Role of outdoor trees on pedestrian wind and thermal conditions around a pre-education building for sustainable energy management

Finding sustainable energy resources is essential to face the increasing energy demand.Trees are an important part of ancient architecture but are becoming rare in urban areas.Trees can control and tune the pedestrian-level wind velocity and thermal condition.In this study,a numerical investigation is employed to assess the role of trees planted in the windward direction of the building complex on the thermal and pedestrian wind velocity conditions around/inside a pre-education building located in the center of the complex.Compared to the previous studies(which considered only outside buildings),this work considers the effects of trees on microclimate change both inside/outside buildings.Effects of different parameters including the leaf area density and number of trees,number of rows,far-field velocity magnitude,and thermal condition around the main building are assessed.The results show that the flow velocity in the spacing between the first-row buildings is reduced by 30%-40% when the one-row trees with 2 m height are planted 15 m farther than the buildings.Furthermore,two rows of trees are more effective in higher velocities and reduce the maximum velocity by about 50%.The investigation shows that trees also could reduce the temperature by about 1℃around the building.

Sustainable land management in Mali

This study uses logistic and Poisson regression models to examine the factors influencing the adoption of sustain-able land management(SLM)practices in Mali using two rounds of the nationally representative survey Enquête Agricole de Conjoncture Intégrée aux Conditions de Vie des Ménages.The SLMs considered include the applica-tion of organic fertilizers,the application of inorganic fertilizers,the use of improved seeds,and the practice of intercropping.On average the application of organic fertilizers(39.2%),and inorganic fertilizers(28.7%)are the most frequent SLM practices among Malian farmers,and between 2014 and 2017,we observe a decline in the practice of intercropping.The regression results show that farmers’adoption of different SLMs is significantly associated with biophysical factors(average temperature,climate type,plot size,plot shape,and location),de-mographic factors(age,gender,education,household size),and socioeconomic factors(number of cultivated plots,livelihood diversification,type of crop grown,market access,credit access,economic shocks,and social capital).Our findings suggest that policymakers and agricultural development agencies in Mali need to adopt a multidimensional policy framework to unlock the untapped potential of SLM practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.

Participatory Technique Supporting Environmental Management: A Systematic and Bibliometric Review

The increasing need to manage natural resources sustainably, driven by population growth, requires the simultaneous use of Participatory Techniques (PT) and landscape planning for structured decision-making. We conducted a bibliometric and systematic review to provide an overview of PT usage, identifying evolution in scientific production. We considered the number of publications and citations, prominent journals, and highly cited articles on scientific papers published in the Web of Science database between 1993 and 2023. A total of 415 articles related to PT were identified. After content evaluation, 19 critical articles were selected that underpin the growing combined use of models and indices with PT, enhancing the robustness and credibility of decision-making processes.

Sustainable Management of Biodegradable Waste in Guinea: Effect of Compost on Eggplant and Chilli Crop Yields Pepper

The fight against insalubrity in large urban and peri-urban agglomerations is a major challenge in developing countries. This problem is compounded by that of sustainable waste management mechanisms. Indeed, the current waste collection system in Guinea has proved inadequate, as moving garbage from point “A” to point “B” is tantamount to “moving the problem”. The aim of this experimental work is to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and benefits of sustainable waste management. As part of this drive to valorize biodegradable waste, the Waste Management Research Center has undertaken a series of activities ranging from composting organic waste to testing compost on certain crop varieties. An experimental field of 8024 m2 was laid out and treated with 1500 Kg of fine compost in doses ranging from 2.5 to 5 T/ha. Two crop varieties, eggplant and chili, were tested. Compost application increased production yields: 15 to 21 tonnes of eggplant and 10.4 to 11.1 tonnes of chili per hectare. Growth rates compared with usual yields varied from 50% to 64% and from 11% to 17% for eggplant and chili, respectively. This study resulted in an optimum compost dose of 2.5 T/ha for this phase.

Cassava Groundnut Intercropping: A Sustainable Land Management Practice for Increasing Crop Productivity and Organic Carbon Stock on Smallholder Farms

Cassava-groundnut intercropping is not a common practice among smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone even though both crops are well suited for intercropping. On-farm trials were conducted in three locations (Bai Largor, Bassah, and Njala Kanima) in the Moyamba district during the 2021 cropping season to investigate the efficacy of cassava-groundnut intercropping for increasing crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms in the Moyamba district, Southern Sierra Leone. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in three replications with treatments of sole groundnut, sole cassava and cassava-groundnut intercropping. Data on the yield and yield components of cassava and groundnut were analysed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 and means were compared using the standard error of difference (SED). The above-ground biomass, number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava were not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by the cassava-based cropping system. Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut decreased the above-ground biomass, the number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava by 17%, 11%, and 17%, respectively. The above-ground biomass, number of pods per plant and fresh pod yield of groundnut were significantly (p 1), the highest net revenue and benefit-cost ratio. The benefit-cost ratio was also favourable for the sole cassava (BCR > 1) but not favourable for the sole groundnut (BCR < 1). Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut increased the benefit-cost ratio by 121% and 13% when compared to the sole groundnut and sole cassava. In the event of a 40% yield loss for the cassava and groundnut, the benefit-cost ratio was favourable (1.12) only for the cassava groundnut intercropping system. The net soil organic carbon stock was favourable only for the cassava-groundnut intercrop. Averaged across locations, the net soil organic carbon for the cassava-groundnut intercropping increased by 3.4% when compared to the baseline within one cropping cycle of the cassava (12 months). The results confirm that cassava-groundnut intercropping is a sustainable land management practice that could enhance crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms.

Rate of timber production in a tropical rainforest ecosystem of Southwestern Nigeria and its implications on sustainable forest management

Timber harvesting data are very essential for sustainable management of forest resources.These data are very scarce in developing countries.Therefore,we collected and analyzed data on the rate of timber production of the free areas and the forest reserves in Ondo State,Nigeria.The data collected from the State Department of Forestry＇s official records,annual reports and files were on the species,volume and number of different economic timbers exploited on monthly basis between 2003 and 2005.Analyses were done with the student t-test and one-way analysis of variance.Results reveal that the highest numbers of species,families and stems were exploited in the free areas when compared with what was exploited from the reserves for the three-year period.However,the total volume of trees removed from the reserves was significantly higher（p〈0.05） than what was removed from the free areas.A total 60 different indigenous hardwood species in 25 families were exploited from the free areas,and 57 in 23 families from the reserves.The total number of stems exploited from the forest ecosystem of Ondo state during the three-year period stood at 111377 with an estimated volume of 295089.67 m^3.While the mean number of stems and volume exploited per annum is 37125 and 98363.22 m^3,respectively.The monthly average number of stems and volume is 3094 and 8196 m^3,respectively.The t-test results show that there were significant differences（p〈0.05） in number of stems and volume removed from the free areas and the reserves.The ANOVA results reveal a significant increase（p〈0.05） in logging activities between the years of 2003 and 2004 but there was a decline in year 2005.This trend reveals that economic timber species were disappearing from the forests and the ecosystem was seriously disturbed during logging activities.Principles for achieving the goals of sustainable forest management（SFM） and urgent conservation measures to mitigate the consequences of forest degradation were suggested.

System Dynamics Modeling for Sustainable Water Management of a Coastal Area in Shandong Province, China

Water is one of the basic materials in human existence and the development of society and economy. Its sustainable management has always been an eternal subject for the management of human society and also a complex systemic problem. How to take advantages of water has been a big event in such an agricultural country like China. As economically developed areas, coastal areas are facing water shortage problems due to the rapid economic and social development and inappropriate and unsustainable water management measures. To fully understand and study such problems faced by the coastal areas needs a systematic and integrated framework to consider the various social-economic, natural and engineering factors that affect the sustainable development of water in those areas. The SD （system dynamics） methodology, which is an approach that has been successfully used in solving complex systematic problems in general, and in solving water management problems in particular for more than 50 years, was applied to a typical coastal area, Longkou City in Shandong Province of China, to study and analyze the future sustainable water management of this city. Then the quantitative modeling and analysis of the water development were carried out through scenario analysis. Four different scenarios （business as usual, economic development, water resources protection, and comprehensive） were designed by changing the values of decision-making variables. The total water demand in 2030 of these four scenarios are 0.455 billion m3, 0.793 billion m3, 0.412 billion m3 and 0.487 billion m3, respectively; the corresponding water deficit of these scenarios are 0.292 billion m3, 0.634 billion m3, 0.254 billion m3 and 0.329 billion m3, respectively. The comparison results indicated that the comprehensive scenario is the optimal one among these designed scenarios. To totally solve the water shortage problem with the economy developed in Longkou City needs to take more effective measures to reduce water consumption and improve water conservation technologies.

Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management and Diagnosis of Obstacle at County Scale in Sichuan Basin:Taking Lezhi County as Example

This paper established sustainable land resources evaluating indicators fit for hilly area in Sichuan Basin, Southwest of China, and evaluated the case of sustainable land management of Lezhi County from 1990 to 2001. The result showed that the land resource sustainable utilization ability in Lezhi County is belong to Second level （better sustainable）. Secondly, this paper diagnosed some years obstacles of sustainable land management of Lezhi County from base period to goal period and compared the obstacles factors in the indicators system. There were 16 indexes orderly become major affect factor to land sustainable utilization of Lezhi county in indicator system, of which there are 8 obstacles indexes exist both in 1990 and 2001. The value of obstacles degree of five indicators exceeded 5 in 1990, but in 2001, only two indicators＇ values were more than 5.

Goal programming approach for sustainable forest management(case study in Iranian Caspian forests)

We used a goal programming technique to determine the optimal harvest volume for the Iranian Caspian forest. We collected data including volume, growth, wood price at forest roadside, and variable harvesting costs. The allometric method was used to quantify seques- trated carbon. Regression analysis was used to derive growth models. Expected mean price was estimated using wood price and variable harvesting costs. Questionnaire was used to determine the constraints and the equation coefficients of the goal programming model. The optimal volume was determined using the goal programming method according to multipurpose forest management. LINGO software was used for analysis. Results indicated that the optimum volumes of species were 250.25 m3.ha-1 for beech, 59 m3.ha-1 for hornbeam, 73 m3.ha-1 for oak, 41 m3.ha-1 for alder, and 32 m3.ha-1 for other species. The total optimum volume is 455.25 m3.ha-1.

Emergency Plan for Water Supply in Consecutive Droughts and Sustainable Water Resources Management in Beijing

Beijing, the capital city of China, has suffered from acute water shortage, with only 300 m3/a of water resources available per capita. In addition, Beijing has experienced a prolonged period of consecutive droughts from 1999 to 2010. Water crisis has constrained the socio-economic development of Beijing. Meanwhile, the national "South-to-North Water Transfer"（STNWT） project, which is expected to provide some relief to the water crisis in Beijing, is still under development. In order to ensure the security of water supply in Beijing before the completion of the STNWT project, several measures have been implemented to cope with droughts, including pumping groundwater from emergency well fields,water saving, recycling of water, rain and flood water harvesting, and the diversion of water from neighboring rivers and groundwater basins. Groundwater from four emergency well fields contributes the most to the public and domestic water supplies in Beijing, supplying a total volume of 1.8×10;m;.The water crisis is supposed to be mitigated by the completion of the STNWT project. After the completion of this project, more sustainable management of water resources will be implemented,including the use of aquifers as groundwater reservoirs and conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources.

Integrated environmental education for sustainable forest management: the case of Nandi Hills Forests, Kenya

Environmental education （EE） is a vital dimension of modern day acumen that portends a great promise in solving the myriad environmental resource management challenges at global, regional and local levels. A study was carried out in 18 locations in the Nandi North, Nandi South and Nandi Hills districts of Kenya, which cover the Nandi Hills and Nandi Forests in Nandi County, major water catchments for Lake Victoria. A mixed methodological approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data obtained from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household survey and observations was embraced in data collection and analysis. The study reveals that there are several strategies that have been adopted by the local population and institutions involved in the management of the Nandi Hills Forests （NHFs） and that these strategies have contributed to an improvement in the perceptions of the local population in terms of the importance of environmental management of the forests. This paper highlights EE as a vehicle for ensur- ing a sustainable management of the Nandi Hills Forests. As such, it illuminates the great potential that lies in sustainably managing the NHFs by integrating formal and informal EE approaches. It further points out the functional gaps in the management of NHFs and proposes best-practices that could be adopted and/or domesticated in NHFs management regimes.

Adapting Smallholder Agriculture to Climate Change through Sustainable Land Management Practices： Empirical Evidence from North-West Ethiopia

The objective of this paper was to determine the factors that influence farmers＇ decision to use two categories of sustainable land management （SLM） practices as adaptation strategy to climate change in the North-West Ethiopia. It was based on analysis of data collected from 734 farm household heads and employed probit regression model to analyze the determinants of adaptation to climate change through SLM measures. Based on the model result, factors, like perception of climate change, exposure to adaptation techniques, education, perception of land degradation, slope, land prone to degradation, number of parcels, crop enterprise income, land size, farm distance, economically active family size and agro-ecology are found important in determining farmers＇ decision to use structural land management practices. Likewise, perception of climate change, exposure to adaptation, farming experience, slope, crop enterprise income, land prone to degradation and agro-ecology are found important in affecting farmers＇ decision to use non-structural land management practices as adaptation measure. Therefore, in line with the findings of the analysis, any intervention that promotes use of land management practices as adaptation strategy should take into account agro-ecology specific factors that are relevant to the nature of the land management practices. Moreover, since scaling up of SLM practices as adaptation strategy is resource intensive, it requires both public and non-public investment for providing technological support and raising awareness. Failure to do so would adversely affect crop productivity and exacerbate food insecurity problems at farm household level.

Sustainable Management and Action in China under the Increasing Risks of Global Climate Change

1. Introduction In the past 100 years, earth＇s changing climate has resulted in widespread and significant impacts, with the strongest and most comprehensive evidence of climate change being seen in natural systems. Some impacts on human systems have also been observed, including impacts on water resources and hydrological systems, species shifting and migration, and negative impacts on crop yields. The most noticeable impacts are believed to result from extreme climate-related events such as those that have recently occurred, including heat waves, droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, and wildfires.

Overall-effective Measures for Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Coastal Areas of Shandong Province, China——Case Study: the Huangshuihe River Catchment of Longkou City

In the coastal catchments of Shandong Province the water scarcity is aggravated due to saltwater intrusion, reducing the usability of water resources available. Such a situation calls for sustainable integrated water resources management (IWRM). The idea for the objectives and implementation of the IWRM are explained in this paper. The general objective of the planned project disscussed in the present study is to bring together German traditional expertise in water resources management and newer developments in the context of the European Water Framework Directive; the research efforts aim to relieve the desperate water scarcity situation in the costal area of Shandong Province.

Comparison of sustainable forest management (SFM) trends at global and country levels: case study in Iran

Sustainable Forest Management （SFM） is an integral component of sustainable development. Iran is a Near East country with low forest cover. Iran uses 7 criteria and 65 indicators for regional and national monitoring of forest management. We evaluated the status of SFM in Iran, and a location imaging in its path towards SFM was provided by existing validation data and library references for the Criteria and Indicators （C＆I） adopted in the Near East, We identify challenges and opportunities associated with SFM in Iran. Although the information to evaluate the trend of SFM in Iran was incomplete, we compiled some information on the basis of C＆I. Comparison of some indicators with the values for the rest of the world revealed that the situation in Iran is very different. Although some indicators revealed a better situation in Iran, Iran lags the rest of the world in the implementation of SFM. Iran, like many countries, is trying hard to find ways to sustainably use its forests. Not all C＆I for assessment of SFM in Iran have been determined or defined. However, a consistent and comprehensive framework of criteria and indicators to monitor progress towards SFM is being applied. Defining some C＆I is still at an early stage.

The Potential Impacts of National, Regional and International Policies and Legislation on the Sustainable Forest Management for NTFPs： A Swaziland Case Study

The objective of this study entails the review and assessment of the relevance of existing and draft policies and legislation that affects the Non-timber Forest Products （NTFP） sector in Swaziland. A hierarchical method of policy and legislation review and analysis was devised for this study. Findings indicated that most national policies and legislation are outdated and old-fashioned, with gaps and overlaps, and there is lack of collaboration between institutions implementing these. The present national forest policy does not adequately guide the development of NTFPs. As a consequence, whilst international policies and legislation capture an excellent spectrum of elements and issues on NTFPs they still remain difficult to implement. However, national level criteria and indicators have issues and elements that are relevant to the sustainable use of NTFPs. It was recommended that national strategies, action plans, policies and legislation be reviewed and updated. The study shows that there are no existing institutional networks or formal collaboration between the institutions involved in the implementation of local, national, regional, and international policies and legislation that affect NTFPs. Government, private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations （NGO＇s）, communities, individuals, and all concerned agencies should jointly develop and implement policies and legislation to provide secure access and benefits to people whose livelihood depends on/is supplemented by NTFPs and further foster networking and collaboration. The immediate adoption and implementation of the 11 policy recommendations on the sustainable management of Non-timber Forest Resources compiled by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity （CBD） from the Convention on Biological Diversity is highly recommended. It is worthwhile to note that while some of the 11 recommendations were directly inherited from certain articles of the CBD some are general recommendations.

Towards Sustainable Urban Environmental Management in Jiangyin city, East China

Dramatic economic and social changes have taken place in Jiangyin city due to rapid and uneven urbanization and industrialization. The environmental degradation has followed driven by these changes since the 1980's. With the pressures and effects of environmental deterioration, the city has implemented environmental management to hold back the trends of negative environmental changes. From the viewpoint of systems, DPSER is a good model for urban environmental changes to understand the causes, pressure, state, effect, existing responses and future action strategies. We took Jiangyin city, a developed city in South Jiangsu province, East China, as an example, and analyzed the characteristics of environmental changes and urban responses using DPSER model. Some operational strategies have been put forward to direct the city environmental management towards a sustainable road step by step.

Assessment of Institutional and Legal Framework for Sustainable Land Use Management Practices in Ashi River Watershed,China

Nonpoint source(NPS)pollutants resulting from land degradation(LD)have been a key influential factor on the deterioration of water quality.Consequently,sustainable land use management(SLM)practices have been employed to reduce the impacts of LD globally.However,the adoption of SLM practices is often not effective to protect water resources despite its capability of improving water quality.Empirically,evidence shows that activities of land users directly influence SLM practices and NPS pollution of water resources in watersheds,but invariably this has not been clearly understood.Understanding how SLM practices adoption could prevent NPS pollution of water resources in watershed is a necessity.Therefore,the primary aim of the investigation is to comprehend the status of SLM practices with the legal framework supporting the adoption of such practices in the Ashi River watershed.A survey instrument involving structured questionnaire was implemented to collect data.A randomly based lottery method was applied to sample information from 150 land users in two control units’communities.Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data.This research revealed that there is low adoption of SLM practices of the study site.The low adoption is due to weak capacity building and enforcement of regulations in the watershed.Occupation and age of the residents are the strongest predictors of SLM adoption rate.Residents connected with farming are more sensitive to the adoption status of SLM.It is our recommendation that policy makers should ensure capacity building,and enforcement of regulations can specifically compel farmers to adopt SLM technologies.This approach would complement other strategies to solve the NPS pollution issue of Ashi River.

Exploration on the Sustainable Management of Scenic and Recreational Forest: A Case Study of the Thousand-Island Lake National Forest Park

Sustainable management of scenic and recreational forest based on the integration of forest landscape beauty and recreational functions is the foundation of forest tourism. Adhering to the principles of structural optimization, healthy and vital, beautiful landscape, sound function, and comprehensive benefi t, the hotspot and core task in the current construction of scenic and recreational forest is to conserve, transform and improve forest landscape. The ThousandIsland Lake National Forest Park is endowed with peculiar island scenery, it is necessary to construct a stable threedimensional comprehensive protection system covering "mountain, land and lake", enhance the ecological environment conservation of the lake as well as the lakefront wetland, promote the ecological restoration and coloring construction of forest, protect integrality and diversity of the biosystem, and construct ecological urban-rural system using regional scenic spot concept, so as to build the lake into a model of the sustainable operation of scenic and recreational forest.

Adoption of Participatory Forest Management System for Sustainability in Nigeria

Forest is a composite renewable natural resource of multiple values to mankind. Over the years in Nigeria, government has been the sole player in the management of forest resources at the exclusion of the neighbouring forest-dependent communities to forest estates. The consequences of the monopolistic management are widespread illegal and destructive lumbering, degradation, deforestation and varying ecological disasters. This paper, therefore, discusses strategies that could facilitate and foster participatory sustainable forest management which include formulation of people-orientated forest policies and laws, creation of public awareness, stakeholders＇ consultation, training and capacity building, provision of incentives and creation of market channels for forest products. The aim is to underscore the potency of people-based forest management system, which considers the peoples＇ interest and welfare while ensuring effective conservation of forest resources. The method adopted is a review and appraisal of the prevailing situations. It is recommended that mass mobilization for participation in sustainable forest resources management and creation of enabling environment for organized private-sector involvement in forest resources activities could engender rapid development in forestry sub-sector of Nigerian economy.