Research articles

Village chickens are commonplace among smallholder communities, but mortality is high. This study compares two regions in Ethiopia and finds that unique adaptations, including traits and parasite burdens, reflect distinct gene pools likely shaped by human-driven selection. Results suggest sustainable interventions for village chickens should be locally tailored.

Most wildlife lives outside protected areas, creating potential conflicts with humans. This study assesses potential trade-offs between wildlife and livestock management in an East African savanna, finding potential ecological and economic benefits from integrating the two.

Machine learning using big data can enhance environmental law monitoring. Applied to the US Clean Water Act, such methods can help public agencies to increase the likelihood of inspecting non-compliant facilities up to sevenfold.

High-yield farming systems have the potential to spare non-farmed land for other uses (such as nature conservation), but raise concerns about their other environmental impacts (such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion). This study argues such impacts should be measured per unit of production and shows that viewed this way, some land-efficient systems have less impact than lower-yielding alternatives.

Designing interventions to address water scarcity under climate change is challenging given the large uncertainties in projected water availability. In this study, changes in the uncertainty range of anticipated water scarcity conditions are identified, and a general decision-making framework to support policy decisions is developed.

Poaching undermines the effectiveness of marine protected areas, where enforcement capacity is limited. In this study, fishers adjacent to MPAs were surveyed, and it was found that about half had observed poaching, but that most do not react so as to avoid conflict, or because they feel that this is either not their responsibility or that poaching is a survival strategy.

Cognitive mapping reveals how people think about complex systems and enables hypothesis tests on understanding interdependency. This study finds that education and experience are associated with more nuanced form of complex-systems thinking in sustainable agriculture, such as feedback loops and indirect effects.

Most nutrients in human excreta, if recovered, could offset substantial quantities of synthetic fertilizer use globally and advance food security goals by enhancing circular economies. This study analyses co-location of urban nutrients with nearby agricultural needs in 56 of the world’s largest cities and finds that in locations with high cropland density, nutrient-intensive crops and compact urban area, it would be possible and convenient to reuse human-derived nutrients in agriculture.

Organic farming produces crops without using synthetic agrochemicals, but its success with pests is unclear. This study finds that organic farming promotes overall pest control but that varies by pest type, with lower pathogen pests, similar animal pests and higher weed pests than conventional agriculture.

An analysis of famines in England, France and Italy from 1300 to 1850 to determine the ecological and social determinants that cause famines, and their severity and timing. The authors find that Malthusian arguments regarding population density and food production were correct before the Industrial Revolution, with famines being caused by meteorological events; famines did not become ‘man-made’ events until after 1710.

A large-scale economic analysis of the economics of water supplies in the greater Los Angeles area, based on the ‘full-cycle’ costs of water sources such as imported water, groundwater, and reused and storm-water capture. The study showcases an updated model and framework for urban water studies that can be applied to other cities.

Agroforests can combine crop production with ecosystem service provisioning, but how they should be implemented to balance their costs and benefits remains unknown. This study finds that low-to-intermediate shade cocoa agroforests in West Africa benefit biodiversity and climate without compromising production.

Models for preventing climate from warming by more than 2 °C assume implementing land-use change, such as reforestation, to store carbon. This study finds these models assume 8.8 Mha yr⁻¹ more cropland and, in some cases, massive reforestation and even afforestation.

Little is known about the contribution of peatlands to potable water resources at global and regional scales given that most peatlands are far away from major urbanized areas. This study analyses peatlands, human population and hydrometric datasets to identify hotspots where peatlands are crucial for water supply.

Coal is an important energy source, but its use affects regional air quality and global climate. This study finds that coal mining reduces the diversity and number of stream animals and that these impacts persist after mine reclamation efforts.

Using experimental behavioural methods, this study shows that time pressure leads to worse decisions over the sustainable management of collectively held natural resources.

A network experiment in a major environmental NGO finds that the diffusion of innovation is four times more likely when information regarding novel practices is targeted to staff members who participate in a greater number, and a more diverse set, of projects.

An analysis of dietary changes in China and their environmental impact between 1997 and 2011 reveals distinct trends between rural and urban areas, and an overall increase in greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and land appropriation, driven mainly by the increase of meat consumption.

A framed field experiment in five countries shows that Payments for Ecosystem Services increase forest conservation, that communication contributes to payment effectiveness and that positive effects outlast payments.

Energy-saving innovations, such as fabrics with cooling effects, contribute to sustainability. This study reports the large-scale extrusion of uniform and continuous nanoporous polyethylene microfibres with cotton-like softness for wearable fabrics. The fabric can lower human skin temperature by 2.3 °C with over 20% savings on indoor cooling energy.