Are freshwater systems in lower Mekong basin (southeast Asia) resilient? A synthesis of social-ecological system

AbstractThe fashion and textiles industry, and policymakers at all levels, are showing an increased interest in the concept of circular economy as a way to decrease business risks and negative environmental impacts. However, focus is placed mainly on the material ‘stuff’ of textile fashion and its biophysical harms. The current material focus has several shortcomings, because fashion is a social-ecological system and cannot be understood merely by addressing its environmental dimensions. In this paper, we rethink the fashion system from a critical social-ecological perspective. The driver-state-response framework shows social drivers and ecological impacts as an adaptive social-ecological system, exposing how these interacting aspects need to be addressed for sustainable and resilient implementation of circular economy. We show how current responses to global sustainability challenges have so far fallen short. Our overall aim is to expand possibilities for reframing responses that better reflect the complex links between the global fashion system, culture and creativity and the dynamics of the living planet. We argue that reducing planetary pressure from the global fashion and textiles industry requires greater recognition of the system’s social drivers with more emphasis on the many cross-scale links between social and ecological dimensions. Resilient decisions aiming for sustainable circularity of the fashion industry must therefore pay attention to social activities beyond the industry value chain, not just material flows within it.

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Changing Land Use and Population Density Are Degrading Water Quality in the Lower Mekong Basin

Water ◽

10.3390/w13141948 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 1948

Author(s):

Flavia Tromboni ◽

Thomas E. Dilts ◽

Sarah E. Null ◽

Sapana Lohani ◽

Peng Bun Ngor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Land Use ◽

Population Density ◽

Local Population ◽

Reference Conditions ◽

Mekong River ◽

Land Use Impacts ◽

Wet Season ◽

Mekong Basin ◽

Lower Mekong Basin

Establishing reference conditions in rivers is important to understand environmental change and protect ecosystem integrity. Ranked third globally for fish biodiversity, the Mekong River has the world’s largest inland fishery providing livelihoods, food security, and protein to the local population. It is therefore of paramount importance to maintain the water quality and biotic integrity of this ecosystem. We analyzed land use impacts on water quality constituents (TSS, TN, TP, DO, NO3−, NH4+, PO43−) in the Lower Mekong Basin. We then used a best-model regression approach with anthropogenic land-use as independent variables and water quality parameters as the dependent variables, to define reference conditions in the absence of human activities (corresponding to the intercept value). From 2000–2017, the population and the percentage of crop, rice, and plantation land cover increased, while there was a decrease in upland forest and flooded forest. Agriculture, urbanization, and population density were associated with decreasing water quality health in the Lower Mekong Basin. In several sites, Thailand and Laos had higher TN, NO3−, and NH4+ concentrations compared to reference conditions, while Cambodia had higher TP values than reference conditions, showing water quality degradation. TSS was higher than reference conditions in the dry season in Cambodia, but was lower than reference values in the wet season in Thailand and Laos. This study shows how deforestation from agriculture conversion and increasing urbanization pressure causes water quality decline in the Lower Mekong Basin, and provides a first characterization of reference water quality conditions for the Lower Mekong River and its tributaries.

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Applying the social-ecological system framework to the diagnosis of urban lake commons in Bangalore, India

Ecology and Society ◽

10.5751/es-06582-190267 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Harini Nagendra ◽

Elinor Ostrom

Keyword(s):

Ecological System ◽

Urban Lake ◽

System Framework ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Social

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A structured participatory method to support policy option analysis in a social-ecological system

Journal of Environmental Management ◽

10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 197 ◽

pp. 360-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sara Mehryar ◽

Richard Sliuzas ◽

Ali Sharifi ◽

Diana Reckien ◽

Martin van Maarseveen

Keyword(s):

Policy Option ◽

Ecological System ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Support Policy ◽

Participatory Method

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Managing Herder-Community-Based Tourism: An Institutional Framework for an Integrated Social–Ecological System

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13074001 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 4001

Author(s):

Undrakh Zagarkhorloo ◽

Wim Heijman ◽

Liesbeth Dries ◽

Buyanzaya Batjargal

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

Cultural Landscapes ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Ecological System ◽

Primary Data ◽

Community Based ◽

Conceptual Foundation ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Tourism Sector ◽

The Social

Improving household livelihoods through tourism, while at the same time achieving the goals of conservation, remains a challenge in high-value nature areas around the world. This paper studies a herder-community-based tourism system in Mongolia in light of these challenges. The social–ecological system (SES) framework was used as a conceptual foundation. The generic SES framework was adapted to the case of the herder-community-based tourism system. The adapted framework was then used to assess the economic, ecological, and social objectives of the herder-community-based tourism system characterised by natural resources and cultural landscapes. Primary data collection included interviews with key informants in the tourism sector: tourism researchers, representatives of donor projects, managers of tour operators, and guides. Based on their responses, the study site was selected in the buffer zone of the Hustai National Park, which is a protected area. Respondents in the second stage of interviews were herders who participate in herder-based tourism and who live in the vicinity of the protected area. Results show that the SES framework is able to diagnose the sustainability of the herder-community-tourism system, but sustainability outcomes indicate an imbalance between social, economic, and environmental performance. The herder-community-based tourism system is successful in conserving wildlife and habitats; however, the distribution of revenues gained from tourism shows that only a small and inequitable share reaches the herder community.

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Impacts of climate change on rice market and production capacity in the Lower Mekong Basin

Paddy and Water Environment ◽

10.1007/s10333-013-0394-y ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 12 (S2) ◽

pp. 255-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jun Furuya ◽

Shintaro Kobayashi ◽

Katsuhiko Yamauchi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Production Capacity ◽

Rice Market ◽

Mekong Basin ◽

Lower Mekong Basin ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Developing Land Use Land Cover Maps for the Lower Mekong Basin to Aid Hydrologic Modeling and Basin Planning

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs10121910 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1910 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joseph Spruce ◽

John Bolten ◽

Raghavan Srinivasan ◽

Venkat Lakshmi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Satellite Data ◽

Reference Data ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Modis Ndvi ◽

Mekong Basin ◽

Lower Mekong Basin

This paper discusses research methodology to develop Land Use Land Cover (LULC) maps for the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) for basin planning, using both MODIS and Landsat satellite data. The 2010 MODIS MOD09 and MYD09 8-day reflectance data was processed into monthly NDVI maps with the Time Series Product Tool software package and then used to classify regionally common forest and agricultural LULC types. Dry season circa 2010 Landsat top of atmosphere reflectance mosaics were classified to map locally common LULC types. Unsupervised ISODATA clustering was used to derive most LULC classifications. MODIS and Landsat classifications were combined with GIS methods to derive final 250-m LULC maps for Sub-basins (SBs) 1–8 of the LMB. The SB 7 LULC map with 14 classes was assessed for accuracy. This assessment compared random locations for sampled types on the SB 7 LULC map to geospatial reference data such as Landsat RGBs, MODIS NDVI phenologic profiles, high resolution satellite data, and Mekong River Commission data (e.g., crop calendars). The SB 7 LULC map showed an overall agreement to reference data of ~81%. By grouping three deciduous forest classes into one, the overall agreement improved to ~87%. The project enabled updated regional LULC maps that included more detailed agriculture LULC types. LULC maps were supplied to project partners to improve use of Soil and Water Assessment Tool for modeling hydrology and water use, plus enhance LMB water and disaster management in a region vulnerable to flooding, droughts, and anthropogenic change as part of basin planning and assessment.

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