Harmonizing OPERAs voices : an investigation of different perspectives on the ecosystem services concept and their implications for research and practice

Over the past 150 years, industrialization, globalization and population growth have altered the planet and its natural conditions at a rapid pace. In this new era, the Anthropocene, environmental degradation has come to a state where sustainable ecosystem management has developed into an urgent quest for humans to maintain their own life-support system. The ecosystem services (ES) concept, initially introduced as potential facilitator to manage this quest, has been criticized for its vagueness to pose a barrier to the concept’s use in research and its subsequent application in practice. Focusing on the European research project Operational Potential for Ecosystem Research Applications (OPERAs), the objective of this thesis is to serve the research community with the identification of differences in conceptual perspectives on ES (differentiation), in order to recommend and enable an effective way of handling these differences (clarification) as a basis for interdisciplinary integration (synthesis). With an initial emphasis on differentiation and clarification, the research process concentrates on the derivation of a typology of perspectives from the literature (RQ 1), on the basis of which perspectives in OPERAs are assessed with the help of Q methodology (RQ 2) in order to derive implications and recommendations for how to handle the concept in the future (RQ 3). The main findings suggest rather clear differences in the typology of three foundational perspectives from the literature but a more nuanced variety of viewpoints in OPERAs that can be summarized in five perspectives. Whereas the notion of interdisciplinarity has often steered the focus towards underlying disciplinary worldviews as the cause for different perspectives, the results point to the insight that perspectives on the ES concept seem to be influenced by a more complex interplay of underlying paradigmatic assumptions. Therefore, clarification is suggested to encompass more than the standardization of discipline-induced worldviews and to require open dialogue on underlying assumptions, values and ethical stances. A final synthesis of findings reflects critically on broader implications by examining the relationship between the ES concept and the notion of sustainability. If the ES concept can really support sustainable ecosystem management in the future is a question that remains for iteration

System innovation lab : sharing Europe's energy future ; handbook

This handbook was developed in the context of a joint project of the Wuppertal Institute and the Centre for Social Investment (CSI) called the System Innovation Lab. It combined sustainability transformation research insights with those of social innovation in order to design an on-the-job training and coaching that would enable participants to take a systemic approach to innovation and test what this means in their respective work settings. Focussing on the topic of sustainable energy futures in Europe it addressed young European leaders in government, the private sector and civil society working on energy issues and combined latest theoretical insights with novel innovation and leadership methods to spread the capacity and courage that transforming entire sectors requires

The nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning: A systematic literature review to identify key learning principles for business transformation

Companies play a central role in the quest for sustainable development. Organizational learning theories have been utilized to explain sustainability-related change processes in firms. However, implications from studies at the nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning are highly dependent on varying conceptualizations. The objective of this study is to provide clarity on the plurality of conceptual underpinnings in research and to uncover principles that are associated with deeper organizational change processes, that is, business transformation. Building on insights from a systematic literature review, we develop a sustainability learning typology, from which we distill three learning principles for business transformation: (1) the deutero learning mode, (2) the societal learning scope, and (3) the cooperative advantage objective. We formulate needs for future research to further elaborate on the learning principles associated with business transformation and suggest implications for practice

Former metal mining landscapes in England and Wales: Five perspectives from local residents

This study uses Q Method to examine how those living in former metal mining landscapes value this heritage and their preferences for the long-term management of abandoned mine waste. There are around 5000 former metal mines in England and Wales, many of which are protected for their ecological, geological or cultural value. Q Method is used to examine subjective viewpoints, in this study we asked 38 residents of six mining areas in England and Wales to ‘sort’ a series of statements based on their resonance with the resident's perspective. The statements covered a range of opinions of the mining legacy, its value and options for its management. This was supplemented with a qualitative questionnaire including their willingness to pay to manage the mining heritage in the long-term. Analysis revealed five perspectives on the mining heritage and differing priorities for long-term management. Preservationists felt the mines should be left alone to preserve the cultural heritage, whereas Nature enthusiasts, Environmentalists and Landscape lovers placed different emphasis on restoring the sites for nature conservation, to improve water quality or the visual appearance of the mines. In contrast the Industry supporters felt the potential contribution that reworking the mines could make to the local economy should be the priority. This research suggests that the views of local people are varied; they value their mining heritage in different ways and opinion is split on the most effective way to manage these sites especially where there is a need to revegetate or remediate the site

Saline irrigation for allergic rhinitis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the effects of nasal saline irrigation in patients with allergic rhinitis

International Consensus Statement on Rhinology and Allergy: Rhinosinusitis

Background: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR‐RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR‐RS‐2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence‐based findings of the document. Methods: ICAR‐RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence‐based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence‐based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. Results: ICAR‐RS‐2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence‐based management algorithm is provided. Conclusion: This ICAR‐RS‐2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence‐based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS

Identifying five different perspectives on the ecosystem services concept using Q methodology : methodological and ideological options

The objective of this paper is to recognize and categorize the various ways that ecosystem services researchers perceive the concept and purpose of ecosystem services (ES). To do so, we employed the discourse analysis approach of Q methodology, where 33 researchers ranked 39 statements on ES derived from the literature. Factor analysis of the Q sorts allowed for the interpretation of five main perspectives on ES: a pragmatic view on nature conservation, seeing ES as useful tool ("Non-Economic Utilitarian"), a strongly value-focused perspective with a skeptical view on ES ("Critical Idealist"), an opposition to a utilitarian approach to nature conservation but seeing ES as more encompassing approach ("Anti-Utilitarian"), a focus on a methodological rather than a critical approach to ES ("Methodologist"), and a rather economic approach to environmental decision-making, in which ES is a useful tool ("Moderate Economist"). We see this plurality as illustrating both the potential of the ES concept to serve as a boundary object for collaboration, but also the threat of ineffective collaboration due to the lack of a common conceptual ground. However, as pluralism can be fruitful if handled transparently, we suggest the need for open dialogue about underlying assumptions when using a value-laden concept like ES

Retrospektive Fallstudienanalyse zu Einflussfaktoren auf den Verlauf von industriellen Transformationsprozessen

Im Rahmen des Verbundprojekts "Transformationsprozesse für nachhaltige und wettbewerbsfähige Wirtschafts- und Industriestrukturen in NRW im Kontext der Energiewende" wurde eine retrospektive Fallstudie zum Transformationsprozess durchgeführt. Zielsetzung war es, Charakteristiken zu entwickeln, wie relevante Transformationsprozesse beschreiben werden können und speziell Treiber und Hemmnisse von Transformationsprozesse zu identifizieren. Dabei ging es explizit darum, solche Charakteristiken zu finden, die für industrielle Transformation innerhalb der deutschen Energiewende für Unternehmen und Regionen relevant sind

Decisions under imperfect information: the ordering of information structures and production under endogenous uncertainty

Hermelingmeier C. Decisions under imperfect information: the ordering of information structures and production under endogenous uncertainty. Volkswirtschaftliche Forschungsergebnisse; 157. Hamburg: Kovac; 2010

The competitive firm and the role of information about uncertain factor prices

This paper studies the role of information about uncertain input prices for a competitive firm. The production decision has to be taken when the price of an input factor is perceived as random. However, a signal is observable in advance, conveying some information about the future factor price. Transparency is linked to the informational content of this signal. The impact of a higher level of transparency is analyzed from an ex ante perspective, i.e. before the information signal is observed. The change of factor use, production amount and cost are determined by comparing the strength of the curvatures of total and marginal product. By contrast, ex ante profit always increases, independently of the shape of the production function.Competitive firm Factor price uncertainty Transparency