scholarly journals Boom Bust Economy and Social-ecological System Relationship

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Liu ◽  
Michael Ungar ◽  
Jen McRuer ◽  
Daniel Blais ◽  
Linda Theron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

This paper reports on the changing dynamics of a small town’s social-ecological system (SES) concerning oil and gas industry boom-bust economic cycles and both the vulnerability and resilience of the town over the past 30 years. With the goal to understand how resource-based single industry impact social-ecological systems, we developed indicators of human and environmental well-being and assessed them. Seven indicators include labor force distribution, education, oil price, household income, water quality, air quality, and land cover land use. Over this period, Drayton Valley, Canada quadrupled in size, with more than 20% of the population working in the oil and gas sector. Median income rose to 42% above the national average despite the population lagging national benchmarks for educational attainment. There have also been dramatic fluctuations in levels of fluoride, phosphorus, and other chemicals in water quality samples, implying a correlation with fossil fuel extractive activities over this period. Land cover land use change analysis shows a decreased area of water bodies, wetland, and forests, and increased built capital and agricultural land. While economic boom cycles have led to cash inflows, an exclusive focus on the benefits of the oil and gas industry may leave those dependent on the industry vulnerable to social and environmental risk factors during bust cycles that are beyond their control in the everchanging global oil economy. This phenomenon which has been referred to as the “resource curse” suggests the need to anticipate cyclical (or more sustained) periods of low levels of oil and gas production. These results suggest that single boom-bust economies impact every aspect of social-ecological systems. Therefore, a sustainable development plan that comprehensively considers not only economic growth, but also diversification, environment protection, and strategic land use planning is indispensable to ensure the long-term development of communities that depend upon extractive industries.

scholarly journals Exploring sustainable land use in forested tropical social-ecological systems: A case-study in the Wet Tropics

2019 ◽  
Vol 231 ◽  
pp. 940-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julen Gonzalez-Redin ◽  
Iain J. Gordon ◽  
Rosemary Hill ◽  
J. Gary Polhill ◽  
Terence P. Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Wet Tropics

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 A Resilience Framework for Chronic Exposures: Water Quality and Ecosystem Services in Coastal Social-Ecological Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel H. Merrill ◽  
Kate K. Mulvaney ◽  
David M. Martin ◽  
Marnita M. Chintala ◽  
Walter Berry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Resilience Framework

scholarly journals Environmental Scenario Analysis on Natural and Social-Ecological Systems: A Review of Methods, Approaches and Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelia Guaita García ◽  
Julia Martínez Fernández ◽  
Carl Fitz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Distributed Models ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Use Of Models

Scenario analysis is a useful tool to facilitate discussions about the main trends of future change and to promote the understanding of global environmental changes implications on relevant aspects of sustainability. In this paper, we reviewed 294 articles published between 1995–2019, to evaluate the state of the art use of models and scenarios to investigate the effects of land use change and climate change on natural and social-ecological systems. Our review focuses on three issues. The first explores the extent to which the environmental dynamics of land use and climate change were jointly analyzed and the spatial scales associated with such integrated studies. The second explores the modelling methodologies and approaches used in the scenario analysis. The third explores the methods for developing or building scenarios. Results show that in most predictions there is little integration of key drivers of change. We find most forecasting studies use a sectoral modelling approach through dynamic spatially distributed models. Most articles do not apply a participatory approach in the development of scenarios. Based on this review, we conclude that there are some gaps in how scenario analysis on natural and social-ecological systems are conducted. These gaps pose a challenge for the use of models and scenarios as predictive tools in decision-making processes in the context of global change.

scholarly journals The Social-Ecological Keystone Concept: A Quantifiable Metaphor for Understanding the Structure, Function, and Resilience of a Biocultural System

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawika Winter ◽  
Noa Lincoln ◽  
Fikret Berkes
Keyword(s):  
System Theory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Biocultural Restoration

Social-ecological system theory draws upon concepts established within the discipline of ecology, and applies them to a more holistic view of a human-in-nature system. We incorporated the keystone concept into social-ecological system theory, and used the quantum co-evolution unit (QCU) to quantify biocultural elements as either keystone components or redundant components of social-ecological systems. This is done by identifying specific elements of biocultural diversity, and then determining dominance within biocultural functional groups. The “Hawaiian social-ecological system” was selected as the model of study to test this concept because it has been recognized as a model of human biocomplexity and social-ecological systems. Based on both quantified and qualified assessments, the conclusions of this research support the notion that taro cultivation is a keystone component of the Hawaiian social-ecological system. It further indicates that sweet potato cultivation was a successional social-ecological keystone in regions too arid to sustain large-scale taro cultivation, and thus facilitated the existence of an “alternative regime state” in the same social-ecological system. Such conclusions suggest that these biocultural practices should be a focal point of biocultural restoration efforts in the 21st century, many of which aim to restore cultural landscapes.

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