Loss Of Sustainability Research Articles

Sustainability of Groundwater Exploitation Under Climate Change Scenarios in a Mountainous Area of South Korea

The excessive extraction of groundwater is a globally significant issue, as it can lead to the permanent loss of groundwater system sustainability. Sustainable groundwater requires development that appropriately balances the needs of both humans and the environment. In this study, the exploitable groundwater (EGW) of the So-Yang-gang Dam (SYD) Basin was estimated based on simulated groundwater recharge rates using SWAT, and the sustainability of future groundwater development was evaluated under different climate change scenarios. The EGW in each sub-watershed of the SYD was estimated to range from 60 to 240 mm/year, with higher values in the upstream watersheds. A sustainability index (SI) was evaluated, ranging from 0.56 to 1.0 across various GCMs. The analysis revealed that uniform EGW across a watershed is overestimated value in sub-watersheds with low recharge rates, potentially accelerating groundwater depletion in those areas. Thus, a flexible EGW estimation approach is essential to balance groundwater conservation with human water demands.

Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on Food Sustainability: Exposure Assessment and Health Implications.

Excessive consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) is a global health concern as-sociated with an increased incidence of non-communicable diseases. UPFs are characterized by their extensive industrial processing and high content of additives, preservatives, chemicals, and artificial ingredients that are used to mask defects or inferior ingredients of end food products, presenting a multifaceted challenge to contemporary society. Exposure assessment showed that almost 50% to 30% of the energy consumption per day comes from UPFs. The more processed a food is, the less likely it is to be healthy and nutritious. UPFs affect human health by increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, etc., as these foods are typically made up of a large number of preservatives, high content of fats, sodium, and sugars, and low contents of protein, fiber, and potassium. The ingredients required for the production of UPFs are commonly derived from intensive monoculture and livestock of raw foods. This, in turn, exerts imminent effects on agriculture, biodiversity, and the global food system by altering the bioavailability of nutrients within agricultural soil, thereby increasing the dependency on ferti-lizers and insecticides. Recent studies have shown that over-consumption of UPF has an effect on culinary traditions, loss of biodiversity, human well-being, and food system sustainability. Therefore, for better food system sustainability, the consumption of UPFs should be reduced, and we should move toward minimal processing technologies, preferably for seasonal and or-ganic local products. Based on available data, there is an urgent need to implement policies and regulations for the agro-food industry to include nutritional and environmental criteria. This review explains the different dimensions of UPFs in relation to health, nutrition, environment, current challenges, future innovations, and wider sustainability concerns.

Soil quality indicators related to the deterioration of Kikuyu grass Cenchrus clandestinus (Hochst. ex Chiov.) Morrone

Inadequate grassland management has resulted in the degradation of extensive areas, loss of productivity and sustainability of many of them, reflecting a common reality among livestock farmers in Colombia. Therefore, at the Paysandú Agricultural Station of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, located in the Santa Elena township of the city of Medellín, a study was carried out to determine a soil quality index (SQI) by evaluating the physical and chemical indicators that were most related to the deterioration and dry matter production of kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus). A minimum data set (MDS) was established for the most sensitive indicators, selected by principal component analysis (PCA), and a nonlinear scoring function was used to obtain the SQI. Statistical differences were found between all the treatments in relation to dry matter production (P<0.05: 1.91x10-32). The most sensitive indicators were bulk density BD > total porosity TP > macropores MAC > micropores MIC > penetration resistance PR > effective cation exchange capacity ECEC > pH. As a result, the following formula was obtained: SQI = (0.225×BD) + (0.224×TP) + (0.220×MAC) + (0.218×MIC) + (0.113×PR) + (0.0879×ECEC) + (0.0877×pH). This index should be tested in kikuyu grass-dominated pastures located in the Colombian high tropics. The baseline is critical at values > 0.58 Mg m-3 for BD and > 2.25 MPa for PR. In addition, the optimum pH range for kikuyu grass development was between 5.4 and 6.4.

Knowing the lay of the land: changes to land use and cover and landscape pattern in village tank cascade systems of Sri Lanka

Social-ecological systems (SESs) possess a great diversity of land use and land cover (LULC) types with unique assemblages of biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, LULC changes due to landscape fragmentation are emerging as major threats to the system productivity of SESs around the world. This study examined changes to LULC extent and landscape patterns in the Village Tank Cascade Systems (VTCSs) of Sri Lanka using satellite imagery and GIS techniques between 1994 and 2021. Multispectral Landsat images (5 TM and 8 OLI/TIRS) obtained from Google Earth Engine were classified using machine learning algorithms. Overall accuracies obtained were 85.9% (1994) and 88.6% (2021). The LULC change matrix and spatial pattern metrics were used to examine LULC and landscape pattern change dynamics over the VTCS landscapes. LULC change matrix results revealed that forest, which is the dominant LULC class covering 73.7% of the total land area was reduced by 206,725 ha due to transformation into agricultural (70.43%) and scrub (24.33%) lands between 1994 and 2021. Over this time landscape pattern of the VTCS has gradually changed from forest to agricultural land-dominated landscape, with forest and agricultural land types showing a significant negative correlation (p < 0.001; R2 > 0.868), particularly in the southeastern region. Landscape patterns were analysed based on eight spatial metrics calculated at both the landscape and class levels using FRAGSTATS spatial pattern analysis software. At the landscape level, the structure became more dispersed and complex in shape. Heterogeneity was noted to have gradually increased with weakening connectivity, whereas the fragmentation process had gradually accelerated. At the class level, the dominance of forest patches decreased, fragmentation and isolation increased, and connectivity and shape complexity reduced leading to the loss of fragmented forest habitats. The number of patches within the agricultural class increased and became more aggregated and complex in shape. Landscape performance indicators show that VTCSs have experienced a gradual loss of environmental sustainability. Assessment of LULC along with fragmentation can help to monitor the spatial pattern impacts that determine ecological integrity. Thus, the study provides scientific guidance for ecological restoration in degraded VTCSs to effectively improve ecological productivity.

Changes in the pattern of cultivated species and loss of sustainability in central Veracruz, Mexico

The economic, social, and technological conditions in agriculture have changed due to public policies implemented by the Mexican government. These changes have forced producers to make decisions to adapt to a complex agricultural reality. The objective of this research is to analyze the changes in cropping patterns over four decades and their impact on sustainability in a local context. A survey and in-depth interviews were conducted among producers in agricultural and rainfed areas in central Veracruz, Mexico. The findings suggest that the promotion and subsequent reduction of public spending in favor of agricul-tural production resulted in the gradual introduction and exclusion of crops, as well as the fundamental management practices underlying them, such as fertilization, weed, disease, and pest control. This led to a loss of sustainability as it promoted monoculture, the use of agrochemicals, and the commercialization of crops. This not only simplified the crop pattern but also affected the family's diet, created conditions for increased pest and disease presence, and degraded soil life and agrobiodiversity, including medicinal and foodplants subject to harvesting. These findings should be taken into account when defining medium and long-term strategies.

Analysis of The Integrity of Attitudes, Behavior, Openness and Honesty of Captured Fisheries Enterprises for The Conservation of Fish and Marine Resources

Integrity of attitude, behavior, openness and honesty are important things that capture fisheries business actors must have. Deviations in integrity are allegedly equivalent to criminal acts of corruption because they have the potential to cause very large losses to the state, which are difficult to detect and the value of the losses. In addition, failure to fulfill integrity has a huge potential for loss of sustainability of fisheries resources in the long term, and is difficult to recover. The research aims to examine the relationship between the integrity of capture fisheries business actors and efforts to preserve fish and marine resources. Descriptive research using a literature study approach combined with a limited discussion process with aquatic resource management experts in order tomaintain the sustainability of fish population dynamics due to capture fisheries exploration. The research results show that the integrity component which concerns attitudes, behavior, openness and honesty of capture fisheries business actors is an absolute thing that must be implemented and developed. Potential state losses worth billions of rupiah accompanied by massive damage to marine resources can be avoided if capture fisheries business actors carry out exploration properly and report their activities honestly and openly to the competent government authorities as a control over resource sustainability.

A system of environmentally important decision-making for the sustainable use of marine estuaries in the conditions of anthropogenic and climatic changes

Sustainable use of marine water areas is one of the priorities of preserving biodiversity and the environment as a whole. The problem of a clear plan of rehabilitation measures, which would be based on complex and balanced solutions arises for their effective restoration and further functioning. These decisions should take both environmental and economic aspects into account. Estuaries, unlike marine water areas, are more sensitive to anthropogenic and climatic changes. They are characterized by shallow water level, functioning in the conditions of limited water exchange, dependence on river flow and greater anthropogenic load compared to marine water areas. These features are the cause of more intensive changes in the structure of biocenoses, rise in emergency situations, loss of productivity and sustainability of ecosystems as a whole. Thus, there is a need to introduce environmental management for these reservoirs, which should be based on a multi-component decision support system. This system will make it possible to develop clear plans for the restoration of marine ecosystems and prevent negative changes and degradation in them. The proposed scheme for developing plans for the restoration of the ecosystems of estuaries is represented by three blocks. The first “Block of data collection” involves the implementation of 3 stages: assessment of the current state of the reservoir; definition of problems and their ranking; assessment of ecosystem services. The second block “Search for a solution” is based on 4 components: Component 1. Database management system; Component 2. Geoinformational system; Component 3. Mathematical and predictive models; Component 4. Informational and management system for choosing strategic and operational decisions. The third block “Implementation of measures” involves the implementation of 4 stages: environmental assessment of decisions and projects, implementation of environmental measures, evaluation of effectiveness, search for new solutions and their improvement. The proposed scheme will enable a comprehensive approach to the restoration of estuarine ecosystems and ensure their sustainable use.

Modeling and quantification of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in an integrated crop–livestock system

At critical levels, animal trampling can physically degrade soil, leading to the loss of sustainability of agricultural production. Therefore, it is becomes necessary to model and quantify the soil compaction potential. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the occurrence of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in crop-livestock integration system (ICL). The study was conducted in a field at Centro Tecnológico da Comigo in the municipality of Rio Verde, Goias state, Brazil, during the agricultural off-season. The experimental area was composed of 1.97 ha, which was equally divided into eight paddocks. Soil was sampled before the grazing phase and after each of four grazing cycles. The compressive behavior of the soil was evaluated by determining the pre-consolidation and critical pressures. The results showed that only the first cycle of grazing showed additional compaction in 14.59% of samples. No critical compaction was observed in the evaluated area. Animal trampling under the studied conditions is not responsible for the dissemination of structural soil degradation in crop-livestock integration systems and may contribute to physical improvement resulting from biological soil loosening.

Sustentabilidade económico-financeira das instituições particulares de solidariedade social - paralisia cerebral

The main objective of this investigation is to study the factories that could jeopardize the sustaina-bility of IPSS, in the area of disability and in particular, cerebral Palsy. For that, the quantitative method was used through a questionnaire by survey and by the analysis of the balance sheets and income statements . The interpretation of these results, it is intended to determine which are the factors of sustainability, which are the risk zones they face namely indebtedness, to identify the areas likely to create value, formulate possible recommendations, and prioritize initiatives for the implementation of a transformation program.This study also sought to innovate creating a gui-ding and limiting framework for zones at risk of loss of sustainability, a map that could be used by IPSS technicians, to detect the appearance of such symptoms.

Unsustainable practices among contemporary maritime fishing communities of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain): A socioecological and historical approach

AbstractIn this research, we address the relationship that exists between the development of certain unsustainable fishing practices among professional small‐scale fishery, industrial fishery and recreational fishing and the historical and social changes observed in the configuration of maritime fishing communities in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). We also explore the impact that European, Spanish and regional policies have had on the strategies of exploitation of the marine environment and the forms of social organisation of these communities. To do this, we apply a multiproxy approach that includes several kinds of data: field research, photographic archives, oral interviews, local newspapers, legislation, official reports and published literature. The anthropological and historic viewpoints applied in the research delve into how the disappearance of traditional professional small‐scale fishing and the surge of both a bottom‐trawl fleet and recreational marine fishing have not only promoted a loss of sustainability and environmental balance in such coastal environments but have also led to a significant loss regarding key cultural and identity assets.

Возвращая «культурный мандат»: Идея устойчивого развития в кантианской перспективе

In the Club of Rome report Come on! Capitalism, Short-Termism, Population and the Destruction of the Planet (2018) Kant, along with other “old” Enlighteners, is presented as the father of a world-view which led to the destabilisation of the environment in which humanity exists. The authors of the report argue that the “old Enlightenment” with its individualism, faith in the market and a consumerist attitude to nature should be scrapped. I maintain that this assessment of Kant’s philosophy is groundless and that his ideas allow us both to conduct a more profound diagnosis of the crisis and to propose a more solidly founded strategy of overcoming it. First, I sum up the position of the authors concerning the loss of sustainability of development which they attribute to the philosophy of Enlightenment. Next, I outline the history and content of the notion of “sustainable development” and offer an analysis of the sources of progressivist commitment to the conquest of nature which lie outside Modern Times in the idea of the “cultural mandate”. Then I present the Kantian diagnosis of the causes of the crisis which attributes it to humankind’s failure to “mature”. I compare the idea of “the full world” formulated by the authors of the report with the idea of the “the world come of age” and their diagnosis of “capitalism — short-termism — depletion of resources” with the Kantian assessment of the attempts to escape from the predicaments of the present into the past or the future. I draw attention to Kant’s solutions to some of the specific problems indicated in the report. Instead of the strategy of “return of the cultural mandate”, proposed at this time by the authors of the report, the Kant­ian answer to the crisis is a “Copernican turn” and re-direction of the cultivating effort to the inner moral development of the human being.

Consociation of Sunflower and Fodder Oilseeds - An Alternative for Mixed Production Systems

The process of agricultural development which takes place in Argentina has led to the loss of sustainability. Mixed systems could be an alternative for improving productivity and, at the same time, taking into account the environmental cost. The sowing of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) consociated with other species can generate greater biomass and, in some cases, greater yield. Such practice is about the differential harnessing of resources. The aim of this work was to evaluate the production of sunflower consociation with Trifoliumrepens L., Lotus corniculatus, and Vicia sativa, and to determine the conditions of the remaining stubble. Treatments consisted in the use of monoculture sunflower with and without herbicides; intercrop sunflower with red clover, lotus and vicia. The yield of sunflower grain and the total air biomass of the stubble and of its components were evaluated at the time of harvesting, and, two and three months after harvesting. The highest value of available stubble at the time of harvesting was obtained in monoculture sunflower without herbicide. Two months after, there were no variations in the stubble biomass of the treatments. Three months later, there were significant differences registered between the treatments; the intercrops with red clover and lotus reached the highest volume of stubble. Under the conditions of this test, the highest productivity of sunflower was registered when sowed in monoculture and herbicide application was employed. No differences were registered between the intercrops, or between them and the monoculture with herbicide. Therefore, these systems could be considered as a production alternative to lessen the use of synthetic inputs, such as herbicides.

Loss of sustainability in scientific work

For decades the number of scientific publications has been rapidly increasing, effectively out-dating knowledge at a tremendous rate. Only few scientific milestones remain relevant and continuously attract citations. Here we quantify how long scientific work remains being utilized, how long it takes before today’s work is forgotten, and how milestone papers differ from those forgotten. To answer these questions, we study the complete temporal citation network of all American Physical Society journals. We quantify the probability of attracting citations for individual publications based on age and the number of citations they have received in the past. We capture both aspects, the forgetting and the tendency to cite already popular works, in a microscopic generative model for the dynamics of scientific citation networks. We find that the probability of citing a specific paper declines with age as a power law with an exponent of α ∼ −1.4. Whenever a paper in its early years can be characterized by a scaling exponent above a critical value, α c, the paper is likely to become ‘ever-lasting’. We validate the model with out-of-sample predictions, with an accuracy of up to 90% (area under the curve ∼ 0.9). The model also allows us to estimate an expected citation landscape of the future, predicting that 95% of papers cited in 2050 have yet to be published. The exponential growth of articles, combined with a power-law type of forgetting and papers receiving fewer and fewer citations on average, suggests a worrying tendency toward information overload and raises concerns about scientific publishing’s long-term sustainability.

Talent Risk, Company Agility, and Competitive Advantage in Asian Automotive Industry

Several Asian countries today face talent risk and talent shortage especially in engineering- and technology-related fields within high-tech industries such as automotive component manufacturing and automobile industry. This situation can lead to the loss of competitiveness and business sustainability. Limited automobile companies have strategies to cope with talent risk, which involves increasing workforce agility and enables the companies to quickly adapt themselves to disruptive changes. Those companies can reduce the impact from negative consequence of people risk. In this context, this study investigated the relationships between talent risk, competitive advantage, and agility in the Asian automotive industry. The data collection was collected from 12 automobile companies in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The analysis was delivered in two phases; a quantitative step was the data collected were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and simple path analysis; and a qualitative step as the results were confirmed through in-depth interviews with executives and managers. The study revealed that talent risk has a positive relationship with competitive advantage and agility mediates the relationship between talent risk and competitive advantage. Our findings imply that the Asian automotive industry should focus on building an agile workforce to reduce the impact of talent risk on competitiveness.

Bioactive Compounds of Nutraceutical Value from Fishery and Aquaculture Discards.

Seafood by-products, produced by a range of different organisms, such as fishes, shellfishes, squids, and bivalves, are usually discarded as wastes, despite their possible use for innovative formulations of functional foods. Considering that “wastes” of industrial processing represent up to 75% of the whole organisms, the loss of profit may be coupled with the loss of ecological sustainability, due to the scarce recycling of natural resources. Fish head, viscera, skin, bones, scales, as well as exoskeletons, pens, ink, and clam shells can be considered as useful wastes, in various weight percentages, according to the considered species and taxa. Besides several protein sources, still underexploited, the most interesting applications of fisheries and aquaculture by-products are foreseen in the biotechnological field. In fact, by-products obtained from marine sources may supply bioactive molecules, such as collagen, peptides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant compounds, and chitin, as well as catalysts in biodiesel synthesis. In addition, those sources can be processed via chemical procedures, enzymatic and fermentation technologies, and chemical modifications, to obtain compounds with antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, and anti-coagulant effects. Here, we review the main discards from fishery and aquaculture practices and analyse several bioactive compounds isolated from seafood by-products. In particular, we focus on the possible valorisation of seafood and their by-products, which represent a source of biomolecules, useful for the sustainable production of high-value nutraceutical compounds in our circular economy era.

Potential of Algae-Bacteria Synergistic Effects on Vegetable Production.

Modern agriculture has become heavily dependent on chemical fertilizers, which have caused environmental pollution and the loss of soil fertility and sustainability. Microalgae and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been identified as alternatives to chemical fertilizers for improving soil fertility. This is because of their biofertilizing properties, through the production of bioactive compounds (e.g., phytohormones, amino acids, and carotenoids) and their ability to inhibit plant pathogens. Although treatment based on a single species of microalgae or bacteria is commonly used in agriculture, there is growing experimental evidence suggesting that a symbiotic relationship between microalgae and bacteria synergistically affects each other’s physiological and metabolomic processes. Moreover, the co-culture/combination treatment of microalgae and bacteria is considered a promising approach in biotechnology for wastewater treatment and efficient biomass production, based on the advantage of the resulting synergistic effects. However, much remains unexplored regarding the microalgal–bacterial interactions for agricultural applications. In this review, we summarize the effects of microalgae and PGPB as biofertilizing agents on vegetable cultivation. Furthermore, we present the potential of the microalgae–PGPB co-culture/combination system for the environmentally compatible production of vegetables with improved quality.

GREEN GDP INDICATOR: APPLICATION IN A BRAZILIAN FOUNDRY INDUSTRY (2008-2016)

The objective is to calculate the value of the green industrial PIB of a foundry in the territory of Santa Catarina and to contextualize its importance as a new methodological tool. To legitimize the objective of this study, the green GDP equation is equal to the Gross Sales Revenue (Industrial GDP) - (Depletion of Water Resources + Cost of Environmental Degradation). In this context, the depletion of natural resources corresponds to the total value of the extraction of water resources, and the cost of sectoral environmental degradation is given through the proxies of the methodology of the Industrial Pollution Projection System (IPPS) applied directly to the industrial product sector. estimate of the cost of the industrial sector studied here. Methodologically, it is an exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, bibliographic, documentary and ex post facto study. As a result, the green GDP of the foundry was lower than the industrial GDP in all the surveyed years. It is noticed that the industrial economic activity of the foundry, within these parameters of analysis, signals a loss of future sustainability, taking into account the years investigated. Therefore, in order for this particular industry to reverse this scenario, investments in technologies are necessary, in order to minimize the consumption of natural resources and consequently maximize its green GDP.

Quantity assessment method for the sustainability of a construction company

Introduction. Professional construction customers (investors) often face the problem of selecting a reliable contractor, when they have to assess construction companies for potential involvement in their projects guided, among other things, by a directly non-measurable emergent indicator of sustainability (from now on referred to as sustainability of a construction company). The given problem is of particular concern as most construction companies are now financially unstable.
 Materials and methods. The article defines the sustainability of a construction company. It also evaluates the sustainability of a construction company indicator by a number of statistical estimate iterations. The study proposes an evaluation method for quantitative integrated synthetic aggregators of sustainability of a construction company and identifies several private indicators Xj characterizing a construction company’s stable condition.
 Results. The advantages of the proposed evaluation method for the sustainability of a construction company are as follows: a unified information basis (construction operations indicators) for the assessment of qualitative and quantitative integrated synthetic aggregators of sustainability. This method is based on unified evaluation indicators of construction operations: technical, technological, organizational, and economical. The proposed method has an advantage of the versatility of the resultant own and comparative assessments of the sustainability of construction companies, visual clarity of obtained results, and relative ease of calculation procedures.
 Conclusions. This study illustrates a procedure developed for evaluating quantitative indicators of the sustainability of a construction company. This procedure offers a high level of accuracy in determining the reasons contributing to the lower sustainability of a construction company and identifying symptoms indicative of loss of sustainability. An integral indicator is formed that assesses the stability of the construction company according to the results of statistical analysis and represents a weighted sum of the values of the initial indicators of construction operations and activities of the enterprise. In this way, businesses can assess both their own condition and the condition of proposed contractors.

Relationship between Corporate Sustainability and Compliance with State-Owned Enterprises in Central-Europe: A Case Study from Hungary

Our study deals with the control of Hungarian state-owned business associations in order to find out whether there is any correlation between corporate sustainability and compliance. According to our hypothesis, the state has a greater responsibility for the sustainable operation of state-owned enterprises—one of the tools of which can be the efficient construction of so-called compliance controls. A state-owned enterprise can be sustained in its operation and function by doing what it has been assigned to it as a task. The sustainable operation can be achieved through the use of circular feedback and continuous control. Corporate sustainability can be influenced by a number of factors that are crucial to the integrity and adequacy of companies. In our study, these are the Initial Hazard Factors (IHFs), Hazardous Increasing Factors (HIFs), and Control Enhancement Factors (CEFs), which were used in indexed form for testing. For the specific analysis, we used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to rank and evaluate risk avoidance options. We analyzed the practice of the State Audit Office of Hungary and its results and found that in the case of state-owned enterprises, the current Hungarian legal system does not contain uniform normative regulations that would regulate the control of conformity in a broader sense. As a result, corporate integrity and corporate compliance are also subject to a fragmented set of rules in different jurisdictions. This has a negative impact on the development of the company’s long-term, sustainable operating principles. Based on our research, a number of factors have been identified (including enterprise size and intensive use of EU funding resources) that may result in a loss of corporate sustainability but can be mitigated or even eliminated by creating an effective internal control environment. Based on literature analysis, most of the Hungarian phenomena are typical of the former socialist countries of Central Europe. The interpretation of sustainability—in transition management countries—for first-generation enterprises which were developed in a socialist market economy is quite different from the most developed countries of the European Union. The main reason for this is that generational rules do not yet exist.

Internet-based pharmacy and centralised dispensing: an exploratory mixed-methods study of the views of family practice staff.

Over the last decade, technological advances, market competition and increasing pressures for efficiencies across healthcare systems have resulted in changes to the processes and policies involved in medicines prescribing and dispensing. The aim of this study was to explore the views of family practice staff, including GPs, on the perceived impact of changes associated with remote dispensing and the increasing availability of distance-selling pharmacies. Exploratory mixed-methods study using qualitative focus groups and an online cross-sectional survey distributed to a non-probability sample of staff from family practices across England. Survey items were developed based on existing literature and initial thematic analysis from the focus groups and adapted using cognitive interviewing techniques. Findings suggest that family practice staff believe that where and how prescriptions are dispensed impacts on their practice and patients. Frequent contact with distance-selling pharmacies is not common; however, highlighted concerns included patient safety issues and the potential threat to the loss of valued elements and sustainability of community pharmacy and dispensing practices. Identified concerns and experiences are unlikely to be routinely discussed within or between practices, limiting opportunities for shared learning and consideration of the potential impact of changes to dispensing processes and policies. Further research is needed to confirm these exploratory findings, due to the low response rate and sample size. Findings, nevertheless, highlight how wider changes in dispensing processes may have unintended consequences on other aspects of the healthcare system.