Towards a framework for assessing the sustainability of social-ecological landscapes

Towards a framework for assessing the sustainability of social-ecological landscapes
Author: Atampugre, Gerald
Publisher: IWMI
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2022-12-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

The report proposes a framework for assessing the sustainability of social-ecological landscapes (SEL) to be used by the West and Central African Food Systems Transformation (TAFS-WCA) initiative for research, planning, and implementation of its Work Package 3 (WP3). It builds on existing assessment frameworks from relevant fields (e.g., Eco agriculture, Agroecology, Integrated Landscape Management, etc.). At the center of a Sustainable Social-Ecological Landscape (SSEL) is the improvement of the management of land and the natural resource base in such a way that land use concurrently meets three goals: (i) provision of products (e.g., food) and services on a sustainable basis, (ii) support for sustainable livelihoods for all social groups and (iii) conservation of the full complement of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Globally, SSEL related approaches like eco-agriculture, agroecology, and landscape approaches are already being applied, with promising results, especially in places where food production, poverty alleviation, and conservation of biodiversity, water, and ecosystem services are all high priorities. However, a comprehensive framework for measuring/monitoring landscape status and performance vis-a-vis competing landscape uses and management interventions has not been given much priority in the literature. Different forms of land use, such as forestry, agriculture, extraction of minerals, conservation/protected areas, and settlements, are interdependent. Therefore, landscape performance and monitoring frameworks that focus exclusively on protecting natural resources or the intensification of agriculture and other land uses can only give an incomplete viewpoint/overview of landscapes with all their uses and stakeholders. Considering the SSEL goals above, a holistic conceptual framework for landscape-based assessment is needed; such a framework must consider the drivers and effects of land use and the individual management interventions as well as the complex interactions among different land uses and interventions across the landscape. The present study proposes the Drivers-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework for SEL. It is important to emphasize that this study recognizes that different individuals and organizations under the TAFS-WCA initiative may have different interests in understanding the status and performance of selected SELs. The research envisages two important applications of a framework for measuring and understanding SEL: i) it can facilitate inclusive decision-making by multiple stakeholders working in the same landscape by explaining interactions, synergies, and trade-offs among SSEL goals and landscape components, and ii) when SSEL-related management innovations are successful (or otherwise), the framework can help document the same, reinforcing the case for adopting and scaling up innovations.

Managing Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes for Sustainable Communities in Asia

Managing Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes for Sustainable Communities in Asia
Author: Osamu Saito
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2020-02-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811511330

This open access book presents up-to-date analyses of community-based approaches to sustainable resource management of SEPLS (socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes) in areas where a harmonious relationship between the natural environment and the people who inhabit it is essential to ensure community and environmental well-being as well as to build resilience in the ecosystems that support this well-being. Understanding SEPLS and the forces of change that can weaken their resilience requires the integration of knowledge across a wide range of academic disciplines as well as from indigenous knowledge and experience. Moreover, given the wide variation in the socio-ecological makeup of SEPLS around the globe, as well as in their political and economic contexts, individual communities will be at the forefront of developing the measures appropriate for their unique circumstances. This in turn requires robust communication systems and broad participatory approaches. Sustainability science (SuS) research is highly integrated, participatory and solutions driven, and as such is well suited to the study of SEPLS. Through case studies, literature reviews and SuS analyses, the book explores various approaches to stakeholder participation, policy development and appropriate action for the future of SEPLS. It provides communities, researchers and decision-makers at various levels with new tools and strategies for exploring scenarios and creating future visions for sustainable societies.

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

A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System

A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2015-06-17
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 030930783X

How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans' well-being than any other human activity. The food industry is the largest sector of our economy; food touches everything from our health to the environment, climate change, economic inequality, and the federal budget. From the earliest developments of agriculture, a major goal has been to attain sufficient foods that provide the energy and the nutrients needed for a healthy, active life. Over time, food production, processing, marketing, and consumption have evolved and become highly complex. The challenges of improving the food system in the 21st century will require systemic approaches that take full account of social, economic, ecological, and evolutionary factors. Policy or business interventions involving a segment of the food system often have consequences beyond the original issue the intervention was meant to address. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System develops an analytical framework for assessing effects associated with the ways in which food is grown, processed, distributed, marketed, retailed, and consumed in the United States. The framework will allow users to recognize effects across the full food system, consider all domains and dimensions of effects, account for systems dynamics and complexities, and choose appropriate methods for analysis. This report provides example applications of the framework based on complex questions that are currently under debate: consumption of a healthy and safe diet, food security, animal welfare, and preserving the environment and its resources. A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System describes the U.S. food system and provides a brief history of its evolution into the current system. This report identifies some of the real and potential implications of the current system in terms of its health, environmental, and socioeconomic effects along with a sense for the complexities of the system, potential metrics, and some of the data needs that are required to assess the effects. The overview of the food system and the framework described in this report will be an essential resource for decision makers, researchers, and others to examine the possible impacts of alternative policies or agricultural or food processing practices.

The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems

The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems
Author: Reinette Biggs
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 700
Release: 2021-07-29
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1000401537

The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems provides a synthetic guide to the range of methods that can be employed in social-ecological systems (SES) research. The book is primarily targeted at graduate students, lecturers and researchers working on SES, and has been written in a style that is accessible to readers entering the field from a variety of different disciplinary backgrounds. Each chapter discusses the types of SES questions to which the particular methods are suited and the potential resources and skills required for their implementation, and provides practical examples of the application of the methods. In addition, the book contains a conceptual and practical introduction to SES research, a discussion of key gaps and frontiers in SES research methods, and a glossary of key terms in SES research. Contributions from 97 different authors, situated at SES research hubs in 16 countries around the world, including South Africa, Sweden, Germany and Australia, bring a wealth of expertise and experience to this book. The first book to provide a guide and introduction specifically focused on methods for studying SES, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainability science, environmental management, global environmental change studies and environmental governance. The book will also be of interest to upper-level undergraduates and professionals working at the science–policy interface in the environmental arena.

Defining Environmental Justice

Defining Environmental Justice
Author: David Schlosberg
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199562482

The book uses both environmental movements and political theory to help define what is meant by environmental and ecological justice. It will be useful to anyone interested in environmental politics, environmental movements, and justice theory.

Sustainability Assessment

Sustainability Assessment
Author: Alan James Bond
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2013
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0415598486

Currently the writing on the subject is limited and comprises, for the most part, guidance documents and completed assessments.

Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2023 Workshops

Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2023 Workshops
Author: Osvaldo Gervasi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 722
Release: 2023-06-28
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3031371119

This nine-volume set LNCS 14104 – 14112 constitutes the refereed workshop proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, ICCSA 2023, held at Athens, Greece, during July 3–6, 2023. The 350 full papers and 29 short papers and 2 PHD showcase papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 876 submissions. These nine-volumes includes the proceedings of the following workshops: Advances in Artificial Intelligence Learning Technologies: Blended Learning, STEM, Computational Thinking and Coding (AAILT 2023); Advanced Processes of Mathematics and Computing Models in Complex Computational Systems (ACMC 2023); Artificial Intelligence supported Medical data examination (AIM 2023); Advanced and Innovative web Apps (AIWA 2023); Assessing Urban Sustainability (ASUS 2023); Advanced Data Science Techniques with applications in Industry and Environmental Sustainability (ATELIERS 2023); Advances in Web Based Learning (AWBL 2023); Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers: Technologies and Applications (BDLTA 2023); Bio and Neuro inspired Computing and Applications (BIONCA 2023); Choices and Actions for Human Scale Cities: Decision Support Systems (CAHSC-DSS 2023); and Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAM 2023).