Publication: An integral approach to address socio-ecological systems sustainability
and their uncertainties
Authors
Martínez-Fernández, Julia ; Banos-González, Isabel ; Esteve-Selma, Miguel Ángel
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Publisher
Elsevier
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144457
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Science of The Total Environment. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144457
Abstract
The analysis of the sustainability should be addressed with a holistic approach that facilitates an integral analysis
of the social, economic, institutional and environmental factors and their interactions characterizing complex
socio-ecological systems (SES). Nevertheless, despite the increasing acknowledgment about the need for such
systemic approaches, their application in real SES are less frequent than desirable. Among the difficulties behind
this, the need for a new conceptual perspective concerning the relationships between science and the management of real SES, as well as the lack of tools to manage the inherent complexity of such systems should be emphasized. In this work, we further discuss these difficulties and propose an integral methodological framework
for the assessment of SES sustainability, with the following key components: i) The hierarchical definition of sustainability goals and indicators. ii) A dynamic system model taking into account the key socio-economic and environmental factors and their interactions, in which the most representative indicators and their sustainability
thresholds are integrated. iii) The analysis of vulnerabilities to exogenous drivers (scenario analysis) and the exploration of available management and planning options (policy assessment). iv) An uncertainty assessment
concerning system behavior and model outcomes to guide decisions for an improved sustainability in complex
SES. The whole framework highlights the need to integrate a participative approach, above all at the initial and
final steps. In this work, these components are exemplified by means of their application to a real socioecological system: Fuerteventura island (The Canary Islands, Spain).
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Citation
Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 762, 2021, 144457.
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