This paper aims to investigate local communities’ participation in eco-tourism projects by using the community of Situ Cisanti located in Tarumajaya Village, West Java as a case. Data were gathered through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation analysis. Observations and in-depth interviews were conducted simultaneously for two months, from September to October 2021. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 informants from the elements; village government officials of Tarumajaya, Perhutani, and local communities who participated in the Situ Cisanti eco-tourism project, which was completed through a documents analysis. According to the findings, local community participation in Situ Cisanti eco-tourism consists of conservation and economic participation. Conservation participation is demonstrated by their participation in restoration and greening activities such as reforestation, etc. in Situ Cisanti and its surroundings, whereas economic participation is demonstrated by the establishment of stalls, culinary, coffee, souvenir, and homestay businesses as a result of Situ Cisanti eco-tourism. Furthermore, the existence of this eco-tourism has empowered women because new business opportunities that arise are not only run by men but also by women. As a result, this study implies that the participation of local eco-tourism communities not only has an impact on empowering conservation knowledge and economics, but it can also imply women empowerment.

Due to the short cost-effective heat transportation distance, the existing geothermal heating technologies cannot be used to develop deep hydrothermal-type geothermal fields situated far away from urban areas. To solve the problem, a new multi-energy source coupling a low-temperature sustainable central heating system with a multifunctional relay energy station is put forward. As for the proposed central heating system, a compression heat pump integrated with a heat exchanger in the heating substation and a gas-fired water/lithium bromide single-effect absorption heat pump in the multifunctional relay energy station are used to lower the return temperature of the primary network step by step. The proposed central heating system is analyzed using thermodynamics and economics, and matching relationships between the design temperature of the return water and the main line length of the primary network are discussed. The studied results indicate that, as for the proposed central heating system, the cost-effective main line length of the primary network can approach 33.8 km, and the optimal design return temperature of the primary network is 23 ℃. Besides, the annual coefficient of performance and annual energy efficiency of the proposed central heating system are about 3.01 and 42.7%, respectively.

Good health and well-being are embedded in the 3rd Goal amongst the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The primary objective of this research was to identify the most critical economic, social, and administrative barriers to implementing the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. A sequential exploratory design and case study technique were used, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. In the first stage, in-depth interviews with 50 key officials were conducted to identify the most critical barriers to the EPI program. A quantitative analysis was then performed based on the results obtained from qualitative analysis, and rank orders of barriers were received from the same health department experts. The results indicate that twenty-eight barriers can cause implementation problems for this program. Still, the ten barriers that gained the maximum hits are the most important barriers, which include Shortage of vaccinators, mismanagement of vaccines’ cold chain, biometric android application, ice-lined refrigerators, communication gap, inadequate legislation of EPI program, capacity building issues with EPI staff, Misconceptions about EPI program, lack of awareness of the parents and community, refusal cases and inadequate cooperation of lady health workers (LHWs). Coordinated efforts of the government and the public are highly recommended to address these barriers.

The present paper discusses the case of the Madrid Nuevo Norte Project (MNNP) in order to examine the relation of this mega-project with the city’s sustainable development. For this reason, the study used a qualitative approach using semi-structural interviews with experts (Madrid’s town hall, Madrid State, and the program management office and other external) that relayed strongly with MNNP. The expert panel requirements are split in six expertise areas: sustainability, urban development, urban planning, government or public affairs, project management or Madrid Nuevo Norte (MNN) key stakeholders. The study highlighted the vital importance of MNNP as a flagship sustainable project for the rest of Europe, that meets sustainability criteria for contributing substantially in the improvement of the quality of life of final users and for the community in general. For instance, it contributes to the regeneration of the city’s degraded area, to the interconnection of an isolated part of the city and public transportation connection, improving the external image of Madrid. Despite of it, there are some challenges that should be carefully managed such as applying sustainable solutions from other cities not properly tailored to Madrid, housing pricing accessibility increase due to the lack of terrain in Madrid and the politization of the project as discussion topic between local parties. In this context, local authorities should give particular emphasis in complying with the principles of sustainability for improving the overall performance of MNNP, ensuring social justice and prosperity for the people of Madrid.

The national park with Chinese characteristics is the highest level of protection of a kind of natural protection, its establishment marks the park will implement the strictest ecological protection means. It is of great value to construct the utilization system of national park resources under the new natural protected area system in the new era to avoid the misunderstanding of “ecological protection only” and explore how to carry out the sustainable utilization of resources in the reform of national park system and mechanism. According to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Delphi method, the evaluation framework, indicators, reference standards and weights of resource utilization under the national park system were determined in combination with the requirements of constructing the protected natural area system and the total value of resource ecosystem services (including harvest value, existence value and future value). Based on the application research of Bawangling zone of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, the optimal resource utilization system in the future was proposed, and two optimization strategies of ecological adjustment of resource utilization system and construction of suitable resource utilization system were put forward.

This study provides empirical data on the impact of generative AI in education, with special emphasis on sustainable development goals (SDGs). By conducting a thorough analysis of the relationship between generative AI technologies and educational outcomes, this research fills a critical gap in the literature. The insights offered are valuable for policymakers seeking to leverage new educational technologies to support sustainable development. Using Smart-PLS4, five hypotheses derived from the research questions were tested based on data collected from an E-Questionnaire distributed to academic faculty members and education managers. Of the 311 valid responses, the measurement model assessment confirmed the validity and reliability of the data, while the structural model assessment validated the hypotheses. The study’s findings reveal that New Approaches to Learning Outcome Assessment (NALOA) significantly contribute to achieving SDGs, with a path coefficient of 0.477 (p < 0.001). Similarly, the Use of Generative AI Technologies (UGAIT) has a notable positive impact on SDGs, with a value of 0.221 (p < 0.001). A Paradigm Shift in Education and Educational Process Organization (PSEPQ) also demonstrates a significant, though smaller, effect on SDGs with a coefficient of 0.142 (p = 0.008). However, the Opportunities and Risks of Generative AI in Education (ORGIE) study did not find statistically significant evidence of an impact on SDGs (p = 0.390). These findings highlight the potential opportunities and challenges of using generative AI technologies in education and underscore their key role in advancing sustainable development goals. The study also offers a strategic roadmap for educational institutions, particularly in Oman to harness AI technology in support of sustainable development objectives.