This study aims to develop purple-coloured polymeric coatings using natural anthocyanin and desoxyanthocianidins (3-DXA) colourants for application to chocolate almonds. The objective is to achieve a stable and uniform colour formulation throughout processing and storage, enhancing the appearance and durability of the almonds to appeal to health-conscious consumers and align with market demands. Plant materials like sweet potato pulp, sweet potato peel, radish peel, black carrot, and sorghum were employed to obtain the desired purple hue. Anthocyanidins and 3-DXA were extracted from the matrices using solvent extraction and ultrasound-assisted methods at different pH values. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) were used to identify the compounds in the extracts. The highest antioxidant capacities, as measured by the DPPH• and FRAP methods, were observed in purple sweet potato and dye factory extracts, respectively; meanwhile, sorghum extract inhibited both α-amylase and α-glucosidase, indicating its potential for managing postprandial hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. The degradation kinetics of coloured coatings in sugar syrup formulations with anthocyanins and 3-DXA revealed that locust bean gum offered the best colour stabilization for plant extracts, with sorghum extracts showing the highest and black carrot extracts the lowest colour variation when coated with Arabic gum. Sweet potato pulp extracts exhibited less colour variation in sugar pastes, both with and without blue spirulina dye, compared to factory dye, highlighting their potential as a more stable and suitable alternative for colouring purple almonds, particularly over a five-month storage period. This study supports sustainable practices in the confectionery industry while aligning with consumer preferences for healthier and environmentally friendly products.

Our world has had difficulty meeting humans\' needs in recent years. To ensure that the world can sustain its inhabitability and self-sufficiency in terms of natural resources, it is required to make the total amount of biocapacity areas equal to or higher than the ecological footprint. An analytical study has been carried out to remedy the biocapacity deficit by utilizing this information for Turkey and then these areas are optimized with heuristic optimization techniques. As a result, Artificial Bee Colony provides better objective function results (fewer errors) compared to Particle Swarm Optimization and Global Optimization Method Based on Clustering and Parabolic Approximation in terms of minimum, maximum, average value, and standard deviation. The rates of change according to the current situation of the biocapacity areas in 2016 are 277.97 %, 30.28 %, -29.28 %, 14.97 %, and -44.85 % for cropland, grazing land, forestland, fishing grounds, and built-up land, respectively. Depending on the population growth, these rates should additionally change by 83.24 %, -0.69 %, 3.97 %, 6.22 %, and -14.24 % respectively in 2050. The developed model can be used in industry or within the frame of government development policy and thus the balance between ecological footprint and biocapacity can be kept under control.

The Agro-Pastoral Zone of Northern China (AZNC) is an ecologically fragile zone. It is a challenge to create scientifically sound plans for environmental conservation and agro-pastoral development due to the lack of future evolution prediction, and analysis of biocapacity (BC) and landscape characteristics. Using the Globeland30 dataset from 2000 to 2020, this study simulated 2030 land use/land cover (LULC) scenarios, and analyzed the future evolution of BC and landscape patterns. The results show that: (1) The Logistic and CA-Markov models can reasonably simulate the LULC changes in the research area, with ROC indices over 0.9 and Kappa approaching 0.805, after considering the driving factors such as physical geography, regional climate, and socio-economic development. (2) From 2000 to 2030, the spatial distribution pattern of LULC does not change significantly, and cultivated land, grassland, and forest are still the dominant land types in the research area. The regional BC exhibits an increasing trend (+4.55 × 106 gha/a), and the spatial distribution pattern of BC is similar to that of LULC. (3) Changes in land miniaturization, landscape fragmentation, and decreased aggregation can be seen in the entire AZNC and specific land categories, including cultivated land, grassland, and forest. The study provides suggestions for formulating the AZNC\'s future ecological protection and agro-pastoral development strategies, and guidance for the LULC simulation in other agro-pastoral zones.

Latin America experiences an increasing urban primacy index and a rapid expansion of the financial system, putting direct pressure on the demand for resources to satisfy the consumption of large cities. We investigate the convergence of per capita biocapacity in 16 Latin America countries and evaluate the factors that influence its evolution over time. Specifically, we analyze the impact of the urban primacy index, economic progress, and the financial globalization index on the convergence of per capita biocapacity. We use the methodological framework developed by Phillips and Sul Econometrica 75:1771-1855, (2007) to analyze the convergence and the formation of convergence clubs of biocapacity during 1970-2017. The findings indicate that the countries of the region do not share a common trend of biocapacity, although they are grouped into five converging clubs. Biocapacity transition analysis reveals that countries have heterogeneous transition pathways between them. Using marginal effects, we find that the urban primacy index and economic progress reduce the biocapacity. The effect of the financial globalization index on biocapacity is not conclusive. The quantile regressions reveal that quantiles\' impact of the urban primacy index and financial globalization on per capita biocapacity is heterogeneous. However, the effect of economic progress on biocapacity that predominates among quantiles is positive. The adoption of common policies among the countries that form the converging clubs could improve the effectiveness of pro-environmental policies and promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to environmental quality.

Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounting is a widely-used ecological accounting framework which tracks human demand against the biosphere\'s rate of regeneration. However, current national assessments do not yet include carbon-dense peatlands, hindering the evaluation of peatland biocapacity contributions. Also, the economic efficiency of peatland restoration is understudied and needed to inform land use decisions. We provide the first assessment of Scotland\'s biocapacity and add peatlands as a novel land type. We then project the biocapacity impacts in 2050 of current peatland restoration targets and various alternative management scenarios. Finally, we estimate the cost per tonne of greenhouse gas abated of various peatland restoration scenarios, and compare this with estimates of afforestation mitigation costs from the literature. Our results show that Scotland\'s per-person biocapacity exceeds the UK average by a factor of three. However, despite covering 25% of land area, peatland biocapacity increases Scotland\'s biocapacity total by only 2%, while the Carbon Footprint of degraded peatlands increases Scotland\'s ecological deficit by 40%. Current peatland restoration targets of the Scottish Government are estimated to reduce the national ecological deficit by only 9% in 2050. The cost-effectiveness of peatland restoration is context-dependent, and extremely cost-effective methods are applicable to peatland areas far exceeding current government restoration targets. Our findings provide land managers with evidence in favour of increased peatland restoration, both in terms of boosting biocapacity, and economic cost-effectiveness.

Many countries encounter environmental imbalance where the ecological footprint is higher than biocapacity due to natural resource-induced economic growth. This paper focuses on Saudi Arabia, a prominent oil exporter, to assess the dynamic impact of oil extraction on ecological footprint and biocapacity by applying the quantile on quantile (QQ) approach. This empirical investigation demonstrates that a higher quantile of oil extraction is negatively associated with a lower quantile of ecological footprint; conversely, a lower quantile of oil extraction and a higher quantile of ecological footprint are positively associated. Additionally, a lower quantile of oil extraction and lower quantile of biocapacity are negatively associated. The empirical analysis confirms that oil extraction is somewhat less responsible higher score of ecological footprint due to efficient management in oil extraction and refinery process. Several policy implications of these findings are highlighted.

Human beings are not only a part of our planet\'s ecosystems, but also, they are massively overusing them. This makes ecosystem protection, including biodiversity preservation, vital for humanity\'s future. The speed and scale of the threat are unprecedented in human history. The long arch of evolution has been confronted with such a high level of human impact, that we are now facing the sixth mass extinction event, 66 million years after the last one. This threat heightens the imperative for bold human intervention. Our paper identifies three strategies for such an intervention. First, and possibly most challenging, human demand needs to be curbed so it fits within the bounds of what Earth\'s ecosystems can renew. Without meeting this quantitative goal, biodiversity preservation efforts will not be able to get scaled. Second, in the transition time, we must focus on those locations and areas where most biodiversity is concentrated. Such a focus on \'hotspots\' will help safeguard the largest portion of biodiversity with least effort. Third, to direct biodiversity preservation strategies, we need to much better document the existence and distribution of biodiversity around the globe. New information technologies could help with this critical effort. In conclusion, biodiversity preservation is no longer just a concern for specialized biologist but is becoming a societal necessity if humanity wants to have a stable future.

The long-run effect of the synergy between natural resource consumption and environmental sustainability varies across countries depending on the economic structure. However, the transboundary effect of natural resource capital underscores the importance of environmental convergence. Here, we map ecological performance, biocapacity, and carbon footprint of nations. We assess the socio-economic drivers of environmental performance and convergence using novel cross-country time series techniques. We find that the expansion of biocapacity of nations has an ameliorating effect on ecological performance. The hotspot countries of environmental performance include Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, and the US. We confirm the existence of environmental convergence across nations - implying that the disparity in carbon and ecological footprint between higher-income and lower-income countries will converge in the long-run. This accentuates the need for global partnership towards achieving environmental sustainability.

The Ecological Footprint is defined as the ecological impact caused by human activities, such as agriculture, fishing, raising livestock, and building infrastructure. A high level of Ecological Footprint index is linked to high consumption of natural resources, which causes a negative impact on the environment. Few studies analyze the Ecological Footprint and its determinants considering the effects of neighboring countries. Therefore, we research whether the Ecological Footprints of 158 countries are spatially correlated, as well as their determinants. We retrieve the data from the Global Footprint Network and the World Bank for ten years (2007-2016) and apply a dynamic spatial Durbin model. Unlike previous studies of spatial dependence, we estimate the direct, indirect and total effects of biocapacity, trade openness and GDP on the Ecological Footprint in the short-run and long-run horizons. Our results detect significant spatial effects. We find that biocapacity, trade openness and GDP increase the Ecological Footprint of countries, however, the former two exhibit significant indirect effects in both horizons while the latter one display significant direct effects. These effects account for a significant share of the variation of the Ecological Footprint. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results to academics and policymakers.

Population inequality and climate change are two of the factors that are most disruptive to the ecological balance; accordingly, there have been countless studies in recent years focusing on analysing the Ecological Footprint (EF) and Biocapacity (BC). The markedly disparate characteristics of African countries have motivated the choice of this geographic area as the focus of the research. First, this study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to calculate the efficiency of 45 African countries, taking their EF and country size as determinants of the level of production. Second, the effect of time on EF and BC is analysed using Ordinary Least Squares estimation, in order to determine possible trends in both variables and to draw conclusions that indicate the most appropriate environmental policies to adopt. The results reveal similar efficiency levels between one group of countries with ecological deficits and another with ecological surpluses. Also, the countries that have a deficit in terms of BC, but a level of resource consumption appropriate to their production volume, need to introduce technological advances that foster sustainable economic development, helping them to adapt to their existing BC. In addition, by incorporating innovative technologies, these countries should be able to transform their existing overpopulation problem into a potential labour force that fosters their sustainable growth.