scholarly journals Harnessing Insights from Social-Ecological Systems Research for Monitoring Sustainable Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odirilwe Selomane ◽  
Belinda Reyers ◽  
Reinette Biggs ◽  
Maike Hamann
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Ecological Feedbacks ◽  
Development Outcomes

The United Nations’ Agenda 2030 marks significant progress towards sustainable development by making explicit the intention to integrate previously separate social, economic and environmental agendas. Despite this intention, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were adopted to implement the agenda, are fragmented in their formulation and largely sectoral. We contend that while the design of the SDG monitoring is based on a systems approach, it still misses most of the dynamics and complexity relevant to sustainability outcomes. We propose that insights from the study of social-ecological systems offer a more integrated approach to the implementation of Agenda 2030, particularly the monitoring of progress towards sustainable development outcomes. Using five key features highlighted by the study of social-ecological systems (SESs) relevant to sustainable development: (1) social-ecological feedbacks, (2) resilience, (3) heterogeneity, (4) nonlinearity, and (5) cross-scale dynamics. We analyze the current set of SDG indicators based on these features to explore current progress in making them operational. Our analysis finds that 59% of the indicators account for heterogeneity, 33% for cross-scale dynamics, 23% for nonlinearities, and 18% and 17%, respectively, for social-ecological feedbacks and resilience. Our findings suggest limited use of complex SES science in the current design of SDG monitoring, but combining our findings with recent studies of methods to operationalize SES features suggests future directions for sustainable development monitoring for the current as well as post 2030 set of indicators.

The Role of Evolutionary Studies in Education for Sustainable Development

2019 ◽  
pp. 249-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Eirdosh ◽  
Susan Hanisch
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Evolutionary Studies ◽  
Complex Adaptive

Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) examines the emergence and persistence of complex adaptive systems, including human social-ecological systems. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to empower students with the skills to develop and sustain human social-ecological systems that reflect the shared values of our species. The aims of EvoS and ESD have clear overlaps, and yet these two fields remain as distant islands of thought with few academic bridges between them. This chapter explores the connections between EvoS and ESD from historical, theoretical, and applied perspectives and presents the value of an integrated approach. The authors argue the strengths of this approach include its cumulative evidence base from wide-ranging disciplines, its explanatory power, and its overall simplicity.

scholarly journals A Novel ICT Framework for Sustainable Development Goals

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivera Kostoska ◽  
Ljupco Kocarev
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Goals

Sustainable development is critical to ensure the future of humanity. Therefore, the assessment and governance of sustainability becomes a central challenge our society is facing. This paper provides a novel ICT framework for addressing sustainable development goals. It is characterized by both local and global considerations, in the context of economic, ecological, and social aspects of sustainable development. The framework consists of three modules: data module, sustainability module, and governance module. Data module integrates data from several sources, processes data, infers knowledge, and transforms data into understandable information and knowledge. The second module implements SDGs at the level of municipality/city, ensures ranking of locally transformed SDGs to arrange them in line with the values and needs of the local communities, and proposes an integrated approach in modeling the social-ecological systems. By implementing governance theories, the governance module permits an effective citizen engagement in governance of SDGs. The ICT framework addresses short-term and long-term SDGs and allows for the vertical and horizontal linkages among diverse stakeholders, as well as for their contributions to the nested rule structures employed at operational, collective, and constitutional levels. Thus, the framework we provide here ensures a paradigm shift in approaching SDGs for the advancement of our society.

scholarly journals Bringing Technology into Social-Ecological Systems Research—Motivations for a Socio-Technical-Ecological Systems Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Ahlborg ◽  
Ilse Ruiz-Mercado ◽  
Sverker Molander ◽  
Omar Masera
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Repeated Calls ◽  
System Interfaces

The purpose of this synthesis paper is to present the motivations and conceptual basis for research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES), addressing the need for interdisciplinary studies targeting the technological mediation of human–environment relationships. The background is the very limited number of collaborations between scholars of social-ecological systems and sociotechnical systems (SES), despite repeated calls for bridging work. The synthesis builds on an in-depth review of previous literature, interdisciplinary exchanges, and empirical examples. The result is arguments for why a sociotechnical understanding of ‘technology’ is of central importance for SES studies, related to how technology: (1) mediates human–environment relationships; (2) brings ambivalence to these relationships; (3) enhances and transforms human agency and provides a source of constitutive power; (4) changes scalar relationships, enabling our interaction with and impact on the natural world across time and space. Furthermore, we present an STES analytical approach which starts from symmetrical attention to technology, society, and environment, specifically targeting interfaces and relationships of critical relevance for SES scholars, and address counterarguments that we have encountered. We conclude that a shift to STES research will enhance our knowledge of system interfaces that are often overlooked, opening further avenues for research and real-world interventions.

A Social–Ecological Systems Approach to Assessing Conservation and Fisheries Outcomes in Fijian Locally Managed Marine Areas

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1096-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy D. Jupiter ◽  
Graham Epstein ◽  
Natalie C. Ban ◽  
Sangeeta Mangubhai ◽  
Margaret Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Marine Areas

Social-Ecological Systems in Local Fisheries Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 304-314
Author(s):  
George O. Tsobanoglou ◽  
Eirini Ioanna Vlachopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Systems Framework

Even though the study of the commons has been expanding rapidly in the past years, and there have been multiple cases of successful local conservation initiatives, still, significant gaps in knowledge remain. The Social-Ecological Systems framework attempts to analyse the linkages between the “human system” (society) and the “natural system” (ecosystems). In every conservation attempt, the interactions and feedback between the two systems become evident. By examining thoroughly this relationship through the SES lens, we can develop a deep and holistic understanding of the processes that should be taken into consideration before the implementation of conservation actions. This study, through the exploration of the fisheries management procedures in Japan, attempts to develop an understanding of how the adoption of the Social-Ecological Systems approach could promote local development in the insular periphery of the developed world, in countries like Greece, where public participation in the decision-making processes is limited.

Improving Water Management in Pakistan Using Social-Ecological Systems Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-271
Author(s):  
Michael Mitchell ◽  
Catherine Allan ◽  
Jehangir F. Punthakey ◽  
C. Max Finlayson ◽  
Mobushir R. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Social Ecological

Visions for the Future

2019 ◽  
pp. 31-62
Author(s):  
Bruce Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
The Future

In this chapter, the characteristics of a vision for a region, organization, or group are discussed, and then attention turns to examining the roles of forecasting and backcasting, and scenarios to anticipate the future. Subsequently, the characteristics of both sustainable development and resilience as possible visions to guide resource and environmental management are examined. In the context of sustainable development, the distinction between weak and strong sustainability is reviewed. Next, attention turns to the implications of the Anthropocene for achieving sustainable development and resilience. The concept of the rule of hand is explored, which suggests that normally not more than three to five variables are significant when trying to understand complex social-ecological systems, followed by consideration of how both adaptation and transformation can become strategies to address complexity and uncertainty. Kathryn Bellette provides a guest statement focused on implementing a strategy for sustainable development in metropolitan Adelaide, Australia.

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