Despite rising demand for agricultural products, agricultural land abandonment is increasing, especially in developed countries, leading to recolonization by natural vegetation. This phenomenon impacts ecosystem services, biodiversity, and the economy, causing, for example, the loss of agrobiodiversity, soil erosion, and increased frequency and intensity of fires. Monitoring and understanding the drivers of agricultural abandonment are crucial for protecting historic landscapes. The aim of the study was to assess land use in the 1950s in areas of the Latium region that are currently classified as natural and semi-natural (about 736,000 hectares), and analyze the dynamics of renaturalized agroforestry landscapes. The diachronic land use analysis highlighted that approximately 76,700 hectares of today's wilderness areas were used for agriculture in the 1950s, with 70% consisting of arable land and 17% comprising complex cropping and farming systems. Grasslands covered more than 136,000 hectares, 57% of which are still preserved, while 40% have transitioned to forest or shrubland. Forest land use class increased from 25.59% in 1954 to 31.39% in 2006. The loss of agricultural land has significant implications for the economic sustainability of extensive livestock farming, the self-sufficiency of the food system, and also the proliferation of ungulates, a phenomenon that has become increasingly difficult to manage in Italy. At the same time, the loss of grasslands leads to the simplification of the landscape with a consequent loss of biodiversity. This phenomenon has also been observed in Natura 2000 sites, where around 30% of grasslands, including habitats of priority importance, have been lost. This decline highlights the critical challenges that must be addressed to achieve the goals of the “Nature Restoration Law”, which sets habitat restoration targets of 20% by 2030 and 100% by 2050, and the reduced capacity of these new simplified landscapes to provide ecosystem services.

Introduction: Loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems is considered a significant problem. Therefore, to protect this biodiversity, policies that are consonant with and strategically support ecosystems should be considered. Given the importance of biodiversity in sustainable agricultural systems and the observed agricultural variability in Guilan Province over the past two decades, this study was conducted to determine the biodiversity variability of crop and horticultural species in Guilan Province, northern Iran.

Methods: The data were classified into different groups: cereals, industrial crops, pulses, forage crops, orchards, and vegetables. All raw data were entered into Microsoft Excel (version 2013) based on region and year. Subsequently, several biodiversity indices—including Shannon–Wiener, Margalef, Menhinick, Simpson, richness, evenness, and Berger–Parker—were calculated.

Results: The results revealed significant variation in agrobiodiversity indices within Guilan Province during the study period. For instance, the Shannon–Wiener index for crop species increased from 0.62 to 0.66, while for horticultural products, it increased from 1.82 to 1.97. This increase was notably higher for horticultural products compared to crop species. The findings also indicated that Guilan Province does not exhibit an optimal situation concerning the Shannon–Wiener index, and from the perspective of cultivated species, there was relatively high similarity among townships. A significant factor contributing to the shift in dominance among horticultural species was the expansion of kiwi and citrus cultivation in the province.

Conclusion: Overall, these results suggest that species diversity in Guilan Province was low in most townships. The trend of changes in the indices demonstrated that biodiversity in many regions decreased from 1998 to 2014, in some cases reaching its lowest level. Therefore, methods such as cultivating diverse varieties of crops and horticultural species, implementing crop rotation, and employing intercropping strategies could be utilized to enhance the sustainability of agroecosystems in this province.

Sacred Groves are ecologically significant forest patches preserved through traditional beliefs and community-based conservation practices. They contribute to environmental sustainability by sequestering carbon, conserving native biodiversity, preventing soil erosion, enriching soil fertility, regulating hydrological cycles, supporting natural regeneration, and maintaining ecological connectivity. Therefore, the current study investigates the variation in tree biomass components and regeneration attributes across twelve Sacred Groves in Himachal Pradesh, India, within the north–western Himalayan region. The primary objective was to assess their contribution to conserving biomass accumulation potential and regeneration status with adjacent forests impacted by anthropogenic pressures. Twelve sites (S1–S12) were selected across elevations ranging from 1400 m to 3000 m, categorized into Sacred Groves and Adjoining Forests. This study found consistently higher biomass in Sacred Groves, with total biomass ranging from 280.09 to 1530.21 t ha⁻¹ (mean 885.84 t ha⁻¹), compared to 341.56 to 967.96 t ha⁻¹ (mean 593.20 t ha⁻¹) in adjoining forests. Sacred Groves also exhibited superior natural regeneration, with recruit densities ranging from 750 to 7,500 ha⁻¹, establishment rates from 25.49% to 183.72%, and regeneration success between 60% and 275%. These results underscore the ecological maturity, stability, and resilience of Sacred Groves, emphasizing their critical role in maintaining biodiversity, enhancing carbon storage, and providing essential ecosystem services. As such, Sacred Groves are vital for supporting long-term ecological health and mitigating the impacts of increasing anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Their preservation is crucial for sustaining the ecological balance in the region.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi in India is a rapidly metropolitanized city, and like many others, it faces the risk of urban flooding. The city experiences pluvial flooding, a phenomenon where stormwater drainage systems are unable to handle the volume of water from heavy rainfall and is highly vulnerable to both riverine and urban flooding, posing significant threats to public health, infrastructure, and the local economy. Recent data from the Delhi Traffic Police indicates an increasing frequency of waterlogging incidents in this area between 2011 and 2021. This paper examines the flood risks and identifies parameters that exploit the vulnerability of an area to pluvial flooding, using the case of Kamla Market Circle in the central district of Delhi. It is a densely populated area in the district that has recently become prone to stormwater flooding. The research employs a literature study and field surveys to investigate these factors. The key parameters analysed, such as the degree of urbanisation, shifts in land-use, the capacity and performance of the stormwater drainage system, usage patterns by the local community, and the microtopography of the Kamla Market Circle, may have collectively contributed to the area's heightened vulnerability to pluvial flooding. The findings show that drainage inefficiencies and disruptions to the natural slope due to altered microtopography are the most critical contributors to recurring water accumulation. Moreover, informal modifications to streetscapes and inadequate waste management exacerbate localised flooding. A few context-specific interventions, such as improving surface permeability and regular drainage maintenance, are briefly discussed. This paper presents potential mitigation strategies to address the identified pluvial flood risks in the Kamla Market Circle of Delhi. By offering a comprehensive understanding of the area's flood vulnerabilities, the research aims to support the development of effective, location-specific flood management approaches for this high-risk urban zone.

Urban expansion and industrial development are pivotal drivers of climate change, amplifying greenhouse gas emissions and altering both local and global climate systems. Rapid urbanization is linked to increased energy consumption, urban heat island effects, and changing precipitation patterns, as seen in metropolitan areas such as Bursa and Baghdad. While industrial growth promotes economic advancement, it significantly elevates carbon emissions, often surpassing mitigation efforts. Land-use policies that favor automobile-centric growth further intensify transportation emissions, undermining technical solutions. To examine these interconnected dynamics, this study adopts a conceptual and theoretical approach, developing an analytical framework to assess how energy systems, transportation networks, and land-use patterns influence emissions and climate vulnerability. Emphasizing systemic linkages rather than isolated elements, the analysis reveals that industrial expansion accelerates carbon emissions beyond current mitigation capacities, while urban sprawl heightens heat island effects. Although practical implementation is constrained by socio-economic and governance barriers, conceptual modeling suggests that integrated land-use strategies, low-carbon infrastructure, and adaptive urban planning could substantially reduce climate risks. These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive policies that address both immediate and long-term consequences. Transitioning toward decarbonized economies, sustainable urban planning, and diversified energy portfolios is critical to ensuring environmental resilience in an increasingly urbanized world.