Assessment of the relationship between ecosystem services and human wellbeing in the social-ecological landscapes of Lefke Region in North Cyprus

Social learning (SL) appears to have considerable potential to enhance the impact of the ecosystem services approach (ESA) discourse on policy and society. However, empirical research to better understand the processes that support SL, the effects it generates, and the conditions that enable such learning is limited. This study assesses the ability of SL to enhance dialogue and understanding of the ESA to support transformative social change in governance practice in the Alboran Marine Basin. To do so, we conducted a specifically designed SL process oriented towards the ESA as a governance approach in this marine region. The SL process was developed through three interlinked workshops involving scientists, decision-makers and local users from Spain and Morocco, the two countries that share the governance of this social-ecological system. The results revealed that the SL process progressively facilitated (i) a more inclusive and constructive ecosystem services dialogue, (ii) a better understanding of the social-ecological system in which the actors were embedded, (iii) an enhanced recognition of science-policy-society complementarities to address sustainability issues, and (iv) a gradual social transformation towards more sustainable and equitable governance. Via the SL process, a variety of factors were identified as contributing to the creation of four relevant conditions that facilitated its successful operationalisation. These conditions included (i) the generation of trust and shared understanding, (ii) the facilitation of knowledge exchanges between actor groups across frontiers, (iii) the promotion of more democratic participation, and (iv) the co-production of practical outcomes. These contextual insights provided empirical evidence of the prominent role SL can play to enhance dialogue and understanding of the ESA for supporting its adoption as governance practice. On this basis, it is argued that operationalising SL in those processes focused on making the ESA relevant to policy and society is pivotal to its implementation in governance practice.

Download Full-text

Exploring the social-ecological resilience of forest ecosystem services.

10.24124/2011/bpgub744 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Donald G. Morgan

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Forest Ecosystem ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Forest Ecosystem Services ◽

The Social

Download Full-text

An education approach for the Anthropocene epoch

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v10i11.19780 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e448101119780

Author(s):

Cristiane Mansur de Moraes Souza

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Social Learning ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Considerable Uncertainty ◽

Social Ecological Systems ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social

It is now well established in the literature that there is a need to incorporate the concept of sustainability into education at all study levels. However, there is considerable uncertainty expressed concerning how it could best be achieved and how the resilience concept would enhance this idea. This article aims to address this gap. The objective is to explore aspects of socio-ecological resilience, that underlies a university case study. The methodology is exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory. Results demonstrate that civil engagement university activities are an education approach that provides students with experiences that build skills necessary for addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene Epoch. The conclusion of the article emphasizes that the education for the Anthropocene epoch should consider the enhancement of ecosystem services by demonstrating that humans are part of the social-ecological systems; considering interdisciplinarity as a methodological approach; demonstrating the variety of potentials on participation of stakeholders by civil engagement as developing autonomy both on students and stakeholders and developing the ability for proactive attitudes. Is also enhance learning and social learning by civil engagement and participation.

Download Full-text

Assessing the Social Value of Ecosystem Services for Resilient Riparian Greenway Planning and Management in an Urban Community

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17093261 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (9) ◽

pp. 3261 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Junga Lee ◽

Byoung-Suk Kweon ◽

Christopher D. Ellis ◽

Sang-Woo Lee

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Communities ◽

Social Value ◽

Ecological Change ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Planning And Management ◽

The Social ◽

Management Guidance ◽

Management Approaches ◽

Group Characteristics

Ecosystem services depend on the interrelation between people and the environment, and people are increasingly recognizing the social value of ecosystem services. Based on humans needs related to the values of ecosystem services, riparian greenways, properly planned and managed for resiliency, could provide great opportunities for social ecological change and transformation toward sustainability. We focus on the ecosystem service values of such greenways based on resilience in urban communities. The purpose of this study is to assess the social value of ecosystem services for resilient riparian greenway planning and management based on a survey of residents living near the Yangjaecheon riparian greenway in Gwacheon, South Korea. First, cluster analysis was performed with data from 485 completed surveys to identify different groups of respondents. Importance-performance analysis (IPA) was then applied to develop planning and management guidance for the riparian greenway based on group characteristics. Two distinct groups were identified: the Strong Social Value of Ecosystem Services group and the Neutral Social Value of Ecosystem Services group. Different distributions were found between the two groups based on gender and residency period, and significant differences were also found for age and familiarity with the riparian greenway. The results show what each group perceived to be important and how well the riparian greenway met their expectations regarding ecosystem services. These results indicate the perceived value of ecosystem services on the basis of the group characteristics, helping establish the direction for resilient riparian greenway planning and management approaches.

Download Full-text

Perceptions and Social Values Regarding the Ecosystem Services of Beaches and Coastal Dunes in Yucatán, Mexico

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073592 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3592

Author(s):

Gabriela Mendoza-González ◽

Arely Paredes-Chi ◽

Dalia Méndez-Funes ◽

María Giraldo ◽

Edgar Torres-Irineo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Local Community ◽

Coastal Dunes ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Social Perceptions ◽

Natural Environments ◽

The Social ◽

Different Types ◽

The Relationship

The ecosystem services (ESs) approach has been used as a powerful tool for the analysis of socio-ecological systems to investigate the relationship between society and the environment. The aim of this article is to analyze the social perceptions of stakeholders, forms of use (sociocultural and economic), and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. Interviews were held with focus groups to analyze the forms of use, social perceptions of stakeholders, and the conservation of beaches and coastal dunes in Yucatán, Mexico. The results indicate that these ecosystems are important to different types of activities related to regulating, provisioning, and cultural services. However, degradation is identified as a consequence of contamination and land-use change. The main identified threats are natural phenomena, followed by the presence of garbage, human presence in natural environments, infrastructure construction, and privatization of beaches. The opinions (e.g., conservation, ecosystem services provision, drivers of change), emotions (e.g., joy, fear, sadness), and knowledge of the local community and tourists with respect to these ecosystems were evidenced. In general, there is an absence of conservation and sustainable management projects. However, community perceptions provide an opportunity to outline public conservation strategies in which the community, as a component of these socio-ecosystems, can be fully involved in their implementation.

Download Full-text

Abstract P185: Investigation of Community and Home Factors in Child Physical Activity Levels

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.125.suppl_10.ap185 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽

Author(s):

MIchael Graham ◽

Vanessa Shannon ◽

Christa Ice ◽

Lesley Cottrell

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Screening Program ◽

Self Report ◽

Specific Information ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social ◽

Community Environments ◽

The Relationship

It is known that physical activity (PA) behavior is influenced by many factors within the social ecological model. Using results from parent surveys distributed after their children’s completion of a cardiovascular risk screening program, we explored the relationship between home and community environments on the amount of PA in which children engaged. Our hypothesis was that more immediate factors such as parent activity would have a greater impact on child activity than factors in their community environments. A large sample (n=450) of children (ages 5-10 years) were examined. Children’s physical activity was assessed by adding the total minutes of active time weekly. Parent physical activity was measured with two self report items regarding the number of days per week they were active . Two scales were constructed to evaluate to effects of the home (9 items; α = .829) and community (16 items; α = .868). The home environment scale measured elements related to activity opportunities and home schedules; the community scale assessed presence of playgrounds, or safe sidewalks, for example. To assess associations between factors and children’s PA, we conducted a linear stepwise regression with child age, parent PA, Home scale, and Community scale as predictors and the log transformed total weekly activity time as the dependent variable. Sixteen percent of children’s PA was explained by the tested model. Figure 1 provides specific information about each variable. The home scale had the greatest weight (β=0.360, p<.001), and proved to have a larger predictive effect than parent PA. These findings are significant for identifying which aspects of a child’s surrounding to intervene for maximum impact on physical activity. Figure 1. R² Change between model levels

Download Full-text

Linking Demographic Factors, Land Use, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being: Insights from an Sandy Landscape, Uxin in Inner Mongolia, China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13094847 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 4847

Author(s):

Jing Zhang ◽

Xueming Li ◽

Tongliga Bao ◽

Zhenghai Li ◽

Chong Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Policy Development ◽

Inner Mongolia ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Well Being ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The Social ◽

Supply Capacity ◽

The Relationship

Ecosystem services are fundamental in supporting human well-being which is a core component of sustainability. Understanding the relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and human well-being (HWB) in a changing landscape is important to implement appropriate ecosystem management and policy development. Combining with demographic, economic, and cultural factors, their land use are the elements linking ESs and HWB at fine scale. Within this context, the purpose of this study is to evaluate household HWB changes in the past decade, and understand the relationship between demographic factors, land use, ESs, and HWB in the social-ecological landscapes of Uxin, in Inner Mongolia. Our results indicate that: the levels of HWB of local herder families were slightly improved from 2007 to 2016; changes in family demographic factors enhanced their land use intensity, resulting in an increased supply capacity of ecosystems and improved HWB; in addition, regulating services contributed more to HWB than provisioning services. The results of this study can help improve the understanding of the relationship between ESs and HWB, and provide valuable information to policy-makers to maintain particular ESs or to improve HWB.

Download Full-text

An Integrated Framework of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Planning—A Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132413942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 13942

Author(s):

Gang Lu ◽

Lin Wang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Integrated Framework ◽

Scenario Evaluation ◽

Alternative Approach ◽

The Social ◽

Green Stormwater Infrastructure ◽

Impact Of Urbanization ◽

The Relationship

Conventional stormwater management infrastructures show low levels of sustainability owing to the consistent impact of urbanization and climate change, and the green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has been identified as a more sustainable alternative approach. According to a systematic review, the articles and papers concerning GSI planning are fragmented, especially those discussing the planning steps; thus, an integrated framework of GSI planning is developed here to guide forthcoming planning. In the facility aspect, the research status and prospects of four critical planning steps (i.e., objective formulation, type/scenario evaluation, quantity/scale determination, and site selection) are discussed, and a method of quantifying the relationship between GSI and ecosystem services is given. In the ecosystem aspect, ecosystem resilience promotion is regarded as an approach to guarantee the interaction between hydrological processes and ecological processes, which maintains the sustainable provision of ecosystem services produced by GSI in diverse disturbances. Proposals for future GSI planning research are put forward as comprehensive consideration of the two abovementioned aspects to harvest ecosystem services from GSI directly and to promote the anti-disturbance ability of the ecosystem to guarantee the stable provision of ecosystem services indirectly, which are conducive to the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of GSI.

Download Full-text

The Link between Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing in the Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive: Assessing Four River Basins in Europe

Water ◽

10.3390/w11030508 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 508 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ebun Akinsete ◽

Stella Apostolaki ◽

Nikos Chatzistamoulou ◽

Phoebe Koundouri ◽

Stella Tsani

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Framework Directive ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

River Basins ◽

Human Wellbeing ◽

Management Actions ◽

European Water ◽

Policy Objectives ◽

Multiple Pressures ◽

The Relationship

: This paper explores the relationship between the environment and human wellbeing whilst considering water resource pressures in the context of ecosystem services, before assessing the management actions to facilitate human wellbeing under the European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD). By focusing on four river basins in four European countries currently working to implement the WFD, we explore the effects of multiple pressures faced within each one on human wellbeing. Under an Ecosystem Services framework, we identify those effects and consolidate them into Human Wellbeing Factors to assess the management actions. Then, by conducting a qualitative content analysis, we assess the effectiveness of each Program of Measures at river basin level and relate them to Human Wellbeing Factors. Findings indicate that factors such as population growth trends intensify the effects of these pressures on human wellbeing. Finally, the paper pinpoints that human wellbeing must remain an ever-present consideration to be weighed against any other competing policy objectives.

Download Full-text