scholarly journals A data framework for assessing social inequality and equity in multi‐sector social, ecological, infrastructural urban systems: Focus on fine‐spatial scales

Author(s):  
Lara P. Clark ◽  
Samuel Tabory ◽  
Kangkang Tong ◽  
Joseph L. Servadio ◽  
Kelsey Kappler ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Alfonso Langle-Flores ◽  
Adriana Aguilar Rodríguez ◽  
Humberto Romero-Uribe ◽  
Julia Ros-Cuéllar ◽  
Juan José Von Thaden

Summary Payments for ecosystem services (PES) programmes have been considered an important conservation mechanism to avoid deforestation. These environmental policies act in social and ecological contexts at different spatial scales. We evaluated the social-ecological fit between stakeholders and ecosystem processes in a local PES programme across three levels: social, ecological and social-ecological. We explored collaboration among stakeholders, assessed connectivity between forest units and evaluated conservation activity links between stakeholders and forest units. In addition, to increase programme effectiveness, we classified forest units based on their social and ecological importance. Our main findings suggest that non-governmental organizations occupy brokerage positions between landowners and government in a dense collaboration network. We also found a partial spatial misfit between conservation activity links and the forest units that provide the most hydrological services to Xalapa. We conclude that conservation efforts should be directed towards the middle and high part of the Pixquiac sub-watershed and that the role of non-governmental organizations as mediators should be strengthened to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the local PES programme.


AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Haase

AbstractUrbanization brings benefits and burdens to both humans and nature. Cities are key systems for integrated social-ecological research and the interdisciplinary journal of Ambio has published ground-breaking contributions in this field. This reflection piece identifies and discusses integration of the human and natural spheres in urban social-ecological research using the following foundational papers as important milestones: Folke et al. (1997), Ernstson et al. (2010) and Andersson et al. (2014). These papers each take unique approaches that aim to uncover core properties—processes, structures, and actors—of urban systems and set them into mutual relationship. This piece will end with a forward-looking vision for the coming 50 years of urban sustainability and resilience study in Ambio.


TERRITORIO ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Roberta Cucca ◽  
Costanzo Ranci

This paper considers various types of social impact from the economic growth process experienced by several European urban systems, shortly before the spread of the crises still in progress. The collection opens with an essay that transversally analyses several mechanisms that show economic growth and social inequality as connected or disconnected to one other. This line of thought is further developed by reconstructing four cases of more specific study (Barcelona, Copenhagen, Lyon and Monaco) that describe contexts that are similar because they play a certain central economic role in their respective national contexts and hold powerful transnational positions, but which belong to different welfare models. A portrait emerges marked by several common features and many points of differentiation, confirming the initial hypothesis, i.e., the importance of examining development models for cities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Steenberg ◽  
Andrew Millward ◽  
David Nowak ◽  
Pamela Robinson ◽  
Sandy Smith

The urban forest is a valuable ecosystem service provider, yet cities are frequently degraded environments with a myriad of stressors and disturbances affecting trees. Vulnerability science is increasingly used to explore issues of sustainability in complex social-ecological systems, and can be a useful approach for assessing urban forests. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore drivers of urban forest vulnerability in a residential neighborhood. Based on a recently published framework of urban forest vulnerability, a series of indicators of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity that describe the built environment, urban forest structure, and human population, respectively, were assessed for 806 trees in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Tree mortality, condition, and diameter growth rates were then assessed using an existing 2007/2008 inventory. A bivariate analysis was first conducted to test for significant relationships of vulnerability indicators with mortality, condition, and growth. A multivariate analysis was then conducted using multiple linear regression for the continuous condition and growth variables and a multilayer perceptron neural network for the binary mortality variable. Commercial land uses and commercial buildings adjacent to trees consistently explained higher mortality rates and poor tree conditions. However, at finer spatial scales it is important to differentiate between different causes and correlates of urban forest decline within commercial land uses. Tree species, size, and condition were also important indicators of vulnerability. Understanding the causes of urban forest change and decline are essential for developing planning strategies to reduce long-term system vulnerability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim O’Higgins ◽  
Karen Alexander ◽  
Marcello Graziano

Mismatches in spatial scales, or spatial disconnections between causes and effects of ecosystem degradation, can reduce resilience in social–ecological systems. These mismatches can be particularly disruptive in coastal and marine areas, where multiple social and ecological systems are multi-layered. Scotland’s Western Isles have a history of local resource exploitation to meet extra-regional, larger-scale demands, which has resulted in a long process of socio-demographic decline. Salmon aquaculture is a major and expanding industry in the area, often linked to “Blue Growth”. The expansion of this industry operates within and contributes to create several scale mismatches. Combining a systems approach across nested scales with a classification of scale mismatches, this work analyses the characteristics of the Western Isles salmon aquaculture industry, and it explores effects on social–ecological resilience. An extent scale mismatch between the global stocks of fishmeal species and the local capacity to respond to fluctuations is identified. The implications for this mismatch for the Western Isles are discussed. Some potential policy arrangements for incorporating matched spatial scales are considered.


BioScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 566-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Andersson ◽  
Johannes Langemeyer ◽  
Sara Borgström ◽  
Timon McPhearson ◽  
Dagmar Haase ◽  
...  

AbstractThe circumstances under which different ecosystem service benefits can be realized differ. The benefits tend to be coproduced and to be enabled by multiple interacting social, ecological, and technological factors, which is particularly evident in cities. As many cities are undergoing rapid change, these factors need to be better understood and accounted for, especially for those most in need of benefits. We propose a framework of three systemic filters that affect the flow of ecosystem service benefits: the interactions among green, blue, and built infrastructures; the regulatory power and governance of institutions; and people's individual and shared perceptions and values. We argue that more fully connecting green and blue infrastructure to its urban systems context and highlighting dynamic interactions among the three filters are key to understanding how and why ecosystem services have variable distribution, continuing inequities in who benefits, and the long-term resilience of the flows of benefits.


Author(s):  
Isabel Meza ◽  
Stefan Siebert ◽  
Petra Döll ◽  
Jürgen Kusche ◽  
Claudia Herbert ◽  
...  

Abstract. Droughts continue to affect ecosystems, communities, and entire economies. Agriculture bears much of the impact, and in many countries it is the most heavily affected sector. Over the past decades, efforts have been made to assess drought risk at different spatial scales. Here, we present for the first time an integrated assessment of drought risk for both irrigated and rain-fed agricultural systems at the global scale. Composite hazard indicators were calculated for irrigated and rain-fed systems separately using different drought indices based on historical climate conditions (1980–2016). Exposure was analyzed for irrigated and non-irrigated crops. Vulnerability was assessed through a social-ecological systems perspective, using social-ecological susceptibility and lack of coping capacity indicators that were weighted by drought experts from around the world. The analysis shows that drought risk of rain-fed and irrigated agricultural systems displays heterogeneous pattern at the global level with higher risk for southeastern Europe, as well as northern and southern Africa. By providing information on the drivers and spatial patterns of drought risk in all dimensions of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, the presented analysis can support the identification of tailored measures to reduce drought risk and increase the resilience of agricultural systems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 785-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan W. Moore

River networks are connected in both upstream and downstream directions on large spatial scales by movement of water, materials, and animals. Here I examine the implications of these linkages for the stability, productivity, and management of watersheds and their migratory fishes. I use simple simulations of watershed alteration to illustrate that degradation can erode the productivity and stability of both upstream and downstream fisheries. Through analysis of an existing global dataset on rivers, I found that larger rivers tend to be more fragmented than smaller rivers. I offer three challenges and opportunities for the future management of watersheds. First, given that human impacts can spread up and down rivers, there is a need to align the scales of impact assessments with the natural scale of river systems. Second, free-flowing rivers naturally dampen variability; thus, the conservation of connectivity, habitat, and biodiversity represents a key opportunity to sustain the processes that confer stability. Third, watersheds represent natural units of social–ecological systems; watershed governance would facilitate reciprocal feedbacks between people and ecosystems and enable more social–ecological resilience.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-38
Author(s):  
Angelo Serpa

Resumo O artigo busca problematizar a relação dialética entre diversidade e desigualdade em uma perspectiva geográfica e em um contexto de fragmentação socioespacial. Parte-se da premissa de que pensar em diversidade social remete às particularidades do social, enquanto refletir sobre desigualdade social requer, em termos mais gerais, uma análise da estrutura social. Em um primeiro momento, e a partir de dados de pesquisa realizada pela ONG britânica OXFAM Brasil e da divulgação do relatório “A distância que nos une – Um retrato das desigualdades brasileiras”, em 2017, diversidade e desigualdade são articuladas enquanto categorias para a reflexão sobre conquistas e retrocessos no contexto brasileiro. A seguir, a categoria “classe social” vai ser operacionalizada para refletir sobre o empreendedorismo popular em bairros e cidades do estado da Bahia, a partir da sistematização de dados de nossas próprias pesquisas. Por fim, busca-se aprofundar a discussão sobre o processo de fragmentação socioespacial nos diferentes recortes e escalas abordados bem como sobre a possibilidade de ação política em um contexto adverso de fragmentação. Palavras-chave: Diversidade, desigualdade, fragmentação socioespacial, classe social, ação política, Bahia, Brasil.   Abstract The article aims to discuss the dialectical relationship between diversity and inequality in contexts of socio-spatial fragmentation through a geographical perspective. We start from the premise that thinking about social diversity refers itself to the particularities of the social phenomenon whilst reflecting on social inequality requires, in broad terms, an analysis of the social structure. Initially, based on research results by the British NGO OXFAM Brazil and their report "The distance that unites us: an overview of Brazilian inequalities", we sought to articulate inequality and diversity as categories to reflect on the Brazilian context, its achievements and setbacks. Next, based on the systematized data of our own researches, we operationalized the category “social class” to meditate on popular entrepreneurship in various neighborhoods and cities in Bahia, Brazil.  Ultimately, we tried to deepen the discussion about the process of socio-spatial fragmentation in the different spatial scales addressed and to reflect on the possibilities of political action in adverse contexts of fragmentation. Keywords: Diversity, inequality, socio-spatial fragmentation, social class, political action, Bahia, Brazil.   Résumé L 'article cherche à problématiser la relation dialectique entre diversité et inégalité dans une perspective géographique et dans un contexte de fragmentation socio - spatiale. En partant du principe que la réflexion sur la diversité sociale renvoie aux particularités du social, tandis que la réflexion sur l'inégalité sociale nécessite, en termes plus généraux, d´une analyse de la structure sociale. Initialement, sur la base des données de recherche de l'ONG britannique OXFAM Brésil et de la publication du rapport «La distance qui nous unit - Un portrait des inégalités brésiliennes», en 2017, la diversité et l'inégalité sont articulées en tant que catégories de réflexion sur les réussites et les échecs dans le contexte brésilien. Ensuite, la catégorie «classe sociale» sera opérationnalisée pour réfléchir sur l'entrepreneuriat populaire dans les quartiers et les villes de l'État de Bahia, basé sur la systématisation des données issues de nos propres recherches. Enfin, nous cherchons à approfondir la discussion sur le processus de fragmentation socio-spatiale dans les différentes découpes et échelles abordées ainsi que sur la possibilité d'une action politique dans un contexte de fragmentation adverse. Mots-clés: Diversité, inégalité, fragmentation socio-spatiale, classe sociale, action politique, Bahia, Brésil.


Author(s):  
Cristina Herrero-Jáuregui ◽  
Cecilia Arnaiz-Schmitz ◽  
María Fernanda Reyes ◽  
Marta Telesnicki ◽  
Ignacio Agramonte ◽  
...  

In the last decade, probably in response to global changes and environmental crisis, the use of the term “social-ecological system” (SES) in the scientific literature has been growing. This is certainly a sign of the recognition of the need and importance of transdisciplinary research. Here, we explore whether the use of the term is a buzzword, or it actually represents a key concept toward the integration of social and ecological research. We compiled a data base of publications (N = 1289) that mentioned SES in title, keywords and abstract. Subsequently, we analyzed: authors affiliations, type of work (conceptual, empirical, review), study site, prevailing human use, temporal and spatial scales of analysis, kind of variables analyzed (socioeconomic, biophysical), and the method/s used to integrate them. We detected four time spans in the use of the term (1975–1997, 1998–2006, 2007–2012, 2013–2016). Our results suggest that SES is a widely invoked concept to study the interface between social and ecological systems. Most works show some common elements such as the analysis of resilience, ecosystem services, sustainability, governance and adaptive management. However, the majority of studies does not study SES as a whole, integrating both social and ecological variables and their feedback loops. We consider that SES is still a concept in construction in order to build a necessary framework to integrate social and ecological sciences. For a robust evolution we recommend to focus on 1. a conscious, discussed and agreed effort of scientists to conduct transdisciplinary research needed to study SES; 2. developing methodological tools for the true integration of social and ecological data.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document