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- Maneas, Georgios, 1980-
(författare)
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Towards co-management of Gialova Lagoon : A Natura 2000 coastal wetland in Messinia, Greece
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The management of Natura 2000 sites is considered as the cornerstone for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity within Europe. However, protected ecosystems provide a plethora of benefits to local societies, and support the local economy. Thus, to seek solutions for complex environmental issues within Natura 2000 sties it is imperative to approach the site of concern as a connected social-ecological system, and to strengthen the participation of stakeholders in decision-making following a co-management approach.Gialova Lagoon wetland, in Messinia, Greece represents an example of Natura 2000 site which needs to be managed. The overall aim of the PhD thesis was to assess the problem of lagoon salinization, and provide policy recommendations for wetland restoration and management of associated freshwater resources under a changing climate. The thesis has followed a social-ecological approach, by integrating DPSIR framework with participatory Systems Dynamic modelling and the concept of ecosystem services. Knowledge gaps about major social and ecological components were assessed by applying a variety of methods, namely (a) field monitoring and observations, (b) GIS analyses, (c) consultation with stakeholders, (d) modelling and scenarios.The thesis results suggested that past human interventions had multi-fold effects on the Gialova Lagoon wetland, namely hydrology alteration, ecosystem fragmentation, loss and transformation of natural habitats. Furthermore, the combined effects of alterations in hydrology and climate change have led to increased salinity in the wetland over time. These alterations had profound implications on wetland ecosystem services such as the diversity of habitats and waterbirds and the provision of fish. Under contemporary hydrological connectivity and on-going climatic conditions, the mean annual salinity of the lagoon has increased from approximately 35 g/L during the period 2016-2018 to approximately 40 g/L during the period 2021-2023 indicating a salinization increase of approximately 1 g/L per year. To identify restoration alternatives, the work under the PhD thesis has engaged scientists with local stakeholders from the sectors of agriculture, fishing, tourism, and public administration, in a co-management approach. The end product, an SDM (Systems-Dynamics model) co-created with stakeholders, was suitable for exploring scenarios for salinity regulation and management of associated freshwater resources, under a changing climate (RCP 4.5). The derived management suggestions, namely restoration of the connectivity with the surrounding freshwater bodies (river, artesian springs) and between habitats (e.g., lagoon-marshes), could result in the de-salinization of the lagoon within a 10-year period, and could be applied within the Natura 2000 framework as they consider social and ecological needs (e.g. enhancement of biodiversity and fish production). However, under current abstraction rates for irrigation and municipal water-supply, there is a high risk of groundwater scarcity during years with dry conditions, and thus investments in water-saving technologies (e.g. smart irrigation) should be promoted to ensure adequate water availability for restoration, and enhanced resilience of the local economy against groundwater scarcity.
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| 2. |
- Dawson, Lucas, 1977-
(författare)
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Unravelling Sustainability : The complex dynamics of emergent environmental governance and management systems at multiple scales
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis adopts a complex systems approach to investigate the dynamic emergence of sustainable environmental governance and management systems in multiple contexts in Europe. Accelerating rates of environmental degradation across the world have called the legitimacy of previous environmental governance and management arrangements into question. Top-down, linear optimisation approaches have failed to account for the inherent complexity of social-ecological systems, upon which human society is entirely reliant for long-term survival. Systemic interdependence between ecological and human systems underscores the “wicked” nature of environmental problems, which are characterised by multi-dimensional values and competing interests among stakeholders and actors at multiple levels and across divergent spatial and temporal scales. Sustainability objectives therefore mandate the evolution of new environmental governance and management systems that are capable of engaging with complexity and dynamism. Employing a methodology based on comprehensive literature assessment, case studies and qualitative systems modelling methods, this thesis clearly identifies the structurally complex systems within which studied environmental governance and management arrangements took place. However, the degree to which these systems indicated the emergence of integrated and/or adaptive approaches, proposed by recent sustainability theories, was more uneven across governance levels and contexts. Key constraints related to the continued dominance of top-down institutional and regulatory frameworks, the availability of adequate inputs (primarily financial) for new approaches and initiatives, socio-cultural influences, and to the complexity and concomitant uncertainty of social-ecological system dynamics. Identified opportunities from across cases related to supra-national institutions, a shift of value preferences amongst stakeholders, and the perverse opportunities arising from chronic environmental degradation and/or acute social/ecological crises. Strategies enabling emergent governance and management approaches included strengthening the legitimacy of new actors, actively managing and integrating the perceptions of stakeholders, learning by doing and sharing, and recruiting and enabling active, hybridised leadership. Importantly, key constraints and opportunities remain largely out of reach for actors and stakeholders at lower levels. Feedback mechanisms by which bottom-up initiatives can influence higher level institutional development are lacking, poorly understood, or are dominated by long delays. These dynamics impede sustainability transitions.
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