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There are different perspectives of what constitutes disaster risk. Among the “hazards”‐tradition research, more focus is given to modelling hazards, and less effort is made to understand the vulnerabilities. Considering vulnerabilities as the inherent characteristics of the place that create the potential to harm, this paper highlights the importance of understanding the vulnerabilities of the place before defining actions for flood risk mitigation (FRM). In this sense, a participatory approach, the Project PLANEJEEE, was developed to understand the social and institutional vulnerabilities of FRM in Campina Grande, Brazil. Data was collected with the collaboration with 199 stakeholders through surveys, workshop and focus groups. The results reflect the analysis of risk perception and coping capacity of communities at risk (n = 172), and the institutional context with the involvement with policymakers and local specialists (n = 27). Although results confirm that individuals faced severe flood risk cases previously, they still need resources for increasing their coping capacity and their own risk protection. Institutional vulnerabilities are shown with the contrast between challenges and actions for FRM. Findings show that multiple challenges in social and institutional contexts should be systematically addressed to propose actions to reduce flood risk vulnerability, and increase resilience.

As it is known that “reconnecting to nature” is essential for sustainability, there are few studies on why reconnecting humans to nature is essential and how it can be accomplished. This study is aimed at finding innovative, yet sustainable ways to reconnect people with nature. The objective of the paper is to enhance the biodiversity knowledge of local residents through conservation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In the study, urban respondents’ knowledge about biodiversity with particular reference to non-timber forest products (NTFPs) was analysed for the first time. To achieve the objective of this study, participatory appraisal, one-on-one interviews, dual moderator focus groups, ethnographic field research, and semi-structured questionnaire were used. Plant name boards with local names and their NTFP values for the selected species were also installed. Results suggest that NTFP-producing species played a vital role in making people interested in biodiversity. It can be considered as one of the innovative ways to improve surrounding biodiversity, for further enhancing biodiversity knowledge, based on archival study and local community’s knowledge about NTFP producing species, NTFPs plantation also done across the study area like parks, roadside, open space. This paper also explored how this study could contribute to the formulation of policies in terms of creating various urban green covers in Indian cities, following the strategies of joint forest management, social forestry, and agroforestry.

A rise in the number of flood-affected people and areas has increased the interest in new methods and concepts that account for this change. Citizens are integrated into disaster risk reduction processes through participatory approaches and can provide valuable up-to-date local knowledge. During a field study in Eberbach (Baden–Wuerttemberg, Germany) sketch maps and questionnaires were used to capture local knowledge about flooding. Based on a previous study on urban flooding in Santiago de Chile, the tools were adapted and applied to river flooding in the city of Eberbach, which is regularly flooded by the Neckar River, a major river in southwest Germany. The empirical database of the study comprises 40 participants in the study area and 40 in a control area. Half of the participants in each group are residents and half are pedestrians. Purposive sampling was used, and the questionnaires aimed to gather demographic information and explore what factors, such as property, influence the risk perception of the study participants. The results show that residents identify a larger spatial area as at risk than pedestrians, and owning property leads to higher risk awareness. The flood type influenced the choice of the base maps for the sketch maps. For river flooding, one map with an overview of the area was sufficient, while for urban flooding a second map with more details of the area also enables the marking of small streets. The information gathered can complement authoritative data such as from flood models. This participatory approach also increases the communication and trust between local governments, researchers, and citizens.

More knowledge is required to determine the optimal shiftwork schedule to reduce the harmful effects of short restart breaks between shifts. This 5-month intervention study aimed to examine the effectiveness of extended restart breaks from 31 h to 55 h after consecutive night shifts by considering the characteristics of the circadian rhythm to mitigate fatigue and sleep among 30 shift-working nurses. Subjective and objective variables, such as vital exhaustion, distress, hair cortisol, salivary C-reactive protein, and sleep mattress sensor sensation, were repeatedly measured to examine the differences between the intervention and control conditions. Two-way (condition × time) multilevel analyses showed significantly lower levels of vital exhaustion and distress in the intervention condition (p = 0.005 and p = 0.004, respectively). However, the expected benefit of the intervention was not observed in objectively measured variables. These findings suggested that an extended restart break after consecutive night shifts can moderately decrease occupational fatigue and stress.

The potential of citizen science to address complex issues has been recognized since the 1990s. However, the systematic integration of public opinion in research has been developed only recently, thanks to the spread of questionnaire web-based surveys and artificial intelligence techniques for data elaboration. Starting from this point, we decided to investigate the literature published in Scopus during the decade 2013–2023, regarding citizen science applications for environmental purposes. More specifically, the focus of our study was to evaluate citizen science’s benefits and limitations for managing odour emissions in national industrial plants, as well as to discuss the potential integration of a participatory approach in such a field. In fact, according to European Directive 2010/75/EU, the integrated environmental permits released to reduce industrial pollution should also encourage strong public participation. In this systematic review we first applied the principles of PRISMA methodology to select the most significant papers. Then, we discuss the results of 14 publications, through bibliometric statistics and meta-analysis. Only three of them were discovered to have a specific focus on odour emissions. Overall, we pinpointed the main advantages and limitations of citizen science applied to odour pollution management, to open the door for further research.

To develop a sustainable and vibrant agricultural sector capable of meeting the food demands of the growing population, freshwater in agriculture must be used efficiently and effectively to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the economy. Issues such as climate change, land degradation, water pollution and population growth among others will continue to influence sustainable water management and agricultural development in South Africa. The challenge facing South Africa is how to ensure water and food security in the face of recurring droughts, increasing urbanisation and decreasing freshwater resources. South Africa will need to understand the drivers influencing water management and agricultural development to develop improved methods for planning sustainable water management and agricultural development. This study made use of a participatory approach, which provided a valuable platform for the identification of drivers of change, their characteristics and relative importance regarding agricultural water resource management and agricultural development in South Africa through participation. The study identified and analysed 5 clusters and 37 drivers, and their relative importance in influencing water management agricultural development in South Africa. The study found that population growth; education, climate extremes, irrigation technology, land degradation, rainwater harvesting, government support, and land reform, mismanagement of public resources and net agricultural export were among the most influential drivers in agricultural water management. The implication of these results for sustainable agricultural water management is discussed.

Experts commonly assert that social innovation is best taught outside of higher education, given that higher education institutions are prone to rigidity traps. Opposing research suggests that social innovation can flourish within institutions of higher education when they embrace new ways of teaching and learning. Using a student-initiated and led Social Innovation Organization (SIO) at a university in South Asia as a case study, this article considers how social innovation education might emerge from and take root within institutions of higher education and what the consequences are for social relations, power structures, and institutional practices. Les experts affirment généralement qu’il est préférable d’enseigner l’innovation sociale en dehors des établissements d’enseignement supérieur, étant donné que ceux-ci sont sujets à des pièges de rigidité. Des recherches opposées suggèrent que l’innovation sociale peut prospérer au sein des établissements d’enseignement supérieur lorsque ces derniers adoptent de nouvelles méthodes d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. En utilisant comme étude de cas une organisation d’innovation sociale (OIS) lancée et dirigée par les étudiants d’une université en Asie du Sud, cet article examine comment l’éducation à l’innovation sociale pourrait émerger et s’enraciner dans des établissements d’enseignement supérieur, et quelles en seraient les conséquences sur le plan des rapports sociaux, des structures de pouvoir et des pratiques institutionnelles.

Deliberation is an important concept in marine and coastal systems research because it is a key feature of many practical governance approaches such as participatory management, co-management, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and Marine Spatial Planning. However, the research trends on deliberation have yet to be fully reviewed and evaluated to assess future opportunities and knowledge gaps in the field. In this article, we systematically review the literature to provide evidence on deliberation in marine and coastal governance systems. We review 187 case studies from peer-reviewed articles worldwide, guided by three areas of inquiry: (1) how deliberation is applied to frame the problem of the case studies, (2) methodologies used to evaluate and design deliberation processes, and (3) recommendations to increase the effectiveness of deliberation processes. Findings indicate there is uneven spatial distribution of studies between the global north and the global south. Most case studies used deliberation to develop recommendations related to participatory governance and most of the researchers actively participated to solve real-world problems by creating a deliberation process. In addition to that, recommendations from case studies indicate deliberation processes can provide a framework to enhance participatory governance/management and science-policy integration. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings to guide continued research and practice engaged with deliberation activities. Our systematic review provides a foundational baseline for understanding the research trends on deliberation in marine and coastal governance systems. The findings of this review are relevant for future researchers and practitioners who consider deliberation as an essential element of participatory approaches in natural resource governance, especially in marine and coastal sectors.

Sea-level rise (SLR) poses a range of threats to natural and built environments in coastal zones around the world. Assessment of the risks due to exposure and sensitivity of coastal communities to coastal flooding is essential for informed decision-making. Strategies for public understanding and awareness of the tangible effects of climate change are fundamental in developing policy options. A multidisciplinary, multinational team of natural and social scientists from the USA, the UK, and Brazil developed the METROPOLE Project to evaluate how local governments may decide between adaptation options associated with SLR projections. METROPOLE developed a participatory approach in which public actors engage fully in defining the research problem and evaluating outcomes. Using a case study of the city of Santos, in Brazil, METROPOLE developed a method for evaluating risks jointly with the community, comparing ‘no-action’ to ‘adaptation’ scenarios. At the core of the analysis are estimates of economic costs of the impact of floods on urban real estate under SLR projections through 2050 and 2100. Results helped identify broad preferences and orientations in adaptation planning, which the community, including the Santos municipal government, co-developed in a joint effort with natural and social scientists.

Purpose Intimate partner violence against women is a priority global health issue. It has had serious negative consequences on women’s health and has led to huge burdens on the community. Numerous interventions have been demonstrated to have positive effects, and the majority of them have been developed using a top‐down approach. However, the specific needs of abused Chinese women have not been fully addressed; incorporating women’s input seems to be an essential element for the success of any intervention. This article describes the experiences and success in using a community‐based participatory approach (CBPA) to develop a culturally appropriate intervention for abused Chinese women in order to address their multifaceted needs. Design A CBPA was adopted in this study to develop a culturally appropriate intervention in order to address the multifaceted needs of abused Chinese women. Methods A core group of six participants (three abused Chinese women, one researcher, and two social workers who provided community services for abused Chinese women) was formed in a local community center in Hong Kong. The three Chinese women were recruited from the local community center, and according to the Abuse Assessment Screen they had been in an intimate relationship in the preceding 12 months and had been abused by an intimate partner. Findings Three core group meetings were conducted over 6 weeks for intervention development. An integrated multicomponent intervention was developed, comprising a four‐part, women‐centered program called “Women‐centred, we are with you.” The program was implemented and completed over 4 months (October 2015 to January 2016). Eighteen abused Chinese women participated in the intervention. Conclusions A CBPA provides actual empowerment spirit for abused Chinese women. This approach was well accepted by the women and enabled them to develop more culturally appropriate interventions in fulfilling their specify needs. Clinical Relevance Researchers can consider using a CBPA to develop and tailor a culturally appropriate intervention for groups such as abused Chinese women in order to improve their health and eliminate disparities by addressing their specific and multifaceted needs.