scholarly journals Importance and Utilization of Theory-Based Evaluations in the Context of Sustainable Development and Social-Ecological Systems

2022 ◽  
pp. 223-235
Author(s):  
Takaaki Miyaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Development Evaluation

AbstractNumerous challenges confront the task of evaluating sustainable development—its complex nature, complementary evaluation criteria, and the difficulty of evaluation at the nexus of human and natural systems. Theory-based evaluation, drawn from critical realism, is well suited to this task. When constructing a program theory/theory of change for evaluating sustainable development, concepts of socioecological systems and coupled human and natural systems are useful. The chapter discusses four modes of inference and the application of different theory-based evaluation approaches. It introduces the CHANS (coupled human and natural systems) framework, a holistic, analytical framework that is useful in evaluating such complex, social-ecological systems and resonates with the challenging elements of sustainable development evaluation.

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.

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 Revisiting the relationships between human well-being and ecosystems in dynamic social-ecological systems: Implications for stewardship and development

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa A. Masterson ◽  
Susanne Vetter ◽  
Tomas Chaigneau ◽  
Tim M. Daw ◽  
Odirilwe Selomane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Natural Beauty

Non-technical summaryWe argue that the ways in which we as humans derive well-being from nature – for example by harvesting firewood, selling fish or enjoying natural beauty – feed back into how we behave towards the environment. This feedback is mediated by institutions (rules, regulations) and by individual capacities to act. Understanding these relationships can guide better interventions for sustainably improving well-being and alleviating poverty. However, more attention needs to be paid to how experience-related benefits from nature influence attitudes and actions towards the environment, and how these relationships can be reflected in more environmentally sustainable development projects.

scholarly journals Meeting sustainable development challenges in growing cities: Coupled social-ecological systems modeling of land use and water changes

2019 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 471-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Kalantari ◽  
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira ◽  
Jessica Page ◽  
Romain Goldenberg ◽  
Jonas Olsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Systems Modeling ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

scholarly journals Revisiting the relationships between human well-being and ecosystems in dynamic social-ecological systems: Implications for stewardship and development

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa A. Masterson ◽  
Susanne Vetter ◽  
Tomas Chaigneau ◽  
Tim M. Daw ◽  
Odirilwe Selomane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Natural Beauty

Non-technical summary We argue that the ways in which we as humans derive well-being from nature – for example by harvesting firewood, selling fish or enjoying natural beauty – feed back into how we behave towards the environment. This feedback is mediated by institutions (rules, regulations) and by individual capacities to act. Understanding these relationships can guide better interventions for sustainably improving well-being and alleviating poverty. However, more attention needs to be paid to how experience-related benefits from nature influence attitudes and actions towards the environment, and how these relationships can be reflected in more environmentally sustainable development projects.

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.

Using Earth Observations to engender a social-ecological systems perspective on rural livelihoods and wellbeing.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hargreaves ◽  
Gary Watmough
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>An estimated 70% of the world’s poorest people live in rural spaces. There is a consistent differentiation between rural and urban contexts, where the former are typically characterised by weak infrastructure, limited services and social marginalisation. At the same time, the world’s poorest people are most vulnerable to global change impacts. Historic pathways to measuring and achieving poverty reduction must be adapted for an era of increasingly dynamic change, where spatio-temporal blind spots preclude a comprehensive understanding of poverty and its manifestation in rural developing contexts. To catalyse an effective poverty eradication narrative, we require a characterisation of the spatio-temporal anatomy of poverty metrics. To achieve this, researchers and practitioners must develop tools and mobilise data sources that enable the detection and visualisation of economic and social dimensions of rural spaces at finer temporal and spatial scales than is currently practised. This can only be realised by integrating new technologies and non-traditional sources of data alongside conventional data to engender a novel policy landscape.</p><p>Cue Earth Observation: the only medium through which data can be gathered that is global in its coverage but also available across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Earth Observation (EO) data (collected from satellite, airborne and in-situ remote sensors) have a demonstrable capacity to inform, update, situate and provide the necessary context to design evidence-based policy for sustainable development. This is particularly important for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) because the nested indicators are based on data that can be visualised, and many have a definitive geospatial component, which can improve national statistics reporting.</p><p>In this review, we present a rubric for integrating EO and geospatial data into rural poverty analysis. This aims to provide a foundation from which researchers at the interface of social-ecological systems can unlock new capabilities for measuring economic, environmental and social conditions at the requisite scales and frequency for poverty reporting and also for broader livelihoods and development research.  We review satellite applications and explore the development of EO methodologies for investigating social-ecological conditions as indirect proxies of rural wellbeing. This is nested within the broader sustainable development agenda (in particular the SDGs) and aims to set out what our capabilities are and where research should be focused in the near-term. In short, elucidating to a broad audience what the integration of EO can achieve and how developing social-ecological metrics from EO data can improve evidence-based policymaking.</p><p><strong>Key words:</strong> Earth Observation; Poverty; Livelihoods; Sustainable Development Goals; Remote Sensing</p>

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