The intensive use of chemical fertilizers has boosted agricultural yields but caused severe environmental concerns, including soil degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable alternatives are therefore urgently needed. Insect frass, a nutrient-rich by-product of insect farming, and microalgae, with their ability to produce phytohormones and improve soil quality, have both been proposed as promising biofertilizers. While their individual applications are well documented, little attention has been given to their combined use. This review provides an updated synthesis of current knowledge on insect frass composition, the agronomic value of microalgae, and the first experimental evidence on the use of frass as a nutrient source for microalgal cultivation. Benefits and challenges are discussed, including nutrient variability, microbial safety, heavy metal accumulation, and production costs. The integrated perspective offered here highlights the potential of frass-microalgae systems to support circular bioeconomy models and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers.

Land use conflicts are increasingly widespread and complex, driven by overlapping spatial claims, intensifying competition over natural resources, and growing socio-environmental vulnerabilities. These conflicts are particularly acute in territories where economic, ecological, and social priorities intersect, and where planning systems often lack the spatial sensitivity and participatory mechanisms necessary to mediate competing interests. This study focus on spatially-explicit scenario planning as a key approach for anticipating, identifying, and managing land use conflicts. Grounded in geospatial analysis, participatory foresight, and sustainability science, this approach enables the co-production of spatially grounded narratives of possible futures, while enhancing territorial governance, stakeholder engagement, and transparency in decision-making processes. Emphasis is placed on the dual role of spatial scenarios: both as technical tools for mapping conflict dynamics and as platforms for dialogue among actors with divergent claims. This study advocates a paradigm shift in land use planning that is forward-looking, spatially informed, and socially inclusive. Such a shift is essential to support sustainability transitions and promote more resilient, and negotiated territorial futures.

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the global economy. It influences policies and strategies of many destinations at different spatial scales. It also has a significant impact on the environment and ecosystem services (ES). This effect further impacts the sustainability of tourism and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contributing to biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) was adopted as a global statistical standard in 2021, providing a comprehensive framework for integrating physical and monetary ecosystem accounts to support sustainable management and informed policy and development. This mini-review aimed to summarise and synthesise existing research and emphasise new developments in the use of SEEA-EA for the governance and planning of the tourism industry. We highlighted the key components of SEEA-EA (ecosystem extent, condition, services and asset valuation) relevant to tourism. The limited scope of existing tourism studies was evident in their primary focus on ES valuation and a restricted geographical scale. We further emphasise the potential for interoperability between SEEA-EA, tourism statistics, and the SDGs. The review underscores the current lack of data harmonisation across frameworks and the scarcity of data at the destination level. Despite its limitations, the SEEA-EA integration offers an opportunity to quantify the costs and benefits of tourism and to support monitoring of the SDGs. Prospective applications include utilising SEEA-EA at destination scale for management, enhancing the valuation of the travel & tourism sector’s environmental costs and economic benefits, and addressing gaps in tourism statistics. To advance sustainable tourism through effective adoption of the SEEA-EA, it requires enhanced data quality, increased institutional capacity, and global collaboration.

Rainwater plays a key yet often underestimated role in the atmospheric transport and deposition of environmental contaminants, contributing to the dissemination of both traditional and emerging pollutants across urban, industrial, and remote areas. For the first time, rainwater as an analytical matrix is systematically addressed, providing a critical synthesis of the objectives, strategies, and methodological approaches required for a comprehensive investigation of atmospheric contamination mediated by precipitation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the major classes of contaminants detected in rainwater and to critically examine the analytical strategies currently employed for their determination at trace and ultra-trace levels. The manuscript discusses the most widely applied sample preparation techniques, with particular emphasis on solid-phase extraction using polymeric and mixed-mode sorbents, alongside complementary approaches such as liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase microextraction, and treatments of the particulate fraction. Instrumental methodologies based on gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry are presented as the gold standard for multiresidue analysis of organic pollutants, while ion chromatography and ICP-MS are highlighted for inorganic and metal contamination profiling. The review highlights current trends, methodological strengths, and limitations in rainwater analysis. Overall, this work underscores the importance of integrated and robust analytical approaches to achieve a comprehensive assessment of rainwater contamination and identifies existing gaps in linking analytical data with atmospheric processes, source attribution, and health risk assessment, thereby reinforcing the relevance of rainwater monitoring in environmental and public health studies.

The planetary ecological deterioration continues unabated despite half a century of global environmental concern and three decades promoting sustainable development. In addition, this period has not served to consolidate an awareness congruent with the nature of the eco-social crisis for most of the population. The paradigm of economic growth is still hegemonic, while the emergence of climate change as the latest environmental emblem has resulted in a modification of the mental frame through which individuals comprehend socio-natural interactions and, consequently, the imperatives for global sustainability. Today, a common misconception is the belief that climate change is the main factor of the contemporary ecological deterioration, and that an eventual decarbonisation of the economy will be sufficient to resolve the eco-social crisis. In contrast to other environmental concerns that have dominated public and political attention, such as the issue of resource scarcity, the rise and consolidation of climate change as an ‘environmental emblem’ is a consequence of its compatibility with the paradigm of economic growth. I argue that the prominence of climate change in environmental discourse, while undoubtedly raising awareness of one of the core planetary boundaries, has, in reality, actively hindered a holistic comprehension of the eco-social crisis. Its alignment and promotion within the growth paradigm is fostering a ‘decarbonisation-only’ mindset that obscures and misrepresents other vital planetary boundaries, such as the biosphere integrity. This perspective paper examines the ascendancy of climate change, considering its cognitive and political implications, before proposing targeted measures to make meaningful progress in both awareness and mitigation policies.

Arsenic is a highly toxic element found in liquid effluents and can pose serious health and environmental risks. Conversely, coconut fiber, an abundant byproduct of the agrifood industry, has strong potential as an adsorbent for removing arsenic from water. Its lignocellulosic structure, which includes cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and functional groups such as hydroxyls and carbonyls, enhances interactions with various arsenic species. Research indicates that both raw fiber and chemically treated fiber, using methods such as acid, alkali, biochar conversion, or metal/oxide impregnation, can remove contaminants like dyes, heavy metals, and arsenic. This review shows that chemical treatments significantly improve adsorption efficiency, reaching up to 99% arsenic removal, whereas raw fibers typically achieve less than 25%. Factors such as pH, temperature, and contact time directly influence process effectiveness, with neutral or slightly acidic pH and temperatures near room temperature being ideal for better removal. Kinetic and isotherm models, including the Langmuir and the Freundlich models, help elucidate adsorption mechanisms and estimate the maximum biosorbent capacity. Additionally, coconut fiber can be regenerated and reused after adsorption and desorption cycles, making the process potentially sustainable and cost-effective. Despite promising results with synthetic solutions, challenges remain for real-world applications, such as in industrial effluents and groundwater, due to the presence of competing ions and organic matter. Developing technologies based on coconut fiber promotes the valorization of agro-industrial waste, supports green chemistry and the circular economy by enabling the reuse of low-cost, abundant materials, minimizes environmental impacts, and fosters sustainable treatment of arsenic-contaminated water.

Developing the bioeconomy is important for resource management, food security and to protect our fragile environment. Critical to meeting emerging circular ambitions is the effective demonstration of viable biobased products at scale for appropriate business models and to mitigate risk. This case study addresses the use of digital twins (DTs) to support development of a novel integrated-multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) demonstration site in the Irish peatlands for various needs using a living laboratory concept. It highlights the role of harnessing cross-cutting multi-actors for advancing DTs across this IMTA site such as using an integrated Penta Helix hub framework that intimates key measurement and performance indicators for the bioeconomy sector. Combinational use of such digital tools will advance eco-innovation along with linked educational and societal needs from a bottom-up user perspective that will commensurately tailor top-down local and regional policies with a global orientation. Clustering and connecting bioeconomy demonstration activities using DTs will potentially meet expectations for real time diversification and added value that will inform regional resilience, competitiveness and job creations.

This paper introduces the concept of agriecocide, a term that highlights environmental damage at the intersection of agricultural losses and food security. To do this, the study adopts a multidisciplinary approach combining bibliometric analysis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a critical case study, and normative legal methods. Bibliometric analysis mapped research on war-related agricultural and environmental damage, while the case study examined empirical evidence of Ukraine’s agricultural and ecological losses. The consequences of agriecocide were defined as direct and indirect harms, encompassing material, ecological, scientific, social, territorial, logistical and long-term socio-environmental dimensions. The article compares international legal frameworks addressing agricultural destruction in terms of the protected interests and material elements they address and identifies structural limitations in existing doctrines. It demonstrates that agricultural harm is regulated only indirectly and fragmentarily, without recognising agricultural systems as integrated socio-ecological infrastructures. On this basis, this paper proposes to define agriecocide as a distinct legal category to address this gap. In addition, legal analysis identifies shortcomings in national regulatory frameworks, while normative legal drafting proposes concrete legislative amendments to strengthen Ukraine’s legal response to the large-scale agricultural damage. These include: (i) reforms to land legislation to support soil restoration, demining, and bioremediation; (ii) financial mechanisms to provide state support, preferential regimes, and insurance for agricultural producers; (iii) and amendments to criminalisation of agriecocide by introducing Article 441-1 (“Agriecocide”) into the Criminal Code of Ukraine, complementing the existing provision on ecocide. The paper aims to initiate scholarly and legal debate on agriecocide, emphasising its role in strengthening preventive legal mechanisms and in holding accountable those responsible for large-scale agricultural and environmental harm.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are globally distributed anthropogenic contaminants of concern due to their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and adverse health effects. Despite increasing recognition of PFAS exposure in marine wildlife, data for penguins remain limited, in part due to challenges associated with traditional sampling methods. We present a proof-of-concept application of silicone passive samplers (SPS) as a minimally invasive approach to characterize contact-based environmental PFAS exposure in penguins. SPS bands (n = 55) were deployed (2-9 days) on Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at two colonies along the Patagonian coast of Argentina across three consecutive breeding seasons. Forty PFAS were targeted and quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). PFAS were detected on the vast majority (90.7%) of SPS bands, with a mean ΣPFAS concentration of 2.26 ± 2.46 ng/g (maximum = 16.23 ng/g). Five legacy (PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFHpA, and PFOS) and four emerging compounds (HFPO-DA, 6:2 FTS, NMeFOSAA, and NEtFOSAA) were identified. The frequency and/or concentration of PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHpA, HFPO-DA, and 6:2 FTS varied significantly among colony-season cohorts, while PFHxA, 6:2 FTS, and NMeFOSAA varied significantly with the duration of the deployment period. SPS bands provide a minimally invasive, repeatable, and practical approach for comparing relative external exposure profiles of penguins, and they could be adapted for other sensitive species to improve our understanding of PFAS and contaminant exposure in wildlife. Future studies should pair SPS deployments with biological matrices (e.g., blood) to determine how SPS-derived profiles relate to internal biological burdens and to validate the interpretation of SPS measurements.

Microplastics (MPs) have become a global concern, as they are widespread in aquatic environments and pose ecological risk, which threatens both marine and freshwater organisms. This study seeks to provide a comparative and comprehensive illustration of MP pollution in the water and sediments of the Bay of Bengal coastal areas, including islands, estuaries, and beaches. It also highlights associated risks and pathways of microplastics. The analysis is based on data reported in peer-reviewed publications from the past decade. The study found microplastics in water varied widely, from 2.35 to 263,000 MPs/m3, while sediments ranged between 1 and 815 MPs/kg. The highest levels were observed at the Thoothukudi coast in water samples and the Muttukadu backwater estuary in sediments. Transparent and white colored particles were reported as dominant in 53% and 65% studies on water and sediment, respectively, which were largely linked to packaging items, plastic bags, and other disposable materials. Microplastics sizes <1 mm were the most prevalent in the study area, which may result from the extensive degradation of plastic debris. Fibers and fragments were the dominant shapes in both water and sediment that may come from synthetic textiles, fishing gear, packaging materials, etc. Polyethylene was the most frequently reported polymer, with packaging materials and single-use plastics being possible sources, followed by polypropylene, polyamide, polystyrene, and PET. Statistical analyses, including Pearson’s correlation, PCA, and HCA, showed correlations among shapes, colors, sizes, and polymers, reflecting multiple pollution sources. Risk assessments through PLI, PHI, and ERI indices revealed that most sites exceeded extreme pollution thresholds, highlighting serious ecological threats to biodiversity and human health. Therefore, integrated regional strategies are urgently needed to mitigate this issue.