This paper proposes a thematic literature review of advances in the literature on forest property rights over the first half of this decade. From a methodological point of view, we exploited a corpus of scientific articles published between 2019 and 2023, extracted from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. We then performed a co-word analysis using the Louvain algorithm to reveal thematic clusters. This approach enabled us to identify seven distinct trends over the past half-decade, each highlighting specific aspects and geographical diversity of forest property rights, which were then evaluated using a thematic map. The main findings revealed that (policies, livelihoods and agroforestry) and (institutions, sustainability and non-timber forest products) stand out as central and influential themes, which have a significant impact and present notable advances that have shaped recent discussions and practices. Furthermore, themes (forest policy and resource management) and (conservation and the rights of indigenous communities) are well developed, which have a solid research base, offering an in-depth understanding of the relevant research questions. Conversely, themes (institutional change and forest conservation) and (deforestation, indigenous rights and community management) represent emerging themes, which are receiving increasing attention and are likely to become major of focus. In contrast, (forest governance, community management and land conflict resolution) which indicates a waning influence in terms of miscellaneous implications. The findings of this thematic literature review will help guide policymakers, researchers, and practitioners based on recent developments in international forest property rights, during a half-decade marked by a break with previous trends, leading to legislative changes and strategic adaptations essential for the sustainable management of forest resources, bolstered by technological advancements and environmental efforts.

In this present age of globalization, the logistics and transportation industry has become an integral part of most businesses/firms as it is aimed at ensuring the effective movement of people, distribution of goods and services from one location to another on time. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the logistics and transportation sectors. The qualitative research approach was adopted using analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, data from news reports, organizational sites, and a case study of data contents. The paper presented the analysis of negative and positive effects of COVID-19 on the logistics and transportation industry. The study also discusses possible strategies and further steps for improvement of the logistics and transportation sector, including the automation and introduction of other technologies, a sustainable and flexible transportation system, cooperation of logistics and transportation business. Findings regarding the positive implications of COVID-19 show noticeable advancements in the logistics and transportation sector, such as the rise of e-commerce businesses with efficient delivery options, and the development of 3rd party logistics services as more companies outsource supply chain operations. The study revealed the importance of strategic planning with a joint effort from the research centers, public sector, private sector, and educational institutions as one of the proposed solutions for the logistics and transportation industry.

The development of a monitoring system for the socio-economic indicators of private forest owners includes the comprehensive collection of various socio-economic data. These data encompass general information about private forests owners, the need for monitoring, periodicity, and other relevant factors. This holistic approach allows for a detailed assessment of the social and economic conditions of private forest owners, as well as the economic efficiency of their operations, ultimately aiming to achieve sustainable forest management. This research builds upon previous studies by the authors that investigated the need for monitoring of the socio-economic indicators of private forests and involved interviews with forest experts. Based on the data obtained from these earlier efforts, this study aims to present a refined methodology for monitoring of the socio-economic indicators of Lithuanian private forest owners. Based on the findings of this research, it is highly recommended that monitoring be implemented at the state level across the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania. The results of this research show that the monitoring of the economic and social indicators of private forest owners benefits not only the owners but also the state and society as a whole. Residence size, property size, and association membership emerged as the most significant factors influencing the need for forest monitoring, while knowledge in forestry, distance to the forest, and gender showed weaker but still notable effects. The research results suggest that monitoring can help to ensure the sustainable management of forests and the maintenance of ecosystem services, in addition to contributing to the region’s economic development. It is recommended that this monitoring be conducted every five years.

Sustainability constitutes a strategic priority not only at the level of practical implementation but also within the framework of legal regulations and policy-making processes. Within the scope of this study, the forest-related legal frameworks of selected countries from Asia and Europe have been examined. To ensure consistency and objectivity in the analysis, a set of evaluation criteria was established, with particular attention paid to their international recognition and legitimacy. In this context, the criteria developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization and Forest Europe were adopted. Based on these internationally accepted standards, the forest legislation of the selected countries was assessed and analyzed using the EFLD (Environmental and Forest Law Department) scoring methodology to determine the extent to which sustainability is integrated into their legal systems. Six criteria were defined and evaluated separately for each country based on the overall average. It was concluded that Türkiye and Kazakhstan’s forest legislation aligns with sustainability criteria compared to other countries’ legislation, Lithuania and Iran’s forest legislation is close to the overall average, and Poland’s forest legislation requires more explicit and progressive provisions in terms of sustainability.

The title of the scientific article is the problem of euthanasia as a possibility for the implementation of natural human rights in Lithuania and foreign countries. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the individual’s right to life and the prohibition of torture in the implementation of euthanasia as one of the natural human rights in Lithuania and foreign countries. This work has theological and comparative methods. The theological method, which leads to the first part of the work, analyzing international and national legal acts regulating natural human rights. The comparative method compares the legal regulations and social differences between countries that have legalized and those that have not legalized euthanasia. The main conclusion of the article - the legalization of euthanasia is one of the possibilities to implement the prohibition of torture in the context of natural human rights. The practical significance of this scientific article is particularly important for states that have not legalized euthanasia, because the main conclusion of this article is proving the obligation of states to legalize euthanasia in order to provide suitable conditions for the realization of natural human rights. The originality of this scientific article is based on the fact that the compatibility of euthanasia in the context of human rights and freedoms and the equating of the illegalization of euthanasia to torture at the national and international level have not been analyzed in any scientific articles. The value of the article is proven by the fact that the authors used only the latest scientific editions of national and international legal acts and the latest and most comprehensive literature.