Towards balancing production and protection participatory landscape performance assessment in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Afin d'atteindre des objectifs simultanés de protection de la biodiversité et de production agricole dans un espace donné, il est nécessaire d'analyser le fonctionnement des espaces ruraux à l'échelle du paysage. Le présent article relate les résultats d'une évaluation de la performance d'un paysage au Nord de la Province du KwaZulu-Natal, en Afrique du Sud. L'évaluation de la performance est un moyen de décrire le statut d'un paysage donné. Elle est utile aux personnes chargées de la planification et à d'autres acteurs en tant qu'aide à la décision en ce qui concerne les objectifs à atteindre pour améliorer la performance du paysage. Des ateliers de groupe avec des agriculteurs locaux et d'autres acteurs d'institutions clés nous ont permis d'effectuer un classement de la performance du paysage en fonction de 4 critères : protection, production, conditions de vie et institutions. La note globale obtenue est de 2,97 / 5, indiquant que le paysage en question a une bonne performance, au-dessus de la moyenne. Les notes individuelles par objectif et par groupe d'acteurs montraient cependant une assez grande variabilité. Le paysage analysé peut être qualifié de paysage d'écoagriculture ayant un fort potentiel pour que soient mis en oeuvre des processus de transformation et de gestion à l'échelle du paysage reposant sur la participation des agriculteurs et d'autres acteurs. De tels processus peuvent améliorer la fourniture de services environnementaux et les conditions de vie des habitants. (Résumé d'auteur

A review of Australian approaches for monitoring, assessing and reporting estuarine condition: I. International context and evaluation criteria

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Given the immeasurable value of estuaries and their severe and growing pressures, sound understanding and reporting of estuarine condition is essential for their effective management and sustainable development. In light of this, we aim to provide a timely and comprehensive three-part review of the approaches currently employed for monitoring, assessing and reporting estuarine condition, focussing on Australian systems. Here, in Part 1, we establish the national and international context of our review and define globally-relevant evaluation criteria against which to assess Australian progress. We achieve this by examining effective monitoring, assessment and reporting programs from around the world and characterising ‘best practice’. We then highlight the Australian historical context and consider recent policies, frameworks, guidelines and legislation relating to the monitoring and reporting of estuarine condition nationwide

Combining the conservation of biodiversity with the provision of ecosystem services in urban green infrastructure planning. Critical features arising from a case study in the metropolitan area of Rome

A large number of green infrastructure (GI) projects have recently been proposed, planned and implemented in European cities following the adoption of the GI strategy by the EU Commission in 2013. Although this policy tool is closely related to biodiversity conservation targets, some doubts have arisen as regards the ability of current urban GI to provide beneficial effects not only for human societies but also for the ecological systems that host them. The aim of this work is to review the features that should be considered critical when searching for solutions that simultaneously support biodiversity and guarantee the provision of ecosystem services (ES) in urban areas. Starting from a case study in the metropolitan area of Rome, we highlight the role of urban trees and forests as proxies for overall biodiversity and as main ecosystem service providers. We look beyond the individual functional features of plant species and vegetation communities to promote the biogeographic representativity, ecological coherence and landscape connectivity of new or restored GI elements

A review of Australian approaches for monitoring, assessing and reporting estuarine condition: III. Evaluation against international best practice and recommendations for the future

In this final component of a three-part review, we present a national synthesis and evaluation of approaches for monitoring, assessing and reporting estuarine condition across Australia. Progress is evaluated against objective criteria that together provide a model of international best practice. We critically assess the limitations, inconsistencies and gaps that are evident across Australian jurisdictions, and identify common obstacles to future progress. Major strengths and successes are also highlighted, together with specific examples of best practice from around Australia that are transferable to other States and beyond. Significant obstacles to greater national coordination of monitoring and reporting practices include inconsistent spatial scales of management, pluralistic governance structures and the lack of any overarching legislation. Nonetheless, many perceptible advances have been made over the last decade across Australia in estuarine monitoring and health assessment, and there is great potential for further progress. Finally, we provide a list of recommendations to address some of the most pressing limitations and gaps, and support improved future monitoring, assessment and reporting for Australian estuaries

A heuristic for local land planning: Linking ecological function and policy-in context to Charlotte, North Carolina-

Ecological systems and services are foundational to human well-being, and in recent years have received increasing scholastic attention. The functional ability of these systems is influenced however, by human-induced land transformation related to conventional patterns of growth and development. Such land transformations, which commonly occur as single-family residential development, are criticized as being wasteful and inefficient, leading to issues like air and water pollution, diminished forests and wetlands, and habitat loss and fragmentation. In the United States a patchwork of policy exists aimed at addressing such ecological concerns. Despite best efforts, most local governments and planning offices still miss the mark, creating policy that only peripherally addresses ecological function. The research presented herein aims to deal with this; by way of a new heuristic, designed to link ecological function and land-use policy, this research offers direction to local land-use planners and policymakers who wish to integrate the preservation of ecological systems in local policy creation

Marine legislation - the ultimate 'horrendogram': international law, European directives and national implementation

The EU is a pre-eminent player in sustainable development, adopting more than 200 pieces of legislation that have direct repercussions for marine environmental policy and management. Over five decades, measures have aimed to protect the marine environment by tackling the impact of human activities, but maritime affairs have been dealt with by separate sectoral policies without fully integrating all relevant sectors. Such compartmentalisation has resulted in a patchwork of EU legislation and resultant national legislation leading to a piecemeal approach to marine protection. These are superimposed on international obligations emanating from UN and other bodies and are presented here as complex ‘horrendograms’ showing the complexity across vertical governance. These horrendograms have surprised marine experts despite them acknowledging the many uses and users of the marine environment. Encouragingly since 2000, the evolution in EU policy has progressed to more holistic directives and here we give an overview of this change

Ecosystem service value evaluation method for local-oriented rural water ecological governance: A case study on Shuiku Village in Shanghai

Ecosystem service assessments play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of ecosystems in human life and guiding regional planning processes. This study examines the significance of rural ecosystems and their diverse ecological services, ranging from agricultural productivity to water purification and esthetic value. At present, the ecological restoration of rural riparian zones in China mainly relies on engineering standards as reference guidelines, lacking responses to surrounding land use patterns (including diverse ecological functional requirements) at the planning and design level. This paper proposes 17 assessment indicators for ecosystem services based on a case analysis of Shuiku Village in Shanghai. Through the evaluation of the supply-demand relationship of ecosystem services in the water network rural riparian zone, the paper suggests feasible restoration approaches based on a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological status to address the diverse needs of rural water ecosystems. The result indicated that using an ecosystem services evaluation framework can provide more precise analysis at a small scale