Sustainability

Editorial

5 pages, 181 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue: “Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-Discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface”

by Ryo Kohsaka and Yuta Uchiyama

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5872; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115872 - 24 May 2021

Viewed by 2000

Abstract

This Special Issue re-explores research topics related to the relationships between urban and rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic period in 2020 and beyond [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

Research

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20 pages, 2409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Blue Carbon Ecosystems Are Perceived by Local Communities in the Coral Triangle: Comparative and Empirical Examinations in the Philippines and Indonesia

by Jay Mar D. Quevedo, Yuta Uchiyama, Kevin Muhamad Lukman and Ryo Kohsaka

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010127 - 24 Dec 2020

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6008

Abstract

Blue carbon ecosystem (BCE) initiatives in the Coral Triangle Region (CTR) are increasing due to their amplified recognition in mitigating global climate change. Although transdisciplinary approaches in the “blue carbon” discourse and collaborative actions are gaining momentum in the international and national arenas, [...] Read more.

Blue carbon ecosystem (BCE) initiatives in the Coral Triangle Region (CTR) are increasing due to their amplified recognition in mitigating global climate change. Although transdisciplinary approaches in the “blue carbon” discourse and collaborative actions are gaining momentum in the international and national arenas, more work is still needed at the local level. The study pursues how BCE initiatives permeate through the local communities in the Philippines and Indonesia, as part of CTR. Using perception surveys, the coastal residents from Busuanga, Philippines, and Karimunjawa, Indonesia were interviewed on their awareness, utilization, perceived threats, and management strategies for BCEs. Potential factors affecting residents’ perceptions were explored using multivariate regression and correlation analyses. Also, a comparative analysis was done to determine distinctions and commonalities in perceptions as influenced by site-specific scenarios. Results show that, despite respondents presenting relatively high awareness of BCE services, levels of utilization are low with 42.9–92.9% and 23.4–85.1% respondents in Busuanga and Karimunjawa, respectively, not directly utilizing BCE resources. Regression analysis showed that respondents’ occupation significantly influenced their utilization rate and observed opposite correlations in Busuanga (positive) and Karimunjawa (negative). Perceived threats are found to be driven by personal experiences—occurrence of natural disasters in Busuanga whereas discerned anthropogenic activities (i.e., land-use conversion) in Karimunjawa. Meanwhile, recognized management strategies are influenced by the strong presence of relevant agencies like non-government and people’s organizations in Busuanga and the local government in Karimunjawa. These results can be translated as useful metrics in contextualizing and/or enhancing BCE management plans specifically in strategizing advocacy campaigns and engagement of local stakeholders across the CTR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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9 pages, 869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Access and Use of Green Areas during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Green Infrastructure Management in the “New Normal”

by Yuta Uchiyama and Ryo Kohsaka

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9842; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239842 - 25 Nov 2020

Cited by 79 | Viewed by 6087

Abstract

This study aims to identify the influence of the socioeconomic attributes and environmental contexts of citizens’ residential areas on the access and use of green areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can aid policymaking and facilitate the safe and unrestricted use of [...] Read more.

This study aims to identify the influence of the socioeconomic attributes and environmental contexts of citizens’ residential areas on the access and use of green areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can aid policymaking and facilitate the safe and unrestricted use of green areas during the pandemic. The access and use of green areas were analyzed using a survey conducted after the official COVID-19 emergency in Japan (16 April to 14 May, 2020). Visits to green areas during the pandemic have gained salience globally from multiple perspectives: health, planning, social justice, and equity. The results of this study demonstrated that socioeconomic factors influenced the frequency of visiting green areas. The factors further influenced the use of the three categories of green areas (parks, agricultural lands, and gardens). Environmental contexts, including the land use patterns in residential areas, also influenced the use of specific types of green areas. Thus, policies need to further facilitate visits to green areas by reflecting the socioeconomic attributes of residents and their households, including income, number of children, gender, and age, incorporating those who have less access and considering the spread of COVID-19 locally. Furthermore, policies for the use of specific green areas, including parks, agricultural lands, and gardens, need to take cognizance of the residents’ environmental contexts. Management of specific green areas, like agricultural lands, is required, and residents should be provided with opportunities to use these areas with measures to avoid infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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16 pages, 2006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationships between Local Green Space and Human Mobility Patterns during COVID-19 for Maryland and California, USA

by Seulkee Heo, Chris C. Lim and Michelle L. Bell

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9401; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229401 - 12 Nov 2020

Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5413

Abstract

Human mobility is a significant factor for disease transmission. Little is known about how the environment influences mobility during a pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of green space on mobility reductions during the early stage of the [...] Read more.

Human mobility is a significant factor for disease transmission. Little is known about how the environment influences mobility during a pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of green space on mobility reductions during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland and California, USA. For 230 minor civil divisions (MCD) in Maryland and 341 census county divisions (CCD) in California, we obtained mobility data from Facebook Data for Good aggregating information of people using the Facebook app on their mobile phones with location history active. The users’ movement between two locations was used to calculate the number of users that traveled into an MCD (or CCD) for each day in the daytime hours between 11 March and 26 April 2020. Each MCD’s (CCD’s) vegetation level was estimated as the average Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) level for 1 January through 31 March 2020. We calculated the number of state and local parks, food retail establishments, and hospitals for each MCD (CCD). Results showed that the daily percent changes in the number of travels declined during the study period. This mobility reduction was significantly lower in Maryland MCDs with state parks (p-value = 0.045), in California CCDs with local-scale parks (p-value = 0.048). EVI showed no association with mobility in both states. This finding has implications for the potential impacts of green space on mobility under an outbreak. Future studies are needed to explore these findings and to investigate changes in health effects of green space during a pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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10 pages, 1556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Functional Traits of Breeding Bird Communities at Traditional Folk Villages in Korea

by Chan Ryul Park, Sohyeon Suk and Sumin Choi

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9344; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229344 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1787

Abstract

Interaction between nature and human has formulated unique biodiversity in temperate regions. People have conserved and maintained traditional folk villages (TFVs) dominated with houses made of natural materials, arable land and surrounding elements of landscape. Until now, little attention has been given to [...] Read more.

Interaction between nature and human has formulated unique biodiversity in temperate regions. People have conserved and maintained traditional folk villages (TFVs) dominated with houses made of natural materials, arable land and surrounding elements of landscape. Until now, little attention has been given to understand the traits of breeding birds in TFVs of Korea. The aim of this study was to reveal traits of breeding birds in TFVs and get conservative implications for biodiversity. We selected five TFVs: Hahoe maeul (HA), Wanggok maeul (WG), Nagan maeul (NA), Yangdong maeul (YD), and Hangae maeul (HG). We surveyed breeding birds with line transect methods, and analyzed functional traits (diet type and nest type) of birds in TFVs. Among 60 species recorded, Passer montanus (PM), Streptopelia orientalis (SO), Hirundo rustica (HR), Pica pica (PP), Phoenicuros auroreus (PA), Paradoxornis webbiana (PW), Microscelis amaurotis (MA), Carduelis sinica (CA) and Oriolus chinensis (OC) could be potential breeding birds that prefer diverse habitats of TFVs in Korea. Compared to the breeding birds of rural, urban and forest environments, the diversity of nesting types for birds was high in TFVs. The diverse nest types of breeding birds can be linked with habitat heterogeneity influenced by sustainable interaction between nature and human in TFVs in Korea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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11 pages, 7376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reconstruction of Resin Collection History of Pine Forests in Korea from Tree-Ring Dating

by En-Bi Choi, Yo-Jung Kim, Jun-Hui Park, Chan-Ryul Park and Jeong-Wook Seo

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9118; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219118 - 2 Nov 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2541

Abstract

Resin is one of the traditional non-timber forest products in the Republic of Korea. In order to investigate the chronological activity of resin collection, the wounds/cuts on red pines (Pinus densiflora) were dated using a tree-ring analysis technique. Additionally, the size [...] Read more.

Resin is one of the traditional non-timber forest products in the Republic of Korea. In order to investigate the chronological activity of resin collection, the wounds/cuts on red pines (Pinus densiflora) were dated using a tree-ring analysis technique. Additionally, the size of the trees in the resin collection years and the present conditions of the trees were investigated to verify the tree conditions and the size of wounds. Eighty-eight red pines distributed over nine sites in the Republic of Korea were selected to extract increment cores and investigate the wound size. Through the tree-ring analysis, the trees with big wounds (24.7 × 104.7 cm) made via panel hacksaw method were dated in the range 1938–1952, whereas small wounds (40.2 × 20.9 cm) made via the conventional chisel method were dated between 1956 and 1973. Moreover, the red pines thicker than 20.0 cm were the ones that were used for resin collection. Furthermore, the wounds created by the conventional chisel were healed with time, whereas the ones formed via the panel hacksaw method still required long times for healing. The large wounds had the advantage of supplying a large amount of resin, but this was temporary. On the other hand, the smaller wounds formed via the traditional chisel method could generate resin for a longer time and heal faster. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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10 pages, 3402 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Importance of Urban Green at Reduction of Particulate Matters in Sihwa Industrial Complex, Korea

by Sin-Yee Yoo, Taehee Kim, Suhan Ham, Sumin Choi and Chan-Ryul Park

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7647; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187647 - 16 Sep 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2784

Abstract

The utilization of urban green areas has increased, but it is unclear whether urban green areas can decrease the concentration of particulate matter at an industrial complex city in Korea. We measured the extent of particulate matter (PM) reduction at a buffer green [...] Read more.

The utilization of urban green areas has increased, but it is unclear whether urban green areas can decrease the concentration of particulate matter at an industrial complex city in Korea. We measured the extent of particulate matter (PM) reduction at a buffer green area in the Sihwa Industrial Complex. PM was measured at the industrial complex, the urban green area, and a nearby residential area from April to October 2019. PM reduction rates were highest at the urban green area in August and October, which is related to increased atmospheric mixing height and the active west wind blowing from the industrial complex to the residential area. Reduction rates of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 at the urban green area showed the lowest values, namely 14.4% and 25.3%, respectively. The air temperature, wind speed, and humidity could affect the PM reduction rate by influencing the movement and dispersion of PM at the micro-spatiotemporal scale. These results indicated that PM concentration could be reduced by the structural change of a forest layer at a micro scale in urban green areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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Review

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17 pages, 17802 KiB

Open AccessReview

Subjective Well-Being as a Potential Policy Indicator in the Context of Urbanization and Forest Restoration

by Takuya Takahashi, Yukiko Uchida, Hiroyuki Ishibashi and Noboru Okuda

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3211; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063211 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2961

Abstract

The enhancement of human well-being is one of the ultimate goals of resource management; however, it is not explicitly considered by forest policy indicators. Our previous studies examined how Japanese citizens in the Yasu River watershed of the Shiga Prefecture perceived subjective well-being [...] Read more.

The enhancement of human well-being is one of the ultimate goals of resource management; however, it is not explicitly considered by forest policy indicators. Our previous studies examined how Japanese citizens in the Yasu River watershed of the Shiga Prefecture perceived subjective well-being related to forests (forest SWB). We found a negative correlation between forest SWB and forest ownership, suggesting dissatisfaction with the low profitability of forest ownership. Based on this result, in this paper, we argue that forest SWB can be an important indicator for policymaking in the context of urbanization and forest restoration and can complement existing forest indicators focusing mainly on physical and objective properties. First, we propose that a direct measurement of well-being (e.g., forest SWB) is preferable over an indirect measurement (e.g., GDP), for policymaking processes related to forests. Second, forest SWB can reflect the quality of our interactions with forests, which is important in urbanized societies which tend to have reduced experiences with nature. Third, forest SWB could identify inequalities between the users of forest ecosystem services and forest managers. Overall, forest SWB can be a holistic indicator to capture a variety of perspectives held by citizens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Agriculture, Forestry and Green-Blue Infrastructure as “Re-discovered Commons”: Bridging Urban-Rural Interface)

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