Improving Well-Being of Farmers Using Ecological Awareness around Protected Areas: Evidence from Qinling Region, China

Sustainability of ecosystems is crucial for improving human well-being and sustainably developing human society. In recent years, global attention towards ecosystems and human well-being has been increasing. Exploring and understanding the relationship between ecosystems and human well-being, and establishing the well-being of residents while protecting the ecosystem have become urgent problems. Based on 618 valid samples collected from communities surrounding seven nature reserves in the Qinling Mountains region of China, this study analyzed the impact of ecosystem services on farmers’ well-being from the perspective of their subjective perception of ecosystem services by using multiple linear regression and seemingly unrelated regression methods. The main conclusions are as follows: supply of vegetation and clean water improves farmers’ well-being, improvement of air quality increases farmers’ life satisfaction, and the sense of belonging and tourism value brought by the ecosystem are important factors for farmers’ physical and mental pleasure and economic benefits. Therefore, the following countermeasures and suggestions are proposed: focusing on establishing the ecological well-being of farmers, improve implementation of the services and benefits provided by the ecosystem to farmers, increase publicity and education to improve the protection consciousness of farmers, and improve community participation mechanisms while mobilizing enthusiasm for protection. This article starts from the perspective of farmers’ perception, attempting to explore whether changes in ecosystem service functions will affect farmers’ well-being, so as to provide new opinions and suggestions for improving farmers’ well-being.

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Nexus between Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Ecosystem Services: A Socio-Ecological Analysis for Sustainable Ecosystem Management

10.21203/rs.3.rs-519222/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Manob Das ◽

Arijit Das ◽

Selim Seikh ◽

Rajiv Pandey

Keyword(s):

Environmental Management ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Belief Systems ◽

Well Being ◽

Ecological Knowledge ◽

Human Society ◽

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge ◽

Demographic Attributes ◽

The Impact

Abstract The well-being of the human society cannot be ensured and sustainable unless the flow of Ecosystem Services (ESs) would be matching with their consistent demand. The consistent flow of ESs required sustainable management of ecological resources of the ecosystem. The management of ecosystem can be ensured with variety of approaches. Integration of indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) in management prescription with the view that IEK based extraction of ESs ensures removal of resources from the ecosystem within the limit thereby ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem. Present study is an evaluation to understand the nexus between ESs and IEK for sustainable environmental management. The focus of the study was a tribal dominated socio-ecological patch of Barind Region of Malda district, Eastern India. The assessment of ESs and IEK was based on the data collected from the randomly selected tribal households following the pre-tested questionnaire containing questions on ESs as per millennium ecosystem assessment. The data were analyzed following social preference approach, and statistical tests (Krushkal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney). General linear model (GLM) has also been used to examine the impact of socio-demographic attributes on the perceived valuation of ESs. The results revealed that the provisioning ESs (such as water, fuel wood, medical plants) was most preferred followed by cultural and regulating ESs by tribal. Differential importance of ESs was observed among tribal and accounted by gender, education as well as age of the tribe. A gap between the actual accessibility and evaluation of ESs by the tribal communities was also apparent. The socio-demographic attributes have an immense impact on the valuation of ecosystem services and also governed based on the IEK. Various types of indigenous ecological belief systems were closely linked with conservation of ecosystem and sustainable supply of ESs. Present study can contribute to understand socio-ecological nexus with the lens of IEK in tribal dominated ecological landscapes for improved ecosystem and environmental management besides ensuring sustainability of flow of ecosystem services.

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The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic

Land ◽

10.3390/land10040341 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 341

Author(s):

Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽

Ina Neumann ◽

Karsten Grunewald ◽

Patrycia Brzoska ◽

Jiři Louda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Space ◽

Well Being ◽

Urban Green Space ◽

Urban Nature ◽

Urban Green ◽

Green Areas ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being

The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.

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Il principio di precauzione: il Codice di condotta della Fao per la pesca responsabile e la politica comunitaria della pesca

AGRICOLTURA ISTITUZIONI MERCATI ◽

10.3280/aim2008-002005 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 87-106

Author(s):

Elisa Fiora Belgrado

Keyword(s):

Biological Diversity ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Code Of Conduct ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Aquatic Resources ◽

Fisheries Policy ◽

Ancient Times ◽

The Impact ◽

Second World

- "From ancient times, fishing has been a major source of food for humanity and a provider of employment and economic benefits to those engaged in this activity. The wealth of aquatic resources was assumed to be an unlimited gift of nature. However, with increased knowledge and the dynamic development of fisheries after the Second World War, this myth has faded in face of the realization that aquatic resources, although renewable, are not infinite and need to be properly managed, if their contribution to the nutritional, economic and social well-being of the growing world's population is to be sustained" (Fao Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries - Preface). Thus fishing has to be conducted in a responsible and sustainable manner because fish provides a vital source of food and, at the same time, fishing is closely connected to the environment because, if it is not properly practised can it cause irreparable damage. This work analyses the principle of precaution which was recognized as principle no. 15 in the Declaration of Rio on Environment and Development in 1992 and mentioned at the Conference on Biological Diversity. It represents one of the fundamental principles of the Fao Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and Common Fisheries Policy (Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002). States should apply a precautionary approach choosing the best measures and policy, taking into account the latest scientific evidence available. The aim is Â«to protect and conserve living aquatic resources, to provide for their sustainable exploitation and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine eco-systems.Â» (article 2 Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002).Parole chiave: scienza, protezione, precauzione, pesca, sviluppo.Key words: Science, Protection, Precaution, Fishing, Development.

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Economic Perspectives on the Impact of Covid Vaccines

Shanlax International Journal of Economics ◽

10.34293/economics.v9i2.3730 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 52-54

Author(s):

A Sangamithra ◽

S Thilagavathy

Keyword(s):

Health Benefits ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Governmental Organizations ◽

Non Governmental Organizations ◽

Private And Public ◽

The Government ◽

Economic Analyses ◽

The Impact

Vaccination and the impact on health on the world’s people is very difficult to exaggerate. The main aim is to treat people with mental health issues and substance use of disorder. Vaccination is crucial in terms of ensuring the overall health conditions and well–being. The development of vaccines is an expensive and lengthy process. Depreciation is high and takes multiple candidates and long years to produce a licensed vaccine. The access to vaccines that prevent life-threatening infectious diseases remains not equal to all the population. The benefits of vaccination derive from health and economic benefits and the health benefits have diminishing returns as a result of high-risk individuals been vaccinated first. Economic benefits depend both on the health benefits and on how reduced risk of infection and death translates into a leading general economic activity. Department of Government is required to perform a systematic economic analyses of vaccines and to justify their given pressure on both private and public finances on a global level; provoke in the year 2008 financial crash. Mostly, the government supports charities and non-governmental organizations, where people invest in these, with the hope of improving the health conditions.

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How much is a calorie worth? A study of willingness to pay for calorie labels in restaurant menus

Behavioural Public Policy ◽

10.1017/bpp.2019.8 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

SANA RAFIQ

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Individual Level ◽

Additional Information ◽

Health Related ◽

The Individual ◽

Types Of Information ◽

Caloric Consumption ◽

The Impact

AbstractWe asked individuals about their willingness to pay (WTP) either: (1) for a mandate requiring restaurants to post calorie information on their menus; or (2) to avoid such a mandate. On average, more people were in in favor of the mandate and were willing to pay four times more than those who were against it, thereby leading to a Kaldor–Hicks improvement from this policy. To ensure robustness, we tested the impact of providing three types of information during individuals’ WTP determinations: (1) visual examples of the proposed calorie labels; (2) data on their effectiveness at the individual level; and (3) data on their wider social and economic benefits. For those in favor, providing a simple visual of the label had no impact on WTP. Data on the individual effectiveness of the labels increased the WTP, while evidence on broader obesity reduction and economic benefits reduced it. For opponents, WTP did not change with provision of additional information except when provided with information on social and economic benefits. Under this condition, the opponents increased their WTP 12-fold to avoid a mandate of this policy. Finally, we measured individual well-being under this policy and found directionally similar results, confirming a net improvement in aggregate welfare. Our results suggest that messaging that focuses on private benefits (providing calorie information so that individuals can effectively choose to reduce excessive caloric consumption) rather than wider public benefits (reduction in overall health-related costs and obesity) is more likely to be effective.

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Local Knowledge about Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees in Coffee Agroforestry Practices in Northwest Vietnam

Land ◽

10.3390/land9120486 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 486

Author(s):

Mai Phuong Nguyen ◽

Philippe Vaast ◽

Tim Pagella ◽

Fergus Sinclair

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Tree Species ◽

Market Access ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Local Context ◽

Coffee Agroforestry ◽

The Impact ◽

Agroforestry Practices

In recent decades in northwest Vietnam, Arabica coffee has been grown on sloping land in intensive, full sun monocultures that are not sustainable in the long term and have negative environmental impacts. There is an urgent need to reverse this negative trend by promoting good agricultural practices, including agroforestry, to prevent further deforestation and soil erosion on slopes. A survey of 124 farmers from three indigenous groups was conducted in northwest Vietnam to document coffee agroforestry practices and the ecosystem services associated with different tree species used in them. Trees were ranked according to the main ecosystem services and disservices considered to be locally relevant by rural communities. Our results show that tree species richness in agroforestry plots was much higher for coffee compared to non-coffee plots, including those with annual crops and tree plantations. Most farmers were aware of the benefits of trees for soil improvement, shelter (from wind and frost), and the provision of shade and mulch. In contrast, farmers had limited knowledge of the impact of trees on coffee quality and other interactions amongst trees and coffee. Farmers ranked the leguminous tree species Leucaena leucocephala as the best for incorporating in coffee plots because of the services it provides to coffee. Nonetheless, the farmers’ selection of tree species to combine with coffee was highly influenced by economic benefits provided, especially by intercropped fruit trees, which was influenced by market access, determined by the proximity of farms to a main road. The findings from this research will help local extension institutions and farmers select appropriate tree species that suit the local context and that match household needs and constraints, thereby facilitating the transition to a more sustainable and climate-smart coffee production practice.

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Ecosystem Services

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.4 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Leon C. Braat

Keyword(s):

Nature Conservation ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Nature Management ◽

Human Society ◽

Term Survival ◽

Policy And Planning

The concept of ecosystem services considers the usefulness of nature for human society. The economic importance of nature was described and analyzed in the 18th century, but the term ecosystem services was introduced only in 1981. Since then it has spurred an increasing number of academic publications, international research projects, and policy studies. Now a subject of intense debate in the global scientific community, from the natural to social science domains, it is also used, developed, and customized in policy arenas and considered, if in a still somewhat skeptical and apprehensive way, in the “practice” domain—by nature management agencies, farmers, foresters, and corporate business. This process of bridging evident gaps between ecology and economics, and between nature conservation and economic development, has also been felt in the political arena, including in the United Nations and the European Union (which have placed it at the center of their nature conservation and sustainable use strategies). The concept involves the utilitarian framing of those functions of nature that are used by humans and considered beneficial to society as economic and social services. In this light, for example, the disappearance of biodiversity directly affects ecosystem functions that underpin critical services for human well-being. More generally, the concept can be defined in this manner: Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems, in interaction with contributions from human society, to human well-being. The concept underpins four major discussions: (1) Academic: the ecological versus the economic dimensions of the goods and services that flow from ecosystems to the human economy; the challenge of integrating concepts and models across this paradigmatic divide; (2) Social: the risks versus benefits of bringing the utilitarian argument into political debates about nature conservation (Are ecosystem services good or bad for biodiversity and vice versa?); (3) Policy and planning: how to value the benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services (Will this improve decision-making on topics ranging from poverty alleviation via subsidies to farmers to planning of grey with green infrastructure to combining economic growth with nature conservation?); and (4) Practice: Can revenue come from smart management and sustainable use of ecosystems? Are there markets to be discovered and can businesses be created? How do taxes figure in an ecosystem-based economy? The outcomes of these discussions will both help to shape policy and planning of economies at global, national, and regional scales and contribute to the long-term survival and well-being of humanity.

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Role Board Games as a Tool for Reconfiguration of Innovation Factors in Forest Ecosystem Services Governance

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2019030013 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Špaček ◽

Kluvánková ◽

Gežík ◽

Baštáková ◽

Štecová ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Well Being ◽

Main Question ◽

Or Education ◽

Repeated Interaction ◽

Key Innovation ◽

Forest Ecosystem Services ◽

The Impact

Forest ecosystem services (FES) are considered as public or common goods facing diverging individual and societal interests affecting the quality of ecosystems and well-being of the communities. This may result in overuse, degradation or unsustainable behaviour, as well as it can create also barriers for cooperation, economic profit and innovative business initiatives. The paper introduces the methodological approach which is applied within six different innovation regions (conceptualised as social-ecological systems) within the InnoForESt H2020 project. Each region uses innovative approaches in governance of FES and payments schemes. They are situated in Austria, the Czechia and Slovakia, Finland, Germany, Italy and Finland. All are characterised by manifold, sometimes diverging, FES, such as timber, recreation, regulation services or education. In order to get a better understanding of the role and the impact of key innovation factors for the regions, we have designed a behavioural [lab] experiment in the form of a Role board game (RBG). The proposed experimental game builds on Cardenas et al. (2013) and Castillo et al. (2011) as an interactive agent-based model arranging for repeated interaction and learning in real-world situations. It contributes to testing the effectiveness of incentives provision for the sustainable production of FES and the acceptance of such an intervention by FES communities (Kluvankova et al., in press). The game enables the adaptation to the specifics of each innovation region but at the same time it keeps the same internal experimental mechanism which will enable the comparison across the regions. The main question to be addressed by the RBG is: How to create conditions to enable innovations in forest management/governance for sustainable use and well-being in innovation regions under the diverging interest of FES users? We plan to test combinations of key innovation factors as preferred future scenario for sustainable FES provisions in regions, including fundamental policy interventions (e.g. strict regulation vs. payments for ecosystem services scheme), business incentives and external risk factors. RBG will allow testing stakeholders’ specific behaviour for resource use, and innovation activities, to create economic incentive, knowledge and social value. We argue that this will help to set conditions for successful development of policy and business innovations in innovations regions and to foster collaboration on FES provision for sustainability among stakeholders in a long term.

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The Effect of Subjective Perception of Work in Relation to Occupational and Demographic Factors on the Mental Health of Polish Nurses

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2020.591957 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Krystyna Kowalczuk ◽

Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak ◽

Marek Sobolewski

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Relations ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Well Being ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Subjective Perception ◽

Stress Reactions ◽

Work Overload ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Nursing is considered one of the most stressful professions in the world. The high emotional burden associated with excessive workload in qualitative and quantitative terms, exposure to existing and emerging infectious diseases, daily confrontation with the suffering of individuals and their families and low social support leads to the development of numerous stress reactions among nurses, resulting in the development of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction and depression. Indeed, somatic and mental stress-related disease rates are higher among nurses than in the general population.Aim: To determine the impact of subjective work characteristics on the mental health of nurses in relation to demographic and occupational factors.Material and method: The research was carried out among 558 nurses working in hospitals in Podlaskie Voivodeship, and used the Subjective Work Evaluation Questionnaire (SWEQ) and Goldberg's GHQ-28 Questionnaire.Results: As measured by SWEQ, and as self-assessed by means of the GHQ-28 questionnaire, overall stress negatively affects the nurses' health (R2 = 18.7%). Among the partial measures of the SWEQ questionnaire, work overload had strong and the lack of rewards, social relations and lack of support had weak negative effect on the overall mental health assessment of nurses (R2 = 19.2%). The responsibility measure was an exception that had a positive impact on the nurses' well-being. Among occupational and demographic factors, only higher education in relation to secondary education in interactions with the overall stress measure and unpleasant work conditions had a positive effect on the overall mental health self-assessment of nurses (R2 = 20.7%).Conclusions: The results of our study provide a clear message to the hospital management that improving the work organization and atmosphere of nurses by reducing perceived work overload and increasing the responsibility of nurses can have a positive impact on their mental health. Encouraging nurses to improve their education can result not only in an obvious improvement in staff qualifications, but also in better resistance to stressors in the workplace and, consequently, in better staff well-being. Both measures can have a positive impact on the quality of care provided by nurses and on reducing staff turnover.

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Protection of National Interests of the State as an Imperative of Geostrategy of Ukraine

University Scientific Notes ◽

10.37491/unz.69-70.15 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 167-175

Author(s):

Inna Shevchuk

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

National Economy ◽

Well Being ◽

Sole Source ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Economic Security ◽

The State ◽

State Sovereignty ◽

National Interests ◽

The Impact

The article is devoted to the actual issues of determining the role of national interests in ensuring the economic security of the state. Established in the field of economic security, the priority national interest is the development of the national economy and the growth of the welfare of citizens. The researchers' views on the definition of the concept of «national interests» are researched and generalized that national interests are a systemic, synergetic concept that reflects the vital values of the Ukrainian people as the bearer of sovereignty and the sole source of power in Ukraine, the defining needs of society and the state, the realization of which guarantees state sovereignty of Ukraine and its progressive development. It is noted that national interests are realized through state interests, where the population of the country acts as the subject of interests, and the state through the state institutions implements and protects these interests. The main components of national interests include the provision of military-political sovereignty, economic well-being and cultural needs of the population. The military-political, socio-economic situation in Ukraine and the impact of globalization processes have made it possible to formulate a number of national interests, including: protection of state sovereignty; ensuring economic stability through self-sufficiency, stability and competitiveness of the national economy; polyvectorality of the country's foreign policy and the establishment of Ukraine as a reliable international partner; creation of conditions for the development of the spirituality of the population, improvement of the physical health of the nation; preservation of intellectual and scientific potential of the country, regulation of the issue of youth mobility. It has been proved that democratization processes require the involvement of citizens and civil society institutions in this process in order to form national interests through the maximum coverage of all spheres of society's life for the protection of human rights and citizen and acceleration of socio-economic development and modernization of the national economy. The most acute threats to national interests in the field of national and economic security are formulated. It is summarized that in the field of economic security, national interests reflect the vector of economic development of the state, its aspirations for economic independence and the effective use of economic benefits.

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