| 1. |
- Angelstam, Per, et al.
(author)
-
Barriers and bridges for sustaining functional habitat networks : A macroecological system analysis of wet grassland landscapes
- 2022
-
In: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 12:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study aims at supporting the maintenance of representative functional habitat networks as green infrastructure for biodiversity conservation through transdisciplinary macroecological analyses of wet grassland landscapes and their stewardship systems. We chose ten north European wet grassland case study landscapes from Iceland and the Netherlands in the west to Lithuania and Belarus in the east. We combine expert experiences for 20–30 years, comparative studies made 2011–2017, and longitudinal analyses spanning >70 years. Wader, or shorebird, (Charadrii) assemblages were chosen as a focal species group. We used evidence-based knowledge and practical experience generated in three steps. (1) Experts from 8 wet grassland landscapes in northern Europe's west and east mapped factors linked to patterns and processes, and management and governance, in social-ecological systems that affect states and trends of wet grasslands as green infrastructures for wader birds. (2) To understand wader conservation problems and their dynamic in wet grassland landscapes, and to identify key issues for successful conservation, we applied group modeling using causal loop diagram mapping. (3) Validation was made using the historic development in two additional wet grassland landscapes. Wader conservation was dependent on ten dynamically interacting ecological and social system factors as leverage points for management. Re-wetting and grazing were common drivers for the ecological and social system, and long-term economic support for securing farmers’ interest in wader bird conservation. Financial public incentives at higher levels of governance of wetland management are needed to stimulate private income loops. Systems analysis based on contrasting landscape case studies in space and over time can support (1) understanding of complex interactions in social-ecological systems, (2) collaborative learning in individual wet grassland landscapes, and (3) formulation of priorities for conservation, management, and restoration.
|
|
| 2. |
- Gisladottir, Johanna, 1989-
(author)
-
A systems thinking approach to corruption and natural resources in the context of sustainability
- 2022
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- With growing awareness of the current climate crisis, it has become better recognized that natural resource management has global as well as local implications. Discourse on the importance of sustainability has followed. Natural resource sectors have been known as areas prone to corruption risks due to the usually high revenues involved. Despite the absence of a universally agreed upon definition, it is in general recognized that corruption undermines social and economic development and can impede sustainable resource management. This research sets out to explore the dynamics contributing to corruption risks in natural resource sectors, with an emphasis on renewable resources, and how such risks can be addressed. To shed light on the research question, a qualitative case study approach was chosen, comparing fisheries in Iceland, arable soils in Ukraine and forestry in Romania. A total of 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with various stakeholders recruited through snowball sampling. The interviews were coded and then analysed by generating causal loop diagrams, a qualitative mapping approach in the field of system dynamics. The main results from this study suggest that the resource sectors under study all transformed towards economies of scale, facilitating the consolidation of large vertically integrated companies with increased economic efficiency demand. The resulting inequality between large and smaller actors in the sectors seems to increase perceived risk of both corruption and unsustainable management practices in all our cases. Public institutions´ capacity and capabilities to monitor resource sectors need adequate resources, else corruption risks can increase because of perceived lack of monitoring. To alleviate corruption risks, transparency in resource management can strengthen accountability and promote sustainability. However, focus on transparency as a policy tool can be misplaced in instances where higher-level intervention points are needed to ensure sustainable resource management, as solutions are context dependent.
|
|
| 3. |
- Gisladottir, Johanna, et al.
(author)
-
Approaching the Study of Corruption and Natural Resources through Qualitative System Dynamics
- 2022
-
In: Resources. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-9276. ; 11:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The complexity and scale of the challenges posed by the climate crisis demand knowledge sharing and collaboration between a variety of academic disciplines to address them. In that regard, the way in which natural resources are used matters, and more information is needed on which regulatory framework and policy instruments foster their sustainable management. There is consensus that corruption can seriously obstruct social, economic, and political development. However, research on corruption has tended to be fragmented and investigating the concept itself is a challenging endeavor. Due to the complexity of corruption as a research subject, we argue that in seeking to explore and understand corruption, researchers would benefit from using a framework that facilitates an interdisciplinary and process-oriented approach. This paper suggests that the method of system dynamics can be applied to advance the academic discourse on corruption in relation to natural resources, since it seeks to improve understanding and learning in complex systems in an illustrative manner. More specifically, it offers a platform to explore feedback processes between the different social, economic, and ecological dimensions which ultimately produce undesirable behavior or patterns. The paper outlines how corruption has been approached previously in the academic discourse. It then offers a tool to bridge knowledge from different fields on natural resources, in a way that allows for research from different fields to be integrated, and thus gaps are better identified. A process-oriented approach to exploring corruption in natural resource systems based on qualitative system dynamics methods can inform new questions and thus improve understanding about the conditions under which corruption occurs or corrupt behavior thrives.
|
|
| 4. |
- Gisladottir, Johanna, et al.
(author)
-
Transparency and Leverage Points for Sustainable Resource Management
- 2022
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 14:24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The phrase ‘sunshine is the best disinfectant’ is commonly used to suggest that transparency can counter corruption and ensure accountability. In the policy world, several analytical tools have been developed to obtain information on what policy decision would bring about the biggest positive effect for the least amount of effort. There is a tendency to view transparency as the silver bullet in that respect. This paper aimed to shed light on how measures of transparency can serve as a leverage point for sustainable resource management. We begin by analysing the concept of transparency and then draw from Donella Meadows’ work on leverage points to analyse the transformative potential of increasing transparency towards sustainable resource management. We then demonstrate the use of this analytical approach by applying it to three case studies on resource management systems in Ukraine, Romania, and Iceland. The results suggested that transparency in resource management needs to be accompanied by widely accepted standards and accountability mechanisms for it to serve as an effective leverage point. If these factors are neglected, the credibility of transparency can be undermined. Prioritising transparency as a policy intervention to alleviate corruption risks, in the absence of accountability mechanisms and clear rules, might be misplaced, and require deeper leverage points.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
