During the summer season 2018 and 2019, natural hazards (namely, floods and wildfires) have occurred at some of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece, endangering tourists' safety and vacation quality. These have influenced tourists' perception of Greece as a "potentially risky destination, “causing a decrease in the number of tourists willing to visit this country. However, the current study assumes that some tourists will show more courageous travel behavior in the aftermath of natural hazards, while others will remain cautious when deciding to travel to risky destinations. Therefore, the questionnaire on a sample group of 431 respondents from Serbia and Romania was conducted to explore the factors influencing such differences. The study aims to explore whether tourists' individual characteristics influence tourism worries and tourist behavior based on perceived risks. The study also intends to analyze the moderating role of tourists' nationality, considering the relationship between personality and tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. The findings provide evidence that not only tourists’ personality but also sociodemographic characteristics influence tourism worries and tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. Additionally, the study is the first to explore and confirm the role of nationality in tourist behavior based on the perceived risk, as well as the moderation role of nationality in regression between tourist’s personality and behavior based on the perception of risk. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the paper.
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a useful tool in decision-making for most businesses that opt for sustainability and offers the possibility to compare different products, processes, and value chain scenarios, both real and hypothetical. Coupled with S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), the LCA has a great potential in using available data for existing mining sites in the North-East Region of Romania to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of certain sustainability measures on a local and regional level. The article will explore this approach of combining the two methodologies: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), with necessary adjustments according to the characteristics of the local mining activities, to show key investment areas that can improve the value chain of copper exploitation and preparation in the mining perimeter Mănăila. The case of the copper mine in Mănăila offers a great opportunity to apply the current LICYMIN (Life Cycle of Mining) research and to use available Ecoinvent data for the copper ore by comparing the current value chain scenario with a proposed scenario that includes a different location for a mining ore preparation unit, closer to the quarry. The results will give an insight into the potential social and economic impact (the measure can translate into a higher local employment rate, better social stability, lower transportation costs, etc.) as well as the environmental impact (reduction of GHG emission, pollution, and energy efficiency) of the suggested changes.
The communist mining industry has been one of the main pillars of Romania's state economy. The problems resulted from what was at the time a highly unsustainable state program constitutes the main motivation to investigate the possible consequences of Romania's economic past. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that without serious measures, pollution continues to persist in abandoned mining areas. In order to achieve this, the quality of the environment around two mining sites with similar characteristics has been evaluated. The difference between the two sites consists of a mine water treatment plant at the Mestecăniș unit, as opposed to the mine water being directly discharged into the main stem watercourse in Isipoaia-the Isipoaia Creek. In evaluating the impact, data from the Environmental Protection Agency, SC CARTEL BAU SA Cluj Napoca, S.C. CONVERSMIN SA, was used. Two impact evaluation methods were used: a quantitative method by calculating the global pollution index (GPI) and a qualitative method with the help of the Leopold matrix, adapted to the specificities of the mining activity. This comparative impact assessment is the first of its kind for the mining area and emphasizes the urgent need for a re-evaluation of the other 39 similar mining perimeters by prioritizing and speeding up the ecological rehabilitation measures. This raises the question of what solutions are best fitted to capitalize on and to further utilize the slurry resulted from the treatment of mine waters performed for the closing of the life cycle of the mining product.
In Romania there is a legislation that regulates different aspects of the protection and administration of natural areas- from the way they are being established to the way permissible activities in and around these areas are being regulated. Nevertheless, based on studies released by different interested forums, the core issue has been identified to be the poor informing of the population concerning the importance of protecting the biodiversity and its role in ensuring a support system of life and in developing socio-economical systems. The presence of the inhabitants on the natural areas and the activities they conduct have a great impact on the natural environment, thus making their involvement in protecting the biodiversity extremely important. The general public needs to become more aware of the fact that the preservation of nature does not constitute a unique, self-defeating purpose, that requires the saccrifice of all means, and that the presence of a reservation in their community could lead to a highly beneficial sustainable development, both socially and economically as a result of increasing financial stability for the local population. Throughout this process of communication/ awareness raising/ ecological education, a key role is being played by the environmental non-governmental organizations that, through their misison, can be more visible and more efficient in achieving the purpose of making the public aware and thus creating a responsible behaviour and a direct involvement in protecting and administrating the natural areas.
The social, economic and environmental effects of the mining activities on the surrounding human communities, specifically after the cessation of such profile units without undertaking the necessary safety and greening measures, are rarely analysed in our country. The modifications in quality and capacity of economic use of the abandoned mining perimeters after the cessation of activity, corroborated with the pressure exercised by the citizens to re-establish the ownership rights, with the impact on the general state of health and security of the local population, are only some of the forms of social impact these areas have. In the Suceava County there are over 15 abandoned mining sites in populated areas. The present paper will address these issues in critical areas in the Suceava County and will present the forms of risk these areas pose on the health and safety of the surrounding human communities, most of which are due to the lack of measures meant to reduce the ecological impact of the mining sites after their abandonment.
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