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Coordinated and published by The Grassroots Institute, the Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources (GJNR) is an international journal dedicated to the latest advancements in natural resources throughout the world. The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for scientists, social scientists, policy analysts, managers and practitioners (on all academic and professional levels) all over the world to promote, discuss and share various new issues and developments in different arenas of natural resources.
Kanna K. Siripurapu*1, Helina Jolly2, Faisal Moola3
1Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Email: ksiripur@uoguelph.ca | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1244-4373
2Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Vermont, USA.
Email: Helina.Jolly@uvm.edu | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0942-3096
3Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Email: fmoola@uoguelph.ca | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9803-8514
*Corresponding author
Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(2): 885-915. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080241
Received: 23 March 2025
Reviewed: 19 August 2025
Provisionally Accepted: 19 August 2025
Revised: 21 August 2025
Finally Accepted: 22 August 2025
Published: 31 August 2025
Globally, two-thirds (59%) of the earth’s terrestrial habitats comprise non-tree-covered forests and open natural ecosystems (ONEs). Studies indicate that ONEs are often overlooked in conservation science, policy, and practice due to biome awareness disparity (BAD). In this context, a review study was conducted to explore the existence of other potential areas of awareness disparity within research studies related to ONEs. Adopting a systematic bibliometric analysis, twenty-six articles published in peer-reviewed journals were reviewed to gain new insights. Our review notices that research studies on ONEs are heavily skewed towards the biodiversity and biophysical aspects of ONEs, and socio-cultural studies are found to be minimal. In addition to BAD, the review indicates that ONE's research may also show signs of social awareness disparity (SAD) and cultural awareness disparity (CAD). However, a much larger study covering research on the different types of ONEs, including hot and cold deserts, tundra, flooded/saline plains, rock outcrops, boulder and rubble fields, wetlands, peatlands, heathlands, grasslands, savannah ecosystems, and mangroves, has to be studied to ascertain our observations about SAD and CAD. Our review opens the doors for further research and discussion, as the existing literature may not provide sufficient information on the social and cultural heritage factors related to ONEs around the world.
Open ecosystems; Open natural ecosystems; Biome awareness disparity; Social awareness disparity; Cultural awareness disparity; Grasslands
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Siripurapu, K.K., Jolly, H., & Moola, F. (2025). The Social and Cultural Awareness Disparity in Open Natural Ecosystems Research – A Systematic Review. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8(2), 885-915. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080241
Siripurapu K.K., Jolly H., Moola F. The Social and Cultural Awareness Disparity in Open Natural Ecosystems Research – A Systematic Review. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2025, 8 (2), 885-915. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080241
Siripurapu, Kanna K., Jolly, Helina, Moola, Fsaisal. 2025. “The Social and Cultural Awareness Disparity in Open Natural Ecosystems Research – A Systematic Review”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 no. 2: 885-915. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080241
Siripurapu, Kanna K., Helina Jolly and Fsaisal Moola. 2025. “The Social and Cultural Awareness Disparity in Open Natural Ecosystems Research – A Systematic Review”. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 8 (2): 885-915. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.080241
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