Environmental Management Policies Research Articles

How are urbanization, energy consumption and globalization influencing the environmental quality of the G-7?

<abstract> <p>Many developed countries including G-7 became part of the Kyoto Protocol for improving their environmental quality in 2005. Its main goals were to develop national-level programs for energy conservation and the eradication of greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve such goals, certain policy measures including reduction in deforestation, urban population and promotion of renewable energy consumption were adopted. This study aims to examine the consequences of these policies on the environmental quality of G-7 from 1988 to 2018. LLC and IPS unit root tests were applied to check the stationarity of analyzed variables. The results of Pedroni and Kao's co-integration tests proved the long-run relationship between the dependent and explanatory variables. The application of multiple cross-sectional dependence tests revealed that the cross-sections are independent of each other. The findings of the panel Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model exhibited that urbanization, economic growth and nonrenewable energy consumption are hampering the environmental quality. While renewable energy consumption and globalization are improving it in the long term. Urbanization, renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption significantly improve the environmental quality during the short term whereas globalization insignificantly deteriorates the environment. The study confirms the presence of reversed U environmental Kuznets curve between urbanization and carbon emissions with a turning point at 80 per cent of urbanization. The study suggests that the transformation of energy consumption from nonrenewable to renewable sources and strict compliance with environment management policies will prove prolific for improving the environmental quality of G-7.</p> </abstract>

Environment management policy implementation for sustainable industrial production under power asymmetry in the graph model

In the wake of the Paris agreement, adaptation and mitigation efforts are underway to combat climate change. Despite the promulgation of environmental policies, rules and regulations, and the setting of local environmental regulations, the objectives of cleaner industrial production, and sustainable environmental management are still far from the targets set. However, the stringent implementation of environmental policy is equally important as the decree of environmental laws. Environmental conflicts between the government and industry may source from lenient or less strict policy implementation and/or weak administrative capacity of the governments’ agencies. The use of the government's inherent power can play a pivotal role in determining the preferences of the industry regarding environmental sustainability. This study proposes a power-asymmetric based negotiation strategy by incorporating formal mathematical formulations of the power-asymmetric preferences and stability concepts in the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR). A case study of government-industry conflict is resolved to confirm the procedure and application of the proposed methodology. The analysis shows how the decision-maker – industry adjusts its preference when the government imposes strict environmental policy. It provides valuable strategic insights that use of government's inherent power in the stringent implementation of environmental policies is indispensable for cleaner industrial production and sustainable environmental management.

Lifting the lid on Land Cover/ Use change and its effects on local ecosystems in the Bamenda highlands of Cameroon

The goals of this study were to use remote sensing and a Geographic Information System to track land use and cover change in Cameroon’s Bamenda highlands and to assess the effects of these changes on the local ecosystem. Supervised classification using the maximum likelihood classification algorithm was used to extract information from Landsat time series images from 2000 to 2018. The classification was relatively acceptable and effective in detecting land-use changes in the area. Between 2000 and 2010, farmland increased by 10.29%, and by 2018, it had increased by 14.39%. Similarly, plantations expanded by 15.07 km2 (4.1%) between 2000 and 2010, reaching 20.51 km2 (5.58%) by 2018, while built-up areas increased by 0.51% between 2000 and 2010, reaching 1.43% by 2018. These increases came at the expense of forest, savannah, and waterbodies, which were reduced by 3.93%, 10.33%, and 17.17%, respectively. Savannah had a strong negative correlation with a built-up area (R2 = 1), and plantation area (R2 = .98). As a consequence, the increase of built-up areas and plantation farms could be at the cost of the reduction in savannah and forestlands. On the whole, increased deforestation, growth in plantations, built-ups, and farmlands, have had an impact on the area’s ecosystem structure and functions. The findings are critical for developing environmental management policies and ecological integrity of the area. Water, energy, food security, climate mitigation, and agroecological sustainability policies, as well as their synergies and tradeoffs in the context of sustainable development goals, are important research areas.

Design of an environmental management information system for the Universidad Distrital

This article presents the design, development and implementation of a software tool, serving as an alternative to the problems involving management, control and reporting of processes within the institutional plan for environmental management (known as plan institucional de gestión ambiental (PIGA) by its Spanish acronym) for the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. The software is focused on carrying out such processes to the automation setting, based on the extreme programming (XP) Agile methodology that mainly centers on the continuous development of the customer requirements to offer a more assertive tool, in line with the plan institucional de gestión ambiental in Spanish (PIGA) processes. The result is a complete satisfaction of users and a highly usable, adaptable and efficient software, inherently optimizing and automating the environmental management processes of the PIGA program. This work delivers an applet that meets the design and implementation requirements of environmental management policies. The proposed tool manages to reduce process-related times by 97%, therefore, allowing to aim efforts in other missional functions and increase the overall value offer of the organization.

Distribution characteristics of phytoplankton functional groups and their relationship with environmental factors in Taihu Basin

太湖流域地处长江下游，水系发达，是典型的平原水网地区，为明确空间和环境因子对太湖流域浮游植物功能类群分布的影响，本研究于2019年8—9月期间比较太湖流域包括河流、湖泊和水库的85个采样点的浮游植物、空间和环境特征. 首次利用“人工智能图像识别技术”，并结合传统人工镜检，共鉴定浮游植物250个分类单位，隶属于9门13纲28目57科110属，以绿藻门(45.6%)、硅藻门(19.2%)和蓝藻门(16.4%)为主. 共划分功能类群31个，包括M、D、J、S1、C、Y、F、P、MP、H1、SN、W1、G、K和TB共15个优势功能类群. 结果表明：1)太湖流域不同水体功能类群组成差异显著，差异主要来自M、J、S1、Y、P、H1类群；2)浮游植物功能类群分布具有一定的空间异质性，以太湖为中心向外形成3个聚类组，物种组成类型依次为蓝藻型、蓝藻-绿藻-硅藻型、绿藻-硅藻-蓝藻型，主要贡献类群依次为M、S1类群，M、S1、P、J类群，P、S1、J、D、C类群；3)在太湖流域，相对于环境因子而言，空间因子对浮游植物功能类群组成的影响更大. RDA分析表明，COD_Mn、NO₃^--N、TN、SD、pH值和DO与太湖流域浮游植物优势功能类群呈显著相关. 过去十年，以控源截污为主导的环境管理政策已在太湖流域取得显著成效，但是对于以M、S1类群水华为特征的夏季太湖流域而言，蓝藻水华防控仍是必须面对的难题，有机污染物和氮的控制仍是关注重点，不同水体类型和浮游植物功能类群因地制宜的管控模式仍是关键.;The study area locates in the Taihu Basin, and it spans across three provinces (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui) and the Shanghai Administrative Region. We sampled at 85 sites during Aug. and Sep. 2019, including lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs, to investigate the effects of spatial and environmental factors on the distribution characteristics of phytoplankton functional groups (PFG) in Taihu Basin. A total of 250 phytoplankton taxa, belonging to 9 phyla, 13 classes, 28 orders, 57 families and 110 genera, were identified by the artificial intelligence image recognition technology for the first time, combined with traditional microscopy. The phytoplankton species composition was dominated by Chlorophyta (45.6%), followed by Bacillariophyta (19.2%) and Cyanophyta (16.4%). According to the PFG classification method, 31 functional groups were identified, respectively, with dominant function groups including M, S1, C, D, Y, G, MP, P, J, SN, F, TB, K, H1 and W1. The results showed that: 1) There were significant differences in the PFG composition among different water bodies in Taihu Basin, mainly from M, J, S1, Y, P and H1 groups; 2) The PFG distribution in Taihu Basin showed certain spatial heterogeneous, and three cluster groups were found. Moreover, the corresponding species composition types are Cyanophyta, Cyanophyta-Chlorophyta-Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta-Bacillariophyta-Cyanophyta. The dominant groups are M and S1 groups, M, S1, P, j groups, P, S1, J, D and C groups, respectively; 3) Spatial factor plays a major role in the formation of phytoplankton community than environmental factor in Taihu Basin. Redundant analysis showed that COD_Mn, NO₃^--N, TN, SD, pH and DO were the main environmental factors affecting the PFG distribution. Over the past decade, the environmental management policy led by source pollution control has achieved remarkable results in the Taihu Basin; however, more effective prevention and control methods are expected to propose for controlling cyanobacterial blooms in the future, and the control of organic pollutants and nitrogen should be paid more attention for aquatic ecological management in Taihu Basin during summer. More importantly, appropriate aquatic ecological management mode should be adopted to deal with different water types and different PFGs.

Comparing the concentrations of heavy metals on two bivalve species in Santos Bay, Brazil: Subsidies to understanding the assimilation dynamic of bivalve contaminants.

Contaminant substances consist of chemical elements that present the potential to adversely impact the ecology of the environment, thus representing a threat to local fauna and flora. In this context, heavy metals are critical agents that, depending on the nature and level, are potentially toxic to living organisms. In order to evaluate the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the Santos estuary and to determine the potential influence of salinity gradient on the heavy metal bioconcentration, the present study measured the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn in two bivalve species (Crassostrea rhizophorae and Perna Perna) sampled at different sites of Santos Bay, in the southeastern region of Brazil. Throughout the study, the "sentinel species" used were effective in bioaccumulating contaminants. In oysters, based on the Brazilian legislation, critical limits were exceeded for As, Zn, Cu, and Cr. In the case of mussels, on the other hand, only for As, Zn, and Cr, the critical limits were overcome. In the present study, obtained data suggested salinity as a determinant parameter in As incorporation processes of bivalve mollusks. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The present study presents important results for the development of environmental management policies in estuarine environments. The present study points out differences between different organisms as biomonitors, providing subsidies for the decision of an effective biomonitoring program. The present study discusses values of contaminants as a danger to public health in Santos Bay, which can be extrapolated to other similar environments around the world.

Simulating the spatial distribution of pollutant loads from pig farming using an agent-based modeling approach.

This research developed an agent-based model (ABM) for simulating pollutant loads from pig farming. The behavior of farmer agents was captured using concepts from the theory of planned behavior. The ABM has three basic components: the household or farmer agent, the land patches, and global parameters that capture the environmental context. The model was evaluated using a sensitivity analysis and then validated using data from a household survey, which showed that the predictive ability of the model was good. The ABM was then used in three scenarios: a baseline scenario, a positive scenario in which the number of pigs was assumed to remain stable but supporting policies for environmental management were increased, and a negative scenario, which assumed the number of pigs increases but management measures did not improve relative to the baseline. The positive scenario showed reductions in the discharged loads for many sub-basins of the study area while the negative scenario indicated that increased loads will be discharged to the environment. The scenario results suggest that to maintain the development of pig production while ensuring environmental protection for the district, financial, and technical support must be provided to the pig producers. The experience and education level of the farmers were significant factors influencing behaviors related to manure reuse and treatment, so awareness raising through environmental communication is needed in addition to technical measures.

Instagrammable tourism: local government policies in sustainable environmental management

Tourism development using social media or policy-makers favor Instagrammable Tourism due to its assumed effects on destination image, social and infrastructure developments, and economic benefits. However, the dynamics of making a tourism destination instagrammable sometimes bring up conditions that ignore the aspects of sustainable environmental management. Tourism business actors who process natural lands into artificial instagrammable tourist attractions and consumer behavior that damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations are few operational examples of outcomes caused by local policies related to instagrammable tourism. This paper aims to present the description and implementation of local government policies in instagrammable tourism management from two different areas of Kaliurang in Sleman regency and Tawangmangu in Karanganyar Regency. Data in local tourism development policy, spatial plans, and land use in tourist destinations were analyzed using descriptive qualitative, descriptive statistics, and policy analysis methods. The analysis results show that the two tourist areas have been regulated and managed based on local regulations. The local regulation interpretations can be seen in the different directions of the two tourism area developments. The different emphasis on the orientations of tourism area managements bear implications on implementing a sustainable environmental management concept.

Can Current Earth Observation Technologies Provide Useful Information on Soil Organic Carbon Stocks for Environmental Land Management Policy?

Earth Observation (EO) techniques could offer a more cost-effective and rapid approach for reliable monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of soil organic carbon (SOC). Here, we analyse the available published literature to assess whether it may be possible to estimate SOC using data from sensors mounted on satellites and airborne systems. This is complemented with research using a series of semi-structured interviews with experts in soil health and policy areas to understand the level of accuracy that is acceptable for MRV approaches for SOC. We also perform a cost-accuracy analysis of the approaches, including the use of EO techniques, for SOC assessment in the context of the new UK Environmental Land Management scheme. We summarise the state-of-the-art EO techniques for SOC assessment and identify 3 themes and 25 key suggestions and concerns for the MRV of SOC from the expert interviews. Notably, over three-quarters of the respondents considered that a ‘validation accuracy’ of 90% or better would be required from EO-based techniques to be acceptable as an effective system for the monitoring and reporting of SOC stocks. The cost-accuracy analysis revealed that a combination of EO technology and in situ sampling has the potential to offer a reliable, cost-effective approach to estimating SOC at a local scale (4 ha), although several challenges remain. We conclude by proposing an MRV framework for SOC that collates and integrates seven criteria for multiple data sources at the appropriate scales.

Drivers of biomagnification of Hg, As and Se in aquatic food webs: A review

Biomagnification of trace elements is increasingly evident in aquatic ecosystems. In this review we investigate the drivers of biomagnification of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in aquatic food webs. Despite Hg, As and Se biomagnify in food webs, the biomagnification potential of Hg is much higher than that of As and Se. The slope of trophic increase of Hg is consistent between temperate (0.20), tropical (0.22) and Arctic (0.22) ecosystems. Se exerts a mitigating role against Hg toxicity but desired maximum and minimum concentrations are unknown. Environmental (e.g. latitude, temperature and physicochemical characteristics) and ecological factors (e.g. trophic structure composition and food zone) can substantially influence the biomagnification process these metal (oids). Besides the level of bioaccumulated concentration, biomagnification depends on the biology, ecology and physiology of the organisms that play a key role in this process. However, it may be necessary to determine strictly biological, physiological and environmental factors that could modulate the concentrations of As and Se in particular. The information presented here should provide clues for research that include under-researched variables. Finally, we suggest that biomagnification be incorporated into environmental management policies, mainly in risk assessment, monitoring and environmental protection methods.

Study on corporate environmental responsibility measurement method of energy consumption and pollution discharge and its application in industrial parks

The large-scale energy consumption produced by corporates in China's industrial parks has produced a large number of waste discharges. The toxic substances in these wastes have caused a certain degree of environmental pollution, which poses a threat to the living environment, health, and even life of human beings. The measurement method of corporate environmental responsibility and its application, which gradually become a significant issue, have been put forward for improving and solving the increasingly severe environmental pollution problems in industrial parks. Based on the literature review, current situation analysis, and the latest researches, this paper proposes an input-output model considering energy consumption input and unexpected output, improves the input-output model according to the requirements of corporate environmental responsibility measurement, constructs the environmental responsibility improved input-output measurement model of corporate energy consumption and pollution discharge in industrial parks, and selects Nanjing MV Industrial Park as a case to conduct the application test of measuring the corporate environmental responsibility from energy consumption and pollution discharge. The measurement results show that from 2010 to 2018, the responsibilities of energy consumption and environmental treatment, environmental improvement, and the total environment in Nanjing MV Industrial Park have been declining slowly, which shows that the corporate environmental pollution treatment effect of Nanjing MV Industrial Park has been gradually improved. The research results of this paper provide a quantitative analysis method for strengthening the management of corporate environmental responsibility in industrial parks, promoting corporates to strengthen energy conservation and emission reduction, and realizing the sustainable development of industrial parks; for helping the local governments to formulate corporate energy consumption and environmental responsibility management policies in industrial parks and to strengthen the assessment and evaluation of corporate energy consumption and environmental responsibility.

Application of Agricultural Waste as Heterogeneous Catalysts for Biodiesel Production

In this modern era, it has become essential to transform waste materials into valuables because of their excessive availability, along with achieving the targets of environmental protocols and waste management policies. With a growing population, the utilization and consumption of agricultural products have been increased extensively. In addition, it has increased the probability of agricultural waste generation. Waste produced from agricultural sources is considered as a viable source for synthesizing economical and ecofriendly catalysts and suitable ways for its disposal are sought. This study is targeted at agricultural waste-derived heterogeneous catalysts, which have been effectively employed for biodiesel generation. The types of agricultural waste, catalyst synthesis techniques, recent literature stated for agricultural waste-derived catalysts to produce biodiesel, the elemental composition and catalytic activity of agricultural waste ashes, the effect of reaction parameters to maximize biodiesel yield and catalyst reusability have been discussed. This work concludes that catalysts derived from agricultural waste are efficient in transesterification reaction, and they are easy to produce, and are cheap and ecofriendly. Moreover, this study encourages researchers to see the options for unexplored agricultural waste, which can be potentially converted into useful materials

The relationship between healthcare expenditure, CO2 emissions and natural resources: evidence from developing countries

ABSTRACT The paper examines the association between health expenditure, carbon emission, economic growth, natural resources, and population in developing countries for 2000–2018. It further explores the relationship between these variables over the same period. The study applied Pooled mean group (PMG) and Dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) estimations to explore the long and short-term impact of environmental pollution, economic growth, and natural resources on health expenditure. PMG and the DOLS results show that economic growth and environmental pollution, and natural resources increase health expenditure at the panel level. However, improved sanitation reduces health spending. The findings for the individual country level from the FMOLS confirmed similar results for some countries. Furthermore, there is bidirectional causality between health spending and economic growth. Developing nations should implement strategic environment management policies that enhanced clean and healthy air to decrease the pressure on health care expenses.

Evolution of stakeholders’ behavioral strategies in the ecological compensation mechanism for poverty alleviation

Because poverty and natural resource conservation are multi-dimensional, complex interactive processes, ecological compensation (EC) mechanism, which is global environmental resource management policy instruments, have become important tools for poverty alleviation. This study developed a unified analysis framework that incorporated a tripartite evolutionary game that included EC-investors, who promote eco-compensated poverty alleviation, EC-providers, and superior government regulators. Based on proposed dynamic replicator equations, the evolution and steady state strategies for each of these stakeholders were then separately discussed. A numerical study based on the observable conditions in an eco-compensated poverty alleviation project was conducted to examine the asymptotic stability of the various evolutionary stabilization strategies. The results show that the government regulator's strategic choices act as a "weathervane" for the other two players, and the choice of the superior government regulator depends on the expected benefits and costs of the strategy. The strategic choices made by the EC-providers are significantly influenced by the EC-investor strategy choices, with a sufficient ecological transfer payment being the main motivation for the providers to participate in the eco-compensated poverty alleviation projects.

Craft breweries’ environmental proactivity: an upper echelons perspective

PurposeCentered on upper echelons theory, this study aims to examine the interplay of US craft brewery owners’ green consumption values, environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity of their craft breweries. In addition, the moderating role of business challenges on the effect of environmental attitudes on environmental proactivity is assessed.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of US craft brewers through the Brewers Association Brew Forum Blog. A total of 237 valid responses were received. Structural equation modeling was used for testing hypothetical relationships among key constructs in the proposed research model: environmental values, environmental involvement, environmental sustainability practices and business challenges.FindingsThe results showed that green consumption values positively and significantly influenced environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity. Findings also confirmed the significant positive influence of environmental attitude on environmental proactivity. Furthermore, business challenges moderated the relationship between owners’ environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity of the breweries such that the higher the extent of business challenges weaker is the relationship between environmental attitudes and environmental proactivity.Originality/valueIt is accepted that upper management’s individual beliefs surrounding environmentalism are a contributing factor to the environmental management policy of their company. However, there is very little empirical evidence to demonstrate the impact that these values have in a tangible sense. To satisfy this deficit in the research, the study aims to analyze the relationship between the brewery owners’ environmental outlook and the sustainability practices of their brewery, regarding the former as a key psychological characteristic, which influences and motivates the direction of the latter.

Green Management System

Green Management System (GMS) is an effort to protect the environment. With the depletion of natural resources, the protection of the environment is not only limited to a small part of its corporate social responsibility, but it must be a model in business organizations. Model GMS-oriented environment, will systematically affect the company in reducing waste, reducing the use of natural resources, reduce pollution and continuously monitoring the purpose of creating business results were positive for all stakeholders.Modern business travel will continue to come under pressure from the environment and the realization of the company's sustainability strategy, the managers began to review the possibility of implementation of GMS in the management system of the organization; directs the management of the organization, developing technologies to reduce adverse environmental impact and develop the production of green (green production) more rational and cost-effective.Development and implementation of green policies in environmental management becomes an important part of the transformation of business management functions in optimizing the use of GMS to improve corporate performance and benefits for environmental sustainability. Direct implications for the development and implementation of environmental protection in the modern business organization in accordance with modern green standards and the principles of environmental sustainability and a company associated with the creation of the organization, program and structure, education and training of human resources will enable the transfer and dissemination of knowledge for environmental protection.

Green Management System

Green Management System (GMS) is an effort to protect the environment. With the depletion of natural resources, the protection of the environment is not only limited to a small part of its corporate social responsibility, but it must be a model in business organizations. Model GMS-oriented environment, will systematically affect the company in reducing waste, reducing the use of natural resources, reduce pollution and continuously monitoring the purpose of creating business results that were positive for all stakeholders. Modern business travel will continue to come under pressure from the environment and the realization of the company's sustainability strategy, the managers began to review the possibility of implementation of GMS in the management system of the organization; directs the management of the organization, developing technologies to reduce adverse environmental impact and develop the production of green (green production) more rational and cost-effective. Development and implementation of green policies in environmental management become an important part of the transformation of business management functions in optimizing the use of GMS to improve corporate performance and benefits for environmental sustainability. Direct implications for the development and implementation of environmental protection in the modern business organization in accordance with modern green standards and the principles of environmental sustainability and a company associated with the creation of the organization, program and structure, education and training of human resources will enable the transfer and dissemination of knowledge for environmental protection

Evolution and Prediction of Landscape Patterns in the Qinghai Lake Basin

The Qinghai Lake Basin (QLB), located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, has a fragile ecological environment and is sensitive to global climate change. With the progress of societal and economic development, the tourism industry in the QLB has also developed rapidly, which is bound to result in great changes in landscape patterns. In this study, we first analyzed the change characteristics of landscape patterns in the QLB from 1990 to 2018, and we then used the Markov model and the future land use simulation (FLUS) model, combined with natural, social, and ecological factors, to predict the changes in the number and spatial distribution of landscape patterns in the period between 2026 and 2034. The results of the study show that desert areas have been greatly reduced and transformed into grasslands. The grassland area expanded from 49.22% in 1990 to 59.45% in 2018, corresponding to an increase of 10.23%. The direct cause of this result is the combined effects of natural and man-made factors, with the latter playing a leading role. As such, government decision-making is crucial. Lastly, we simulated the landscape patterns in the period from 2018 to 2034. The results show that in the next 16 years, the proportion of various landscapes will change little, and the spatial distribution will be stable. This research provides a reference for the formulation of ecological environment management and protection policies in the QLB.

Does Sand Beach Nourishment Enhance the Dispersion of Non-Indigenous Species?—The Case of the Common Moon Crab, Matuta victor (Fabricius, 1781), in the Southeastern Mediterranean

Sand beach nourishment (BN) is one of the commonest “soft solutions” for shore protection and restoration. Yet it may have ecological consequences. Can this practice enhance the introduction and dispersal of non-indigenous species (NIS)? There has been little research on the impacts of nourishment on NIS, especially in the southeastern Mediterranean, a region considered most affected by invading biota. However, so far only one study referred to the possible interaction between BN and the success of invading species. It reports increasing numbers and densities of the aggressive, omnivorous Indo-Pacific moon crab, Matuta victor (Fabricius, 1781) in Haifa Bay (northern Israel) between 2011 and 2017. This research suggests a possible role of anthropogenic disturbance in the outbreak of M. victor and blames the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection for authorizing a (rather small scale) BN in Haifa Bay in 2011 as an alleged cause for this outbreak. Circumstantial indirect evidence is not sufficient to establish the role of nourishment in promoting the establishment and dispersal of NIS. There are plenty of examples of successful settlement and rapid and large-scale distribution of NIS (including another member of the genus Matuta), especially in the eastern Mediterranean, without any BN in the region. Furthermore, the location where the M. victor specimens were sampled was exposed to more prevailing and frequent anthropogenic marine stressors than BN, such as eutrophication, pollution, fishing activities and particularly port construction. To firmly establish an assumed role of nourishment in the invasion of NIS, assessments must be based on solid and orderly planned scientific research to be designed well before the beginning of any BN. It is suggested that direct communication between environmental regulators and scientists is crucial for improving both scientific research and environmental management policies.

Earth Observation for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification within Environmental Land Management Policy

The main aim of the new agricultural scheme, Environmental Land Management, in England is to reward landowners based on their provision of ‘public goods’ while achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero emission by 2050. Earth Observation (EO) satellites appear to offer an unprecedented opportunity in the process of monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of this scheme. In this study, we worked with ecologists to determine the habitat–species relationships for five wildlife species in the Surrey Hills ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB), and this information was used to examine the extent to which EO satellite imagery, particularly very high resolution (VHR) imagery, could be used for habitat assessment, via visual interpretation and automated methods. We show that EO satellite products at 10 m resolution and other geospatial datasets enabled the identification and location of broadly suitable habitat for these species and the use of VHR imagery (at 1–4 m spatial resolution) allowed valuable insights for remote assessment of habitat qualities and quantity. Hence, at a fine scale, we obtained additional habitats such as scrub, hedges, field margins, woodland and tree characteristics, and agricultural practices that offer an effective source of information for sustainable land management. The opportunities and limitations of this study are discussed, and we conclude that there is considerable scope for it to offer valuable information for land management decision-making and as support and evidence for MRV for incentive schemes.