The rapid surge in electronic devices has led to an exponential rise in electronic waste (e-waste), necessitating a robust strategy for its management. The Green Deal, within its overarching vision for sustainability, champions a circular economy and advocates for eco-friendly practices, encompassing e-waste management. In India, where the informal sector dominates e-waste handling, outdated methods and lack of regulation pose environmental and health hazards. This article examines the dichotomy between informal and formal e-waste management, exploring challenges faced by both sectors and proposing a cradle-to-cradle (C2C) model for sustainable collaboration. The aim of the research is to transform e-waste from a problem into an opportunity, envisioning a sustainable future in e-waste management. The research method involves the use of a rigorous approach using critical analysis and a comprehensive literature review to clarify the complexities in the field of electronic waste (e-waste) management. The synthesis of studies, from assessing enablers of e-waste management to evaluating circular economy models, provides valuable insights for stakeholders and policymakers. The study scrutinizes the existing infrastructure, discusses challenges, and proposes a strategic model bridging formal-informal e-waste management.

The impact of human behavior on the environment has caused climate and ecosystem changes over the past half century. Addressing environmental challenges through social innovations (SI) initiatives aim to achieve impacts beyond individual levels for the benefit of the general public. That is why tourists' environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB) studies are becoming more relevant, including regions of the Republic of Latvia. The aim of the study is to develop a conceptual model of environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) of tourists for the regions of Latvia. The research used KMO and BARLETT'S, Cohen's Kappa and Cronbach's alpha tests, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Principal Components Analysis, descriptive and Pearson correlation method. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, researches and the results of the survey of 383 respondents, in this paper the concept of the tourist ERB model in Latvia was developed. Model approbation indicated a mathematically higher positive correlation for female respondents over male respondents in all of the research factors, except for connection with gross income per month, when factor experience had a strong negative correlation (r = – 0.790).

Climate change and depopulation challenge regional sustainability through their negative effects on socioeconomic conditions. Given regional peculiarities in terms of geographical, economic, social, cultural, demographic, and environmental aspects, regions differ. As a result, the intensity of the possible negative effects provided by climate change and depopulation also differs across regions. A timely understanding of possible risks that have to be addressed through sustainable regional development policies allows for effective risk management. The article aims to characterise depopulation and climate change risks for the regions of Latvia. Within the article, the authors, first, elaborate long-term forecasts for population change by application of system dynamic modelling; second, characterise the climatic and environmental peculiarities of the regions in Latvia. The research findings introduce a wider audience of scientists and practitioners to possible risks for sustainable regional development in terms of climate change and depopulation. According to the data analysed, at the moment, for sustainable regional development in Latvia, depopulation is a greater risk than climate change. However, both risks have to be addressed through effective management.

The paper examines the regulatory framework of the European Union (EU) and Latvia regarding the achievement of the EU Green Deal goals, focusing on solutions for business in rural areas. The targets of the EU Green Deal are the ones on which several national strategic development plans are based. Each EU Member State creates its own strategic development policy and action plans; therefore, the states choose different paths for the realization of the common Green Deal in the national economy. Taking into account the slow course of Latvian economic development with low GDP growth and high average annual inflation, the EU Green Deal targets create additional challenges for the economy of Latvia. The purpose of this paper is to identify, by analysing regulatory documents, whether the EU Green Deal framework in Latvia favourably affects the development of companies, particularly micro-enterprises in rural areas. A balanced set of measures and support should be created in order to fulfilment the principles of the EU Green Deal in the operations of companies. Most likely, entrepreneurs will have to transform their business patterns, which will require significant investment. The theoretical research shows that Latvia has amended its policy documents as a whole in order to advance economic transformation in line with the objectives set by the EU Green Deal. However, they are not sufficiently adapted to support the transformation of business patterns of companies, particularly micro-enterprises in rural areas. The research sheds light on the fact that the national regulatory framework of the Green Deal of rural business development is inherently a complex topic, and targeted support requires policy development and clarification of regulations.

White mistletoe Viscum album L. is not a common species in the territory of Latvia, it is mostly distributed around the cities Preiļi (Eastern population) and Liepāja (Western population). The specific of the species is that it receives water and minerals from its host tree in a parasitic way, thus gradually destroying it. One of the factors in the prevalence of Viscum album is climate. During recent times the climate in the territory of Latvia is getting warmer every year. This is very noticeable in the winter. As a result Viscum album as a warm-loving species is slowly spreading. The main goal of the research was to evaluate the population of Viscum album and the response reaction of host trees in Eastern population in Latvia. Dendrometric indicators of host trees, meteorological data and wood samples of the host trees were needed for the development of the study, for which changes in annual tree-ring width and density of wood were further analyzed. Also in order to understand the significant differences between the tree-ring widths in exact seasons and the density of wood of affected and unaffected trees wood samples were collected from trees with no Viscum album on them. Conclusions show that the climate is getting warmer and the number of specimens of Viscum album has increased compared to previous period. Changes in the tree-rings width and wood density of the host tree are negatively directed.

The first observations of myrmecophilous ant cricket Myrmecophilus acervorum (Panzer, 1799) and the family Myrmecophilidae from Latvia are presented. The observations were made in two locations subject to flooding in springtime. Adult and juvenile female individuals were observed. The discussed records appear to be the northernmost known distribution limit of this species.

Beef cattle production is one of the important agricultural industries in rural areas, providing jobs and revenues for farmers as well as being part of the food system. Animal welfare requirements and various international and regional legal requirements need to be met to engage in beef production and trade. Therefore, the beef industry faces challenges posed by the Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Green Deal. The Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan of Latvia for 2023-2027 envisages a number of support measures to increase farm competitiveness and promote beef products in the market, develop agricultural processing and create a higher value added, focusing on organic farming and the preservation of permanent grassland areas, thereby increasing beef herd productivity and farm revenues. In the long term, however, there are significant risks to beef production and trade, as the introduction of high animal welfare standards of the European Union (EU) makes beef production more expensive, and the beef cannot compete with beef imports from third countries in terms of price. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both the costs of agricultural inputs and price fluctuations have increased, and the instability of the geopolitical situation has some influence as well. Price, and not quality, could become the key factor in the buyer’s choice in the market. Because of the constrained buying power of consumers and the rising costs of agricultural inputs, EU legal acts, incl. import procedures and support policies, should be amended to ensure a high quality of beef products. The present research aims to analyse the regulatory and institutional framework for beef cattle production and trade in Latvia. As at 1 July 2023, according to data from the Agricultural Data Centre, 394520 cattle were registered in Latvia; 14023 farms produced beef and dairy cattle, of which 1943 were organic farms with 86555 cattle, incl. 45931 beef cattle.

In Latvia, a unified forest management system was launched in 1923, in which a significant place was given also to forest typology. The article analyses the development of forest typology in Latvia over the past hundred years in connection with the structural-dynamic criteria and concepts of plant community classification in Europe, as well as with the guidelines of landscape ecology in Latvia (Riga Landscape Education School) in the 20th century. Based on the principles of plant community geography, we have delimited three distinct stages in forest typology according to the characteristics and criteria for identifying forest types: physiognomic-dynamic, genetic-edaphic and floristic-systemic, which change in a chronological sequence during the development of forest typology. In turn, the spatial mosaic of forest types in Latvia’s landscape depends on their location in the relief and the lithological composition of Quaternary sediments (lithomorphic series), which form the polyclimax structure of the landscape vegetation. The article analyses the etymology of the names of Latvian forest types. It is illustrated with forest type maps compiled in different years. [LAV] Latvijā 1923. gadā uzsāka vienotu mežu ierīcību, kurā nozīmīga vieta tika ierādīta arī meža tipoloģijai. Rakstā ir analizēta meža tipoloģijas attīstība Latvijā pēdējos simts gados saistībā ar augu sabiedrību klasifikācijas strukturāli-dinamiskiem kritērijiem un koncepcijām Eiropā, kā arī ar ainavu ekoloģijas pamatnostādnēm Latvijā (Rīgas ainavu mācības skola) 20. gs. Pamatojoties uz augu sabiedrību ģeogrāfijas principiem, meža tipoloģijā esam norobežojuši trīs, pēc meža tipu identificēšanas pazīmēm un kritērijiem atšķirīgus posmus: fizionomiski-dinamisko, ģenētiski-edafisko un floristiski-sistēmisko, kas hronoloģiski secīgi mainās meža tipoloģijas attīstības gaitā. Savukārt meža tipu telpiskā mozaīka Latvijas ainavā ir atkarīga no novietojuma tipa reljefā un kvartāra nogulumu litoloģiskā sastāva (litomorfās rindas), kas veido ainavas augāja poliklimaksa struktūru. Rakstā analizēta latvisko meža tipu nosaukumu etimoloģija, raksts ilustrēts ar dažādos gados sastādītajām meža tipu kartēm.

This study investigated the gill mucus of Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus) for the presence of antagonistic bacteria against known aquatic pathogens, Vibrio harveyi and Aeromonas hydrophila. Initial screening of 500 bacterial isolates via the spot-on-lawn and co-incubation assays, identified five with significant antagonistic activity, which were further subjected to morphological, enzymatic, biochemical, and molecular characterization. All five isolates were Gram-negative bacilli. Four isolates were identified as belonging to the Pseudomonas genus, a known probiont with documented biocontrol properties in various plant and animal species. The remaining isolate exhibited high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Aeromonas dhakensis, a known human pathogen. All isolates demonstrated the ability to produce at least three of six tested extracellular enzymes: catalase, amylase, protease, lipase, gelatinase, and urease. Given the observed antagonistic activity of these isolates, further research is warranted to evaluate their potential application as probiotics. This study represents the first investigation of antagonistic bacteria in swamp eel gill mucus and contributes to the limited research on fish gill mucus as a source of such bacteria.