scholarly journals Identifying social–ecological gaps to promote biocrust conservation actions

Web Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-132
Author(s):  
María D. López-Rodríguez ◽  
Sonia Chamizo ◽  
Yolanda Cantón ◽  
Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
New Research

Abstract. Globally, most bare-looking areas in dryland regions are covered by biocrusts which play a crucial role in modifying several soil surface properties and driving key ecosystem processes. These keystone communities face important threats (e.g. climate change) that place their conservation at risk and in turn the sustainability of the ecosystems they inhabit. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop ecosystem management strategies to ensure their protection. However, to provide a solid path towards biocrust conservation, the understanding by stakeholders and governance structures of the ecological functions of these communities, their role as benefit providers, and the pressures threatening their important effects are indispensable. Whereas the ecological scope of biocrust has been widely studied in the last decades, the social dimension of their role remained unexplored. By reviewing literature in biocrusts from a social–ecological approach, here we identified knowledge gaps and new research areas that need to be addressed in order to produce scientific knowledge that better guides dryland conservation policies and actions. This research agenda is a prerequisite to advance biocrust conservation.

Applying the socio-ecological approach to biocrust research: a call for scientific action

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Maggioli ◽  
Maria Lopez Rodriguez ◽  
Sonia Chamizo ◽  
Yolanda Cantón ◽  
Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Research

<p>Biocrusts play a key role in maintaining drylands ecosystems at the global scale. These keystone communities face important human[ERC1]  threats (e.g. climate change) that can result in both biocrust coverage loss and community composition changes and are expected to negatively affect soil biodiversity, and the functioning and resilience of drylands ecosystems. In this adverse scenario, there is an urgent need to develop legal science-based frameworks that underpin their protection. The social-ecological approach, as a research framing oriented to produce scientific knowledge able to properly inform policy actions and management practices, can help us to advance in this direction. By reviewing literature in Spanish biocrusts from the social–ecological approach, here we found that the ecological scope</p><p>of biocrust has been widely studied in the last decades; however, the social dimension of their role remained unexplored. In addition, we identified knowledge gaps and new research areas that need to be addressed in order to (1) produce research that better informs policy and society about the role of these keystone communities, and (2) promote the best available evidence on the biocrusts role which can be used to support conservation actions. On this basis, we call for a transition from an “ecological research perspective” to a “social–ecological research perspective” into the biocrust area in order to promote evidence-based conservation practices that contribute to the preservation of these representative communities of drylands all over the world.</p>

Social-Ecological Systems in Local Fisheries Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 304-314
Author(s):  
George O. Tsobanoglou ◽  
Eirini Ioanna Vlachopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Systems Framework

Even though the study of the commons has been expanding rapidly in the past years, and there have been multiple cases of successful local conservation initiatives, still, significant gaps in knowledge remain. The Social-Ecological Systems framework attempts to analyse the linkages between the “human system” (society) and the “natural system” (ecosystems). In every conservation attempt, the interactions and feedback between the two systems become evident. By examining thoroughly this relationship through the SES lens, we can develop a deep and holistic understanding of the processes that should be taken into consideration before the implementation of conservation actions. This study, through the exploration of the fisheries management procedures in Japan, attempts to develop an understanding of how the adoption of the Social-Ecological Systems approach could promote local development in the insular periphery of the developed world, in countries like Greece, where public participation in the decision-making processes is limited.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Researches and the Progress of Human Societies in the New Millennium: Practical Experiences and Futuristic Options

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Hany Khamis Abdo
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Cognitive Limitations ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Experiences ◽  
New Research ◽  
Societal Problems

Interdisciplinary Research is a fertile ground for researchers in the modern era, as is represents the importance in the study of various phenomena of society and its issues and complex problems that need to cross the barriers and cognitive limitations among social and natural sciences. It could be argued that after decades of increased specialization on the vertical level (any connection between the social sciences) and the horizontal level (any connection between the social sciences and natural sciences) it has become noticeable that there is an increasing trend towards financing projects and research programs that are trying to promote interdisciplinary research as a means to encourage scientific technological progress, benefit human development, and improve the quality of life. Interdisciplinary research that relies on cognitive interaction is not an end in itself but a means to support research efforts to address societal problems and to promote a competitive environment through which knowledge can be acquired. This is achieved through the integration of knowledge or the formulation of new research areas based on the integration of knowledge from different fields. In the light of the above, the paper aims to shed light on the features of interdisciplinary research and on the extent it can be used to study human societies by reviewing practical applications in the field of interdisciplinary research. 

Social-Ecological Systems in Local Fisheries Communities

2017 ◽  
pp. 306-316
Author(s):  
George O. Tsobanoglou ◽  
Eirini Ioanna Vlachopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Systems Framework

Even though the study of the commons has been expanding rapidly in the past years, and there have been multiple cases of successful local conservation initiatives, still, significant gaps in knowledge remain. The Social-Ecological Systems framework attempts to analyse the linkages between the “human system” (society) and the “natural system” (ecosystems). In every conservation attempt, the interactions and feedback between the two systems become evident. By examining thoroughly this relationship through the SES lens, we can develop a deep and holistic understanding of the processes that should be taken into consideration before the implementation of conservation actions. This study, through the exploration of the fisheries management procedures in Japan, attempts to develop an understanding of how the adoption of the Social-Ecological Systems approach could promote local development in the insular periphery of the developed world, in countries like Greece, where public participation in the decision-making processes is limited.

scholarly journals The impact of digitalization on social development

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-51
Author(s):  
Andrii Нrytsenko ◽  
◽  
Tetiana Burlai ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The article shows the place of digitalization in the natural transition from the industrial-market to the information-network economy. The authors clarify the structure of relations that determine the mechanism of interaction of technical and technological processes of digitalization and socio-economic relations, and note the complexity of the reflexive interaction of the technical, technological and socio-economic components of societal development. The objective foundations and modern features of the processes of dissemination of information, communication and digital technologies, manifested at the societal level, are revealed. The dualistic nature of digitalization development is revealed: the introduction of the latest technologies not only opens up additional opportunities for business, governments and people, but also generates significant problems, challenges and risks, forming the so-called "digital gap". It is emphasized that in the social dimension, the most characteristic of such gaps is the difference in opportunities for access to digital technologies, which potentially leads to unfair distribution of benefits and increased inequality in society. The main social risks caused by the processes of digitalization at the micro and macro levels are identified. The dynamics of digitalization processes and their impact on social development in a global and national context are comprehensively characterized. Shown various national management strategies, formulated as responses to the challenges of digital development and with a focus on minimizing the social risks associated with them. The modern approaches of the European Union to regulating the impact of digitalization on social development and employment are revealed, including those related to the adoption in 2010 of the Digital Agenda for Europe, the construction of the European Digital Single Market and the implementation of the European Gigabit Society Strategy until 2025. Proposed a few corrections in the mechanisms of Ukraine’s national policy regarding the anticipation and regulation of the social consequences of digitalization, in particular, in the context of the Strategy for the digital transformation of the social sphere of Ukraine presented in September 2020.

Alien invasive vertebrates in ecosystems: pattern, process and the social dimension

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piran C. L. White ◽  
Adriana E. S. Ford ◽  
Mick N. Clout ◽  
Richard M. Engeman ◽  
Sugoto Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Invasion Biology ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Alien Invasive Species ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The rate of biological invasions has increased dramatically over recent centuries. Alien invasive vertebrates have significant adverse effects on biodiversity, and island fauna are especially susceptible. Human-induced environmental change is likely to exacerbate these negative impacts of alien invasive species. However, invasion biology has advanced considerably over the last two decades, with improvement in understanding of the processes of establishment and spread. New developments in spatial modelling have elucidated the way in which behavioural processes at the individual level can drive population-level patterns such as spread. Combined with new genetic insights into the process of invasion, these advances may assist in the development of novel, better-targeted management strategies that provide new options in how to deal with the threat posed by invasive species. Decisions about whether to and how we should intervene are questions for all sectors of society, but research on the social and cultural impacts of invasive species is largely lacking. There are many opportunities for enhancing the social dimensions of invasive species research, and integrated assessments of the social, economic and environmental impacts of species provide one potential avenue. As part of this, there is also a need to increase stakeholder participation in the decision-making process regarding alien invasive species. These more holistic approaches are essential if we are to reduce the impact of alien invasive species to within acceptable limits in the face of rapid environmental change.

What is taken for granted in autism research?

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Ilana Friedner
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodologies ◽  
Communicative Practices ◽  
Autism Research ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Research

Abstract This commentary focuses on three points: the need to consider semiotic ideologies of both researchers and autistic people, questions of commensurability, and problems with “the social” as an analytical concept. It ends with a call for new research methodologies that are not deficit-based and that consider a broad range of linguistic and non-linguistic communicative practices.

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