Landscape sustainability science (II): core questions and key approaches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianguo Wu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Landscape Sustainability ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
Landscape Sustainability Science

scholarly journals The erosion of relational values resulting from landscape simplification

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 2601-2612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maraja Riechers ◽  
Ágnes Balázsi ◽  
Lydia Betz ◽  
Tolera S. Jiren ◽  
Joern Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Landscape Sustainability ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Relational Values ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Instrumental Values ◽  
Landscape Sustainability Science

Abstract Context The global trend of landscape simplification for industrial agriculture is known to cause losses in biodiversity and ecosystem service diversity. Despite these problems being widely known, status quo trajectories driven by global economic growth and changing diets continue to lead to further landscape simplification. Objectives In this perspective article, we argue that landscape simplification has negative consequences for a range of relational values, affecting the social-ecological relationships between people and nature, as well as the social relationships among people. A focus on relational values has been proposed to overcome the divide between intrinsic and instrumental values that people gain from nature. Results We use a landscape sustainability science framing to examine the interconnections between ecological and social changes taking place in rural landscapes. We propose that increasingly rapid and extreme landscape simplification erodes human-nature connectedness, social relations, and the sense of agency of inhabitants—potentially to the point of severe erosion of relational values in extreme cases. We illustrate these hypothesized changes through four case studies from across the globe. Leaving the links between ecological, social-ecological and social dimensions of landscape change unattended could exacerbate disconnection from nature. Conclusion A relational values perspective can shed new light on managing and restoring landscapes. Landscape sustainability science is ideally placed as an integrative space that can connect relevant insights from landscape ecology and work on relational values. We see local agency as a likely key ingredient to landscape sustainability that should be actively fostered in conservation and restoration projects.

Landscape sustainability science in the drylands: mobility, rangelands and livelihoods

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 2433-2447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan Liao ◽  
Arun Agrawal ◽  
Patrick E. Clark ◽  
Simon A. Levin ◽  
Daniel I. Rubenstein
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Landscape Sustainability ◽  
Landscape Sustainability Science

scholarly journals Integrating GeoDesign with Landscape Sustainability Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Huang ◽  
Weining Xiang ◽  
Jianguo Wu ◽  
Christoph Traxler ◽  
Jingzhou Huang
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
World Population ◽  
Landscape Sustainability ◽  
Landscape Sustainability Science

With an increasing world population and accelerated urbanization, the development of landscape sustainability remains a challenge for scientists, designers, and multiple stakeholders. Landscape sustainability science (LSS) studies dynamic relationships among landscape pattern, ecosystem services, and human well-being with spatially explicit methods. The design of a sustainable landscape needs both landscape sustainability–related disciplines and digital technologies that have been rapidly developing. GeoDesign is a new design method based on a new generation of information technology, especially spatial information technology, to design land systems. This paper discusses the suitability of GeoDesign for LSS to help design sustainable landscapes. Building on a review of LSS and GeoDesign, we conclude that LSS can utilize GeoDesign as a research method and the designed landscape as a research object to enrich and empower the spatially explicit methodology of LSS. To move forward, we suggest to integrate GeoDesign with LSS from six perspectives: strong/weak sustainability, multiple scales, ecosystem services, sustainability indicators, big data application, and the sense of place. Toward this end, we propose a LSS-based GeoDesign framework that links the six perspectives. We expect that this integration between GeoDesign and LSS will help advance the science and practice of sustainability and bring together many disciplines across natural, social, and design sciences.

scholarly journals Ecological civilization: perspectives from landscape ecology and landscape sustainability science

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Frazier ◽  
Brett A. Bryan ◽  
Alexander Buyantuev ◽  
Liding Chen ◽  
Cristian Echeverria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Ecology ◽  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Landscape Sustainability ◽  
Ecological Civilization ◽  
Landscape Sustainability Science

scholarly journals “What Kind of a Science is Sustainability Science?” An Evidence-Based Reexamination

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuening Fang ◽  
Bingbing Zhou ◽  
Xingyue Tu ◽  
Qun Ma ◽  
Jianguo Wu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Science ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
Change Point Detection ◽  
Exponential Growth Phase ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Asymptotic Development ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
Point Detection

Sustainability science (SS), rooted in multiple disciplines, has been developing rapidly during the last two decades and become a well-recognized new field of study. However, the “identity” of SS remains unclear. Therefore, this study was intended to help synthesize the key characteristics of SS by revisiting the question raised by the leading sustainability scientist, Robert Kates (2011): “What kind of a science is sustainability science?” Specifically, we reviewed the literature in SS, and developed a synthesis of definitions and core research questions of SS, using multiple methods including change-point detection, word cloud visualization, and content and thematic analyses. Our study has produced several main findings: (1) the development of SS exhibited an S-shaped growth pattern, with an exponential growth phase through to 2012, and a asymptotic development phase afterwards; (2) ten key elements from the existing definitions of SS were identified, of which understanding “human–environment interactions” and “use-inspired” were most prominent; and (3) sixteen core questions in SS were derived from the literature. We further proposed an eight-theme framework of SS to help understand how the sixteen questions are related to each other. We argue that SS is coming of age, but more integrative and concerted efforts are still needed to further consolidate its identity by developing a coherent and rigorous scientific core.

Language, Politics and Society in the Middle East

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer AlNajjar
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Language Politics ◽  
Road Signs ◽  
Grassroots Initiatives ◽  
Language And Politics ◽  
Development Of Language ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shed Light

This book aims to shed light on core questions relating to language and society, language and conflict, and language and politics, in relation to a changing Middle East. While the book focuses on Arabic, it goes way beyond a purely linguistic analysis by bringing to the fore a set of pressing questions about the relationship between Arabic and society. For example, it touches on the development of language policy via an examination of administrative mandates (top-down) in contrast to grassroots initiatives (bottom-up); the deeper layers of the linguistic landscape that highlight the connection between politics, conflict, identity, road signs and street names; Arabic studies and Arabic identity and the myriad ways countries deal simultaneously with globalisation while also seeking to strengthen local and national identity, and more.

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