Abstract

Saltmarshes are critical ecosystems that play key roles in biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, providing multiple ecological and economic values essential for sustainable development. Yet, saltmarshes are threatened by human activities and sea-level rise (SLR). Long-term restoration and management strategies are necessary but often hindered by an insufficient understanding of the past, present, and future processes that influence tidal wetland functionality and change. Since understanding vegetation distribution in relation to elevation and tidal hydroperiod generally forms the basis of tidal wetland restoration strategies, this research investigated the relationships between micro-topography, tidal hydroperiod, and the distribution of saltmarshes, mangroves, and unvegetated flats in a tropical estuary situated within a Great Barrier Reef Catchment in North Queensland, Australia. We used a combination of high-resolution unattended-aerial-vehicle (UAV)- derived digital elevation model (DEM) and land cover coupled with 2D hydrodynamic modelling to investigate these aspects. We found overlapping distribution across elevation, highlighting that zonation was more complex than strict zonation patterns generally recognised in restoration and legislation. In addition, although each type of tidal wetland cover had distinct mean hydroperiods, and elevation and hydroperiods were strongly correlated, elevation explained only 15% of the variability in tidal wetland cover distribution. This finding implies that additional factors likely play a role in shaping tidal wetland cover zonation patterns in tropical tidal wetlands. These results hold significance as they underscore the need to exercise caution when applying oversimplistic explanations for the causality of tidal wetlands. The suitability of applying simplistic rules in management and restoration is likely to be context-dependent, as demonstrated in our study site. Contextual variabiltiy in environmental and biological factors may lead to different distribution patterns of tidal wetland components, and hence varying restoration and management success. This research also explored the potential effects of sea-level rise (SLR) on the tidal hydroperiods and connectivity of the study site. Our results showed that the inundation experienced by each tidal wetland cover may increase importantly if vegetation does not keep up with SLR. This underlines the importance of acquiring detailed spatio-temporally resolved data to enable the development of robust long-term and adaptive saltmarsh management strategies. This research highlights the uncertainties and complexities in understanding the processes influencing tropical tidal wetland functionality. Recognising these complexities is paramount for effectively managing and restoring tidal wetland ecosystems and, hence, maintaining their critical ecological and economic values.

Biography

I am a PhD candidate at James Cook University, Australia, and I have recently submitted my PhD on the eco-hydrological aspects of saltmarshes connectivity in tropical seascapes under the supervision of Assoc. Prof Nathan Waltham, Dr Jack Koci, and Dist. Prof Marcus Sheaves. Before doing a PhD, I completed my Bachelor of Marine Biology at James Cook University and in Hawaii at the University of Hilo. I then conducted my honours at James Cook University on the ecological connectivity of dry tropical freshwater streams under the supervision of Assoc. Prof Nathan Waltham and Dist. Prof Marcus Sheaves. During my studies, I have volunteered in Asia and Oceania while giving guest lectures and tutoring Bachelor and Master students. I am also supervising masters and honours theses. Overall, I have broad interests in tidal and freshwater aquatic ecosystem functioning, ecology and hydrology, as well as terrestrial and coastal ecosystem management, conservation, and restoration. I believe that multi-disciplinary collaboration and establishing strong links with communities and stakeholders are critical for successful long-term ecosystem management and restoration.

Abstract
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has reported that malnutrition elimination and people’s eating habits have the immense potential to alter the world food demand in 2050. Hence, strategists should incorporate the mentioned elements to properly manage the food industry. This paper aims to present a comprehensive model for integrating strategic and tactical decisions to manage a forward environmentally-friendly perishable food supply chain (FSC). In this paper, a new mathematical model is presented in that incorporates location-allocation decisions with sourcing, transportation, and scheduling decisions. A four echelon supply chain to fulfil the nutrient demand of customers and their quality requirements of both fresh and processed products are addressed in this paper. The applicability of plant-based dietary patterns to reduce malnutrition through sustainable supply chain management is illustrated. Initially, a new bi-objective mixed-integer non-linear programming model is provided and intended to minimize both the total costs and the cumulative environmental impacts, including soil degradation, water use, CO2 emissions, and fuel consumption. The nutritional requirements of each customer zone, meat consumption avoidance, and regional development are included as the social aspect of sustainability. Next, a Ɛ-constraint approach is applied to obtain Pareto points. In the end, a real numerical example considering a reduced plant-based diet is analysed for further analysis and managerial insights.

Our proposed model can be employed by the government and non-profit organizations when the salient purpose is to ameliorate the irreparable effects of malnutrition. The model can provide the food sector managers with valuable insights into designing a greener, more responsive, and more profitable supply chain. The resultant managerial insights after solving the proposed model for a real case study are 1) The importance of agricultural production to building a sustainable food system cannot be overemphasized; 2) For managers to alleviate malnutrition while minimizing costs and environmental burdens, the product’s nutrient profile is of a higher priority regardless of its deteriorating speed; 3) Improving the nutritional value of processed products seems to be more effective than establishment and manufacturing costs to ensure the selection of processed products in diets; and 4) Dietary diversity can be achieved by incurring a 14% increase in total costs.

Biography
I’m Shima Yekkehbash Heidari, born in 1996, Shiraz, Iran. I am currently a PhD student at Cardiff University, UK. I have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering (Shiraz University of Technology), a master’s degree in Logistics and Supply Chain (University of Tehran) and a second master’s degree in social science research methods in business and management from Cardiff university. My research mostly centers around sustainable operations management considering perishability or emerging technologies to address global crises.