19,076 research outputs found

    A problem structuring method for ecosystem-based management : the DPSIR modelling process

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    The purpose of this paper is to learn from Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory to inform the development of Problem Structuring Methods (PSMs) both in general and in the specific context of marine management. The focus on marine management is important because it is concerned with a CAS (formed through the interconnection between natural systems, designed systems and social systems) which exemplifies their particularly ‘wicked' nature. Recognition of this compels us to take seriously the need to develop tools for knowledge elicitation and structuring which meet the demands of CAS. In marine management, chief among those tools is the DPSIR (Drivers - Pressures - State Changes - Impacts - Responses) model and, although widely applied, the extent to which it is appropriate for dealing with the demands of a CAS is questionable. Such questioning is particularly pertinent in the context of the marine environment where there is a need to not only recognise a broad range of stakeholders (a question of boundary critique) but also to manage competing knowledge (economic, local and scientific) and value claims. Hence this paper emphasises how a CAS perspective might add impetus to the development of a critical perspective on DPSIR and PSM theory and practice to promote a more systemic view of decision-making and policy development

    Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic

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    Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic (March 25 - 27, 2018 -- The University of New Hampshire) paired two of NSF\u27s 10 Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic and Growing Convergence Research at NSF. During this event, participants assessed economic, environmental, and social impacts of Arctic change on New England and established convergence research initiatives to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to these effects. Shipping routes through an ice-free Northwest Passage in combination with modifications to ocean circulation and regional climate patterns linked to Arctic ice melt will affect trade, fisheries, tourism, coastal ecology, air and water quality, animal migration, and demographics not only in the Arctic but also in lower latitude coastal regions such as New England. With profound changes on the horizon, this is a critical opportunity for New England to prepare for uncertain yet inevitable economic and environmental impacts of Arctic change

    Four major task domains of science for sustainability

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    We propose a research agenda integrating environment-related science, technology, and innovation (STI) using a problem-solving approach to sustainable development. We argue that STI for sustainability encompasses four major task domains: (1) ecological modernization and transformation, (2) ecosystem management, (3) environmental risk assessment, and (4) adaptation to environmental change, each posing great social challenges. For each domain, naturesociety interaction increasingly relies on knowledge acquisition. The proposed agenda focuses on the investigation of R&D capacity and linking knowledge and action within and among societal spheres (i.e., science, politics, business, law, mass media, and education). While today the disciplinary niches of environment-related STI research are still fragmented, with this broader framework, STI research could develop into a major social science field of humanenvironment relations. --human dimensions of global environmental change,environmental sociology,science for sustainability,STI research,innovation research,social studies of science,so-ciology of knowledge,naturesociety interaction,noosphere,ecological modernization,ecosystem management,environmental risk assessment,adaptation to environmental change

    Fisheries production systems, climate change and climate variability in West Africa: an annotated bibliography

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    This bibliography is intended for people who are involved in fisheries, aquaculture, climate change, disaster management and policy development in West Africa or interested in one or more of these issues. The literature in this bibliography includes peer-reviewed journals, books and book chapters, grey reports and institutional technical papers, but is restricted to literature in English. They were gathered through an extensive web search using fisheries, fish, coastal, inland, aquaculture and/or in combination with climate change and impacts, climate variability, specific country names, West Africa and Gulf of Guinea as the main keywords.Fisheries, Climatic change, Aquaculture, Inland fisheries, Bibliographies, Disasters, Africa, West,

    Marine Resources Management in the Context of Customary Tenure

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    Although customary marine tenure (CMT) systems for the management of local marine resources occur throughout the world, compared with other models of fisheries management they remain relatively little known. The Pacific Basin is especially rich in CMT systems, which play key roles in overall social, economic and cultural life of societies. Based on a Solomon Island example, we examine the organizational principles and potentials of CMT systems to provide sustainable yields and equitable access to resources, their resilience to external pressures, and mechanisms for ensuring local autonomy in resource control. Next we demonstrate that CMT systems are an expression of traditional ecological knowledge, and show the importance of such knowledge to scientific research and the planning of resource management. Finally, we suggest priorities for research on CMT systems.community-based management, fisheries management, traditional environmental knowledge, traditional conservation, Pacific Basin, Solomon Islands, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
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