Search Results (34)

The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean Sea, forming self-sustaining populations in coastal and transitional ecosystems. Its ecological plasticity, high reproductive potential, and tolerance to wide salinity and temperature ranges have enabled a rapid basin-wide colonization, particularly evident in Italian lagoons and estuaries. This invasion has generated substantial ecological alterations, such as predation on bivalves, competition with native decapods, and disruptions of trophic dynamics, as well as significant economic losses for fisheries and aquaculture sectors, especially in northern Adriatic clam-farming areas. Social perceptions vary widely, and management actions remain fragmented, limiting the effectiveness of control and mitigation efforts. This review analyzes the scientific and gray literature published from its first Mediterranean records to 2025, synthesizing evidence on the species’ distribution, ecological impacts, socio-economic consequences, and existing regulatory responses, with a focus on the Mediterranean basin and Italy. Studies on consumers’ and fishers’ perceptions are examined to identify emerging opportunities for sustainable utilization. By integrating ecological and socio-economic dimensions, the review outlines priority knowledge gaps and management needs, providing a science-based framework to support coordinated monitoring, adaptive control strategies, and potential valorization pathways consistent with the EU Green Deal, the Blue Economy, and Circular Bioeconomy principles. Full article

This study explores spatial disparities in public perceptions of decarbonization and acceptance of the bioeconomy in a transitioning region. A structured survey of 465 residents across Western Macedonia assessed views on environmental, economic, and institutional aspects using Likert-scale items. Statistical analyses, including K-means clustering, revealed significant variation in perceptions, with institutional support, visible investment, enterprise activity, and public sentiment emerging as key predictors of acceptance. Institutional engagement showed the strongest influence. Findings underscore the uneven experience of transition across sub-regions and highlight the need for inclusive, place-sensitive policies to foster trust, enhance communication, and ensure a truly just transition process. Full article

We examined the positions of policymakers and businesses on the forest-based bioeconomy (FBE) in Slovenia, focusing on the importance of forest ecosystem services within the FBE. We also explored how businesses perceive their market potential and the role of payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes in strengthening the FBE. We conducted interviews with 35 policymakers from the fields of forestry, the wood industry, the environment, and tourism, as well as with 24 business representatives from primary wood production, the wood industry, and forest tourism. Respondents identified fragmented land ownership (mean score on a 1–5 scale = 4.19), the lack of a strategic framework (4.12), and inefficient use of woody biomass (4.08) as key challenges to implementing the FBE in Slovenia. They highlighted knowledge transfer (4.54), investment support (4.47), and raising environmental awareness (4.44) as the main forms of state support for the FBE, while unfamiliarity with PES appears to contribute to its neglect. No significant sectoral differences were observed among policymakers regarding PES involvement; however, they viewed their role mainly in the design phase of PES and least in the phases of coordination and establishment. Greater interest in participating in PES was expressed by forest tourism businesses, despite perceiving lower market potential than those in primary wood production and the wood industry. The evident heterogeneity of stakeholder positions on the FBE calls for strong coordination and a transparent policy process involving all stakeholder coalitions to establish a coherent national strategy for the FBE. The results highlighted policymakers’ limited governance capacity and reluctance to fully implement PES as a potential solution for strengthening the FBE. The differing motivations of businesses regarding PES underscore the need for a nuanced, sector-specific approach to foster broader engagement. Full article

This empirical investigation explores the complex interdependencies between the concept of the Smart University Campus and the broader ecosystem of Smart City policies, with a particular focus on the New European Bauhaus initiative as a catalyst for educational transformation. The study examines how university campuses can evolve into paradigmatic models of innovation, sustainability, and inclusion through the strategic integration of emerging technologies, circular bioeconomy principles, and holistic ecological strategies. A comprehensive case study, grounded in rigorous quantitative analysis, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), and Cluster Analysis (CA), based on questionnaires administered to a sample of 245 high school and university students—primarily from the academic community of the “King Mihai I” University of Life Sciences in Timișoara (USVT)—provides empirical insights into perceptions and expectations regarding the Smart Campus ecosystem and its core components: Smart Learning, Smart Living, Smart Safety and Security, Smart Socialization and Smart Health. The distinctive contribution of this research lies in its empirical demonstration that the strategic alignment between university campuses and Smart City initiatives, guided by the principles of the New European Bauhaus, can enhance educational efficiency by creating integrated learning ecosystems that simultaneously address academic needs, sustainability imperatives, and goals of sustainable urban development. Full article

This study examines the regional disparities in public perceptions of decarbonization and the acceptance of the bioeconomy within Western Macedonia, a Greek region undergoing structural economic change. While the environmental benefits of decarbonization, such as reduced carbon emissions and improved air quality, are widely acknowledged, perceptions of economic and social outcomes, including investments, new business development, and policy support, vary significantly across sub-regions. To this end, a structured survey was conducted among 765 residents, utilizing Likert-scale items to assess attitudes, with demographic data providing a contextual framework. Statistical analyses, incorporating techniques such as one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal–Wallis, and multiple regression, were employed to explore spatial variations and identify the primary drivers of bioeconomy acceptance. The results indicate that perceived government action, visible investment, new enterprises, and a positive view of public sentiment are all significant predictors of acceptance, with institutional support showing the strongest influence. The findings reveal that certain areas feel less engaged in the transition, expressing skepticism about its benefits, while others report more optimism. This disparity in perception underscores the necessity for targeted policy interventions to ensure inclusive and equitable participation. The study emphasizes the necessity for regionally responsive governance, enhanced communication strategies, and tangible local development initiatives to cultivate public trust and support. The study makes a significant contribution to the broader discourse on just transitions by emphasizing the role of place-based perceptions in shaping sustainable change. Full article

South Africa’s bioeconomy strategy identifies bio-innovation as a key driver of economic growth and social development, with plant breeding playing a central role in improving food security through the development of high-yielding, resilient, and high-quality crops. However, consumer perceptions of recent advances, particularly new breeding techniques (NBTs), remain underexplored. This study examines South African consumer attitudes towards plant breeding innovations, using a mixed-methods approach. The initial focus group interviews informed the development of a structured quantitative survey examining familiarity, perceptions, and acceptance of plant breeding technologies. Consumer awareness of plant breeding principles was found to be limited, with 67–68% of respondents unfamiliar with both conventional and modern plant breeding procedures. Despite this information gap, consumers expressed conditional support for modern breeding techniques, especially when associated with actual benefits like increased nutritional value, environmental sustainability, and crop resilience. When favourable effects were outlined, support for general investment in modern breeding practices climbed from 45% to 74%. Consumer purchase decisions emphasised price, product quality, and convenience over manufacturing techniques, with sustainability ranked last among the assessed factors. Trust in the sources of food safety information varied greatly, with medical experts and scientists being ranked highly, while government sources were viewed more sceptically. The results further suggest that targeted education could improve customer confidence, as there is a significant positive association (R² = 0.938) between familiarity and acceptance. These findings emphasise the significance of open communication strategies and focused consumer education in increasing the adoption of plant breeding breakthroughs. The study offers useful insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders working on engagement strategies to facilitate the ethical growth and application of agricultural biotechnology in support of food security and quality in South Africa. This study contributes to a better understanding of South African consumers’ perceptions of plant breeding innovations and food safety. The research findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders in developing effective engagement and communication strategies that address consumer concerns and promote the adoption of products derived from diverse plant breeding technologies. Full article

As the European Union advances its bioeconomy strategy, the agricultural sector emerges as a key domain requiring targeted upskilling in digital and entrepreneurial competencies. This study examines how agricultural professionals perceive the importance of these competencies and identifies related training needs, drawing on the European Commission’s Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) and Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp). Using a quantitative survey methodology, data were collected from 140 respondents, including farmers, agronomists, consultants, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, in four European countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests) revealed strong recognition of digital competencies across all groups, with significant variation by country, while perceptions of entrepreneurial competencies differed mainly by professional role. Moreover, a significant lack of formal bioeconomy-related education was identified. The findings underscore the need for targeted, competence-based education and policy interventions to equip professionals with the skills required for a sustainable and innovation-driven agricultural sector. Full article

The Brazilian forest-based sector (FBS) has a complex and important role in leading local and global bioeconomy and sustainable development initiatives. Among these tasks is the improvement and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, key actors in the FBS still have different perspectives regarding their contributions to the implementation and achievement of the SDGs, and this shortage of understanding and complex problem structure may result in misleading strategic planning, which must be improved to increase and strengthen their participation. This study proposes a participatory assessment to comprehend the perceptions of the Brazilian forest-based sector’s key actors and their contributions to achieving the SDGs by using a problem structuring method (PSM). Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA), a method from PSM and soft operational research, was used to support the strategic decisions and assist in formulating the strategies. Following the SODA approach, this study interviewed 13 key actors from different forest sector institutions in Brazil and listed strategies to improve their contributions to the SDGs. As a result, 29 main goals and 68 strategic options were mapped. The goals reflect the key actor’s understanding of the main contributions of the Brazilian FBS to the SDGs, and the strategic options represent the main strategies that can be implemented to strengthen the participation and positioning of these institutions in Agenda 2030. Full article

The swift adoption of digitalization and transformation within enterprises and their operations had commenced prior to the onset of COVID-19, characterized by the shift towards Industry 4.0 and subsequently progressing towards Industry 5.0. However, mandated restrictions significantly amplified the necessity and drive to utilize digital tools for both businesses and consumers. New opportunities previously not utilized have arisen yet are hand in hand with several risks linked to the use of these new digital tools. The bioeconomy sector is not an exception. The study aims to consider the sector representatives’ opinions on the significance of the risks related to digitalization. The empirical results of this study stem from a survey of enterprises in the bioeconomy sector carried out in 2020 and 2021 in Latvia. The research results prove that there are many factors influencing the development of digitalization. The results notably affirm that both entrepreneurs and employees in SMEs recognize the considerable importance of these risks, particularly emphasizing the significance of security and technology risks. While the Chi-Square Test of Independence indicates a notable association between risk evaluation scores and the education level of respondents before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, this association diminishes in 2021. Contrary to the hypothesis that individuals with higher education levels are more attentive to risks, the evidence shows inconsistency in their perception, particularly regarding professional challenges of the entrepreneur and employees to use digital tools and other risk categories. However, the relationship between higher education levels and the significance of risks pertaining to security risks, technology risks, and the skills of the clients to use digital tools is partly affirmed. Full article

Providing safely managed sanitation/hygiene requires key competencies for education, training, service delivery, enterprise development and management, product and infrastructure design and development, construction and installation, governance, financing, research, etc. These strategic sanitation capacities will have to be built from higher education’s academic and professional programmes structured and designed to produce skilled and knowledgeable professionals and practitioners. This study aims to investigate the quality of the sanitation/hygiene management content of Environmental Health programmes; the adequacy of the existing central curricula; and the perception of environmental health sanitation/hygiene-trained professionals to determine the next phase for building knowledge and capacity of sanitation professionals in Nigeria through higher education institutions. A multi-level mixed method concurrent study was used for sampling and data collection with a multi-level perception analysis to examine the perceptions of students, lecturers and graduate alumni, as well as employers/supervisors and clients/service users of sanitation/hygiene-related graduates. The main findings of this paper show a limited understanding of the concepts of contemporary issues of sanitation/hygiene management like sustainable sanitation, citywide inclusive sanitation, regenerative sanitation, circular bioeconomy, etc.; the central/national teaching and curricula were found to be seriously out of date; and clients/service users were dissatisfied with the skills and knowledge levels of the graduates. The study concludes by recommending a national sanitation management higher education pathway to guide the provision of integrated sanitation/hygiene management education at higher education institutions (HEIs), to build an effective, efficient, competent and sufficient workforce for the country. Full article

While researchers of the area try hard to conceptualize the bioeconomy, it appears that it is harder for the variety of stakeholders to agree on the critical elements that form sustainable bioeconomy models. The aim of the present paper is to gain insight into major players’ understanding of the bioeconomy concept to form policies and strategies or direct education and research. Using data collected from academia and state stakeholders in Greece, this paper articulates perceptions regarding the concept of bioeconomy from an academic, technological, and economic point of view. According to the results, the bioeconomy concept seems to be related to applied life and economic sciences, and engineering and technology sciences. Its technological interpretation regards innovation, new product development, and technologies. Empirical findings indicate an almost catholic acceptance of bioeconomy as an economic activity, no matter the science field or the state position of the stakeholders. They also highlight a clear need for synergies and a coherent cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary approach to produce novel knowledge, skills, technology, and innovation. The research contributes to the existing debate on the buzzing concept of the bioeconomy and fills a scientific gap at the regional level of a typical Mediterranean economy, enriching the related literature. Full article

The approach of studying the perceptions of Romanian farmers regarding the bioeconomy brings an element of novelty, and the study intends to add value to works in the field. The literature regarding the attitudes of farmers towards the adoption of new bioeconomic practices is quite limited at the European level and even more so in Romania. However, Romania’s agricultural potential is recognized nationally and internationally. This article aimed to explore the attitudes of Romanian farmers towards the bioeconomy and to take a step forward in determining a set of scientific actions necessary for the initiation of a national strategy dedicated to the bioeconomy. The quantitative research presented is based on a comprehensive survey. The analysis revealed the role of the bioeconomy in agricultural activities and the expectations of respondents in relation to the main aspects addressed by the concept of bioeconomy. The findings pointed out the contribution of Romanian public institutions in explaining and promoting this complex phenomenon to agricultural workers. The results led to three main conclusions: (i) farmers’ attitudes towards the bioeconomy are generally positive, although their knowledge is limited; (ii) public authorities are not sufficiently involved in supporting and promoting the bioeconomy; (iii) the bioeconomy is underfinanced at the national level. The findings draw attention to a great investment potential in the agricultural field that could foster job creation and regional development in Romania. A closer collaboration between researchers, decision-makers, local authorities, and farmers as well as the expansion of technological research are the conditions needed for the development of the bioeconomy in the agriculture of Romania. Full article

Action 2 of the European Union’s Updated Bioeconomy Strategy, i.e., “Deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across Europe”, promotes education and training in all member states. It is a fact that Greece has not yet adopted a national bioeconomy strategy, so stakeholders and farmers cannot benefit from its potential. The adoption of bioeconomy practices is now a prerequisite for receiving funding under the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027. Farmers unknowingly use some bioeconomy practices on their farms, and in this study, an attempt was made to investigate how farmers in the region of Western Macedonia would like to be trained in respect of the bioeconomy, knowing the opportunities it offers. The research was conducted through a structured questionnaire answered by 412 farmers from the region. The findings from the subsequent k-means cluster analysis show that farmers can be classified into three clusters: engaged, restricted, and partially engaged. The perceptions that predominate in each cluster are influenced by age, income, and the regional unit in which the farmers reside. In addition, the decarbonization of the Western Macedonia region influences their views and how they would like to be informed about opportunities arising from the bioeconomy. Limitations in this study include the fact that the sample consists only of farmers living and operating in a particular region. In addition, there is an urgent need for political will to establish a national strategy for the bioeconomy. The importance of the present study lies in the fact that few studies have addressed the training of farmers on bioeconomy issues either in Greece or internationally. Full article

The globally accepted concept of a bioeconomy includes the field of forestry; however, the concept of a forest bioeconomy (FBE) does not appear to be defined uniformly. The concepts of bioeconomy and sustainable development are interlinked. In many countries, the bioeconomy is often the subject of efforts to quantify it from the state level, and therefore, the question arises as to whether the data regarding the financial support of an FBE in individual countries can be considered mutually comparable, with the aim of including them, for example, among the criteria for measuring sustainability (e.g., indicators of sustainable development—SDI). This option has political implications for political representation, taking the form of a comparable indicator in the approaches of individual states. This article analytically compares FBEs and our understanding of them in selected countries: Czechia, Slovakia, Finland, Italy, and Germany. Czechia financially supports various areas of forestry through European funds (Rural Development Programme, RDP CZ). In this article, we assess this support from the point of view of the perceptions of the FBE in the studied states, with an emphasis on the view of Czechia. First, an FBE analysis of the selected official and supporting documents of the studied countries was performed. The total financial data from the supported projects from the RDP CZ were subsequently assigned to these areas. Thus, the idea of financial support for the FBE through the RDP CZ from the perspectives of the selected countries was born. The differences in the perception of the FBE according to the description derived from the analysis were also confirmed by the different financial quantifications (hypothetical) of these different views. The obtained results demonstrate an incomparable state of perception of the FBE among the selected countries. For these reasons, it is currently inappropriate to use the level of FBE financial support to measure sustainability. Full article

Wood plays a key role in the endeavours of the EU to establish a circular bioeconomy based on renewable biological resources. Today, forestry on its own cannot sustainably satisfy the demand for woody biomass. Short-Rotation Coppice (SRC) represents a possible alternative production system where fast-growing tree species are cultivated on agricultural land. Thus far, lacking engagement from farmers and public opposition against other bioenergy projects have hindered the expansion of SRC. At the same time, society does not consider wood unconditionally sustainable anymore. The Social License to Operate (SLO) describes the dynamic relationship between industries, their communities, and other stakeholders. The present study adapted a quantitative SLO model based on integrative socio-psychological relationship modelling and applied it to a case study in Slovakia. The roles of trust, fairness, impact assessment, and governance hold for the establishment of social acceptance were analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The model revealed the perception of individual benefits as the strongest predictor for social acceptance. The average level of social acceptance was found to be between “Acceptance” and “Approval”. The results thus show that SRC currently must not face societal pressure in Slovakia. However, the SLO is not static and must be constantly re-evaluated. Full article