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Biodiversity loss has become widespread since current rates are potentially catastrophic for species and habitat integrity, and the Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir (India) is not a distinctive case. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to elicit the willingness to pay (WTP) for biodiversity conservation of the Park.

A survey-based choice experiment method was carried out at the Dachigam National Park, an area that is threatened by several anthropogenic pressures. Attributes selected for analysis through choice experiments were endangered species, national park area, research and education opportunities the park withholds. To estimate WTP, a monetary variable involving an increase in entry fee was also incorporated. To obtain the estimates, the authors use the augmented conditional logit model.

WTP for the selected attributes per visitor turned out to be ₹302.07 for enhancing the population of endangered species, ₹121.91 for improvement in the park area and ₹171.64 for increasing research and education opportunities the park withholds.

Though the study uncovers very important aspects of evaluating the biological resources, albeit with some limitations. The study estimates WTP for biodiversity conservation using a conditional logit model, which is based on a specific area and population sample. It would be better if a broader sample is considered to trace out the findings for meaningful generalization. Besides, the results can be replicated for similar kinds of samples.

With the use of benefits transfer method, this study aims to provide policymakers with useful information to manage biodiversity attributes across the Himalayan region.

The main contribution of this study is to provide a critical understanding of the valuation to facilitate the concerned body for better planning and management of biological resources. The findings of the present study can be used as an indicator of the inherent economic importance of biological resources across the Himalayan range for their better management and conservation that can help in ensuring sustainable utilization of these resources.

Evaluating project success within the construction industry presents challenges due to the unique characteristics of the sector, the complexity of projects, and the involvement of diverse stakeholders. Conducting a bibliometric analysis, this paper aims to unravel the major research themes and methodologies utilised by researchers in studying the critical success criteria for construction projects, as well as extracting these success criteria.

The researchers systematically searched and screened 95 papers from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. This study conducted research focus parallelship network (RFPN) analysis and keywords co-occurrence network (KCON) analysis using BibExcel and Gephi to cluster the papers, illuminate the relationships among keywords within each cluster, and identify the primary research directions.

Using the RFPN analysis, this study classified the papers into three distinct clusters: infrastructure and public projects success, risk and knowledge management, and contractors and procurement management. Statistical techniques such as structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-criteria decision-making methods such as analytic hierarchy process (AHP) have been used to analyse project success in the construction industry.

Considering the intensified demand for streamlined digital interactions and the increasing emphasis on sustainability and safety performance, construction companies are recommended to allocate greater investments toward the automation and digitisation of their products and processes. Prioritising modular construction and embracing transformative technologies alongside data science is crucial for enabling well-informed decision-making, and enhancing project success.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by conducting a quantitative and systematic evaluation of the literature on project success criteria in the construction industry and uncovering key research areas. It addresses the pressing need to understand the complexities of construction projects amidst evolving industry dynamics and emerging disruptions. Moreover, by highlighting the implications of digital innovations and modular construction, this study urges deeper exploration into their impact on project performance and stakeholder satisfaction. This research sets a comprehensive framework for investigating the interplay between project complexity, technological advancements, and sustainable practices in the construction sector, paving the way for strategic advancements in the field.

The purpose of the study is to explore the bibliometric features of scientific publications in the area of domestic violence (an important global social problem) for the period 2011–2020; thus, enabling the scientific community to understand the research progress on the topic.

The data of the scientific publications were retrieved from the Scopus database. The keyword “Domestic Violence” was applied as a topic term to search articles published during the study period. The statistical analysis was conducted by using the RStudio and VOSviewer tools along with MS Excel.

A total of 11,899 scientific works were published during the study period. The annual percentage growth of publication in the area of domestic violence in the study period is 74.97%. The majority of the papers (74.72%) were published as journal articles. USA and UK have the highest numbers of scientific publications and citations. Together they account for more than half of the publications (58.38%) and citations (67 per pub). However, the highest average citation per publication has been recorded by Switzerland (34 per pub). Feder G. (UK) is the most cited author, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (Sage publications) has the highest number of publications, citations and source title impact ratio in the domain of domestic violence.

One can find numerous bibliometric studies in the domain of natural science, but not many studies have been conducted in the field of social sciences. In this light, the scientific community can gain from the bibliometric information regarding the scientific publications in the area of domestic violence, which is one of the dominant areas of study in social sciences.

The study will provide significant information on the trends of academic publications in the study area. It is one of the most comprehensive studies on domestic violence, which will aid the potential researchers in identifying the most prominent contributions, county-wise research distribution, author and journal productivity and other related indicators. The findings of the study will be also helpful to library authorities in reviewing and updating collection development policy.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze wind climate parameters and performance functions, on the basis of two years of data, and reliability of Pakistan’s first wind farm located at Jhimpir, Sindh.

The methodology covers assessment of wind climate parameters including wind variation at different hub heights, wind shear and diurnal wind shear. In addition, a performance assessment of a wind farm on the basis of technical and real availability, capacity factor and failure rate of mechanical and electrical components has been conducted. The Weibull method has been used for reliability analysis. The maintenance model is proposed for improving the performance. Last is about annual energy volume lost and of financial constraints’ assessment.

The monthly mean wind variation at heights of 80, 60 and 30 m was found to be 8, 6.9 and 5.9 m/s, respectively. The monthly mean wind shear coefficient was found to be 0.2419. The performance assessment of the wind farm includes technical and real availability, and the capacity factor was found to be 97, 90 and 35.5 per cent, respectively. The failure rate found in the first and second year was 8 and 14 per cent, respectively. Reliability decreased from the first year to the second year, i.e. 0.89 to 0.71 per cent. The components’ failure frequency rose to 57.2 per cent in the second year. The lost energy production due to electrical and mechanical failures was 27.241 GWh in two years that cost Pakistani Rs. 329.8m.

The results of the assessment show that a wind farm needs drastic maintenance strategies to maximize the its performance.

Reducing income gap and enhancing welfare of people can be achieved through improved performance regarding socio-economic indicators, which can support sustainable development. People living in villages tend to migrate to the cities with the hope of enhancing their income. People living in cities and income gap among the people in the cities are expected to increase further. Enhanced living conditions in villages can reduce the need for this migration and increase welfare of the people in the villages. This chapter aims to examine drivers for sustainable smart villages and ways for enhancing and supporting their effectiveness in socio-economic development, in enhancing welfare and living conditions of people living in villages, and in reducing income gap between urban and rural people. This chapter investigates potential and roles of sustainable and smart villages in enhancing welfare and living conditions of people living in villages. Furthermore, this chapter emphasises the villages’ roles in sustainable development as well as importance of transformation of villages into the sustainable and smart ones and establishment of sustainable and smart villages so that convergence, social inclusion and socio-economic indicators can be supported. This chapter explains drivers for transformation of the villages into the sustainable and smart ones as well as establishment of new sustainable and smart villages. This chapter provides recommendations for sustainable and smart villages effective in contributing to sustainable and socio-economic development. This chapter can be useful to urban planners, construction industry stakeholders, policy makers and researchers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a thermal power plant (TPP) by taking into consideration its key components, namely, boiler, turbine, conveyor and generator, which are handled by a human operator. It is well known fact that the continuous power generation through a power plant depends on the reliability/availability of its components.

The various performance measures of a TPP are obtained by using mathematical modeling, Markov process and supplementary variable technique.

Reliability, i.e. mean time to failure with respect to different components of a TPP, has been obtained and demonstrated with the help of graphs. Critical components of the system are identified through sensitivity analysis.

In the present paper, a mathematical model based on the functioning of a TPP has been developed. Conclusions in this paper are good references for the design of a TPP.

The construction of megaprojects often involves substantial risks. While insurance plays an important role as a traditional risk transfer means, owners and insurance companies may still suffer huge losses during the risk management process. Therefore, considering the strong motivation of insurance companies to participate in the on-site risk management of megaprojects, this study aims to propose a collaborative incentive mechanism involving insurance companies, to optimize the risk management effect and reduce the risk of accidents in megaprojects.

Based on principal-agent theory, the research develops the static and dynamic incentive models for risk management in megaprojects, involving both the owner and insurance company. The study examines the primary factors influencing incentive efficiency. The results are numerically simulated with a validation case. Finally, the impact of parameter changes on the stakeholders' benefits is analyzed.

The results indicate that the dynamic incentive model is available to the achievement of a flexible mechanism to ensure the benefits of contractors while protecting the benefits of the owner and insurance company. Adjusting the incentive coefficients for owners and insurance companies within a specified range promotes the growth of benefits for all parties involved. The management cost and economic benefit allocation coefficients have a positive effect on the adjustment range of the incentive coefficient, which helps implement a more flexible dynamic incentive mechanism to motivate contractors to carry out risk management to reduce risk losses.

This study makes up for the absence of important stakeholders in risk management. Different from traditional megaproject risk management, this model uses insurance companies as bridges to break the island effect of risk management among multiple megaprojects. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by designing appropriate dynamic incentive mechanisms in megaproject risk management through insurance company participation, and provides practical implications to both owner and insurance company on incentive contract making, thus achieving better risk governance of megaprojects.

A wetland is a place of tourist attraction, and tourism values play a key role in economic development. Among various services provided by a wetland, recreational services are increasingly valuable in the tourism sector. This paper aims to unfold the potential recreational values of the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

The study uses individual travel cost methods (TCMs) and assesses its impact on regional development in terms of income and employment generation. A sample of 200 tourists is selected through an on-site survey on Dal Lake, and the demand for recreational visits and its value is estimated by employing the truncated Poisson regression model (TPRM) and un-truncated Poisson regression model (UTPRM). The consumers' surplus is estimated and tourists' benefit to visiting the wetland is explored.

On average, estimated consumers' surplus per visitor is Rs 6,250 (US$96.15) and Rs 25,000 (US$384.61) from respective models. The annual total recreational value of the lake is accounted for Rs 1713m (US$ 26m). This high consumer surplus (CS) and recreational values of the lake indicate large demand for its recreational facilities.

The study is based on primary data and thus, is original. The paper has implications for the policymakers to formulate sustainable management plans for the proper use of Dal Lake and tourism development.

Social/physical distancing rules that resulted in the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have caused restrictions on national and international transportation. Since tourism activities are an industry based on transportation and travel, they have been affected negatively because of COVID-19. It has become necessary to create a contactless environment by leveraging technology to mitigate these negative impacts. smart transportation system (STS) applications have played a crucial role in enabling contact-free travel in providing the continuation of tourism activities in a controlled manner by utilizing information and communication technologies. Therefore, in this study, it was tried to determine whether STS applications are functional in ensuring the contactless transportation required in COVID-19 and in the face of possible future outbreaks. In this study, COVID-19 and STS terms are tried to be defined, and the importance of these two concepts in terms of tourism activities has been discussed considering their cause–effect relationship in line with the purpose of the research. STS applications have been determined to be the most appropriate approach in terms of carrying out controlled tourism activities in accordance with the social/physical distancing rules arising from COVID-19. According to the findings of the research, STS provides an opportunity for people to use contactless payments and purchase tickets online with smart phones. Additively, by controlling passengers’ luggage through mobile applications and reducing the time spent waiting in the lobby, thereby minimizing prolonged interpersonal contact.

The inherent risks and their interactive impacts in megaproject development have been found in numerous cases worldwide. Although risk management standards have been recommended for the best practice in engineering construction projects, there is still a lack of systematic approaches to describing the interactions. Interactions such as social, technical, economic, ecological and political (STEEP) risks have complex and dynamic implications for megaproject construction. For a better understanding and effective management of megaprojects such as the Edinburgh Tram project, the dynamic interaction of concomitant risks must be studied.

A systems dynamic methodology was adopted following the comprehensive literature review. Documentary data were gathered from the case study on Tram Network Project in Edinburgh.

A casual loop of typical evolution of key indicators of risks was then developed. A hypothesised model of social and ecological (SE) risks was derived using the system dynamics (SD) modelling technique. The model was set up following British Standards on risk management to provide a generic tool for risk management in megaproject development. The study reveals that cost and time overruns at the developmental stage of the case project are caused mainly by the effects of interactions of risk factors from the external macro project environment on a timely basis.

This article presented a model for simulating the socio-ecological risk confronting the management and construction of megaprojects. The use of SD provided the opportunity to explain the nature of all risks, particularly the SE risks in the past stages of project development.