Challenges in the development of the geodiversity concept

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Brilha
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
University Education ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Nature Play ◽  
Development Goals

<p>The concept of geodiversity, despite being in use for almost 30 years, still has little impact on society. It is not easy to explain the reason for this dissociation, considering that the elements that constitute geodiversity are intrinsically part of nature, play an essential role in ecosystem services and, consequently, in human well-being.</p><p>During the last decade we have seen a great development in the interest of the geoscientific community in this subject, represented by the increase in the publication of papers and doctoral and master theses all over the world. One of the main challenges is now to transpose all this scientific knowledge into society. Obviously, theoretical and conceptual discussions about geodiversity are an integral part of science and must continue, but if we want that society recognizes the importance and value of geodiversity, we must be able to demonstrate clearly how geodiversity can help to solve some of the problems we face today.</p><p>Among other priorities, the geoscientific community has to be able to demonstrate in an structured way:</p><ul><li>The importance of geodiversity in implementing nature conservation actions and its direct relationship with biodiversity;</li> <li><span>The contribution of geodiversity for ecosystems restoration and its accounting as part of natural capital;</span></li> <li><span>The need to quantify the role of geodiversity in ecosystem services;</span></li> <li><span>The urgency of make environmental impact assessments including all possible effects that may affect geodiversity elements and processes;</span></li> <li><span>The importance of integrate the concept of geodiversity in pre-university education curricula;</span></li> <li><span>That the information and environmental interpretation provided to visitors of protected areas and other conservation areas should always include geodiversity.</span></li> </ul><p>Once the importance of geodiversity is fully recognized by policy-makers, managers, and the society in general, the fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be for sure closer than it is today.</p>

Child Well-being Across the Life Course: What Do We Know, What Should We Know?

2021 ◽  
pp. 165-192
Author(s):  
Gary Pollock ◽  
Haridhan Goswami ◽  
Aleksandra Szymczyk
Keyword(s):  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Evidence For Policy ◽  
Post Hoc

Child well-being has an explicit connection with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Progress in tackling these goals require robust evidence, such as can be provided by high quality survey data. Birth cohort surveys are an important source of evidence for policy makers seeking to protect and enhance the lives of children as they grow up. Until now such surveys have been developed independently and in order to compare data in different countries there are many challenges in post-hoc data harmonisation. The merits of collecting national longitudinal data are widely recognised, and yet the current studies are not easily comparable as they contain different questions and are conducted at different times and on different age groups. It is, therefore, time for an input harmonised comparative birth cohort survey. The European Cohort Development Project has been developing the design and business case for such a survey since 2018. This survey will allow a direct comparison of the well-being of children as they grow up across Europe in different national contexts. In the future, researchers the world over will be able to learn from the lived experiences of children and young people as they grow up in a diverse range of European countries.

scholarly journals Contribution of Ecosystem Services to Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veidemane
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Water Ecosystems

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030 are established to address global challenges including environment and human well-being. The SDGs are interconnected and achievement of them requires consideration of the planet’s ecosystems and resources - land, water and air. Ecosystem services (ES) approach has a high potential for better planning, policy and decision making. Understanding how different ecosystems (e.g., forests, rivers, wetlands, grasslands) contribute to the social and economic benefits is critical to ensure the long-term biodiversity protection and sustainable use of ecosystems. A conceptual framework linking biodiversity and ecosystem condition (its structure and functions), and ES to human well-being has been well-established in EU by so called MAES process (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services) lead by the European Commission. The framework is applied in recent research studies and projects, as well as national MAES processes. Various methods are applied for MAES in terms to determine biophysical, economic and social values and to deliver integrated ecosystem assessment. Assessment of ES and trade off analysis shall provide a new perspective for land use planning and decision making at different administrative and spatial levels and in different sectoral policies. EU and national policies for instance on agriculture, fishery, forestry, climate should account the benefits provided by relevant ecosystems and to ensure that the values are not diminished but rather enhanced during the implementation of the policies. Terrestrial and water ecosystems are interconnected as land-based human activities creates pressure that impacts the conditions in water ecosystems and thus delivery of ES by rivers and lakes. For example, intensive agricultural land use produces food for people and income; however, the activity also most frequently causes problems with water quality and quantity in the catchment area and a loss of biodiversity. A risk of such trade-off shall be handled in policy development. Ecosystems also contributes to the resilience of communities by reducing the risk of natural hazards and mitigate adverse impacts. Regulating services such as flood control are substituting investments in flood protection ensured by forests, wetlands and grasslands instead of human built infrastructure. Appropriate land cover and land use shall serve as a basic flood protection measure. Natural processes are increasingly recognised to create new-type solutions that use and deploy the properties of natural ecosystems and their services in an “engineered” way. A wide range of measures called also as nature-based solutions provide another opportunity to work with nature towards global sustainability.

Ecosystem services

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion B. Potschin ◽  
Roy H. Haines-Young
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Puzzle Solving ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Stocks And Flows ◽  
Change Impact

The ‘ecosystem service’ debate has taken on many features of a classic Kuhnian paradigm. It challenges conventional wisdoms about conservation and the value of nature, and is driven as much by political agendas as scientific ones. In this paper we review some current and emerging issues arising in relation to the analysis and assessment of ecosystem services, and in particular emphasize the need for physical geographers to find new ways of characterizing the structure and dynamics of service providing units. If robust and relevant valuations are to be made of the contribution that natural capital makes to human well-being, then we need a deeper understanding of the way in which the drivers of change impact on the marginal outputs of ecosystem services. A better understanding of the trade-offs that need to be considered when dealing with multifunctional ecosystems is also required. Future developments must include methods for describing and tracking the stocks and flows that characterize natural capital. This will support valuation of the benefits estimation of the level of reinvestment that society must make in this natural capital base if it is to be sustained. We argue that if the ecosystem service concept is to be used seriously as a framework for policy and management then the biophysical sciences generally, and physical geography in particular, must go beyond the uncritical ‘puzzle solving’ that characterizes recent work. A geographical perspective can provide important new, critical insights into the place-based approaches to ecosystem assessment that are now emerging.

scholarly journals Environmental Education in Environmental Engineering: Analysis of the Situation in Colombia and Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7239
Author(s):  
Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos ◽  
Araceli Queiruga-Dios ◽  
Ascensión Hernández Encinas ◽  
Libia Cristina Acosta
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
University Education ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
Development Goals

Environmental education (EE) has become the only tool for environmental sustainability in training processes in Colombia, for basic cycles in primary and secondary, as well as university education. EE tends to transform human actions in nature, based on multidisciplinary knowledge that supports decision-making. Its goal is to generate a change in social behavior in order to achieve the recovery, conservation, and preservation of the environment. In Colombia, education for sustainable development (ESD) is embedded in EE. These educational models (EE and ESD) seek to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), which generally seek the economic and social well-being of nations, both for current and future generations. Environmental engineering is a relatively new degree course in Colombia and Latin America since it appeared in the mid-nineties, and it must involve EE within its curriculum. Students are trained in this trend. This research intends to demonstrate, through a curricular review of the environmental engineering curricula and also surveying students from this degree, the level of inclusion of EE in Latin America. Strengths are identified in the curricula, such as the strong presence of EE in disciplinary subjects and opportunities for improvement based on the needs of the students. The situation in South America is also included in this study.

Ecosystem Services

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon C. Braat
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Nature Management ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Policy And Planning

The concept of ecosystem services considers the usefulness of nature for human society. The economic importance of nature was described and analyzed in the 18th century, but the term ecosystem services was introduced only in 1981. Since then it has spurred an increasing number of academic publications, international research projects, and policy studies. Now a subject of intense debate in the global scientific community, from the natural to social science domains, it is also used, developed, and customized in policy arenas and considered, if in a still somewhat skeptical and apprehensive way, in the “practice” domain—by nature management agencies, farmers, foresters, and corporate business. This process of bridging evident gaps between ecology and economics, and between nature conservation and economic development, has also been felt in the political arena, including in the United Nations and the European Union (which have placed it at the center of their nature conservation and sustainable use strategies). The concept involves the utilitarian framing of those functions of nature that are used by humans and considered beneficial to society as economic and social services. In this light, for example, the disappearance of biodiversity directly affects ecosystem functions that underpin critical services for human well-being. More generally, the concept can be defined in this manner: Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems, in interaction with contributions from human society, to human well-being. The concept underpins four major discussions: (1) Academic: the ecological versus the economic dimensions of the goods and services that flow from ecosystems to the human economy; the challenge of integrating concepts and models across this paradigmatic divide; (2) Social: the risks versus benefits of bringing the utilitarian argument into political debates about nature conservation (Are ecosystem services good or bad for biodiversity and vice versa?); (3) Policy and planning: how to value the benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services (Will this improve decision-making on topics ranging from poverty alleviation via subsidies to farmers to planning of grey with green infrastructure to combining economic growth with nature conservation?); and (4) Practice: Can revenue come from smart management and sustainable use of ecosystems? Are there markets to be discovered and can businesses be created? How do taxes figure in an ecosystem-based economy? The outcomes of these discussions will both help to shape policy and planning of economies at global, national, and regional scales and contribute to the long-term survival and well-being of humanity.

scholarly journals Realities and prospects of using green technologies in Kazakhstan

2020 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 07002
Author(s):  
Galiya Sansyzbayeva ◽  
Laura Ashirbekova ◽  
Kuralay Nurgaliyeva ◽  
Zhuldyz Ametova ◽  
Arailym Asanova
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Green Technologies ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Innovative Approaches

The particular relevance of the study of issues related to global crises is determined by the fact that although they affect the whole of humanity as a whole, the least economically and socially protected layers of the population in the whole world suffer from their consequences. That is why the key concepts of a green economy are natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. The main priorities of the green economy concept are to increase the well-being of society with minimal impact on the environment. The article discusses the theoretical aspects of the implementation of the concept of “green” economy in Kazakhstan. The main directions of the “green” economy are highlighted and the results of the transition to a green economy are analyzed. The main stages of development of green economy in Kazakhstan are described. The problems of Kazakhstan’s transition to a “green” course of economic development are studied and the need for innovative approaches in the development of green technologies in the country is substantiated.

How to promote Geography for Sustainability

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenwu Zhao ◽  
Bojie Fu ◽  
Yanxu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Earth Systems ◽  
Development Goals

<p>Human interactions with Earth systems have accelerated dramatically in recent decades. Human activities are altering the Earth system and exerting significant impacts on the environment, and undermining improvements in human wellbeing and poverty alleviation. In order to secure global prosperity and transform to global sustainability, United Nations launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. The goals include efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and to consolidate efforts to slow climate change and preserve our world environment. The process of implementing the SDGs has created new challenges for policy makers and for the scientific community. Half of the Sustainable Development Goals are related to environment and natural resources. Geographical Science is one of the most important KEY for sustainable development. Geographers have been conducting various experiments and modelling at multi-scales, and tried to identify the relationships between human activities and various earth surface processes, dwell on ecosystem processes and ecosystem services trade off at multi-scale, model the effects of human activity and earth systems, and try to figure out the possible sustainable solutions for regional, national and global developments. It’s time to launch a new journal focus on Geography and Sustainability for the world. That’s why, Faculty of Geographical Science (Beijing Normal University) start to publish the new journal: Geography and Sustainability. The new journal focus on: Geographical processes, Human-Environmental Systems, Ecosystem services and human being, Sustainable development, Geo-data and model for Sustainability. The new journal is also the office journal for IGU Commission on Geography for Future Earth: Coupled Human-Earth Systems for Sustainability.</p>

scholarly journals Embedding the United Nations sustainable development goals into energy systems analysis – expanding the food-energy-water nexus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taco Niet ◽  
Nastaran Arianpoo ◽  
Kamaria Kuling ◽  
Andrew Wright
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Diversity ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract BackgroundThere have been numerous studies that consider the nexus interactions between energy systems, land use, water use and climate adaptation and impacts. These studies have filled a gap in the literature to allow for more effective policymaking by considering the trade-offs between land use, energy infrastructure as well as the use of water for agriculture and providing energy services. Though these studies fill a significant gap in the modelling literature, we argue that more work is needed to effectively consider policy trade-offs between the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to avoid missing important interactions.ResultsWe examine the 17 SDGs individually to determine if it should be included in a modelling framework and the challenges of doing so. We show that the nexus of climate, land, energy and water needs to be expanded to consider economic well-being of both individuals and the greater economy, health benefits and impacts, as well as land use in terms of both food production and in terms of sustaining ecological diversity and natural capital. Such an expansion will allow energy systems models to better address the trade-offs and synergies inherent in the SDGs. Luckily, although there are some challenges with expanding the nexus in this way, we feel the challenges are generally modest and that many model structures can already incorporate many of these factors without significant modification.Finally, we argue that SDGs 16 and 17 cannot be met without open-source models and open data to allow for transparent analysis that can be used and reused with a low cost of entry for modellers from less well off nations.ConclusionsTo effectively address the SDGs there is a need to expand the common definition of the nexus of climate, land, energy, and water to include the synergies and trade-offs of health impacts, ecological diversity and the system requirements for human and environmental well-being. In most cases, expanding models to be able to incorporate these factors will be relatively straight forward, but open models and analysis are needed to fully support the SDGs.

scholarly journals Text Mining and Citation Network of Ecosystem Services Publications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Malik Ar-Rahiem
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Citation Network ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Bibliographic Coupling ◽  
Citation Network Analysis

Ecosystem Services is an important concept to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2030. For the past 20 years, this concept has grown exponentially and the metadata of these publications can be considered as big data. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to Ecosystem Services publications from Web of Science database, which are text-mining analysis, bibliographic coupling, and citation network analysis. Text-mining analysis results were a cluster map of keywords representing the content of abstract and title from 4203 publications in the dataset. Bibliographic coupling analysis results were a cluster of documents which analyzed using natural language processing to extract the main idea of the documents. Using these two analysis insight about ecosystem services are obtained. Ecosystem services in general can be divided into 6 big clusters: economic assessment of ecosystem services as natural capital, ecosystem services assessment in term of accounting and management, biodiversity conservation in term of species richness, biodiversity conservation in term of human well-being, climate change and ecosystem services, and ecosystem services in urban area. Finally, citation network analysis was performed. 5700 publications consist of publications from the dataset and cited references from the publications were analyzed and 50 most influential articles from 1977 to 2018 with highest citation score was plotted in chronological order, providing insight on how the topic has been developing over time and important publications to be read. Bibliometric analysis proved to be very useful, especially as the preliminary step before conducting literature review. This technique can be very beneficial for early career scientists who wanted to recognize a field of science or wanted to know the research gaps that could be worked on.

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