Does Plant Knowledge within Urban Forests and Parks Directly Influence Visitor Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Why Do Employees Show Pro-Environmental Behaviors? A Perspective of Environment Social Responsibility

This research uses social identity theory to propose that environmental social responsibility perceptions influence green commitment, and then influence pro-environmental behaviors, which are moderated by institutional pressure. Data were collected from 100 employees of technology firms in Taiwan, and the results support all hypotheses. This research chose technology firms as empirical data because Taiwan's technological level is known to the world, which can reduce sampling errors caused by the lack of environmental knowledge. Finally, this research not only advances the literature on sustainability issues in organizational management but also provides a paradigm to help firms implement pro-environmental behaviors to achieve competitive advantage and sustainable development goals.

The potential of nature-based solutions to deliver ecologically just cities: Lessons for research and urban planning from a systematic literature review

Planning for and implementing multifunctional nature-based solutions can improve urban ecosystems' adaptation to climate change, foster urban resilience, and enable social and environmental innovation. There is, however, a knowledge gap in how to design and plan nature-based solutions in a nonanthropocentric manner that enhances co-benefits for humans and nonhuman living organisms. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to explore how an ecological justice perspective can advance the understanding of nature-based solutions. We argue that ecological justice, which builds on the equitable distribution of environmental goods and bads, social-ecological interconnectedness, nature's agency and capabilities, and participation and inclusion in decision-making, provides a transformative framework for rethinking nature-based solutions in and for cities. A qualitative analysis of 121 peer-reviewed records shows a highly human-centred worldview for delivering nature-based solutions and a relationship to social justice with no direct reference to the dimensions of ecological justice. There is, however, an underlying recognition of the importance of nonhumans, ecosystem integrity and well-being, and a need to consider their needs and capacities through multispecies nature-based solutions design and planning. We conclude with a discussion of the critical aspects for designing and planning ecologically just cities through nature-based solutions and future research directions to further integrate these fields.

Germaphobia! Does Our Relationship With and Knowledge of Biodiversity Affect Our Attitudes Toward Microbes?

Germaphobia – a pathological aversion to microorganisms – could be contributing to an explosion in human immune-related disorders via mass sterilization of surfaces and reduced exposure to biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity and people’s weaker connection to nature, along with poor microbial literacy may be augmenting the negative consequences of germaphobia on ecosystem health. In this study, we created an online questionnaire to acquire data on attitudes toward, and knowledge of microbes. We collected data on nature connectedness and interactions with nature and explored the relationships between these variables. Although the study had an international reach (n = 1,184), the majority of responses came from England, United Kingdom (n = 993). We found a significant association between attitudes toward microbes and both duration and frequency of visits to natural environments. A higher frequency of visits to nature per week, and a longer duration spent in nature per visit, was significantly associated with positive attitudes toward microbes. We found no association between nature connectedness and attitudes toward microbes. We found a significant relationship between knowledge of “lesser known” microbial groups (e.g., identifying that fungi, algae, protozoa, and archaea are microbes) and positive attitudes toward microbes. However, we also found that people who identified viruses as being microbes expressed less positive views of microbes overall–this could potentially be attributed to a “COVID-19 effect.” Our results suggest that basic microbial literacy and nature engagement may be important in reducing/preventing germaphobia-associated attitudes. The results also suggest that a virus-centric phenomenon (e.g., COVID-19) could increase broader germaphobia-associated attitudes. As the rise of immune-related disorders and mental health conditions have been linked to germaphobia, reduced biodiversity, and non-targeted sterilization, our findings point to a feasible strategy to potentially help ameliorate these negative consequences. Further research is needed, but greater emphasis on microbial literacy and promoting time spent in nature could potentially be useful in promoting resilience in human health and more positive/constructive attitudes toward the foundations of our ecosystems—the microorganisms.

Interactions and Relationships between Personal Factors in Pro-Environmental Golf Tourist Behaviour: A Gender Analysis

There is a very clear link between tourism and sustainability due to the importance and consequences of the tourism sector in the world economy. Behavioural studies are among the major topics of sustainable tourism research. There are several factors that influence our sustainable behaviour at home and in vacation settings. In general, the main objective of this paper is to examine the personal factors in pro-environmental tourist behaviour from a gender perspective. This study is based on a sample of 347 golf tourists from 16 European countries. The results corroborated the relationships between ecological habits, personal capabilities and environmental attitudes. However, interactions between personal factors were more limited. It was shown that only the interaction between personal capabilities and externally-oriented habits have an influence on environmental attitudes. Also, some gender differences were found.

The Institutional Structure of Land Use Planning for Urban Forest Protection in the Post-Socialist Transition Environment: Serbian Experiences

In recent decades, Serbia has been undergoing a period of post-socialist transition that has significantly altered the value system underlying spatial development due to alteration of ownership frameworks and land use rights. In consequence, issues have arisen of how to strike a balance between the various interests involved in the distribution of spatial resources and how to control the outcomes of public policies. Land use planning has been identified as an efficient instrument for implementing the public policy value framework. The objective of this paper is to identify the key points of land use planning in relation to urban forest management of significance for the maintenance of urban forests in the environment of post-socialist institutional transformation in Serbia. Seen as an institutional structure, the practice of land use planning in Serbia is the product of a stable interaction between the set of interrelated rules, procedures and organisational units that allows spatial development outcomes that take into account and safeguard land resources and, ultimately, urban forests. The research was carried out in relation to the concept of institutional transformation across three scales: macro/governance, meso/coordination and micro/agency: (a) components of the regulatory framework; (b) procedures for cooperation between stakeholders; and (c) specific activities of land use planning practice. As a result, the concept of Land use Planning for Urban Forest Protection (LUPUFP) in Serbia was established. It identifies components of institutional structure of importance for regulating system changes in the post-socialist transition environment and steering them towards the establishment of a value framework that allows the agenda of saving urban forests to be implemented.

Spatial Accessibility of Urban Forests in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), China

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is one of the most important economic zones both in China and in the world. Its rapid economic development has been associated with many environmental problems such as the loss of forests in urban areas. We estimated the accessibility of forests in the PRD by quantifying spatial proximity and travel time. We found that distances from a large proportion of the points of interest (POIs) (~45%) and urban lands (~38%, where ~49 urban residents live) to the nearest forests were greater than 1000 m; suggesting a low spatial proximity to forests. Urban parks—important outdoor recreational areas—appeared to have insufficient forest coverage within their 1000 m buffer zones. When forest accessibility was measured by travel time under optimal modes of transport; it was less than 15 min for most urban lands (~95%), which accommodates 98% of the total urban population. More importantly; the travel time to the nearest forest was negatively correlated with gross domestic product density (GDPd), but not with population density (POPd). The GDPd and POPd; however; increased log-linearly with the Euclidean distance to the nearest forest. In addition to the low proximity to forests; there existed inequalities among urban residents who live in areas with different levels of GDPd and POPd. Future urban planning needs not only to increase the total coverage of urban forests; but also to improve their spatial evenness across the urban landscapes in the PRD.