The Ecosystemic Decision

The Ecosystemic Decision
Author: Rita Carrizo
Publisher: Editorial Autores de Argentina
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2022-04-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9878724220

"The human brain is neutral, it does not distinguish between right and wrong, ethical and non-ethical behaviour. It only learns and optimizes whatever is repeated" Talking about risks implies talking about decisions, those we do make and those we don't. Learning how to manage those risks requires considering the decision content and, fundamentally, understanding what drives us to "make" a decision. We would all probably agree that the current state of the global ecosystem demands urgent action. It seems that changing radically the way in which we decide is necessary for all the species of the planet to keep on coexisting. But, how do we do it? Why are we still chained to a decision-making model that has shown to be poor in terms of sustainability and ethics? It may be that the answer lies in our own evolution, but what kind of biological and cultural evolution process transformed humans into "not so good" decision-makers at recognizing and becoming responsible for the impacts and potential responses of the ecosystem towards their decisions? This book approaches these questions with a view to understanding who has been and who currently is the Western decision-maker. It proposes a paradigm shift that makes "ecosystemic" management of decisions and risks possible. Through a deep reflection about the topic, Rita Carrizo -the author- seeks to connect contributions from the fields of biology, genetics, sociobiology, neurosciences, systems thinking and ontology of language.

Valuing Ecosystem Services

Valuing Ecosystem Services
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2005-05-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030909318X

Nutrient recycling, habitat for plants and animals, flood control, and water supply are among the many beneficial services provided by aquatic ecosystems. In making decisions about human activities, such as draining a wetland for a housing development, it is essential to consider both the value of the development and the value of the ecosystem services that could be lost. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of ecosystem services, their value is often overlooked in environmental decision-making. This report identifies methods for assigning economic value to ecosystem servicesâ€"even intangible onesâ€"and calls for greater collaboration between ecologists and economists in such efforts.

Valuation of Ecological Resources

Valuation of Ecological Resources
Author: Ralph G. Stahl, Jr.
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2007-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1420062638

Choosing the optimal management option requires environmental risk managers and decision makers to evaluate diverse, and not always congruent, needs and interests of multiple stakeholders. Understanding the trade-offs of different options as well as their legal, economic, scientific, and technological implications is critical to performing accurate

Structured Decision Making

Structured Decision Making
Author: Robin Gregory
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2012-03-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1444333410

This book outlines the creative process of making environmental management decisions using the approach called Structured Decision Making. It is a short introductory guide to this popular form of decision making and is aimed at environmental managers and scientists. This is a distinctly pragmatic label given to ways for helping individuals and groups think through tough multidimensional choices characterized by uncertain science, diverse stakeholders, and difficult tradeoffs. This is the everyday reality of environmental management, yet many important decisions currently are made on an ad hoc basis that lacks a solid value-based foundation, ignores key information, and results in selection of an inferior alternative. Making progress – in a way that is rigorous, inclusive, defensible and transparent – requires combining analytical methods drawn from the decision sciences and applied ecology with deliberative insights from cognitive psychology, facilitation and negotiation. The authors review key methods and discuss case-study examples based in their experiences in communities, boardrooms, and stakeholder meetings. The goal of this book is to lay out a compelling guide that will change how you think about making environmental decisions. Visit www.wiley.com/go/gregory/ to access the figures and tables from the book.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process in Natural Resource and Environmental Decision Making

The Analytic Hierarchy Process in Natural Resource and Environmental Decision Making
Author: Daniel L. Schmoldt
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2001-06-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780792370765

Decision making in land management involves preferential selection among competing alternatives. Often, such choices are difficult owing to the complexity of the decision context. Because the analytic hierarchy process (AHP, developed by Thomas Saaty in the 1970s) has been successfully applied to many complex planning, resource allocation, and priority setting problems in business, energy, health, marketing, natural resources, and transportation, more applications of the AHP in natural resources and environmental sciences are appearing regularly. This realization has prompted the authors to collect some of the important works in this area and present them as a single volume for managers and scholars. Because land management contains a somewhat unique set of features not found in other AHP application areas, such as site-specific decisions, group participation and collaboration, and incomplete scientific knowledge, this text fills a void in the literature on management science and decision analysis for forest resources.

Decision Making for the Environment

Decision Making for the Environment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2005-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309095409

With the growing number, complexity, and importance of environmental problems come demands to include a full range of intellectual disciplines and scholarly traditions to help define and eventually manage such problems more effectively. Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities is the result of a 2-year effort by 12 social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and practitioners. The report sets research priorities for the social and behavioral sciences as they relate to several different kinds of environmental problems.

Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change

Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change
Author: Bryan G. Norton
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2015-12-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022619759X

“Systematically investigates the philosophical foundations of sustainable development in the context of the history of environmental policy. . . . Compelling.” —Choice Sustainability is a nearly ubiquitous concept today, but can we ever imagine what it would be like for humans to live sustainably on earth? One of the most trafficked terms in the press, on university campuses, and in the corridors of government, sustainability has risen to prominence as a buzzword before the many parties laying claim to it have agreed on how to define it. But the term’s political currency urgently demands that we develop an understanding of this elusive concept. While economists, philosophers, and ecologists argue about what in nature is valuable, and why, in Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change, Bryan Norton offers an action-oriented, pragmatic response to the disconnect between public and academic discourse around sustainability. Looking to the arenas in which decisions are made—and the problems driving these decisions—Norton reveals that the path to sustainability cannot be guided by fixed objectives; sustainability will instead be achieved through experimentation, incremental learning, and adaptive management. Drawing inspiration from Aldo Leopold’s famed metaphor of “thinking like a mountain” for a spatially explicit, pluralistic approach to evaluating environmental change, Norton outlines a new decision-making process guided by deliberation and negotiation across science and philosophy. Looking across scales to today’s global problems, Norton urges us to learn to think like a planet. “An excellent distillation of Norton’s extensive and groundbreaking work.” —Ben Minteer, Arizona State University, author of Refounding Environmental Ethics “Engaging and important.” —Sahotra Sarkar, University of Texas at Austin, author of Environmental Philosophy: From Theory to Practice

Mapping Ecosystem Services

Mapping Ecosystem Services
Author: Benjamin Burkhard
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre: Ecological mapping
ISBN: 9789546428523

"The new book Mapping Ecosystem Services provides a comprehensive collection of theories, methods and practical applications of ecosystem services (ES) mapping, for the first time bringing together valuable knowledge and techniques from leading international experts in the field." (www.eurekalert.org).

Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making

Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2008-11-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309134412

Federal agencies have taken steps to include the public in a wide range of environmental decisions. Although some form of public participation is often required by law, agencies usually have broad discretion about the extent of that involvement. Approaches vary widely, from holding public information-gathering meetings to forming advisory groups to actively including citizens in making and implementing decisions. Proponents of public participation argue that those who must live with the outcome of an environmental decision should have some influence on it. Critics maintain that public participation slows decision making and can lower its quality by including people unfamiliar with the science involved. This book concludes that, when done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies' decisions about the environment. Well-managed public involvement also increases the legitimacy of decisions in the eyes of those affected by them, which makes it more likely that the decisions will be implemented effectively. This book recommends that agencies recognize public participation as valuable to their objectives, not just as a formality required by the law. It details principles and approaches agencies can use to successfully involve the public.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Ecosystems and Human Well-being
Author: Joseph Alcamo
Publisher:
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2003
Genre: Biodiversity
ISBN:

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the first product of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a four-year international work program designed to meet the needs of decisionmakers for scientific information on the links between ecosystem change and human well-being. The book offers an overview of the project, describing the conceptual framework that is being used, defining its scope, and providing a baseline of understanding that all participants need to move forward. The Millennium Assessment focuses on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may affect people in future decades, and what types of responses can be adopted at local, national, or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The program was launched by United National Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001, and the primary assessment reports will be released by Island Press in 2005. Leading scientists from more than 100 nations are conducting the assessment, which can aid countries, regions, or companies by: providing a clear, scientific picture of the current sta