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The purpose of this study was to uncover the impact of social media in supporting environmental conservation (EC) in protected areas.

The study has employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches of a cross-sectional type with simple random and purposive sampling were followed. Primary and secondary data sources were also entertained. A total of 146 observations were used in the analysis. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to measure the impact of social media.

The result revealed user-generated content and ease of language were significant in explaining EC. Environmental activism and social media usage shall be enhanced with environmental concerns (EnvCs) and objectives.

This is s an original research that tried to address the impact social media on EC and its dimensions in Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve. Unlike the research studies so far, this research attempted to uncover the impact of each social media element's impact on each EC dimensions. Besides, the impact of social media element is also assessed on EC as a construct in general. Thus, it will be helpful for policy makers, government and destination management organizations and other stakeholders to identify the areas which should be promoted and areas that need intervention.

Along with the varied values of heritages which are rationale for their safeguarding, sustainable conservation and tourism development have become central agendas in the field of heritage management in contemporary world. This study attempts to elaborate such interconnected issues at Mandeba Monastery, emphasizing not only cultural heritages but also mutually reflecting on natural features which are integral part of the monastery.

Interviewing and systematic observation alongside secondary sources were used to generate data which were analyzed thematically.

Being a site for incredible collections, Mandeba maintained a tradition of not only heritage conservation and benevolent communal interaction but also of ecological sustainability. The rich collections together with its spectacular location on the shore of Lake Tana enable Mandeba to have highly noticeable tourism potentials. However, Mandeba encounters such challenges as inadequate museum, safety and security problems, lack of sufficient budget, professional, parasitic animal damages, weak promotion and lack of tourist facilities which hamper both conservation and tourism development on the site, which need to be tackled for the overall improvement of the monastery.

This research is original, presenting the ground knowledge and practice regarding the relationship between heritage conservation on the one hand, and local livelihood, environmental management and tourism sustainability on the other hand, with regard to the immovable cultural/religious heritage site of Mandeba Medahinealem Monastery.

“Fake news” or misinformation sharing using social media sites into public discourse or politics has increased dramatically, over the last few years, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic causing concern. However, this phenomenon is inadequately researched. This study examines fake news sharing with the lens of stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, uses and gratification theory (UGT) and big five personality traits (BFPT) theory to understand the motivations for sharing fake news and the personality traits that do so. The stimuli in the model comprise gratifications (pass time, entertainment, socialization, information sharing and information seeking) and personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness and neuroticism). The feeling of authenticating or instantly sharing news is the organism leading to sharing fake news, which forms the response in the study.

The conceptual model was tested by the data collected from a sample of 221 social media users in India. The data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling to determine the effects of UGT and personality traits on fake news sharing. The moderating role of the platform WhatsApp or Facebook was studied.

The results suggest that pass time, information sharing and socialization gratifications lead to instant sharing news on social media platforms. Individuals who exhibit extraversion, neuroticism and openness share news on social media platforms instantly. In contrast, agreeableness and conscientiousness personality traits lead to authentication news before sharing on the social media platform.

This study contributes to social media literature by identifying the user gratifications and personality traits that lead to sharing fake news on social media platforms. Furthermore, the study also sheds light on the moderating influence of the choice of the social media platform for fake news sharing.

This study provides empirical evidence of the economic valuation of ecosystem services. It examines the willingness-to-pay (WTP) and compensating surplus (CS) in response to policy change based on focus group discussion (FGD) and survey.

A randomized conjoint analysis based experiment was conducted in seven villages of Sundarbans in Bangladesh to elicit stated preference data and measure WTP and CS. Each respondent faced three options in every choice card-two hypothetical alternatives and one status quo scheme. Four alternatives – payment for ecosystem services, storm protection, erosion control and habitat for fish breeding – are randomly and simultaneously assigned to the two alternatives.

The findings suggest that age, income, education, family size and occupational status are the influential factor to choice the relevant attributes of ecosystem services and their levels. Villagers would like to pay annually Tk. 703, Tk. 281, and Tk. 59 for lower, moderate, and higher ecosystem services. With these WTP, they get surplus Tk. 760, Tk. 138, and Tk. 346 respectively.

The lower WTP does not necessarily imply low demand for ecosystem service, as the findings from WTP illustrate potential demand for ecosystem services of Sundarbans.

The study provides an important insight into the ecosystem services and values of Sundarbans mangrove forests for welfare and can inform policy for sustainable use of resources of this forest.

There is a crucial gap in understanding what could villagers be ready for WTP for better ecosystem services of Sundarbans mangrove forest, how do payment based ecosystem services, as a proxy for the conservation of Sundarbans mangrove, and to what extent the policy can be strengthened.