Oak forests are an important part of temperate European ecosystems, where they are actively improving biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecological stability. However, current concerns such as climatic changes, and especially rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, are impacting their resilience. In this context, our study intends to evaluate the impact of climatic variability on temperate oak forests, focusing on the influence of temperature and precipitation. This covers different sites that have different environmental conditions. By using both a bibliometric approach and a systematic analysis of publications that have studied the influence of climate change on oak forests, our study has identified specific species and site responses to climate stressors. Furthermore, we have also evaluated trends in drought sensitivity. All these aspects have allowed us to understand and suggest improvements for the impact of climate change on the resilience and productivity of oak ecosystems. We have analyzed a total number of 346 publications that target the impact of climate change on oak forests. The articles were published between 1976 and 2024, with the majority originating from the USA, Spain, Germany, and France. These studies were published in leading journals from Forestry, Environmental Sciences, and Plant Sciences, among which the most cited journals were Forest Ecology and Management, the Journal of Biogeography, and Global Change Biology. As for the keywords, the most frequent ones were climate change, drought, growth, forest, and oak. However, we have observed a trend towards drought sensitivity, which indicates the intensification of climate changes on oak ecosystems. Moreover, this trend was more present in central and southern regions, which further highlights the impact of regional conditions. As such, certain local factors (soil properties, microclimate) were also taken into account in our study. Our literature review focused on the following aspects: Oak species affected by climate change; Impact of drought on oak forests; Influence of climate change on mixed forests containing oaks; Effects of climate change on other components of oak ecosystems; Radial growth of oaks in response to climate change; Decline of oak forests due to climate change. Our results indicate that oak forests decline in a process caused by multiple factors, with climate change being both a stressor and a catalyst. Across the globe, increasing temperatures and declining precipitation affect these ecosystems in their growth, functions, and resistance to pathogens. This can only lead to an increased forest decline. As such, our results indicate the need to implement forest management plans that take into account local conditions, species, and climate sensitivity. This approach is crucial in improving the adaptivity of oak forests and mitigating the impact of future climate extremes.

The knowledge, perception, and behavior of young people toward ecotourism are important for the sustainable development of this sector. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and analyze the knowledge of young Romanian students about ecotourism and the main ecotourism destinations in Romania, their behavior in relation to the practice of this form of sustainable tourism at the local level in the last 2 years (2020 and 2021), and people’s use of the Internet for planning holidays and digital applications while traveling in nature. A quantitative research was conducted based on a self-administered questionnaire, structured in 13 sections on ecotourism, to which were added the sociodemographic data of the respondents. The conclusions of the research are that young people know well the main ecotourism destinations in Romania; they choose them according to the beauty of the landscape, multitude of outdoor activities, and the hospitality of the hosts. In the last 2 years of the pandemic, young people have visited several times the main existing ecotourism destinations locally, with an average vacation duration of 1–3 days. The Internet remains the main source of information, and in the field, they use mobile applications that allow the download of digital maps and recognize different plant species. By integrating various activities in nature, in close connection with the local culture, ecotourism can contribute to the sustainable use of local tourism resources. This study provides a detailed and realistic picture of the knowledge and the type of ecotourism experience that young people want. The implications are theoretical and managerial, highlighting the importance of assessing the preferences of young ecotourists, as a basis for developing ecotourism strategies, sustainable use of local tourism resources, and management of protected areas.

In an increasingly resource-constrained era, using waste and by-products from grain processing has a wide appeal. This is due to the nutritive value and economic aspects of this process and due to its compatibility with the trend towards more sustainable food systems. Following the fundamentals of circular economy, a current need is the effective utilization of grain waste and by-products for conversion into value-added products in the food industry. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) using bibliometrics and the literature found in various databases, we aim to understand the progress of valorizing grain waste and by-products in human nutrition. The literature within various databases, namely, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Elsevier Scopus, has been evaluated for its merits and values. (2) We aim to explore knowledge-based strategies by reviewing the literature concerning the possible use of grain waste and by-products for the food processing industry, reducing the burden on virgin raw materials. The review allowed us to unlock the latest advances in upcycling side streams and waste from the grain processing industry.

The intersection of sports and natural forests and green spaces represents an emerging interdisciplinary field with implications for public health, environmental science, and sustainable land management and refers to the variety of cultural ecosystem services demanded by people from ecosystems. This manuscript presents a systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of 148 publications for the period 1993–2024 identified through Web of Science and Scopus, aiming to evaluate the current state of research on sports activities conducted in natural forest environments. Findings indicated a marked increase in scientific interest of this topic over the past two decades, with key contributions from countries such as England, Germany, China, and the United States. Researchers most frequently examined sports such as hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and orienteering for their capacity to provide physiological and psychological benefits, reduce stress, and enhance mental well-being. The literature analysis highlights ecological concerns, particularly those associated with habitat disturbance, biodiversity loss, and conflicts between recreation and conservation. Six principal research themes were identified: sports in urban forests, sports tourism, hunting and fishing, recreational sports, health benefits, and environmental impacts. Keyword and co-authorship analyses revealed a multidisciplinary knowledge base with evolving thematic focuses. In conclusion, the need for integrated approaches that incorporate ecological impact assessment, stakeholder perspectives, and adaptive forest governance to ensure sustainable recreational use of natural forest ecosystems is underlined.

The revalorization of food processing by-products represents a critical strategy for enhancing resource efficiency and advancing circularity within the food system. This review examines the potential of three major plant-based agro-industrial by-products—fruit and vegetable residues, brewer’s spent grain, and spent coffee grounds—as sources of high-value functional ingredients. These by-products contain bioactive compounds, including dietary fibers, polyphenols, proteins, peptides, oils, and antioxidants, that can be recovered using emerging green extraction and bioprocessing technologies. Conventional extraction methods are progressively being replaced or hybridized with enzyme-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and deep eutectic solvent techniques to improve yield, reduce solvent consumption, and preserve bioactivity. The recovered compounds have demonstrated promising applications as gelling agents (pectin), natural colorants and antioxidants, protein-enriched flours, prebiotic fibers, and bioactive extracts for functional food and nutraceutical formulations. However, challenges persist in standardizing feedstock composition, scaling continuous extraction processes, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance, and generating robust techno-economic and life-cycle assessments to validate sustainability claims. This review synthesizes biochemical composition data, processing pathways, food applications, and regulatory considerations, and identifies research priorities for developing integrated, scalable biorefinery models that valorize food by-products into market-ready functional ingredients.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate some villages in the mountain area of Sibiu County, Romania, as “smart” tourist villages. The research was carried out in two stages: Stage 1 was collection of information on (a) food products registered in different national and international quality schemes and (b) the number of tourist structures by type, comfort category, and accommodation capacity. Stage 2 was a case study conducted among 32 rural tourism entrepreneurs from 3 villages in Mărginimea Sibiului, using a questionnaire with 22 items on the criteria for evaluation of “smart” villages. The answers were systematized, statistically processed, and interpreted. The main results are as follows: (a) Concerning products, producers, and gastronomic points (PGL) registered, there are 9 products in the quality scheme “mountain product”, 10 producers on the platform “Gusturisibiene”, 1 producer of “telemea de Sibiu”, a registered product with protected geographical indication, and 2 PGL. (b) The number of officially registered tourist structures is 93, of which 72% are agritourism guesthouses. (c) The results for the evaluation of villages as “smart” are that 78.2% of locals use the internet, 74% own at least one smart device, 60.16% of energy used is renewable. There are low values of water and air pollution; there are local job and business opportunities (93.75%); future local development activities will target agriculture with all its sectors and agritourism; public administrations have implemented 7 types of activities to increase the attractiveness of localities; and quality of life, services, and social life aspects are perceived to be at high standards.