| 1. |
- Balvanera, Patricia, et al.
(author)
-
Key features for more successful place-based sustainability research on social-ecological systems : a Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) perspective
- 2017
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In: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 22:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emerging discipline of sustainability science is focused explicitly on the dynamic interactions between nature and society and is committed to research that spans multiple scales and can support transitions toward greater sustainability. Because a growing body of place-based social-ecological sustainability research (PBSESR) has emerged in recent decades, there is a growing need to understand better how to maximize the effectiveness of this work. The Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) provides a unique opportunity for synthesizing insights gained from this research community on key features that may contribute to the relative success of PBSESR. We surveyed the leaders of PECS-affiliated projects using a combination of open, closed, and semistructured questions to identify which features of a research project are perceived to contribute to successful research design and implementation. We assessed six types of research features: problem orientation, research team, and contextual, conceptual, methodological, and evaluative features. We examined the desirable and undesirable aspects of each feature, the enabling factors and obstacles associated with project implementation, and asked respondents to assess the performance of their own projects in relation to these features. Responses were obtained from 25 projects working in 42 social-ecological study cases within 25 countries. Factors that contribute to the overall success of PBSESR included: explicitly addressing integrated social-ecological systems; a focus on solutionand transformation-oriented research; adaptation of studies to their local context; trusted, long-term, and frequent engagement with stakeholders and partners; and an early definition of the purpose and scope of research. Factors that hindered the success of PBSESR included: the complexities inherent to social-ecological systems, the imposition of particular epistemologies and methods on the wider research group, the need for long periods of time to initiate and conduct this kind of research, and power asymmetries both within the research team and among stakeholders. In the self-assessment exercise, performance relating to team and context-related features was ranked higher than performance relating to methodological, evaluation, and problem orientation features. We discuss how these insights are relevant for balancing place-based and global perspectives in sustainability science, fostering more rapid progress toward inter-and transdisciplinary integration, redefining and measuring the success of PBSESR, and facing the challenges of academic and research funding institutions. These results highlight the valuable opportunity that the PECS community provides in helping build a community of practice for PBSESR.
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| 2. |
- Bennett, Elena M., et al.
(author)
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Bright spots : seeds of a good Anthropocene
- 2016
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 14:8, s. 441-448
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The scale, rate, and intensity of humans' environmental impact has engendered broad discussion about how to find plausible pathways of development that hold the most promise for fostering a better future in the Anthropocene. However, the dominance of dystopian visions of irreversible environmental degradation and societal collapse, along with overly optimistic utopias and business-as-usual scenarios that lack insight and innovation, frustrate progress. Here, we present a novel approach to thinking about the future that builds on experiences drawn from a diversity of practices, worldviews, values, and regions that could accelerate the adoption of pathways to transformative change (change that goes beyond incremental improvements). Using an analysis of 100 initiatives, or seeds of a good Anthropocene, we find that emphasizing hopeful elements of existing practice offers the opportunity to: (1) understand the values and features that constitute a good Anthropocene, (2) determine the processes that lead to the emergence and growth of initiatives that fundamentally change human-environmental relationships, and (3) generate creative, bottom-up scenarios that feature well-articulated pathways toward a more positive future.
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| 3. |
- Biggs, Reinette, et al.
(author)
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Regime Shifts
- 2011
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In: Sourcebook in Theoretical Ecology. - : University of California Press.
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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| 4. |
- Blasiak, Robert, et al.
(author)
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The Ocean Decade as an instrument of peace
- 2023
-
In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 64
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (the 'Ocean Decade') is poised to stimulate new cooperation for ocean science, but makes no mention of conflict or peace. We contend that this is a missed opportunity, and use an environmental peacebuilding typology to review how ocean science has historically contributed to peace. Such considerations are timely in the context of an increasingly complex and multidimensional ocean risk landscape, due among other things to unprecedented growth in the extent and intensity of ocean uses, and increasing conflict potential as the ocean becomes a more crowded and coveted place. We conclude by proposing the Ocean Decade Implementation Plan be appended to include an eighth intended outcome: 'A Peaceful Ocean'.
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| 5. |
- Carpenter, Stephen R., et al.
(author)
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Program on ecosystem change and society : an international research strategy for integrated social-ecological systems
- 2012
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In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 4:1, s. 134-138
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS), a new initiative within the ICSU global change programs, aims to integrate research on the stewardship of social-ecological systems, the services they generate, and the relationships among natural capital, human wellbeing, livelihoods, inequality and poverty. The vision of PECS is a world where human actions have transformed to achieve sustainable stewardship of social-ecological systems. The goal of PECS is to generate the scientific and policy-relevant knowledge of social-ecological dynamics needed to enable such a shift, including mitigation of poverty. PECS is a coordinating body for diverse independently funded research projects, not a funder of research. PECS research employs a range of transdisciplinary approaches and methods, with comparative, place-based research that is international in scope at the core.
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| 6. |
- Castro, Antonio J., et al.
(author)
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Applying Place-Based Social-Ecological Research to Address Water Scarcity : Insights for Future Research
- 2018
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 10:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Globally, environmental and social change in water-scarce regions challenge the sustainability of social-ecological systems. WaterSES, a sponsored working group within the Program for Ecosystem Change and Society, explores and compares the social-ecological dynamics related to water scarcity across placed-based international research sites with contrasting local and regional water needs and governance, including research sites in Spain and Sweden in Europe, South Africa, China, and Alabama, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas in the USA. This paper aims to provide a commentary on insights into conducting future solutions-oriented research on water scarcity based on the understanding of the social-ecological dynamics of water scarce regions.
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| 7. |
- Crona, Beatrice I., et al.
(author)
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Masked, diluted and drowned out : how global seafood trade weakens signals from marine ecosystems
- 2016
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In: Fish and Fisheries. - : Wiley. - 1467-2960 .- 1467-2979. ; 17:4, s. 1175-1182
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nearly 40% of seafood is traded internationally and an even bigger proportion is affected by international trade, yet scholarship on marine fisheries has focused on global trends in stocks and catches, or on dynamics of individual fisheries, with limited attention to the link between individual fisheries, global trade and distant consumers. This paper examines the usefulness of fish price as a feedback signal to consumers about the state of fisheries and marine ecosystems. We suggest that the current nature of fisheries systems and global markets prevent transmission of such price signals from source fisheries to consumers. We propose several mechanisms that combine to weaken price signals, and present one example - the North Sea cod - to show how these mechanisms can be tested. The lack of a reliable price feedback to consumers represents a challenge for sustainable fisheries governance. We therefore propose three complimentary approaches to address the missing feedback: (i) strengthening information flow through improved traceability and visibility of individual fishers to consumers, (ii) capitalizing on the changing seafood trade structures and (iii) bypassing and complementing market mechanisms by directly targeting citizens and political actors regarding marine environmental issues through publicity and information campaigns. These strategies each havelimitations and thus need to be pursued together to address the challenge of sustainability in global marine fisheries.
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| 8. |
- Cvitanovic, Chris, et al.
(author)
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Building university-based boundary organisations that facilitate impacts on environmental policy and practice
- 2018
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Responding to modern day environmental challenges for societal well-being and prosperity necessitates the integration of science into policy and practice. This has spurred the devel- opment of novel institutional structures among research organisations aimed at enhancing the impact of environmental science on policy and practice. However, such initiatives are seldom evaluated and even in cases where evaluations are undertaken, the results are rarely made publicly available. As such there is very little empirically grounded guidance available to inform other organisations in this regard. To help address this, the aim of this study is to evaluate the Baltic Eye Project at Stockholm University – a unique team consisting of researchers from different fields, science communicators, journalists and policy analysts – working collectively to support evidence-informed decision-making relating to the sustainable management of the Baltic Sea environment. Specifically, through qualitative interviews, we (1) identify the impacts achieved by the Baltic Eye Project; (2) understand the challenges and barriers experienced throughout the Baltic Eye Project; and (3) highlight the key features that are needed within research organisations to enhance the impact of science on policy and practice. Results show that despite only operating for three years, the Baltic Eye Project has achieved demonstrable impacts on a range of levels: impacts on policy and practice, impacts to individuals working within the organisation and impacts to the broader University. We also identify a range of barriers that have limited impacts to date, such as a lack of clear goals at the establishment of the Baltic Eye Project and existing metrics of aca- demic impact (e.g. number of publications). Finally, based on the experiences of employees at the Baltic Eye Project, we identify the key organisational, individual, financial, material, practical, political, and social features of university-based boundary organisations that have impact on policy and practice. In doing so this paper provides empirically-derived guidance to help other research organisations increase their capacity to achieve tangible impacts on environmental policy and practice.
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| 9. |
- Cvitanovic, Christopher, et al.
(author)
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Maximising the benefits of participatory climate adaptation research by understanding and managing the associated challenges and risks
- 2019
-
In: Environmental Science and Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 1462-9011 .- 1873-6416. ; 94, s. 20-31
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Participatory research approaches are increasingly advocated as an effective means to produce usable climate adaptation science, and increase the likelihood that it will be beneficially incorporated into decision-making processes. However, while the implementation of participatory research approaches, such as those associated with knowledge co-production, have become increasingly commonplace, to date there has been little consideration given to the challenges and subsequent risks associated with their use. To start to address this gap we review the literature on participatory research in climate adaptation science. In doing so we identify and articulate several challenges, and subsequent risks, created by participatory research approaches to adaptation (i) science, (ii) scientists and scientific institutions, (iii) decision-makers and decision-making institutions and (iv) research funders. Based on this we identify seven strategies to help manage these challenges and reduce the associated risks: (a) choose participants carefully; (b) monitor team composition and adjust as necessary; (c) set clear expectations, and agreed conflict resolution mechanisms; (d) use different modes of scientific inquiry that can account for different knowledges and biases; (e) incorporate mechanisms for independent review at all stages of research; (f) reimagine professional development for adaptation researchers, and (g) ensure that appropriate institutional support is in place. These strategies can help to increase the likelihood that participatory research approaches will achieve their goal of generating knowledge that will help society successfully navigate modern day sustainability challenges, such as those posed by climate change.
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| 10. |
- Dajka, Jan-Claas, et al.
(author)
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Red and green loops help uncover missing feedbacks in a coral reef social-ecological system
- 2020
-
In: People and Nature. - : Wiley. - 2575-8314. ; 2:3, s. 608-618
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social-ecological systems (SES) exhibit complex cause-and-effect relationships. Capturing, interpreting, and responding to signals that indicate changes in ecosystems is key for sustainable management in SES. Breaks in this signal-response chain, when feedbacks are missing, will allow change to continue until a point when abrupt ecological surprises may occur. In these situations, societies and local ecosystems can often become uncoupled. In this paper, we demonstrate how the red loop-green loop (RL-GL) concept can be used to uncover missing feedbacks and to better understand past social-ecological dynamics. Reinstating these feedbacks in order to recouple the SES may ultimately create more sustainable systems on local scales. The RL-GL concept can uncover missing feedbacks through the characterization of SES dynamics along a spectrum of human resource dependence. Drawing on diverse qualitative and quantitative data sources, we classify SES dynamics throughout the history of Jamaican coral reefs along the RL-GL spectrum. We uncover missing feedbacks in red-loop and red-trap scenarios from around the year 600 until now. The Jamaican coral reef SES dynamics have moved between all four dynamic states described in the RL-GL concept: green loop, green trap, red loop and red trap. We then propose mechanisms to guide the current unsustainable red traps back to more sustainable green loops, involving mechanisms of seafood trade and ecological monitoring. By gradually moving away from seafood exports, Jamaica may be able to return to green-loop dynamics between the local society and their locally sourced seafood. We discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of this proposed intervention and give indications of why an export ban may insure against future missing feedbacks and could prolong the sustainability of the Jamaican coral reef ecosystem. Our approach demonstrates how the RL-GL approach can uncover missing feedbacks in a coral reef SES, a way the concept has not been used before. We advocate for how the RL-GL concept in a feedback setting can be used to synthesize various types of data and to gain an understanding of past, present and future sustainability that can be applied in diverse social-ecological settings. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
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| 11. |
- Donovan, Mary K., et al.
(author)
-
Combining fish and benthic communities into multiple regimes reveals complex reef dynamics
- 2018
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coral reefs worldwide face an uncertain future with many reefs reported to transition from being dominated by corals to macroalgae. However, given the complexity and diversity of the ecosystem, research on how regimes vary spatially and temporally is needed. Reef regimes are most often characterised by their benthic components; however, complex dynamics are associated with losses and gains in both fish and benthic assemblages. To capture this complexity, we synthesised 3,345 surveys from Hawai'i to define reef regimes in terms of both fish and benthic assemblages. Model-based clustering revealed five distinct regimes that varied ecologically, and were spatially heterogeneous by island, depth and exposure. We identified a regime characteristic of a degraded state with low coral cover and fish biomass, one that had low coral but high fish biomass, as well as three other regimes that varied significantly in their ecology but were previously considered a single coral dominated regime. Analyses of time series data reflected complex system dynamics, with multiple transitions among regimes that were a function of both local and global stressors. Coupling fish and benthic communities into reef regimes to capture complex dynamics holds promise for monitoring reef change and guiding ecosystem-based management of coral reefs.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Fischer, Joern, et al.
(author)
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Advancing sustainability through mainstreaming a social–ecological systems perspective
- 2015
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In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 14, s. 144-149
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The concept of social-ecological systems is useful for understanding the interlinked dynamics of environmental and societal change. The concept has helped facilitate: (1) increased recognition of the dependence of humanity on ecosystems; (2) improved collaboration across disciplines, and between science and society; (3) increased methodological pluralism leading to improved systems understanding; and (4) major policy frameworks considering social-ecological interactions. Despite these advances, the potential of a social-ecological systems perspective to improve sustainability outcomes has not been fully realized. Key priorities are to: (1) better understand and govern social-ecological interactions between regions; (2) pay greater attention to long-term drivers; (3) better understand the interactions among power relations, justice, and ecosystem stewardship; and (4) develop a stronger science-society interface.
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| 14. |
- Folke, Carl, et al.
(author)
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Social-ecological resilience and biosphere-based sustainability science
- 2016
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In: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 21:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Humanity has emerged as a major force in the operation of the biosphere. The focus is shifting from the environment as externality to the biosphere as precondition for social justice, economic development, and sustainability. In this article, we exemplify the intertwined nature of social-ecological systems and emphasize that they operate within, and as embedded parts of the biosphere and as such coevolve with and depend on it. We regard social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems and use a social-ecological resilience approach as a lens to address and understand their dynamics. We raise the challenge of stewardship of development in concert with the biosphere for people in diverse contexts and places as critical for long-term sustainability and dignity in human relations. Biosphere stewardship is essential, in the globalized world of interactions with the Earth system, to sustain and enhance our life-supporting environment for human well-being and future human development on Earth, hence, the need to reconnect development to the biosphere foundation and the need for a biosphere-based sustainability science.
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| 15. |
- Ford, Amanda K., et al.
(author)
-
Local Human Impacts Disrupt Relationships Between Benthic Reef Assemblages and Environmental Predictors
- 2020
-
In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human activities are changing ecosystems at an unprecedented rate, yet large-scale studies into how local human impacts alter natural systems and interact with other aspects of global change are still lacking. Here we provide empirical evidence that local human impacts fundamentally alter relationships between ecological communities and environmental drivers. Using tropical coral reefs as a study system, we investigated the influence of contrasting levels of local human impact using a spatially extensive dataset spanning 62 outer reefs around inhabited Pacific islands. We tested how local human impacts (low versus high determined using a threshold of 25 people km(-2) reef) affected benthic community (i) structure, and (ii) relationships with environmental predictors using pre-defined models and model selection tools. Data on reef depth, benthic assemblages, and herbivorous fish communities were collected from field surveys. Additional data on thermal stress, storm exposure, and market gravity (a function of human population size and reef accessibility) were extracted from public repositories. Findings revealed that reefs subject to high local human impact were characterised by relatively more turf algae (>10% higher mean absolute coverage) and lower live coral cover (9% less mean absolute coverage) than reefs subject to low local human impact, but had similar macroalgal cover and coral morphological composition. Models based on spatio-physical predictors were significantly more accurate in explaining the variation of benthic assemblages at sites with low (mean adjusted-R-2 = 0.35) rather than high local human impact, where relationships became much weaker (mean adjusted-R-2 = 0.10). Model selection procedures also identified a distinct shift in the relative importance of different herbivorous fish functional groups in explaining benthic communities depending on the local human impact level. These results demonstrate that local human impacts alter natural systems and indicate that projecting climate change impacts may be particularly challenging at reefs close to higher human populations, where dependency and pressure on ecosystem services are highest.
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| 16. |
- Garau, Enrica, et al.
(author)
-
Landscape features shape people's perception of ecosystem service supply areas
- 2023
-
In: Ecosystem Services. - 2212-0416 .- 2212-0416. ; 64
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Landscapes have typically been produced by varied, diverse, and long-term interactions between people and nature. However, most landscape planning and ecosystem service mapping approaches focus on the biophysical aspects of landscapes rather the social. Spatial representations of people's perceptions, mental models, and local knowledge of ecosystem services can be created using participatory mapping. This study uses participatory mapping to identify how peoples' perceptions of provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem service supply areas coincide or mismatch with the landscapes features of two Mediterranean river basin areas in north-eastern Catalonia, Spain. We found that the random forest and geographically weighted regression techniques are able to strongly associate landscape features with stakeholders' perceptions of ecosystem supply areas. These results demonstrate that the stakeholders associate various geographic elements with different types of ecosystem service supply areas. Visible geographical features, such as a reservoir, mountains, wetlands, showed great importance in the perception of supply areas of ecosystem services, compared to ecological or biophysical indicators, when mapping and spatially associating certain benefits to ecosystem services supply areas. These findings reveal that, often, the ecological processes and dynamics of functioning of ecosystems are invisible and not fully understood. We argue that integrating these aspects into participatory landscape planning, policies and practice can make the invisible visible and, consequently, increase the understanding for a more targeted and effective management. This could allow stakeholders to better understand the ecological processes behind the visible geographic features of the landscape, fostering a shared knowledge and better environmental management outcomes.
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| 17. |
- Gianelli, Ignacio, et al.
(author)
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Envisioning desirable futures in small-scale fisheries : a transdisciplinary arts-based co-creation process
- 2024
-
In: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 29:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the critical importance of small-scale fisheries for food security and well-being and the role of fishers as stewards of aquatic ecosystems, their future is uncertain. Tackling narratives that portray small-scale fisheries as obsolete, disparate, and inefficient requires collectively imagining and articulating new, creative, and inspiring narratives that reflect their real contributions and enable transformative futures. Drawing on a transdisciplinary country -level case study, we analyze the process and outcomes of co -creating desirable, plural, and meaningful visions of the future for small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. Using an arts -based approach and leveraging the agency of emerging innovative initiatives throughout the country, different food system actors (fish workers, chefs, entrepreneurs) and knowledge systems (local, experience -based, and scientific) were engaged in a creative visioning process. The results of this artsbased co -creation process include (1) a series of desirable visions and narratives, synthesized into an artistic boundary object; and (2) the stepping stones to a transformative space for collective reflection, learning, and action. Although the artistic boundary object has proven instrumental among multiple and diverse participants, the transformative space encouraged academic and non-academic participants to plan collective actions and to feel more confident, motivated, and optimistic about the future of small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. With this paper we provide a tool, a platform, and a roadmap to counter the dominant bleak narrative, while also communicating the elements that constitute desirable futures for small-scale fisheries in Uruguay. On a broader scale, our contribution reinforces the emerging narrative of the key role that small-scale fisheries have, and will play, in local and global food systems.
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| 18. |
- Graham, Nicholas A. J., et al.
(author)
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Coral reefs as novel ecosystems : embracing new futures
- 2014
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In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 7, s. 9-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The composition and functions of many ecosystems are changing, giving rise to the concept of novel ecosystems. Although some coral reefs are becoming non-coral systems, others are becoming novel coral-dominated ecosystems driven principally by differential species responses to climate change and other drivers, but also due to species range shifts at higher latitudes, and in some cases introduced species. Returning many coral reefs to pristine baselines is unrealistic, whereas embracing novel futures enables more pragmatic approaches to maintaining or re-building the dominance of corals. Coral reefs are changing in unprecedented ways, providing the impetus to improve our understanding of reef compositions that may dominate in the future, explore new management approaches, assess changes in ecosystem services, and investigate how human societies can adapt and respond to novel futures.
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| 19. |
- Graham, Nicholas A. J., et al.
(author)
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Managing resilience to reverse phase shifts in coral reefs
- 2013
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In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1540-9295 .- 1540-9309. ; 11:10, s. 541-548
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Both coral-dominated and degraded reef ecosystems can be resistant to change. Typically, research and management have focused on maintaining coral dominance and avoiding phase shifts to other species compositions, rather than on weakening the resilience of already degraded reefs to re-establish coral dominance. Reversing degraded coral-reef states will involve reducing local chronic drivers like fishing pressure and poor water quality. Reversals will also require management of key ecological processes - such as those performed by different functional groups of marine herbivores - that both weaken the resilience of the degraded state and strengthen the coral-dominated state. If detrimental human impacts are reduced and key ecological processes are enhanced, pulse disturbances, such as extreme weather events, and ecological variability may provide opportunities for a return to a coral-dominated state. Critically, achieving these outcomes will necessitate a diverse range of integrated approaches to alter human interactions with reef ecosystems.
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| 20. |
- Hölting, Lisanne, et al.
(author)
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Measuring ecosystem multifunctionality across scales
- 2019
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In: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 14:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multifunctionality refers to the capacity of an area to supply multiple ecosystem functions or services. While many conceptual and methodological advances have focused on defining and quantifying multifunctionality, the challenge of dealing with cross-scale dynamics of multifunctionality remains open. This study proposes a new way of measuring multifunctionality across spatial scales, illustrated with a European-wide dataset of 18 ecosystem services. Our assessment captures not only the diversity of ecosystem services supplied within each municipality (alpha-multifunctionality), but also the unique contribution of each municipality to the regional ecosystem service diversity (beta-multifunctionality). This cross-scale analysis helps better understanding the spatial distribution of ecosystem services, which is required to design management and policies at the right scale. Our analysis shows that alpha-multifunctionality follows a latitudinal gradient across Europe and strongly decreases towards the city centers of metropolitan areas. By relating alpha- and beta-multifunctionality to land use intensity, we show that low-intensity management systems support higher ecosystem multifunctionality across Europe. Municipalities of low alpha-multifunctionality often contribute significantly to regional multifunctionality, by providing ecosystem services of a specific value to the region. Our method to measure both alpha- and beta-multifunctionality thus provides a new way to inform reconciliation of competing land uses when maximizing alpha-multifunctionality is not reasonable.
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| 21. |
- Jiménez-Aceituno, Amanda, et al.
(author)
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Local lens for SDG implementation : lessons from bottom-up approaches in Africa
- 2020
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In: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 15:3, s. 729-743
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Anthropocene presents a set of interlinked sustainability challenges for humanity. The United Nations 2030 Agenda has identified 17 specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a way to confront these challenges. However, local initiatives have long been addressing issues connected to these goals in a myriad of diverse and innovative ways. We present a new approach to assess how local initiatives contribute to achieving the SDGs. We analyse how many, and how frequently, different SDGs and targets are addressed in a set of African initiatives. We consider goals and targets addressed by the same initiative as interacting between them. Then, we cluster the SDGs based on the combinations of goals and targets addressed by the initiatives and explore how SDGs differ in how local initiatives engage with them. We identify 5 main groups: SDGs addressed by broad-scope projects, SDGs addressed by specific projects, SDGs as means of implementation, cross-cutting SDGs and underrepresented SDGs. Goal 11 (sustainable cities & communities) is not clustered with any other goal. Finally, we explore the nuances of these groups and discuss the implications and relevance for the SDG framework to consider bottom-up approaches. Efforts to monitor the success on implementing the SDGs in local contexts should be reinforced and consider the different patterns initiatives follow to address the goals. Additionally, achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda will require diversity and alignment of bottom-up and top-down approaches.
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| 22. |
- Jouffray, Jean-Baptiste, et al.
(author)
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Identifying multiple coral reef regimes and their drivers across the Hawaiian archipelago
- 2015
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In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 370:1659
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Loss of coral reef resilience can lead to dramatic changes in benthic structure, often called regime shifts, which significantly alter ecosystem processes and functioning. In the face of global change and increasing direct human impacts, there is an urgent need to anticipate and prevent undesirable regime shifts and, conversely, to reverse shifts in already degraded reef systems. Such challenges require a better understanding of the human and natural drivers that support or undermine different reef regimes. The Hawaiian archipelago extends across a wide gradient of natural and anthropogenic conditions and provides us a unique opportunity to investigate the relationships between multiple reef regimes, their dynamics and potential drivers. We applied a combination of exploratory ordination methods and inferential statistics to one of the most comprehensive coral reef datasets available in order to detect, visualize and define potential multiple ecosystem regimes. This study demonstrates the existence of three distinct reef regimes dominated by hard corals, turf algae or macroalgae. Results from boosted regression trees show nonlinear patterns among predictors that help to explain the occurrence of these regimes, and highlight herbivore biomass as the key driver in addition to effluent, latitude and depth.
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| 23. |
- Jouffray, Jean-Baptiste, et al.
(author)
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Parsing human and biophysical drivers of coral reef regimes
- 2019
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 286:1896
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coral reefs worldwide face unprecedented cumulative anthropogenic effects of interacting local human pressures, global climate change and distal social processes. Reefs are also bound by the natural biophysical environment within which they exist. In this context, a key challenge for effective management is understanding how anthropogenic and biophysical conditions interact to drive distinct coral reef configurations. Here, we use machine learning to conduct explanatory predictions on reef ecosystems defined by both fish and benthic communities. Drawing on the most spatially extensive dataset available across the Hawaiian archipelago-20 anthropogenic and biophysical predictors over 620 survey sites-we model the occurrence of four distinct reef regimes and provide a novel approach to quantify the relative influence of human and environmental variables in shaping reef ecosystems. Our findings highlight the nuances of what underpins different coral reef regimes, the overwhelming importance of biophysical predictors and how a reef's natural setting may either expand or narrow the opportunity space for management interventions. The methods developed through this study can help inform reef practitioners and hold promises for replication across a broad range of ecosystems.
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| 24. |
- Jouffray, Jean-Baptiste, 1989-
(author)
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The Anthropocene Ocean : Risks and opportunities for global sustainability
- 2019
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Humans have become a dominant force of planetary change. This epoch, referred to as the Anthropocene, implies profound alterations to the Earth’s marine and terrestrial ecosystems upon which so many people depend. In particular, the prospect of a new era of blue growth poses unprecedented sustainability and governance challenges for the ocean, as marine ecosystems face cumulative pressures from local human impacts, global climate change and distal socioeconomic drivers. Exploring what the Anthropocene means for the ocean and its capacity to support human societies in a sustainable and equitable way represents a critical challenge.This thesis consists of five papers and relies on a mixed-methods approach that includes quantitative and qualitative analyses, transdisciplinary practices, literature reviews and knowledge syntheses. Paper I looks at the relative influence of anthropogenic and biophysical interactions in explaining the occurrence of multiple coral reef regimes across the Hawaiian archipelago. It highlights the nuances of what underpins different regimes and how a reef’s natural setting may either limit or favour successful management interventions. Paper II synthesises the diversity of ocean claims, reviews their impacts, and describes their trajectory as the blue acceleration – a new phase in humanity’s use of the ocean that exhibits a phenomenal rate of change over the last 30 years. Paper III builds on the identification of the world’s largest seafood corporations and reports on a global experiment to test whether these companies have an interest and ability to take on a leadership role for ocean stewardship. The study shows that scientists can play a critical role in this process by linking knowledge to action. Paper IV investigates how finance can promote seafood sustainability. It identifies where different financial mechanisms are most salient along a seafood firm’s development trajectory and discusses three leverage points that could redirect capital towards more sustainable practices: bank loans, stock exchange listing rules, and shareholder activism. Paper V introduces the global production ecosystem (GPE) as a framework that integrates multiple sectors across land and sea to explore the cumulative transformation of the Earth’s biosphere. It shows that the GPE is characterised by hyper-connectivity, global homogenisation and weak feedbacks, which erode resilience and create conditions for new risks to emerge and interact.Collectively, the five papers suggest that the Anthropocene ocean may be as much about upwelling and parrotfish grazing as it is about bank loans and intensified crop monocultures. The thesis provides novel conceptual and mechanistic ways to link ecosystems to their distal socioeconomic drivers and offers a useful contribution to both academic and policy discussions on how to approach ocean sustainability in the 21st century.
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| 25. |
- Jouffray, Jean-Baptiste, 1989-, et al.
(author)
-
The blue acceleration
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)
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| 26. |
- Lam, David P. M., et al.
(author)
-
Amplifying actions for food system transformation : insights from the Stockholm region
- 2022
-
In: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 17:6, s. 2379-2395
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Food is essential to people and is one of the main ways in which people are connected to the world’s ecosystems. However, food systems often cause ecosystem degradation and produce ill-health, which has generated increasing calls to transform food systems to be more sustainable. The Swedish food system is currently undergoing substantial change. A varied set of local actors have created alternative sustainability initiatives that enact new ways of doing, thinking, and organizing. These actors can increase the transformative impact of their initiatives through multiple actions and a variety of amplification processes. We analyzed the actions adopted by 29 food initiatives active in the Stockholm region using information available online. We conducted 11 interviews to better understand the amplification processes of speeding up (i.e., accelerating impact), scaling up (i.e., influencing higher institutional levels), and scaling deep (i.e., changing values and mind-sets). Our results indicated that the initiatives mainly seek to stabilize and grow their impact while changing the awareness, values, and mind-sets of people concerning the food they consume (scaling deep). However, these approaches raise new questions about whether these actions subvert or reinforce current unsustainable and inequitable system dynamics. We suggest there are distinct steps that local and regional governments could take to support these local actors via collaborations with coordinated forms of initiatives, and fostering changes at the municipality level, but these steps require ongoing, adaptive approaches given the highly complex nature of transformative change and the risks of reinforcing current system dynamics.
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| 27. |
- Lokrantz, Jerker, 1978-, et al.
(author)
-
A comparison of functional groups in coral reefs around Zanzibar Island (Tanzania)
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Species’ traits determine how biodiversity interacts with ecosystem processes and influence the capacity of ecosystems to respond to and recover from disturbances. Classifying species with regards to their traits, i.e. functional groups, and analyzing their distribution provides a mechanistic approach to investigate the resilience in ecosystems. This study investigates the status of functional groups of coral, fish and sea urchins on reefs on the west coast of Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. The classification of functional groups is based on traits reflecting important community processes or properties which underpin ecosystem resilience. The results show that reefs with high accessibility, i.e. close to shore and open to fisheries, have lower abundance and diversity of functional groups of both coral and fish compared to more remote or protected reefs. More specifically, highly accessible reefs display lower abundances of herbivorous fish (macroalgae browsers in particular), large-bodied fish, structurally complex corals and corals with certain reproduction strategies. Based on these findings we speculate what this means in terms of ecosystem functioning and vulnerability. This study also provides a first “baseline” of functional group distribution and although it represents an already degraded state it may serve as an important comparison when evaluating further degradation and effects of impending management interventions.
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| 28. |
- Lokrantz, Jerker, 1978-, et al.
(author)
-
Assessing potential vulnerability of coral reefs through functional groups of herbivores
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Fishing can have major influences on ecological processes on coral reefs. Overfishing of herbivores is particularly detrimental, generating ecosystem-wide impacts where algae overgrow corals and become the dominant benthic organism. This can result in altered ecosystem functioning and subsequently, loss of important ecosystem services. Knowing when important processes, such as herbivory, are becoming fragile is important because it can provide an opportunity for managers to avoid such undesirable ecosystem changes. This study investigates the impact of artisanal fishing on three important functional groups of herbivores (grazers, scrapers and bioeroders) on five coral-dominated reefs outside Zanzibar, Tanzania. Fishing pressure was assessed through interviews with households and fishermen and compared with ecological data for each of the three focal functional groups. The ecological status of the groups were assessed through analysis of species richness, -abundance, -biomass and demographic structure; variables relating to functional performance and in a wider sense ecosystem resilience. The results showed a negative correlation between fishing pressure and fish biomass, -abundance, and diversity. Moreover, fishing had a negative influence on the demographic structure of functional groups, particularly for bioeroders, manifesting as a skewness towards smaller individuals within species populations. Fishing pressure also correlated positively with sea urchin abundances suggesting a compensatory response within the guild of herbivores, which could explain the low abundances of macro algae on all of the investigated reefs. This study shows that artisanal fishing can have significant impacts on herbivores which may erode the resilience on coral reefs. Moreover, it illustrates how functional groups may help to expose potential vulnerability of coral reefs by mechanistically linking the diversity and identity of species to ecosystem processes.
|
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| 29. |
- Lokrantz, Jerker, et al.
(author)
-
Impacts of artisanal fishing on key functional groups and the potential vulnerability of coral reefs
- 2010
-
In: Environmental Conservation. - Online. - 0376-8929 .- 1469-4387. ; 36:4, s. 327-337
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fishing can have major impacts on the structure of coral reef ecosystems. Overfishing of herbivores is particularly detrimental, as it makes the coral system more likely to undergo shifts to macroalgal dominance in the event of coral mass mortality. Knowing when important processes, such as herbivory, are becoming brittle is important because it can provide an opportunity for managers to avoid undesirable ecosystem-level changes. This study investigates the impact of artisanal fishing on three important functional groups of herbivores (grazers, scrapers and excavators) on five coral-dominated reefs outside Zanzibar (Tanzania). There was a negative correlation between fishing pressure and fish biomass, abundance, diversity and species richness. Moreover, fishing had a negative influence on the demographic structure of functional groups, particularly excavators, manifesting itself as a skewness towards smaller individuals within populations. Artisanal fishing can have significant impacts on key functional groups of herbivorous reef fishes which may increase the vulnerability of coral reefs to undesirable ecosystem shifts.
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| 30. |
|
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| 31. |
- Malmborg, Katja, 1988-, et al.
(author)
-
Embracing complexity in landscape management : Learning and impacts of a participatory resilience assessment
- 2022
-
In: Ecosystems and People. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2639-5908 .- 2639-5916. ; 18:1, s. 241-257
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Landscapes and their management are at the center of many of the sustainability challenges that we face. Landscapes can be described as social-ecological systems shaped by a myriad of human activities and biophysical processes, interacting across space and time. Managing them sustainably requires considering this complexity. Resilience thinking offers ways to address complexity in decision-making. In this paper, we analyse the learning and impact on a diverse group of local actors from participating in a participatory resilience assessment. The assessment, focused on sustainable landscape management in the Helge a catchment, Sweden, produced concrete knowledge outputs, describing ecosystem service bundles, a future vision, conceptual system models, and a strategic action plan. Follow-up interviews indicate that the process and its outputs supported the participants' learning process and helped them to articulate complexity thinking in practice. The outputs, and the exercises to produce them, emerged as complementary in supporting this articulation. Furthermore, they helped build participants' capacity to communicate the diverse values of the landscape to others and to target leverage points more strategically. Thus, it supported the application of resilience thinking in landscape management, especially by generating learning and fostering complex adaptive systems thinking.
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| 32. |
- Malmborg, Katja, 1988-
(author)
-
How on Earth : Operationalizing the ecosystem service concept for local sustainability
- 2019
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Ecosystem services are co-produced in social-ecological systems. Due to their social-ecological framing, ecosystem services hold the potential to be a concept around which different stakeholders with vested interests in different aspects of landscape management can meet. However, how this potential is to be realized and the ecosystem services concept operationalized for local decision-making needs to be explored further.In this licentiate thesis, focusing on the Helge å catchment, Sweden, I investigate the social-ecological system dynamics underlying current ecosystem services generation in the area. Together with a group of local to regional stakeholders I performed an iterative, participatory ecosystem service assessment, producing three distinct ecosystem service bundles in the study area. The process to produce the ecosystem service bundles helped in creating a common picture of the landscape among the participants. Ecosystem services also emerged as abridging concept around which the diverse set of participants could meet (paper 1). The ecosystem service bundles were then used as the starting point to co-produce a shared system understanding among the participants and though the formulation of a positive vision for the landscape, start a conversation about sustainability transformations. Based on the outputs from the participatory process and two rounds of interviews with the participants, we assessed to what extent these exercises promoted learning about complexity among the participants, fostered resilience thinking and produced usable knowledge for decision-making (paper 2).Throughout this participatory process of exploring system dynamics and positive futures, I believe that I have kept the rich social-ecological nature of the ecosystem service concept intact while at the same time co-developed concrete, usable results to support local decision-making for sustainability. In addition to being a bridging concept in the participatory process, the ecosystem service concept emerged as a valuable pedagogical tool and as a means for the participants to communicate their system understanding to other actors within and outside their own organizations.
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| 33. |
- Malmborg, Katja, 1988-
(author)
-
How on Earth? : Operationalizing the ecosystem service concept for sustainability
- 2021
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Production landscapes are at the center of many of the sustainability challenges that we face. The ecosystem service concept has risen in prominence over the last decades as a tool to support sustainable landscape management. Stewardship has been suggested as an approach that individuals and groups of actors can practice when striving for sustainability in complex situations. In this thesis, I explore how the ecosystem service concept can be used as a tool to support the stewardship practices of various local actors who are engaging in sustainable landscape management. The core of this thesis is a participatory resilience assessment conducted together with a diverse group of actors, all involved in different forms of landscape management in the Helgeå catchment in Southern Sweden. In Paper I, I describe the participatory ecosystem service bundles analysis that was part of the process. In Paper II, I describe the process as a whole and show how participating supported learning and articulation of complexity thinking. In Paper III, I compare this process with three other knowledge co-production processes from the Helgeå catchment, and trace how different theoretical approaches led to both similar and diverging ecosystem service knowledge outputs. Finally, in Paper IV, I use a photo elicitation exercise to articulate different narratives of how sense of home motivates private, non-industrial forest owners in the Helgeå catchment to engage in stewardship practice.Together, these four papers show that the ecosystem service concept can support sustainability by facilitating knowledge co-production processes about complex challenges in landscape management. In such settings, it can function as a pedagogical tool and bridging concept. For participating civil servants, ecosystem service knowledge and terminology were also used strategically when communicating with actors in their own organizations, effectively influencing their situated agency to practice stewardship. Finally, the ecosystem service concept has the potential to be useful in the dialogue between private land owners and other actors. However, some pathways to stewardship, such as those rooted in a sense for history and community, would be better represented by other, more relational human-nature conceptualizations. This means that while the operationalization of the ecosystem service concept can contribute to stewardship practices in pursuit of sustainability, there are also important limitations that need to be taken into account in each context of use.
|
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| 34. |
- Malmborg, Katja, 1988-, et al.
(author)
-
Knowledge co-production in the Helge å catchment : a comparative analysis
- 2022
-
In: Ecosystems and People. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2639-5908 .- 2639-5916. ; 18:1, s. 565-582
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Addressing sustainability challenges in landscape management requires processes for co-producing usable knowledge together with those who will use that knowledge. Participatory futures methods are powerful tools for attaining such knowledge. The applications of such methods are diverse and understanding the intricacies of the knowledge co-production process is important to further develop these research practices. To improve participatory futures methods and contribute to systematic and critical reflections on methodology, we present a comparative analysis of four research projects that applied participatory futures methods in the same study area. Conducted between 2011 and 2020, these projects aimed to co-produce knowledge about the future provision of ecosystem services in the Helge a catchment area in southern Sweden. For structuring the post-hoc, self-reflexive analysis, we developed a framework dividing the knowledge co-production process into three dimensions: settings, synthesis and diffusion. We based the analysis on documentation from the projects, a two-step questionnaire to each research team, a workshop with co-authors and interviews with key participants. The comparison highlights steps in project decision-making, explicit and implicit assumptions in our respective approaches and how these assumptions informed process design in the projects. Our detailed description of the four knowledge co-production processes points to the importance of flexibility in research design, but also the necessity for researchers and other participants to adapt as the process unfolds.
|
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| 35. |
|
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| 36. |
- Malmborg, Katja, et al.
(author)
-
Operationalizing ecosystem service bundles for strategic sustainability planning : A participatory approach
- 2021
-
In: Ambio. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-7447 .- 1654-7209. ; 50, s. 314-331
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ecosystem service concept is recognized as a useful tool to support sustainability in decision-making. In this study, we collaborated with actors in the Helge a catchment, southern Sweden, in an iterative participatory ecosystem service assessment. Through workshops and interviews, we jointly decided which ecosystem services to assess and indicators to use in order to achieve a sense of ownership and a higher legitimacy of the assessment. Subsequently, we explored the landscape-level interactions between the 15 assessed services, and found that the area can be described using three distinct ecosystem service bundles. The iterative, participatory process strengthened our analysis and created a shared understanding and overview of the multifunctional landscape around Helge a among participants. Importantly, this allowed for the generated knowledge to impact local strategic sustainability planning. With this study, we illustrate how similar processes can support local decision-making for a more sustainable future.
|
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| 37. |
- Martín-López, Berta, et al.
(author)
-
A novel telecoupling framework to assess social relations across spatial scales for ecosystem services research
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Environmental Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4797 .- 1095-8630. ; 241, s. 251-263
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Access to ecosystem services and influence on their management are structured by social relations among actors, which often occur across spatial scales. Such cross-scale social relations can be analysed through a telecoupling framework as decisions taken at local scales are often shaped by actors at larger scales. Analyzing these cross-scale relations is critical to create effective and equitable strategies to manage ecosystem services. Here, we develop an analytical framework -i.e. the 'cross-scale influence-dependence framework'- to facilitate the analysis of power asymmetries and the distribution of ecosystem services among the beneficiaries. We illustrate the suitability of this framework through its retrospective application across four case studies, in which we characterize the level of dependence of multiple actors on a particular set of ecosystem services, and their influence on decision-making regarding these services across three spatial scales. The 'cross-scale influence-dependence framework' can improve our understanding of distributional and procedural equity and thus support the development of policies for sustainable management of ecosystem services.
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| 38. |
|
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| 39. |
- Meacham, Megan, 1986-, et al.
(author)
-
Advancing research on ecosystem service bundles for comparative assessments and synthesis
- 2022
-
In: Ecosystems and People. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2639-5908 .- 2639-5916. ; 18:1, s. 99-111
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social-ecological interactions have been shown to generate interrelated and reoccurring sets of ecosystem services, also known as ecosystem service bundles. Given the potential utility of the bundles concept, along with the recent surge in interest it is timely to reflect on the concept, its current use and potential for the future. Based on our ecosystem service bundle experience, expertise, and ecosystem service bundle analyses, we have found critical elements for advancing the utility of ecosystem service bundle concept and deepening its impact in the future. In this paper we 1) examine the different conceptualizations of the ecosystem service bundle concept; 2) show the range of benefits of using a bundles approach; 3) explore key issues for improving research on ecosystem service bundles, including indicators, scale, and drivers and relationships between ecosystem services; and 4) outline priorities for the future by facilitating comparisons of ecosystem service bundle research.
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| 40. |
|
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| 41. |
|
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| 42. |
- Meacham, Megan, et al.
(author)
-
Social-ecological drivers of multiple ecosystem services : what variables explain patterns of ecosystem services across the Norrstrom drainage basin?
- 2016
-
In: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 21:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In human dominated landscapes many diverse, and often antagonistic, human activities are intentionally and inadvertently determining the supply of various ecosystem services. Understanding how different social and ecological factors shape the availability of ecosystem services is essential for fair and effective policy and management. In this paper, we evaluate how well alternative social-ecological models of human impact on ecosystems explain patterns of 16 ecosystem services (ES) across the 62 municipalities of the Norrstrom drainage basin in Sweden. We test four models of human impact on ecosystems, land use, ecological modernization, ecological footprint, and location theory, and test their ability to predict both individual ES and bundles of ES. We find that different models do best to predict different types of individual ES. Land use is the best model for predicting provisioning services, standing water quality, biodiversity appreciation, and cross-country skiing, while other models work better for the remaining services. However, this range of models is not able to predict some of the cultural ES. ES bundles are predicted worse than individual ES by these models, but provide a clear picture of variation in multiple ecosystem services based on limited information. Based on our results, we offer suggestions on how social-ecological modeling and assessments of ecosystems can be further developed.
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| 43. |
- Meacham, Megan, 1986-
(author)
-
Social-ecological dynamics of ecosystem service bundles
- 2020
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The environments in which we live are complex, adapting and evolving in non-linear ways. The ecosystem services produced in landscapes supply resources, support livelihoods and are foundational to human wellbeing. The assessment of individual ecosystem services has been the focus of much work but evaluating the dynamic nature of multiple ecosystem services has been limited. Sustainably managing landscapes requires an understanding of how different social and ecological factors shape the distribution of ecosystem services and how those services are related to one another. The ecosystem service bundles concept refers to reoccurring sets of ecosystem services and is useful for focusing on interactions among ecosystem services. It is also critical that methods for assessing ecosystem services are feasible and accessible to landscape managers. The prolific public data in Sweden is an interesting case to explore the ability of publicly available data to express ecosystem services at an applicable scale.Using publicly available data at the municipal scale, the thesis first identifies bundles of ecosystem services in the Norrström drainage basin in Sweden. Five types of bundles were found spatially aggregated across the basin. Further analysis explored the evenness of the distribution of the ecosystem services across the region. These human dominated landscapes were found to be highly multifunctional with regards to the diversity and evenness of the ecosystem services, as well as in comparison to other places.Second, four theory-based models were developed to explore the social, ecological and geographic drivers of the ecosystem services and ecosystem service bundles found in the Norrström drainage basin. The models were created by distilling the core assumptions of four theories of human-nature interactions into social, ecological and geographic driver variables to test their ability to explain the distribution of the ecosystem services and ecosystem service bundles. No one model was best at predicting the distribution of all the ecosystem services. Bundles of ecosystem services were not predicted as well as the individual ecosystem services. Nevertheless, a clear picture of the variation of ecosystem services in the region could be seen even with this limited information.Third, ecosystem service bundles were assessed using publicly available data at the municipal scale for all of Sweden across four time periods. Little change in the distribution of the ecosystem services bundles was detected across the time periods which start in 2000. The relationship between the ecosystem services bundles and a range of social, ecological and geographic variables was assessed. The fixed geographic variable latitude along with forest and arable area had the largest impact on the distribution pattern of the ecosystem service bundles.Finally, the thesis examines the different conceptualizations of the concept of ecosystem service bundles. The benefits to using an ecosystem service bundles approach are highlighted, including how bundles simplify analysis, simplify management, help advance social-ecological theory, provide guidance with missing information, and bridge separated research fields and stakeholder groups. Ways to improve research on ecosystem service bundles are presented through discussions of social-ecological indicators, scale, and internal ecosystem service relationships and drivers. A framework for finding points of compatibility between bundle studies and navigating comparisons is provided, because there is so much to learn from comparing ecosystem service bundle research.
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| 44. |
- Meacham, Megan, 1986-
(author)
-
Understanding ecosystem service bundles and their social-ecological patterns in a Swedish landscape
- 2017
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Managing landscapes in a way that ensures sustainable development and the continued production of benefits to a diverse set of people requires an understanding how people use, modify, and depend on their local environment. This thesis uses the concept of ecosystem service bundles to articulate the social-ecological dynamics that define landscapes. In particular, this thesis focuses on how social and ecological factors create patterns of ecosystem service bundles and how well we can predict these patterns. It also explores ecosystem service bundles as a concept and how it can be better operationalized.In the first paper, I explore how well different theories of human-nature interaction predict the distribution of ecosystem services in the Norrström drainage basin in Sweden. Traditionally, land use is the accepted driver of ecosystem service production. However, by including social, economic and geographic variables, I show that this broader social-ecological set of drivers are better at predicting the presence of ecosystem services and their configurations in the landscape. This paper bridges empirically based ecosystem service mapping with theory driven modeling and highlights a need for the development of a coherent social-ecological theory of human-nature interaction.In the second paper, I investigate different conceptualizations of ecosystem service bundles. The paper highlights three key areas of focus uniquely important for assessing ecosystem service bundles and comparing them across cases – namely 1) scale – extent and units of observation 2) chain of production, and 3) mechanisms and drivers.
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| 45. |
- Moore, Michele-Lee, et al.
(author)
-
Studying the complexity of change : toward an analytical framework for understanding deliberate social-ecological transformations
- 2014
-
In: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 19:4, s. 54-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Faced with numerous seemingly intractable social and environmental challenges, many scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding how to actively engage and transform the existing systems holding such problems in place. Although a variety of analytical models have emerged in recent years, most emphasize either the social or ecological elements of such transformations rather than their coupled nature. To address this, first we have presented a definition of the core elements of a social-ecological system (SES) that could potentially be altered in a transformation. Second, we drew on insights about transformation from three branches of literature focused on radical change, i.e., social movements, socio-technical transitions, and social innovation, and gave consideration to the similarities and differences with the current studies by resilience scholars. Drawing on these findings, we have proposed a framework that outlines the process and phases of transformative change in an SES. Future research will be able to utilize the framework as a tool for analyzing the alteration of social-ecological feedbacks, identifying critical barriers and leverage points and assessing the outcome of social-ecological transformations.
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| 46. |
- My, Sellberg
(author)
-
Resilience Assessment in Strategic Planning for Sustainable Development
- 2016
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The framework of resilience thinking within sustainability science highlights ability to deal with change and uncertainty, and promotes more adaptive forms of management and governance. While the concept of resilience is increasingly being adopted into policies and planning, as well as by grass-roots movements, environmental and development organizations, many practical approaches to resilience lack theoretical backing. In contrast, the Resilience Alliance’s approach to resilience assessment, described e.g. in the Resilience Assessment Workbook for Practitioners, has a strong theoretical foundation in resilience thinking and builds on empirical research of social-ecological systems. However, few scientific studies have evaluated the usefulness of resilience assessment in practical contexts, such as planning. This raises the question of how to operationalize and apply resilience assessment in contexts outside of academia, and whether it can deliver on the theoretical promise of resilience thinking to help practitioners in local and regional planning address sustainability challenges on multiple levels. To investigate this question, this thesis adopts a transdisciplinary approach, and a focus on practitioner perceptions. The thesis includes two papers. Paper I presents a novel comparison of the Resilience Alliance and Transition Movement’s approaches to apply resilience thinking, and combines them in collaboration with a regional rural development organization in Sweden. Paper II synthesizes lessons across eleven regional natural resource management organizations in Australia that have implemented a resilience assessment approach in their strategic planning processes. Paper II confirmed the suggested potential in participatory resilience assessment to build systems understanding and contribute to features of adaptive governance, e.g. through strengthening partner networks and developing multi-level planning processes (local-regional). The two papers confirm the weakness of resilience assessment in addressing transformations, particularly those needed for Earth System resilience and global sustainability. In relation to this gap, Paper I identifies opportunities for method development, e.g. defining a purpose and system boundaries that open up more for change and highlight connections to higher scales and other places. The difference between the experimental pilot project (Paper I) and the larger-scale, more mainstream application of resilience assessment (Paper II), shows how diverse contexts afford different types of resilience assessment applications. This points to the complementary use of the two types of applications to improve the potential of resilience assessment to facilitate sustainability transformations. In conclusion, the thesis shows the usefulness of engaging practitioners in evaluating resilience assessment applications grounded in specific contexts.
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| 47. |
- Norström, Albert, et al.
(author)
-
Influence of dead coral substrate morphology on patterns of juvenile coral distribution
- 2007
-
In: Marine Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0025-3162 .- 1432-1793. ; 150:6, s. 1145-1152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study examines the abundances of three morphological categories of juvenile corals (massive, branching and encrusting) on two different types of natural substratum, dead massive and dead branching corals. The overall results show that the morphological characteristics of dead coral substratum have a significant influence on the coral recruitment patterns with respect to the morphology of the recruits: juvenile corals of massive and branching types were more abundant on substrates of corresponding morphology. The results obtained from this study suggest that dead coral might attract coral larvae that are morphologically similar. On the other hand, it may be the result of post-settlement mortality. Whatever the mechanism shaping the patterns is, it seems that the physical morphology of the dead coral substrate has a significant influence on the coral recruit assemblage. Hence, we suggest that substrate morphology can be an important qualitative factor for coral settlement and a possible determinant of community structure.
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| 48. |
- Norström, Albert, et al.
(author)
-
Principles for knowledge co-production in sustainability research
- 2020
-
In: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:3, s. 182-190
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research practice, funding agencies and global science organizations suggest that research aimed at addressing sustainability challenges is most effective when 'co-produced' by academics and non-academics. Co-production promises to address the complex nature of contemporary sustainability challenges better than more traditional scientific approaches. But definitions of knowledge co-production are diverse and often contradictory. We propose a set of four general principles that underlie high-quality knowledge co-production for sustainability research. Using these principles, we offer practical guidance on how to engage in meaningful co-productive practices, and how to evaluate their quality and success. Research addressing sustainability issues is more effective if 'co-produced' by academics and non-academics, but definitions of co-production vary. This Perspective presents four knowledge co-production principles for sustainability research and guides on how to engage in co-productive practices.
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| 49. |
- Norström, Albert, 1979-
(author)
-
Upholding the coral loop : Resilience, alternative stable states and feedbacks in coral reefs
- 2010
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Coral reefs are suffering unprecedented declines in coral cover and species diversity. These changes are often associated with substantial shifts in community structure to new dominant organisms. Ultimately, these “phase shifts” can be persistent and very difficult to return from. Building insurance against degradation and decreasing the likelihood of reefs undergoing shifts to undesirable states will require sustainable management practices that uphold coral reef resilience. This thesis consists of five papers that contribute new knowledge useful for managing the resilience of coral reefs, and other marine ecosystems. Paper I shows how the morphology of natural substrate (dead coral colonies) can significantly influence coral recruitment patterns. Paper II focuses on larval lipid levels, a key determinant of coral dispersal potential, in a common Caribbean coral (Favia fragum). It shows that i) lipid levels exhibit a significant, non-linear reduction throughout the larval release period of F. fragum and ii) exposure to a common pollutant (copper) could potentially lead to a more rapid lipid consumption in the larvae. Paper III presents a broader analysis of the different undesirable states a coral reef can shift to as a consequence of reef degradation. It concludes that different states are caused by different driving factors and that management must explicitly acknowledge this. Paper IV proposes a suite of resilience indicators that can help managers assess when a coral-dominated reef might be moving towards a shift to an undesirable state. These indicators capture key-processes occuring on different temporal and spatial scales and signal resilience loss early enough for managers to take appropriate measures. Finally, Paper V reviews the feedback loops that reinforce the undesirable states of five important marine ecosystems and suggests certain strategies that can ease the restoration back to healthier conditions. Managing these critical feedbacks will recquire monitoring the processes underpinning these feedbacks, breaking already established feedbacks loops through large-scale management trials and acknowledging transdisciplinary solutions that move management beyond the discipline of ecology
|
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| 50. |
- Norström, Albert V., et al.
(author)
-
Alternative states on coral reefs : beyond coral-macroalgal phase shifts
- 2009
-
In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0171-8630 .- 1616-1599. ; 376, s. 295-306
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Degradation of coral reefs is often associated with changes in community structure where macroalgae become the dominant benthic life form. These phase shifts can be difficult to reverse. The debate on coral reef phase shifts has not focused on reports of coral reefs becoming dominated by other life forms following disturbance. A review of the primary and grey literature indicates that reefs dominated by corallimorpharia, soft corals, sponges and sea urchins can enter an alternative state as a result of a phase shift. Shifts can be triggered by pulse disturbances that cause large-scale coral mortality, and may become stable as a result of positive feedback mechanisms. However, they may differ from the archetypical coral-macroalgae shift, depending on the factors driving the shift; whereas coral-macroalgae and coral-urchin shifts seem to be driven by loss of top-down control through overfishing, shifts to corallimorpharian, soft coral and sponge dominance seem more associated with changes in bottom-tip dynamics. Understanding the differences and similarities in mechanisms that cause and maintain this variety of alternative states will aid management aimed at preventing and reversing phase shifts of coral reefs.
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