Ofri Manne, Prof. Edo Bar-Zeev, Prof. Ofir Rubin (p)

The Gulf of Aqaba’s (GoA) coral reef ecosystem, one of the northernmost and most thermally resilient reef systems worldwide, faces growing anthropogenic threats, including a planned desalination plant in Jordan. This study applies the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate the non-use value of coral reef conservation in the GoA, comparing Israeli and Jordanian populations. A representative sample of Israeli and Jordanian non-users was surveyed regarding their willingness to pay (WTP) an annual voluntary donation to dedicated national reef conservation funds. The analysis employed a Heckman two-step selection model to account for zero bids, thereby reducing selection bias and yielding more inclusive estimates of public support.
The results indicate substantial national non-use values, estimated at approximately $87.2 million annually in Israel and $36.6 million in Jordan. Motivational patterns differ across countries: Israeli respondents expressed stronger bequest values, emphasizing intergenerational responsibility, while Jordanian respondents demonstrated higher existence values, reflecting spiritual and cultural reverence for nature. These findings suggest that public support for conservation is shaped by distinct ideological and cultural contexts, even within a shared ecological system. The study contributes methodologically by integrating protest-bid correction within a cross-border valuation framework and substantively by revealing how cultural orientations influence conservation preferences. Policy implications include tailoring conservation messaging to national value structures, emphasizing stewardship for future generations in Israel and spiritual respect for nature in Jordan to enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of transboundary reef protection. More broadly, this approach underscores the importance of culturally informed strategies in environmental policy for ecologically continuous yet socially diverse regions.

Dr. Milda Damkuvienė, Sigitas Balčiūnas, Dr. Jurgita Joniškienė, Dr. Jūratė Valuckienė (p), Dr. Evandželina Petukienė, Dr. Martynas Kazlauskas, Dr. Ingrida Šaulienė

Urban parks represent critical socio ecological spaces for mitigating biodiversity loss, enhancing ecosystem services (ES), and supporting nature based solutions (NBS) within cities operating under increasing environmental constraints. Understanding how residents perceive and value ES, as well as what motivates them to participate in ES co creation, is essential for integrating community perspectives into spatial planning frameworks aligned with planetary boundaries. This study investigates the relationships between citizens’ environmental worldviews, their perceived value of ES provided by urban parks, and their intentions to engage in ES value creation in the city of Šiauliai, Lithuania.
A large scale survey was conducted among city residents (N = 1064), capturing three core dimensions: (1) perceived value of ES delivered by urban parks—including cultural, regulating, and supporting services; (2) environmental worldviews, operationalised through ecocentric and anthropocentric orientations; and (3) behavioural intentions to participate in ES value creation. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to examine the dominant pathways among these constructs and to quantify both direct and mediated effects.
The results demonstrate that both ecocentric and anthropocentric worldviews positively predict perceived ES value. This finding suggests that valuing urban nature is not exclusive to ecocentric perspectives; citizens motivated by human centred benefits also recognize the importance of ES in urban parks. Furthermore, perceived ES value emerged as the most influential predictor of intentions to participate in ES value creation, exerting a substantially stronger effect than either worldview orientation. The SEM analysis indicates that the influence of worldviews on participation intentions operates primarily through perceived ES value, highlighting the mediating role of perception based mechanisms in shaping pro environmental civic engagement.
These findings advance the understanding of socio-psychological drivers relevant to urban ES governance and provide evidence for designing spatial planning and NBS strategies that more effectively integrate public participation. Strengthening communication about the multifunctional benefits of urban green spaces may serve as a key intervention to mobilise residents and support sustainable urban space management practices. The study offers empirically grounded insights for municipalities seeking to foster resilient urban ecosystems through participatory approaches.

Keywords: perceived ecosystem service value, environmental worldviews, intentions to participate in ES value co-creation

Dr. Dionysis Latinopoulos (p), Nicos Komninos, Anastasia Panori

Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted as effective responses to urban challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, and quality-of-life issues. Despite their growing recognition, their large-scale implementation remains limited, primarily due to financial, institutional, and governance constraints. A core challenge lies in the fact that NBS generate multiple environmental, social, and economic benefits that function as public goods. These benefits are shared across many stakeholders and therefore cannot be easily captured through conventional revenue streams. Thus, many relevant projects remain dependent on short-term public funding, with limited pathways for long-term financial sustainability.
This paper presents findings from the ReGenWest project, focusing on the identification of financial opportunities, barriers, and business models for NBS interventions, within the urban regeneration of the railway station district of Thessaloniki. The analysis is based on a systematic assessment of how NBS projects may create and deliver value, how costs are structured, and how financing and governance arrangements influence implementation. Particular attention is paid to the applicability of these projects within the Greek institutional and regulatory framework. In doing so, the work highlights the multifunctional value of NBS and addresses the persistent investment gap associated with their public-good nature.
On this basis, the study develops a structured business model template grounded in established NBS business model frameworks. This template is applied to produce a set of intervention-specific business model profiles (cards), ranging from public space greening and tree planting to permeable pavements and net-zero buildings. Each resulting profile synthesises key elements of value creation, delivery, and capture, as well as indicative cost categories, financing mechanisms, and implementation enablers and barriers. The interventions are further grouped into five business model categories based on their spatial context and dominant financing logic: "public space interventions", "private space interventions", "public–private hybrid solutions", "multi-tenant building solutions", and "renewable energy solutions".
The findings underline that successful implementation depends on combining public funding with private and community contributions through blended and hybrid financing approaches. In the Greek context, reliance on EU and national funding, together with long-term operation and maintenance costs, underscores the importance of political support, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive governance. In this context, theoretical business model concepts can be translated into practical, context-specific tools, thereby helping bridge the gap between strategic planning and implementation. The proposed approach offers a transferable framework for compact Mediterranean cities seeking to integrate NBS into urban regeneration strategies in a financially credible and socially supported manner.

Ms Itsaso Lopetegui (p), Ikerne del Valle

This paper examines the relationships between diversity, downside risk, price dynamics, and technical efficiency across 23 EU fisheries sub-ecosystems, each representing the fishing activity of a member-state within the broader EU marine ecosystem. Diversity is measured using the Berger–Parker, Simpson, Shannon, and Concentration Ratio indices, which capture species dominance, dependency, and structural resilience across sub-ecosystems and over time.

Downside risk is assessed through a left-tail financial indicator that estimates the probability of extreme negative outcomes in fisheries. This serves as a sub-ecosystem level proxy for the inherent risk in fishing activities, providing an empirical and probabilistic measure of worst-case losses, which is crucial for understanding the economic vulnerability of these fisheries. Risk is first computed at the species level within each sub-ecosystem and subsequently aggregated into a weighted sub-ecosystem risk measure. Analogous leader-risk and top‑five weighted risk indicators are derived to evaluate whether vulnerability is concentrated in a small set of species or distributed across a wider portfolio.

Price dynamics constitute the economic dimension of the analysis. For each sub-ecosystem, we compute a weighted average landing price as an aggregate measure of its economic value, reflecting species composition and market relevance. Leader prices and top‑five weighted prices are also calculated to assess value concentration and to determine whether economic performance is driven by a few high-value species or supported by a diversified structure.

Technical efficiency is evaluated using a Cobb–Douglas stochastic production frontier and a bias-corrected Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) incorporating environmental variables. The DEA employs a double-bootstrap procedure to obtain consistent efficiency scores under both input- and output-oriented models.

A central objective of the study is to examine whether diversity, risk, prices, and efficiency differ significantly across sub-ecosystems and evolve over time. Using ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests, we assess spatial and temporal heterogeneity in ecological conditions, economic valuation, and production performance. Theoretically, lower diversity increases concentration, dominance, and dependency on a small number of species, thereby raising ecological and financial vulnerability. Likewise, efficiency-enhancing strategies may reduce diversification, potentially amplifying revenue variability and downside risk. Our empirical results reveal marked differences in diversity, risk exposure, and price structures across EU fisheries, offering insights that contrast or align with theoretical expectations. These findings provide a basis for targeted policy interventions aimed at strengthening the long‑term sustainability and economic stability of the fishing sector.

Susana Suárez Paniagua (p)

This study aims to examine the negative environmental externalities produced by industrial parks and warehouses in the Bajío region of Guanajuato, Mexico, as a consequence of their expansion driven by nearshoring, a strategy that has emerged as a strong trend in the reconfiguration of global value chains. The methodology employed includes a review of theoretical frameworks on globalization, nearshoring, regional competitiveness, and environmental externalities, particularly those that establish a relationship between industrial processes, their negative environmental impacts, and the generation of negative environmental externalities—that is, impacts on people who do not directly participate in these economic activities and who are not compensated for them. Furthermore, it adopts the direct method for valuing environmental externalities, which involves using data on: changes in land use, soil degradation, overexploitation of water resources, water pollution, generation of hazardous or special handling waste, as well as on processes associated with externalities such as: increased land prices, loss of control over natural resources by local inhabitants, and abandonment of agriculture. The data obtained comes from documentary sources and relates to the location of industrial parks and warehouses (considering their area of influence), and therefore cartographic information is presented. Analysis of this information reveals the environmental repercussions of nearshoring through the expansion of industrial parks and warehouses for local communities, as well as the challenges the region faces in achieving sustainable development.