A socio-ecological assessment of unemployment interventions in Cairo, Egypt

An assessment of interventions working on solving the problem of unemployment in Cairo, Egypt was conducted in order to identify strengths, and to map out where interventions fell on a socio-ecological model. A one-day Appreciative Inquiry (AI) workshop was conducted for 16 participants who represented NGOs, social businesses, donors, training centers, recruitment agencies, technical institutes, educational institutions, and governmental organizations. Inductive content data analysis was used to analyze the themes that arose from the AI. Results show that 24% of the interventions work on multiple levels of the socio-ecological system. Strengths identified are having comprehensive interventions that tackle different aspects of unemployment and having access to funding, while participants envisioned a future where there washavingan overall, sharedvision for dealing with unemployment, strong networks and collaboration, better training programs and improved quality of programs through building capacity, and change in the societal attitudes that negatively influence the employment of individuals in Egypt. Building a coalition for interventions is recommended to enhance collaboration between them

A socio-ecological assessment of land-based contamination and pollution: The Magdalena delta, Colombia

River mouth systems, such as estuaries and deltas are important earth system transitional zones linking the land and coastal marine systems. They funnel anthropogenic contaminants and pollutants from the activities in the river catchment into the marine environment. The present study is focused on the Magdalena River-mouth at Bocas de Ceniza where land-based contamination and pollution are important issues. These were subsequently analysed using an expanded DPSIR framework (Drivers Pressures, State, Impacts Responses). Based on export coefficients and secondary information, the loads of BOD, TSS, Nutrients and solid waste from different sources were identified and compared to prioritize their management within the study area. Findings suggest that contaminants generated in the study area may be insignificant compared to the inputs from the Magdalena River, but they can have a significant impact on the state of local ecosystems. Of all the sources analysed, agriculture and livestock are theoretically the largest contributors of nitrogen (i.e., 14.84 t d(-1) and 48.99 t d(-1)) and phosphorus (i.e., 5.90 t d(-1) and 19.46 t d(-1)) in the basin 'Direct to the Caribbean' and 'Cienaga de Mallorquin' (that altogether are identified as DtC+) and the 'Western bank of the lower Magdalena' (DtM-LM), respectively. In the case of BOD, domestic and industrial wastewaters contribute about 5.10 t d(-1) and 98.43 t d(-1) in the same basins. Contributions of faecal coliforms were more than 4 orders of magnitude higher in untreated wastewater, being 4.86 x10(16) NMP d(-1) and 1.78 x10(16) NMP d(-1) in the lower Magdalena and Caribbean catchments, respectively. Inadequately managed waste and plastic represent a serious problem for the Caribbean Basin. Solid waste generated within the study area and coming from the Magdalena basin and the Caribbean Sea, reaches the coast and deteriorates its visual quality, affects mangrove ecosystems, and generates impacts on coastal populations. By basin, the DtM-LM is where the greatest pollutant loads are generated. However, in terms of impact on human well-being, it is the DtC+ that bears the brunt where pressures are translated in impacts such as increased maintenance and cleaning cost of beaches, reduction or loss of tourism revenue, adverse health effects to vulnerable groups, reduce protection against natural hazards, increased living costs and loss of cultural values.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Socio-ecological Assessment of Watershed Ecosystem Services in Southern Patagonia

This thesis utilizes a theoretical framework which links biophysical and social domains of ecosystems via ecosystem services (ES), in order to conduct a socio-ecological assessment of urban watersheds in three communities in Chilean and Argentine regions of southern Patagonia. Results from this study show that expanding urban areas may be undermining the ability of local watersheds to provide for high quality ES posing potential risks to community wellbeing. Secondly, researchers and decision makers influencing regional natural resource management share similar values to general community members but do not capture the diversity of values that exist within the broader community, and dialogue between these groups on management issues is poor. A community-based management structure is recommended for the creation of adaptive and locally relevant management strategies

A Socio-Ecological Assessment of the Potential for Vegetable Gardens in Elementary Schools Across an Urban Tropical Watershed in Puerto Rico

School vegetable gardens provide environmental services and social benefits that can have a wide impact in communities and cities, while preparing future generations for more sustainable ways of living. For a school to create and sustain a vegetable garden, both social and physical environment (soils) must be favorable. We evaluated 20 elementary schools in the Rio Piedras watershed of San Juan, Puerto Rico. At these schools, we surveyed school principals to identify social factors that are considered opportunities and constraints to establishing and sustaining a school garden. We also described the physical and chemical properties of the soils from the most suitable locations for vegetable gardens in the schoolyards. For social factors, some schools had discontinued gardening because of dwindling funding, waning interest of teachers and parents. Through in-person interviews, principals identified factors that help in implementing and sustaining long-term vegetable gardens: engagement of stakeholders, sponsorship, gardening skills and logistics, and curriculum integration. For ecological factors, the destruction of crops by exotic iguanas was also a reason that stopped school garden activities in some cases. Generally, school soils were highly disturbed, with high bulk density and low nutrient availability. The soils will require considerable remediation and management to sustain vegetable gardens in Rio Piedras schools. A social-ecological approach like that used here could be used to evaluate school gardens at other jurisdictions to increase the likelihood of success of gardening activities

Социально-экологическая оценка качества жилой застройки г. Белгорода

Рассмотрены социально-экологические аспекты качества жилой застройки г. Белгорода. Выявлена специфика территориальной организации и экологических параметров развития селитебных зон города, определена взаимосвязь между уровнем комфортности проживания и густотой жилой застройки. Обоснованы и разработаны предложения по оптимизации развития селитебных зон города с учетом экологического фактораyesБелгородский государственный университе

Integrated assessment of the Magdalena River Delta and estuary socio-ecological system

River-mouth systems and deltas are hotspots where many of the coastal symptoms can be found, moreover, these systems provide essential ecosystem services (e.g., recreation, food provisioning, protection against natural hazards). The present study focuses on the socio-ecological system (SES) that is present in the estuary formed in the central Caribbean Region in Colombia at the main river-mouth of the Magdalena River. This research seeks to assess the multidimensional sustainability of the Magdalena river-mouth system in order to improve the knowledge basis for its integrated management. To do so, an assessment tool named ‘Circles of Coastal Sustainability’ was used to evaluate the system splitting it into four domains (environmental, social, economic and governance) that were divided into 5 categories each. These domains were evaluated through a total of 52 indicators distributed like this: 16 for the Environmental domain, 16 for the Economic domain, 12 for the Social domain and, 8 for the Governance domain. The results show that the overall sustainability of the Magdalena River-mouth SES is classified as ‘Satisfactory’. None of the domains is in ‘Excellent’ or ‘Bad’ conditions. However, the evaluation of the categories shows that four (4) of them have ‘Poor’ conditions (i.e., Social Benefits, Demographics, Economic Security, and Resources Management). Hence, it is recommended to put those categories at the centre of the discussion to define management strategies (e.g., Preserving and restoring habitats; tackling sources of pollution and excessive sediment; local reduction of net GHG and adaptation to climate change; participation of local communities in the management design and implementation) without disregarding the interrelation with the other categories and dimensions. Finally, it is argued that despite all the improvement opportunities, the CCS is a valuable tool to evaluate the sustainability of coastal systems in Colombia and the world.This thesis is submitted by David Gallo Velez to the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Italy in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Water and Coastal Management (WACOMA), in conjunction with the Universidade do Algarve, Portugal and the Universidad de Cádiz, Spain. The candidate was supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Rethinking Institutional Knowledge for Community Participation in Co-Management

Critics of participation often examine the undesirable consequences of state-led systems without much analysis of institutional knowledge at the local level. In this paper, we investigate whether smaller institutions could offer useful knowledge for meeting the development needs of local people. Using participation theory and related literature on development and power, we investigate a co-management system in communities around Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP), in sub-Saharan West Africa. Our study adopts a multimethod approach to survey officials in 16 agencies and locals in 17 village groups. The findings indicate factors that hinder the effectiveness of local participation and avenues by which institutional knowledge can be customized to meet local development priorities. This system of participation, we conclude, could work better through open dialogue that is explicitly accountable and transparent

Socio-Ecological Vulnerability Assessment and the Resulting in Spatial Pattern: A Case Study of Semarang City

The aim of this paper is to examine the socio-ecological vulnerability and the resulting in spatial pattern on a city scale. The assessment methods for vulnerability-resilience in the social and ecological have been broadly examined, such as the Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) and disaster risk assessment by the BNPB (Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Nasional). However, in some cases, these methods are suitable only in disastrous vulnerability and on a larger scale. The assessment method of socio-ecological systems in this paper has been modified to a city-scale and per the data availability. By using spatial data, this paper analyses the connection between vulnerability-resilience of socio-ecological systems and land coverage pattern. Based on the case study, the finding shows that almost 28% of Semarang city areas are socio-ecologically vulnerable. Mostof the land use of the vulnerable areas is currently used for urban built-up area and agriculture. For future research, this method can be used for vulnerability assessment of the socio-ecological system in other cities and as a consideration for decision making in spatial planning