scholarly journals Multifaceted interactions between urban humans and biodiversity-related concepts: A developing-country dataset

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Minh-Hoang Nguyen

Abstract Urban humans and biodiversity-related concepts are interacting with each other in many negative and positive ways. The biodiversity provides a wide array of provision and cultural-ecological services to urban residents, but it is being overexploited to the point of crisis. The crisis is largely driven by the expanding illegal wildlife trade in developing countries with a high urbanization rate and biodiversity level like Vietnam. While supply-side measures are ineffective in reducing biodiversity loss, researchers have suggested demand-side measures as supplements, such as social marketing campaigns and law enforcement in urban areas. Moreover, urban residents are also potential visitors to urban public parks and national parks, which helps generate finance for biodiversity preservation and conservation in those places. Understanding how urban residents' perceptions towards biodiversity and biodiversity-related behaviors can help improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts and sustainable urban development. Thus, this article presents a dataset of 535 urban residents' wildlife consumption behaviors, multifaceted perceptions and interactions with biodiversity-related concepts, and nature-based recreation demand. The dataset is constructed with six major categories: 1) wildlife product consumption, 2) general biodiversity perceptions, 3) biodiversity at home and neighborhood, 4) public park visitation and motivations, 5) national park visitation and motivations, and 6) socio-demographic profiles. These resources are expected to support researchers in enriching the lax literature regarding the role of urban residents in biodiversity conservation and preservation, and help policymakers to find insights for building up an “eco-surplus culture” among urban residents through effective public communication and policymaking.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minh-Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Thomas E. Jones

The rapidly declining biosphere integrity, representing one of the core planetary boundaries, is alarming. One of the most widely accepted measures to halt the rate of biodiversity loss is to maintain and expand protected areas that are effectively managed. However, it requires substantial finance derived from nature-based tourism, specifically visitors from urban areas. Using the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) on 535 Vietnamese urban residents, the current study examined how their biodiversity loss perceptions can affect their willingness to pay for the entrance fee and conservation in protected areas. We found that perceived environmental degradation, loss of economic growth, loss of nature-based recreation opportunity, and loss of knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss has indirect effects on paying willingness through the mediation of the attitude towards conservation. Especially, the perceived knowledge loss also has a direct positive influence on the willingness to pay for the entrance fee and conservation. In contrast, perceived loss of health is negatively associated with the attitude towards conservation. Based on these findings, we suggest that building an eco-surplus culture among urban residents can be a promising way to generate more finance from nature-based tourism for conservation in protected areas and ease the domestic government’s and international organizations’ funding allocations problems.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minh-Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Thomas E. Jones

Biodiversity loss is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in countries like Vietnam with rich biodiversity and high population growth rate. One of the main causes of biodiversity loss in Vietnam is increasing bushmeat consumption in urban areas. To help mitigate the demand for bushmeat, this study aims to examine the associations between biodiversity loss perceptions, attitude towards the prohibition of illegal wildlife consumption, and bushmeat consumption behaviors among urban residents in Vietnam. The investigation employed the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) on 535 respondents from multiple urban areas across Vietnam. We found that people perceiving environmental degradation, losses of economic growth, nature-based recreation opportunities, health, and knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss were more likely to support the prohibition of illegal wildlife consumption. Although urban residents tended to consume bushmeat less frequently if they perceived losses of economic growth and knowledge as consequences of biodiversity loss, the perception of environmental degradation had an opposite effect on the behavior. Additionally, people consuming bushmeat frequently and supporting the biodiversity loss preventive measure seemed to share similar features: high income and educational levels. These paradoxical results hint at the existence of cultural additivity effects on psychology and behavior among Vietnamese urban residents. Given the influence of cultural additivity, It is recommended to put tougher measures (e.g. financial punishment) into perspective so that urban people can recognize the high “cost” of bushmeat consumption and change their attitude and behaviors accordingly. Apart from that, social marketing, demarketing, or educational campaigns should convey knowledge and information that can help receivers relate to their subjective cost-benefit judgements.


Author(s):  
Sigit Arifwidodo ◽  
Orana Chandrasiri

Public Park is considered one of the essential settings for physical activity, especially in urban areas. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility, their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The paper explores the design intervention assessment of Benchakitti Park, which serves as the pilot project for active park and showcase during the past ISPAH 2016 conference. The objective of the paper is to understand the health and well-being benefits of an urban park in increasing PA levels of urban population and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Keywords: Public park; physical activity; urban landscape design; public health; SOPARC


Author(s):  
Beheshteh Haghparast-kenari ◽  
Tooran Nayeri ◽  
Shahabeddin Sarvi ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Rahimi ◽  
Ehsan Ahmadpour ◽  
...  

Background: Soil-transmitted parasites (STPs) are significant intestinal parasites that infect humans and animals and impose considerable burdens on human society and animal husbandry industries. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of parasitic elements of soil samples collected from the north of Iran. Methods: A total of 256 soil samples were collected from public parks, public places, vegetable gardens, sand heaps, and shadow areas near houses in the north of Iran and examined using the sucrose flotation method. Results: Out of 256 examined samples, 131 (51.2%) ones showed parasitic contamination including larvae (43%), oocysts (14.1%), and different eggs (6.6%). According to the results, the most and least common parasites observed in the samples were larvae (43%), as well as Toxascaris leonina, and Trichuris trichiura (0.4%), respectively. Moreover, the most and least contaminated locations were sand heaps (62.5%) and shadow areas near houses (45.6%), respectively. Regarding cities, Behshahr (68.3%) and Sari (67.5%) had the highest contaminated soil samples, whereas Chalus (37.5%) showed the lowest contamination. On the other hand, rural samples showed more contamination, compared to urban areas (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that the overall prevalence of STPs in examined areas and highly contaminated soil samples can be considered as a potential source of human contamination particularly tourists with STPs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasimah Omar ◽  
Kamarul Ariff Omar ◽  
Saberi Othman ◽  
Zaharah Mohd Yusoff

The walkability approach is essential to ensure the connectivity among space in the urban area. The design should be appropriate, safety, maximize and capable of reaching every inch of the spaces, just by walking. Good connectivity must allow people to walk freely and accessible in many ways. People have great chances to meet each other or having potential outdoor activities without any challenges. This study aims to measure the user perception of the existing spaces in the urban public housing environment that been covered and uncovered with the walkability linkages. The objectives of this study are to identify the existing pedestrian linkages in the study area; to investigate the user perception of the existing walkability system in the study area, and finally to conclude and provide a better solution for better walkability opportunity among residents to access the public park.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords:outdoor space;  pedestrian linkages; public parks; walkability behavior


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kali Zhou ◽  
Trevor A Pickering ◽  
Christina S Gainey ◽  
Myles Cockburn ◽  
Mariana C Stern ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of few cancers with rising incidence and mortality in the United States. Little is known about disease presentation and outcomes across the rural-urban continuum. Methods Using the population-based SEER registry, we identified adults with incident hepatocellular carcinoma between 2000–2016. Urban, suburban and rural residence at time of cancer diagnosis were categorized by the Census Bureau’s percent of the population living in non-urban areas. We examined association between place of residence and overall survival. Secondary outcomes were late tumor stage and receipt of therapy. Results Of 83,368 cases, 75.8%, 20.4%, and 3.8% lived in urban, suburban, and rural communities, respectively. Median survival was 7 months (IQR 2–24). All stage and stage-specific survival differed by place of residence, except for distant stage. In adjusted models, rural and suburban residents had a respective 1.09-fold (95% CI = 1.04–1.14, p &lt; .001) and 1.08-fold (95% CI = 1.05–1.10, p &lt; .001) increased hazard of overall mortality as compared to urban residents. Furthermore, rural and suburban residents had 18% (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.10–1.27, p &lt; .001) and 5% (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02–1.09, p = .003) higher odds of diagnosis at late stage and were 12% (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80–0.94, p &lt; .001) and 8% (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.88–0.95, p &lt; .001) less likely to receive treatment, respectively, compared to urban residents. Conclusions Residence in a suburban and rural community at time of diagnosis was independently associated with worse indicators across the cancer continuum for liver cancer. Further research is needed to elucidate the primary drivers of these rural-urban disparities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 766
Author(s):  
Yuanmao Zheng ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Yuanrong He ◽  
Cuiping Wang ◽  
Xiaorong Wang ◽  
...  

Quantitative and accurate urban land information on regional and global scales is urgently required for studying socioeconomic and eco-environmental problems. The spatial distribution of urban land is a significant part of urban development planning, which is vital for optimizing land use patterns and promoting sustainable urban development. Composite nighttime light (NTL) data from the Defense Meteorological Program Operational Line-Scan System (DMSP-OLS) have been proven to be effective for extracting urban land. However, the saturation and blooming within the DMSP-OLS NTL hinder its capacity to provide accurate urban information. This paper proposes an optimized approach that combines NTL with multiple index data to overcome the limitations of extracting urban land based only on NTL data. We combined three sources of data, the DMSP-OLS, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the normalized difference water index (NDWI), to establish a novel approach called the vegetation–water-adjusted NTL urban index (VWANUI), which is used to rapidly extract urban land areas on regional and global scales. The results show that the proposed approach reduces the saturation of DMSP-OLS and essentially eliminates blooming effects. Next, we developed regression models based on the normalized DMSP-OLS, the human settlement index (HSI), the vegetation-adjusted NTL urban index (VANUI), and the VWANUI to analyze and estimate urban land areas. The results show that the VWANUI regression model provides the highest performance of all the models tested. To summarize, the VWANUI reduces saturation and blooming, and improves the accuracy with which urban areas are extracted, thereby providing valuable support and decision-making references for designing sustainable urban development.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enock C. Makwara

Zimbabwe’s urban areas are choking under the weight of over-crowdedness amidstdilapidated infrastructure that is characterised by constant service failure. The water andsewer systems of the country’s major urban centres are on the verge of collapse, thusputting millions of people in danger of consuming contaminated water, including thatfrom underground sources. Waste management and water supply problems manifestthemselves as challenges bedevilling many an urban area in the country. The quality andquantity of water supplied in Zimbabwe’s urban centres has plummeted in recent yearsand has assumed crisis proportions owing to the difficult economic situation and otherchallenges faced by the country. The situation is desperate and dire, as is evidenced by thepoor quality of delivered water, severe water rationing and the outbreak of water-bornediseases in the urban areas dotted across the country. The situation demands and dictatesthat solutions be proffered as a matter of urgency.The recent outbreak of epidemics hasbeen blamed on lack of access to safe water and poor sanitation, two crucial factors incontrolling the spread of diseases. An overly bureaucratic environment, where decisionsand processes take longer, makes life complicated for poor urban residents. Such ascenario motivated the researchers to examine the problem with a view to suggest waysand means of intervening to mitigate and resolve the problem. It emerged from thefindings that the problem is multifaceted in nature, hence a whole range of measures needto be adopted if a long-term solution is to be provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. p154
Author(s):  
Cong-yi Jin

Since the 18th century, industrial production has promoted the transformation of social productive forces and the progress of human civilization, formed a unique factory model and industrial civilization, and became a manifestation of the interaction between human and environment. With the industrial transformation in the middle of the 20th century, many large factories have stopped production and closed down, and their abandoned sites have formed a huge industrial heritage because they retain a large number of industrial buildings and machinery and equipment, which has become the focus of attention in urban environmental management and context protection. Industrial heritage has profound historical accumulation and cultural value. For the protection and redevelopment of industrial heritage, reasonable reconstruction plans should be formulated according to the preservation state and cultural value of the local industrial architectural landscape and the innovative needs of the city in terms of economy, people’s livelihood and environment. Under the current background of sustainable urban development and self-innovation, proper protection and development of industrial heritage is not only the functional transformation of abandoned industrial parks but also the functional repair of old urban areas. It is of positive significance for urban tourism development, economic revitalization, livelihood improvement, cultural protection and resilience design


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyue Chen ◽  
Jianli Ding ◽  
Jingzhe Wang ◽  
Xiangyu Ge ◽  
Mayira Raxidin ◽  
...  

The aerosol optical depth (AOD) represents the light attenuation by aerosols and is an important threat to urban air quality, production activities, human health, and sustainable urban development in arid and semiarid regions. To some extent, the AOD reflects the extent of regional air pollution and is often characterized by significant spatiotemporal dynamics. However, detailed local AOD information is ambiguous at best due to limited monitoring techniques. Currently, the availability of abundant satellite data and constantly updated AOD extraction algorithms offer unprecedented perspectives for high-resolution AOD extraction and long-time series analysis. This study, based on the long-term sequence MOD09A1 data from 2010 to 2018 and lookup table generation, uses the improved deep blue algorithm (DB) to conduct fine-resolution (500 m) AOD (at 550 nm wavelength) remote sensing (RS) estimation on Landsat TM/OLI data from the Urumqi region, analyzes the spatiotemporal AOD variation characteristics in Urumqi and combines gray relational analysis (GRA) and the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to analyze AOD influence factors and simulate pollutant propagation trajectories in representative periods. The results demonstrate that the improved DB algorithm has a high inversion accuracy for continuous AOD inversion at a high spatial resolution in urban areas. The spatial AOD distribution in Urumqi declines from urban to suburban areas, and higher AODs are concentrated in cities and along roads. Among these areas, Xinshi District has the highest AOD, and Urumqi County has the lowest AOD. The seasonal AOD variation characteristics are distinct, and the AOD order is spring (0.411) > summer (0.285) > autumn (0.203), with the largest variation in spring. The average AOD in Urumqi is 0.187, and the interannual variation generally shows an upward trend. However, from 2010 to 2018, AOD first declined gradually and then declined significantly. Thereafter, AOD reached its lowest value in 2015 (0.076), followed by a significant AOD increase, reaching a peak in 2016 (0.354). This shows that coal to natural gas (NG) project implementation in Urumqi promoted the improvement of Urumqi’s atmospheric environment. According to GRA, the temperature has the largest impact on the AOD in Urumqi (0.699). Combined with the HYSPLIT model, it was found that the aerosols observed over Urumqi were associated with long-range transport from Central Asia, and these aerosols can affect the entire northern part of China through long-distance transport.


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