, which aims to correct spelling errors in sentences. The scheme employs both the original input and the masked input. The masked input is acquired by utilizing a detection module to mask any spelling errors present in the original input. By utilizing the masked input, the scheme is capable of learning the real sentence semantic information that is not affected by spelling errors. Utilizing the original input can prevent the loss of input information resulting from masking operations. Finally, the utilization of the Kullback-Leibler divergence is employed to establish concordance between the two output distributions within the framework, consequently facilitating the acquisition of comprehensive input information, all while mitigating the influence of spelling errors. Experiments were conducted on two widely used benchmarks. Compared with previous methods, the approach presented herein exhibited superior performance as it achieved improvements on two benchmarks.

How do conservation policies, climate and socioeconomic changes impact Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran?

Sustainable forest management (SFM) practices are required to conserve forest ecosystem services. International agreements and national management plans have been developed to avoid deforestation and increase forest sustainability. Due to the high rate of deforestation and its increasing trend in the past, the most important conservation policy (the Forest Rest Plan) in Hyrcanian forests (HFs) has been in place since 2016 to conserve the HFs, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The aim of the Forest Rest Plan (FRP) is to increase the crown cover, resilience, and production of HFs. Here, we apply a robust methodology based on Landsat-8-derived spectral-temporal features, spatial analysis, stepwise multilevel logistic regression, and scientific forest management knowledge to determine how the FRP, climate change, anthropogenic activities, and the environmental conditions influence deforestation and forest recovery. We identified and evaluated 18 explanatory variables, including socioeconomic, climatic, and physiographic factors, to determine the key drivers of forest cover change. Our findings revealed complex interactions between distinct land features that occur at multiple spatial and temporal scales in HFs as connected human–natural systems. Further, we found a decreasing trend in deforestation and a growing trend in forest recovery resulting from implementation of the FRP. Additionally, our stepwise multilevel logistic regression identified impacts of climate change, human pressure, and some physiographic factors, such as forest density, on deforestation and forest recovery. We conclude that while some positive impacts can already be identified, additional adaptive, preventative, and restorative strategies must be developed to reach all FRP objectives.

Exploring the Dynamics of Ecosystem Balance Research: A Bibliometric Analysis to Uncover Research Focus and Disciplinary Contributions

Ecosystem balance is a central concept in ecological research, with far-reaching implications for understanding and managing our natural world. This study employs bibliometric analysis to explore the dynamics of ecosystem balance research, uncover emerging trends, and identify the disciplinary contributions that shape this critical field. Leveraging an extensive dataset of scholarly publications, we examine the temporal evolution of research, geographic distribution, co-authorship networks, citation patterns, keyword co-occurrence, and disciplinary mapping. Our findings reveal a robust and multidisciplinary landscape, characterized by increasing global interest, collaborative research clusters, and influential publications. Key themes include carbon balance, ecosystem services, ecological equilibrium, and the interplay between human development and natural systems. This study provides valuable insights into the evolving ecosystem balance research domain, guiding future investigations and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to address pressing environmental challenges.

APLINKOSAUGINĖS NUOSTATOS: BŪSIMŲJŲ ANKSTYVOJO UGDYMO MOKYTOJŲ POZICIJA

It is important to focus on the environmental awareness of pre-service teachers, as their decisions as future professionals can have an impact not only on the environment, but also on the education of the next generation. On the other hand, it is also useful for teachers to be aware of trends in students' environmental attitudes in order to be able to emphasise one or other of the sustainable development goals in the context of the curriculum. The main research question is what environmental attitudes have been developed by pre-service preschool, pre-primary and primary school teachers. The study is a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) pilot study. The study was carried out between January and March 2023. The participants were 136 university students, pre-service pre-school, pre-primary and primary education teachers (pre-service early childhood teachers). The survey instrument used a 22-item scale. The statements were scored using an interval 5-point Likert scale. The quantitative data obtained from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics. The mean, standard deviation and significance index of the statements were calculated. Environmental attitudes, like any other attitudes, influence human behaviour. Students have learned these behaviours from their parents and teachers since they were children. What they have expressed in this study is the result of many years of education and experience. Students are very clear about the importance of recycling, they are in favour of preserving biodiversity, conserving heat, responsible consumption in general, etc. It is likely that pre-service teachers, having developed environmental attitudes and skills in practical environmental activities, will base their future professional life on these values and will transfer their experience to their learners in new contexts. Environmental attitudes are becoming increasingly important as the ideas of sustainable development and sustainable living are reflected in the curriculum guidelines for pre-school education (2023) and in the pre-primary and primary curricula (2022). Students' attitudes towards environmentalism reflect their relationship with the environment, and the high significance indexes (Sis) suggest that synergies are developing in the human-nature system. However, this calls for a new in-depth study of environmental attitudes. Keywords: environmental attitudes, early education, human behaviour, pre-service teachers, science education.

Knowledge Co‐Production Reveals Nuanced Societal Dynamics and Sectoral Connections in Mapping Sustainable Human–Natural Systems

AbstractThe UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompass environmental, social, and economic dimensions which are linked to the characteristics of place and have a strong local dimension. They are interconnected at local scales in complex ways which makes progress toward them difficult to predict. To understand how these interconnections play out at the local scale, we used knowledge coproduction to undertake systems mapping for the purpose of sustainability assessment framed by the SDGs. We partnered with a local community in Australia as our coproduction case study, with a multistage engagement process to understand how they interpreted sustainability and their vision for a sustainable community. We found that codeveloping a map of the local system with participants can elicit far more societal interconnections between the SDGs than might be expected without knowledge coproduction, as the participants viewed the system through a social lens. Issues from the social dimension of sustainability, in particular, were intensely local in origin and effect which suggests that attempts to represent them at national or global scales are unlikely to succeed. We teased out the interconnections between societal and nonsocietal issues with local knowledge, which enhanced the ability to identify effective actions to tackle broader sustainability problems. Our results demonstrate that knowledge coproduction can improve understanding of what sustainability is at the local scale and how it can be achieved, enabling the transformative change required to achieve the SDGs.

Unexpected growth of an illegal water market

Scarce and unreliable urban water supply in many countries has caused municipal users to rely on transfers from rural wells via unregulated markets. Assessments of this pervasive water re-allocation institution and its impacts on aquifers, consumer equity and affordability are lacking. We present a rigorous coupled human–natural system analysis of rural-to-urban tanker water market supply and demand in Jordan, a quintessential example of a nation relying heavily on such markets, fed by predominantly illegal water abstractions. Employing a shadow-economic approach validated using multiple data types, we estimate that unregulated water sales exceed government licences 10.7-fold, equalling 27% of the groundwater abstracted above sustainable yields. These markets supply 15% of all drinking water at high prices, account for 52% of all urban water revenue and constrain the public supply system’s ability to recover costs. We project that household reliance on tanker water will grow 2.6-fold by 2050 under population growth and climate change. Our analysis suggests that improving the efficiency and equity of public water supply is needed to ensure water security while avoiding uncontrolled groundwater depletion by growing tanker markets.

Coupling strength of human-natural systems mediates the response of ecosystem services to land use change

Addressing the dynamics of human-natural systems (HNS) driven by land use change (LC) is a key challenge for the sustainable development of ecosystem services (ES). However, how changes to the HNS coupling relationships affect ES is rarely reported. We used network analysis methods to construct an HNS correlation network in the Loess Plateau based on the correlation between the main components of HNS, such as ES, human factors, landscape pattern, vegetation cover, climate change and geomorphic characteristics, and quantitatively described the HNS coupling relationships through key network attributes. We analyzed the variation in HNS network attributes and their relationships with ES along an LC intensity gradient. The results show that carbon storage and soil conservation in the Loess Plateau increased by 0.56% and 0.26%, respectively, during the study period, while the habitat quality and water yield decreased by 0.11% and 0.18%, respectively. An increase in LC intensity reduces connectivity and density in the HNS network, which results in looser connections among HNS components. Importantly, we found that HNS network attributes explained 85% of ES variation across different LC intensity gradients and that connectivity and density had the strongest explanatory power. This means that LC mainly affects ES dynamics by changing the coupling strength of HNS. Our research offers a new perspective for linking LC–HNS–ES, which will help guide practitioners toward establishing and maintaining the sustainability of human well-being amidst changing HNS.

Knowledge co-production for decision-making in human-natural systems under uncertainty

Decision-making under uncertainty is important for managing human-natural systems in a changing world. A major source of uncertainty is linked to the multi-actor settings of decisions with poorly understood values, complex relationships, and conflicting management approaches. Despite general agreement across disciplines on co-producing knowledge for viable and inclusive outcomes in a multi-actor context, there is still limited conceptual clarity and no systematic understanding on what co-production means in decision-making under uncertainty and how it can be approached. Here, we use content analysis and clustering to systematically analyse 50 decision-making cases with multiple time and spatial scales across 26 countries and in 9 different sectors in the last decade to serve two aims. The first is to synthesise the key recurring strategies that underpin high quality decision co-production across many cases of diverse features. The second is to identify important deficits and opportunities to leverage existing strategies towards flourishing co-production in support of decision-making. We find that four general strategies emerge centred around: promoting innovation for robust and equitable decisions; broadening the span of co-production across interacting systems; fostering social learning and inclusive participation; and improving pathways to impact. Additionally, five key areas that should be addressed to improve decision co-production are identified in relation to: participation diversity; collaborative action; power relationships; governance inclusivity; and transformative change. Characterising the emergent strategies and their key areas for improvement can help guide future works towards more pluralistic and integrated science and practice.

Starting from the first premise of history: Chinese environmental history’s ideological beginning, progress, and goals

Over five decades, environmental crises have spurred the study of environmental history and the field has seen immense growth. Chinese studies of environmental history have also flourished but the field is still young and needs to be developed further. Chinese environmental studies should build upon the first premise of history described in the Marxist theory of the relationship between humans and nature. Life-centered historical thinking must consider humans’ natural biological needs. To build appropriate narrative frameworks, we should learn from international methodologies and disciplines like ecology to explore the interactive and complex relationships between human systems and natural systems. With the goal of investigating Chinese “ways of life,” we must strengthen the study of environmental thought and ecological cultural history and find indigenous conceptual language to refine critical theories, improve scholarship, and highlight Chinese characteristics.

A STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF THE IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC POLLUTION ON THE PERSONALITY

A STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF THE IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC POLLUTION ON THE PERSONALITY

The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature.

In many disturbed terrestrial landscapes, a subset of native generalist vertebrates thrives. The population trends of these disturbance-tolerant species may be driven by multiple factors, including habitat preferences, foraging opportunities (including crop raiding or human refuse), lower mortality when their predators are persecuted (the 'human shield' effect) and reduced competition due to declines of disturbance-sensitive species. A pronounced elevation in the abundance of disturbance-tolerant wildlife can drive numerous cascading impacts on food webs, biodiversity, vegetation structure and people in coupled human-natural systems. There is also concern for increased risk of zoonotic disease transfer to humans and domestic animals from wildlife species with high pathogen loads as their abundance and proximity to humans increases. Here we use field data from 58 landscapes to document a supra-regional phenomenon of the hyperabundance and community dominance of Southeast Asian wild pigs and macaques. These two groups were chosen as prime candidates capable of reaching hyperabundance as they are edge adapted, with gregarious social structure, omnivorous diets, rapid reproduction and high tolerance to human proximity. Compared to intact interior forests, population densities in degraded forests were 148% and 87% higher for wild boar and macaques, respectively. In landscapes with >60% oil palm coverage, wild boar and pig-tailed macaque estimated abundances were 337% and 447% higher than landscapes with <1% oil palm coverage, respectively, suggesting marked demographic benefits accrued by crop raiding on calorie-rich food subsidies. There was extreme community dominance in forest landscapes with >20% oil palm cover where two pig and two macaque species accounted for >80% of independent camera trap detections, leaving <20% for the other 85 mammal species >1 kg considered. Establishing the population trends of pigs and macaques is imperative since they are linked to cascading impacts on the fauna and flora of local forest ecosystems, disease and human health, and economics (i.e., crop losses). The severity of potential negative cascading effects may motivate control efforts to achieve ecosystem integrity, human health and conservation objectives. Our review concludes that the rise of native generalists can be mediated by specific types of degradation, which influences the ecology and conservation of natural areas, creating both positive and detrimental impacts on intact ecosystems and human society.

Revenue and Cost Analysis of a System Utilizing Natural Language Processing and a Nurse Coordinator for Radiology Follow-up Recommendations

Radiology reports often contain recommendations for follow-up imaging, Provider adherence to these radiology recommendations can be incomplete, which may result in patient harm, lost revenue, or litigation. This study sought to perform a revenue assessment of a hybrid natural language processing (NLP) and human follow-up system. Reports generated from January 2020 to April 2021 that were indexed as overdue from follow-up recommendations by mPower Follow-Up Recommendation Algorithm (Nuance Communications Inc., Burlington, MA), were assessed for follow up and revenue. Follow-up exams completed because of the hybrid system were tabulated and given revenue amounts based on Medicare national reimbursement rates. These rates were then summated. A total of n =3011 patients were flagged via the mPower algorithm as having not received a timely follow-up indicated for procedure. Of these, n=427 required the quality nurse to contact their healthcare provider to place orders. The follow-up imaging of these patients accounted for $62,937.66 of revenue. This revenue was calculated as higher than personnel cost (based on national average quality and safety nurse salary and time allotted on follow-ups). Our results indicate that a hybrid human-artificial intelligence follow-up system can be profitable, while potentially adding to patient safety. Our revenue figure likely significantly underestimates the true revenue obtained at our institution. This was due to the use of Medicare national reimbursement rates to calculate revenue, for the purposes of generalizability.

Environmental History and Commons for the Colombian Caribbean Challenges

Environmental history, as a field of analysis and transdisciplinary study, aims to explore the interactions between society and ecosystems from a deep understanding of how relationships between human groups and natural systems change over defined periods of time. This article seeks to delve into the environmental history of the savannahs of the Cesar department in Colombia, documenting the milestones in the privatization of the commons and the degradation of social–ecological systems. Methodologically, satellite images and aerial photographs are analyzed to determine the changes in land cover that reveal the state of the ecosystems, and an ethnographic approach is used to document the perception and valuation of local Afro-descendant communities in the region. The article shows how, over the last 60 years, land-use planning models have favored individual appropriation practices and agroindustrial models over collective forms of pastoralism and small-scale agrifood systems. It also documents the main socio-ecological impacts and the conflicts implicit in different tenure models that should be taken into account in the various public policies related to sustainability, peace building, and the recognition of territorial rights in the Colombian Caribbean.

Land carbon metabolism in Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou region based on ecological network analysis.

Discovering the underlying mechanisms between carbon metabolism and carbon balance of human-natural system is of important theoretical and practical significance for reducing regional carbon emissions and promoting low-carbon development. Taking Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou region from 2000 to 2020 as an example, we constructed the framework of spatial network model of land carbon metabolism based on carbon flow, and inquired into the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the carbon metabolic structure, function and ecological relationships by using the ecological network analysis. The results showed that the dominant negative carbon transitions related with land use changes came from the conversion of cultivated land to industrial and transportation land, and that the high value areas of negative carbon flow were mainly distributed in the areas with relatively developed industries in the middle and east parts of Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou region. Competition relationships were the dominant type and the spatial expansion was obvious, which led to the decreases of the integral ecological utility index and affected the regional carbon metabolic balance. The ecological network hierarchy of driving weight changed from a pyramid structure to a relatively more regular structure, with the producer contributing the most. The ecological network hie-rarchy of pull weight changed from a pyramid structure to an inverted pyramid structure, mainly due to the excessive increase of industrial and transportation land weights. Low-carbon development should focus on the sources of negative carbon transitions caused by land use conversion and its comprehensive impacts on carbon metabolic balance, to formulate differentiated low-carbon land use patterns and carbon emission reduction policies.

Characterizing value chains’ contribution to resilient and sustainable development in European mountain areas

Mountain areas have been the testbed for sustainable development models focused on balancing their vulnerability and the value of their natural, cultural, and social resources. In these areas, the continuous adaptative interaction between bio-geophysical and socio-cultural processes assembles Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) characterized by a great diversity of ecosystems and land uses, which provide substantial support for the livelihoods of mountain communities and essential ecosystem services for uplands and lowlands. In this paper, we take value chains to be the operative units of analysis to examine human-natural systems interactions in mountain areas. Value chains mobilize resources and connect actors beyond territorial boundaries and economic sectors to generate economic, environmental, and social values. Strategies for local development of these areas should direct attention to value generation activities and require a systemic, integrated and assets-based approach which explores the potential synergies emerging from the coordination of the diversity of local specificities and considers the opportunities and threats emerging from external sub-systems. This paper proposes a novel comparative framework to characterize value chains contribution to resilient and sustainable development of SESs in mountain areas. This framework is meant for researchers and policy analysts to identify the role value chains might accomplish for a better balance between natural resource conservation and sustainable socio-economic development in European (remote) rural areas. Two mountain food value chains are used to illustrate the framework and test its efficacy. The cases depict two value chain configurations which result in different social, economic and environmental outcomes for the sustainable development of the SES.

Climate change and pulse migration: intermittent Chugach Inuit occupation of glacial fiords on the Kenai Coast, Alaska

For millennia, Inuit peoples of the Arctic and Subarctic have been challenged by the impacts of climate change on the abundance of key subsistence species. Responses to climate-induced declines in animal populations included switching to alternative food sources and/or migrating to regions of greater availability. We examine these dynamics for the Chugach Inuit (Sugpiat) people of southern coastal Alaska by synthesizing a large body of evidence from archeological sites, including radiocarbon dates and archaeofaunal assemblages, and by applying contemporary knowledge of glaciomarine ecosystems, spatial patterns of resource richness, and ocean-climate induced regime shifts in the Gulf of Alaska. We hypothesize that Chugach groups migrated from Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound to the Kenai Peninsula during periods of low sea surface temperatures (SSTs) to harvest harbor seals, which were seasonally aggregated near tidewater glaciers during pupping season, as well as piscivorous seabirds, Pacific cod, and other species that thrive under cool ocean conditions. During warming phases, the Chugach returned to Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound to fish for salmon and other species that abound during higher SSTs. Drivers of this coupled human-natural system of repeated (pulse) migration include the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the dominant pattern of sea surface temperatures in the North Pacific that has been shown to generate step-like regime shifts in the marine food web; and coastal glaciers that structure the functioning of fiord ecosystems and support high levels of biological productivity. The culturally-constructed Chugach niche in the glaciomarine habitat of the Gulf of Alaska was based on intergenerationally transmitted ecological knowledge that enabled a resilient, mobile response to climate and resource variation.

Introducing big data to measure the spatial heterogeneity of human activities for optimizing the ecological security pattern: A case study from Guangzhou City, China

Spatial heterogeneity of human activities (SHHA) is part of the heterogeneity of urban ecosystems, which influences the understanding of ecological processes and landscape functions. Few ecological security pattern (ESP) studies have comprehensively measured SHHA and explicitly explained its effect on ESP planning. It affects the efficiency and landscape functions of ESP planning, leading to challenges in maximizing urban development and ecosystem benefits. In this study, Tencent user density (TUD) data considering human activity for all time periods and point of interest (POI) density with fine-scale human activity location information were fused by using wavelet transform as the spatial distribution of human activities. We applied it to correct the resistance surface for ESP planning, then proposed targeted restoration and conservation policies at a fine scale by combining human activities and POIs. The results revealed that the corrected resistance surface could approach the heterogeneous megacity for spatial and functional structures. More importantly, ESP planning based on the corrected resistance surface could enhance efficiency and landscape functions. This research strengthens our understanding of the effect of SHHA on ESP planning. It may provide important insights for policymakers concerning integrated human-natural systems in landscape planning.

A decadal outlook for global aquaculture

A decadal outlook for global aquaculture

Confronting Current Crises and Critical Challenges of Climate Change

Climate change heightens global warming and brings about impending risks for both human society and natural systems. Climate change is the greatest threat modern humans have ever faced. Pollutant discharges involve the global atmosphere and result in the challenge of global warming that must be solved before it results in irreversible damage. Current common threats of crises need common actions among all of us: every continent, every country, every community, and every common citizen. The earlier an action, the larger its impact. This review article scrutinizes the newest developments in this paramount important research area and provides directions for future research.

Policy Note: Artificial Intelligence Enables Multi-Dimensional Economics of Water

Can artificial intelligence (AI) help enable a new pluralistic and multi-dimensional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for complex human-natural systems? Yes, it can. This policy brief quickly summarizes the history of water economics and considers how environment and infrastructure planners and investors can exploit a new approach to address today’s climate, water scarcity and environmental inequity crises.