scholarly journals The Political Ecology of Hedgerows and Their Relationship to Agroecology and Food Sovereignty in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Tilzey
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Food Sovereignty ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Agroecological Transition ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Ecosystem Disservices

Hedgerows can make an important contribution to agroecological transitions and to an overall contribution to multifunctional agro-ecosystems with multiple benefits for biodiversity, climate change mitigation, soil health, human health, well-being, and livelihoods. Where such agroecological transition assumes the form of political agroecology, this can underpin transformation of the farming system towards food sovereignty. Current mismanagement of hedgerows is constraining the optimum delivery of ecosystem services by these important features of the British landscape. This mismanagement is, moreover, an integral part of a (capitalist) productivist degradation of the countryside that is contributing to the delivery of ecosystem disservices and is, therefore, antithetical to the adoption of agroecological production practises. Being contrary to the requirements of political agroecology, it is similarly antithetical to the requirements of food sovereignty. In response, this paper outlines what appears to be required, in policy and political terms, for the adoption of an agroecological and food sovereignty framework enabling the sustainable management of hedgerows and maximising their potential for ecosystem services delivery.

scholarly journals Procuring Plant Services for Ecological and Human Well Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Saraswathi ◽  
K. Selvam
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Fallow Lands ◽  
Effective Use

Ecosystem services offered by two native tree species viz. Azadirachta indica, Morinda tinctoria, and four exotic species viz. Tamarindus indica, Prosopis juliflora, Leucaena leucocephala, and Ipomoea carnea in the Mathippanur village of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India were assessed to augment their valuable ecosystem services and to get the management strategy for sustainable use. The selected plant species provide economic benefit through their products, regulating soil health, sequestering carbon, and supporting nests of animals. However, they cause discomfort to the associated vegetation and human beings. Both native and exotic species play a crucial role in the ecosystem and the removal of exotic species will lead to disturbance in the ecosystem resilience. For sustainable management, mixed plantations of tree species can be raised in barren and fallow lands. The plantations will aid in monetary support to the local inhabitants, people’s participation in resource management and conservation, and effective use of land and tree services.

scholarly journals The mismeasure of nature: the political ecology of economic valuation of Tiger Reserves in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Menon ◽  
Nitin D Rai
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Political ◽  
Indian State ◽  
Institutional Contexts

<p>The Indian state has conserved tigers by establishing reserves that are governed as a form of fortress conservation. Residence and local uses in these tiger reserves are often criminalized. It is in this context that we critique recent neoliberal attempts to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services from tiger reserves. Proponents of valuation argue that it will not only provide a justification for the reserves, but also recognize the importance of ecosystem services for human well-being. We use a political ecology approach to argue that economic valuation is never a benign tool, but is situated in wider institutional contexts that favor certain actors over others. In India, protected areas are being valued even as people living within them are being evicted and their use of the forest restricted. We draw from fieldwork in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Hills of Karnataka and conversations with Soligas. We ask how nature is made legible and who benefits from such legibility? We suggest that economic valuation can hide complex human-nature relationships and undermine different ways of knowing and 'valuing' landscapes.</p><p><strong>Key Words</strong>: tiger reserves, Karnataka, economic valuation</p>

scholarly journals The State of the World's Insects

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Eggleton
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Insect Diversity ◽  
Temperate Region ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Ecosystem Disservices

This article reviews the present state of insects, describing their taxonomic position, cost, and value as well as the threats to their well-being. Insects are an important source of both ecosystem services and ecosystem disservices. Recent studies have indicated a worrying decline in insect species, especially in flying insects in the northern temperate region, and this has spawned much media attention. Some decline has occurred, it is clear, due to agricultural intensification, urbanization, overuse of pesticides, and global climate change. A decline would seriously affect the ecosystem services that insects provide. However, there is too little data to warrant the belief that all insects are declining everywhere. There is a pressing need for more basic research on insect diversity in the context of a changing world.

scholarly journals Agricultural Transformation and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being in Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Xi’an, China

Land ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Zhongxue Zhou ◽  
Xiaofang Liu ◽  
Bijun Zheng ◽  
Guy M. Robinson ◽  
Bingjie Song
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Agricultural Transformation ◽  
Nursery Production

There is a gap in understanding the relationships between the transformation of agricultural landscapes, ecosystem services and human well-being in the peri-urban fringe of major cities worldwide. In this paper, we use semi-structured interviews, perception surveys, social surveys and field mapping to examine linkages between agricultural and landscape transition, ecosystem services and human well-being in five sample villages in Xi’an metropolitan zone, China. The results indicate that: (1) Agricultural change has increased landscape fragmentation, with a shift from grain to more profitable horticulture and nursery production. The farming system is more diversified and exhibits a multifunctional character. (2) This transformation has had a significant impact on the character of the agroecosystem. (3) The agricultural transformation towards greater multifunctionality has increased the supply of ecosystem services, including tourism-related activities, potentially improving human well-being. (4) Different combinations of activities in the sample villages were evaluated with respect to a well-being index, indicating the importance of combining horticulture and tourism. (5) Linkages identified between agricultural transformation, ecosystem services and human well-being may have significant implications for potential approaches within future studies.

scholarly journals Greening the Browns: A Bio-Based Land Use Framework for Analysing the Potential of Urban Brownfields in an Urban Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaswati Chowdhury ◽  
Jaan-Henrik Kain ◽  
Marco Adelfio ◽  
Yevheniya Volchko ◽  
Jenny Norrman
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Decision Matrix ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Urban Greenspaces ◽  
The City ◽  
Selection Of

The Circular Economy (CE) is expected to accelerate the use of resources with bio-based origin. Cities have an important role in such an economy, not only as main consumers but also because vegetation provides numerous ecosystem services essential for the well-being of urban dwellers. Urban lands are, however, heavily burdened with both past and present activities and ongoing urbanization. Retrofitting obsolete and potentially contaminated brownfields provides an opportunity to engage with bio-based land uses within the city. At the same time, plants are an important part of Gentle Remediation Options (GROs), a more sustainable alternative for managing contamination risks and restoring soil health. This paper (1) provides a tentative selection of Urban Greenspaces (UGSs) relevant for brownfields, and a compilation of ecosystem services provided by the selected UGSs, and (2) presents a framework covering the 14 selected bio-based land uses on brownfields, including GRO interventions over time. This framework provides three practical tools: the conceptualization of linkages between GROs and prospective UGS uses, a scatter diagram for the realization of 14 UGS opportunities on brownfields, and a decision matrix to analyze the requirements for UGS realization on brownfields.

scholarly journals A Well-Being Approach to Soil Health—Insights from Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7719
Author(s):  
Dean C. Stronge ◽  
Bryan A. Stevenson ◽  
Garth R. Harmsworth ◽  
Robyn L. Kannemeyer
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Soil Condition ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
Micro Organisms

This paper explores the concept of soil health from a human well-being perspective in Aotearoa New Zealand. Globally, soils play an integral role in wider society and the environment by maintaining a large range of ecosystem services and benefits. As populations and resource constraints increase and food production and food security become growing issues globally, there is a recognition of the importance of defining soil condition or soil health for sustaining all ecosystems, including services and benefits to humans, plants, animals, and micro-organisms. While the ecosystem services approach has helped to illuminate the varied services soils provide, an understanding of the complex human–soil relationships and values has been missing. Those seeking to understand and form concepts about soil health have concentrated on the more inherent biochemical, physical and economic (e.g., productivity) aspects of soils, but not on the human, social or cultural dimensions. It is argued in this paper that soils form an integral part of our social and cultural fabric and are fundamentally important to human and societal well-being. The way humans interact with, value and use soil is a critical part of determining the health and sustainability of soil ecosystems. We discuss how a well-being approach can improve understanding of soil health with respect to societal goals and needs. We believe this type of approach, which includes social and cultural dimensions, provides a more diverse and inclusive knowledge base and perspective to better inform the development of integrative policy. This would lead to improved management and decision-making of land resources and soils in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally.

Policy Review: Dubai Health Authority’s COVID-19 Rapid Response

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (Special) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
World Health ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
First Case ◽  
The World

Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is the entity regulating the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Dubai, ensuring high quality and safe healthcare services delivery to the population. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, indicating to the world that further infection spread is very likely, and alerting countries that they should be ready for possible widespread community transmission. The first case of COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates was confirmed on 29th of January 2020; since then, the number of cases has continued to grow exponentially. As of 8th of July 2020 (end of the day), 53,045 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed with a death toll of 327 cases. The UAE has conducted over 3,720,000 COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past four months, in line with the government’s plans to strengthen virus screening to contain the spread of COVID-19. There were vital UAE policies, laws, regulations, and decrees that have been announced for immediate implementation to limit the spread of COVID- 19, to prevent panic and to ensure the overall food, nutrition, and well-being are provided. The UAE is amongst the World’s Top 10 for COVID-19 Treatment Efficiency and in the World’s Top 20 for the implementation of COVID-19 Safety measures. The UAE’s mission is to work towards resuming life after COVID-19 and enter into the recovery phases. This policy research paper will discuss the Dubai Health Authority’s rapid response initiatives towards combating the control and spread of COVID-19 and future policy implications and recommendations. The underlying factors and policy options will be discussed in terms of governance, finance, and delivery.

A positive psychology study and intervention on the well-being of French PhD students in biology

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Marais ◽  
Rebecca Shankland ◽  
Pascale Haag ◽  
Robin Fiault ◽  
Bridget Juniper
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Attrition Rates ◽  
Human Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

In France, little data are available on mental health and well-being in academia, and nothing has been published about PhD students. From studies abroad, we know that doing a PhD is a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs. Here we focused on PhD students in biology at university Lyon 1. A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using several generalist and PhD-specific tools. Our results on 136 participants showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experience abnormal levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and their mean well-being score is significantly lower than that of a British reference sample. French PhD student well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD and perceived lack of competence, which points towards possible cultural differences of experiencing a PhD in France and the UK. In a second study, we carried out a positive psychology intervention. Comparing the scores of the test and control groups showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety. We discuss our results and the possible future steps to improve French PhD students’ well-being.

Monetäre Bewertung von Ökosystemleistungen: eine kritische Sicht auf einige Kritiken (Essay)

2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elsasser
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Monetary Valuation ◽  
Intrinsic Values ◽  
Ethical Norms ◽  
Valuation Of Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Valuations

Monetary valuation of ecosystem services: a critical view of some critiques (essay) Diverse objections against the monetary valuation of ecosystem services are being raised in transdisciplinary discussions as well as in the scientific literature. The monetary valuation is said to overlook nature's intrinsic values, to infringe ethical norms, to narrow down perspectives to economic welfare alone, or even to nothing but material well-being, to stimulate the commercialisation of nature – conversely, others criticize that it fails exactly in this respect –, to favour social inequality, and to rely upon undependable methods. This essay questions the cogency of these criticisms and highlights some prejudices and misconceptions, often rooted in an erroneous understanding of the function of environmental valuations in the political decision process.

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