The removal of the As(V) and Iprodione fungicide onto EGS@APTES-GT, obtained by amino-modified expanded glass spheres (EGS) modified with goethite, was studied in this work. Material characterization was performed using SEM/EDS, XRD, and FTIR techniques. The adsorption capacities of 51.01 and 94.28 mg g⁻¹, for As(V) and Iprodione removal at 25 °C, respectively, were achieved. A kinetic study indicated lower intraparticle diffusional transport resistance. Physisorption is the dominant mechanism for Iprodione removal, while surface complexation is for As(V). The disposal of effluent water after five adsorption–desorption cycles was attained through Iprodione photocatalytic degradation and arsenate precipitation. Exhausted EGS@APTES-GT, processed by goethite acidic dissolution and grinding, was used as a reinforcing filler in composites production based on commercial unsaturated polyester resin (UPe). An improvement in the mechanical properties was observed, with a gradual increase in the tensile strength, reaching a maximum of 25.9% for UPe with 10 wt.% of ground exhausted adsorbent compared to pure UPe. The overarching concept is defined by the aspiration to develop technologies that address all output flows of advanced processes. Thus, the combination of wastewater treatment technologies and the production of potentially marketable composites successfully achieved both a low environmental impact and the implementation of a circular economy.

Contemporary rural business trends emphasize tourism’s vital role in holistic rural development, signaling forthcoming transformations. In the 21st century, rural tourism must adapt to evolving domestic and international demands, showcasing diverse aspects of rural life. Success in family farms will hinge on effective branding, market understanding, customer relations, and product quality. Methodologically, this study compares demographic and economic indicators across seven municipalities in the Srem District over three years, post-COVID-19. Findings reveal Srem’s rural tourism product lacks market positioning. To excel domestically, Srem must establish itself as a rural tourism hotspot, leveraging its unique attributes for competitive advantage. This entails integrating diverse offerings into a cohesive market presence, fostering spatial connectivity.

The condition of riparian areas of surface watercourses is one of the key factors for the good ecological status of the rivers. Great importance is given to the research of the condition of riparian areas, as well as their revitalization, by the adoption of a series of international directives, the development of methodological procedures for the rapid assessment of the situation and the development of measures and techniques that help riparian areas to return to a more natural condition. This research was based on the possibility of applying the method of visual assessment of the situation. The Stream Visual Assessment Protocol 2 was used for the assessment of the quality and quantity of riparian areas on the Radalj River, a tributary of the Drina River, in the municipality of Mali Zvornik (Republic of Serbia. In order to evaluate riparian areas, five elements relating to the condition of the river beds and banks as well as qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the riparian areas were taken into account. The results showed that the riparian area at the monitored sites were in poor condition, and that according to the assessment and description, it is possible to draw preliminary conclusions on the additional studies and/or proposals for revitalizing techniques.

COVID-19 raised lots of issues relevant to the status, the readiness and the capacity of the self-sufficiency of the different communities and countries during conditions of lockdown and requirements for social distancing, during the first four months of the pandemic. An international multidiscipline scholars discussion on zoom, a multi-media conferencing app, is categorised according to the subjects of the self-sufficiency practices that are reflections of the specific attitudes and behaviours that shape the social demands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scholars discuss the requirements of re-building the self-sufficiency social beliefs which the capital economy destroyed. Based on the methodology of discussion from the different background scholar, the challenges and then the outcome of self-sufficiency projects are defined.

In this paper we analyze and evaluate the impact of the new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on tourism of protected areas and the future of ecotourism and tourism of protected areas. The transformational role of the 4IR technologies has huge potential effect on managing protected areas. Using new technologies in ecotourism and tourism in protected areas will greatly improve management of protected areas. In this paper we analyzed dominant technological trends and key concepts in tourism industry. We also presented case study of the applying new technologies in SNR Zasavica in Serbia. In future, the new concepts and the Smart Tourism paradigm will transform the ecotourism and tourism of protected areas in the way of creating fully automated technological ecosystem intended for managing sustainability of the protected areas environment. There are several emerging concepts that have a capacity to completely and radically change the way of the business as we know it and will surely have great impact on tourism and ecotourism in the future.

The rich Western Balkans biodiversity and ecosystem services suffer from negative anthropogenic activities. Solving those problems requires a coherent strategy for biodiversity conservation with a focus on the involvement of relevant stakeholders. This paper presents a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) as a tool for biodiversity protection and conservation on a local level in five countries of the Western Balkans. Results indicate that the LBAP improved local planning practices and secured stakeholder involvement by adequate stakeholder analysis and well defined incentives in the form of probiodiversity business (PBB). LBAP also enabled municipalities to assess biodiversity potential on their territory, and to develop a comprehensive planning document and biodiversity protection action plan.