Scrutinizing the impact of policy instruments on adoption of agricultural conservation practices using Bayesian expert models

Policy instruments—such as regulation, financial incentives, and agricultural extension—are commonly applied by governments to promote sustainable agricultural practices and tackle ecosystem degradation. Despite substantial investment, little data are available to gauge the impact of evolving policy mixes. We constructed a Bayesian network model to explore relationships between pol-icy instruments, contextual factors, and adoption. Applying a series of scenarios, we present examples of how different instruments influence adoption and how their effectiveness is shaped by contextual factors. Scenarios highlight that the effect of policy instruments is often modest, and constrained by diverse practice and population characteristics. These findings allow us to reflect on the role of policy instruments, and the conditions necessary to support practice change. For example, our findings raise questions about the role of financial benefits versus financial capacity, and highlight the potential importance of concepts such as mental bandwidth in shaping both motivation and capacity to adopt

Improving SEA procedures within Italian regions: Towards a more effective evaluation of urban sustainability

Sustainable urban development, a major issue at global scale, will become more relevant according to population growth predictions in developed and developing countries. Societal and international recognition of sustainability concerns led to the development of specific tools and procedures, known as sustainability assessments/appraisals (SA). Their effectiveness however, considering that global quality life indicators have worsened since their introduction, has promoted a re-thinking of SA instruments. More precisely, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), – a tool introduced in the European context to evaluate policies, plans, and programmes (PPPs), – is being reconsidered because of several features that seem to limit its effectiveness. Over time, SEA has evolved in response to external and internal factors dealing with technical, procedural, planning and governance systems thus involving a shift of paradigm from EIA-based SEAs (first generation protocols) towards more integrated approaches (second generation ones). Changes affecting SEA are formalised through legislation in each Member State, to guide institutions at regional and local level. Defining SEA effectiveness is quite difficult. Its’ capacity-building process appears quite far from its conclusion, even if any definitive version can be conceptualized. In this paper, we consider some European nations with different planning systems and SA traditions. After the identification of some analytical criteria, a multi-dimensional cluster analysis is developed on some case studies, to outline current weaknesses

Sustainability at the Australian local government level: Is there room for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)?

Recent calls in Australia have addressed the need for better integration of planning processes. The consequent effort made by government has been, and still is, reshaping the way urban and regional planning and sustainability are managed. Focusing on planning practices at the local and regional levels, we investigate how environmental sustainability is pursued from an institutional perspective. Specifically, we analyse the way that planning in Australian cities aims to achieve sustainable strategies and reflect on the relationship with ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment’. This paper has four goals. First, sustainable planning practices at the local and regional levels are analysed considering the legislative and organizational frameworks of each state. The goal is to identify through an analysis of planning documents how much discretion is given to local councils to address sustainable strategies. Second, we focus on two regional and four cities in Queensland, to outline strengths and weaknesses of current legislative and practical frameworks. We use analytical criteria from the SEA literature to investigate these plans in more detail. Third, we examine the relationship between strategic and statutory plans, to see how sustainability is actually implemented. Finally we compare emerging issues about sustainable planning in Australia with countries overseas with different planning and SEA traditions. Considering that SEA is evolving and there are considerable international experiences, we offer recommendations on how Australia might achieve a more integrated and sustainable approach to planning

Understanding how policy actors improvise and collaborate in the Great Barrier Reef

Complex policy frameworks guide the management of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) at multiple decision-making levels. Mounting pressure on its outstanding universal value suggests that further improvements in governance are required. \ud \ud There has been little examination of the role of policy actors in addressing complex governance challenges in large scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs) involving multi-layered governance conflicts across diverse contexts. Framed by street level bureaucracy, pragmatic planning theory, and lessons from MPA governance, this paper examines how policy actors improvised and collaborated to advance outcomes in the GBR LSMPA. \ud \ud We assessed practice-focused oral histories with experienced policy actors who negotiated agreements and achieved policy outcomes in the GBR between 1985 and 2016. These policy actors were skilled improvisers, alternating between roles as democratisers, mediators, and negotiators. They used collaboration and facilitative leadership to advance policy in the face of governance problems. \ud \ud This enabled them to adapt policy across multi-level decision systems, address power and information imbalances, and generally deal with conflict and uncertainty. A deeper understanding of improvisation will assist governments and others to address complex challenges in LSMPAs

The integration between cultural value, historical understanding and urban energies, to assess existing real estate suitability for intervention: the case of Cremona

The building stock of Cremona is considered here as good opportunity to provide potential socioeconomic and physical/architectural analyses to assess the suitability for intervention in existing structures. The treatment of alphanumeric, vector databases is integrated with the physical dimension of buildings that, in this article, refers to living characteristics useful to assess the suitability for change of each statistical unit analysed. However, single variables can only outline the geographies of specific phenomena. The use of multi-dimensional appraisals allows understanding how these phenomena interact, showing complex latent potentialities. This enables the identification of units requiring strategic interventions for urban regeneration, using innovative analyses based on thematic paths geographies within the built space. These techniques are useful to enhance the preservation and overall quality of city cultural heritage and the urban building stock. Finally, a ‘suitability for intervention’ map which considers the relationships between economic activities, cultural/monumental heritage, vegetation structures is presented.</p

Bridging the divide between theory and guidance in strategic environmental assessment: A path for Italian regions

Clear and effective legislation is a requisite to bring sustainable development from theory into practice. This paper develops a methodology to investigate how Italian regional legislation disciplines the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the procedure used in the European Union (EU) to pursue sustainable development of policies, plans, and programs (PPPs). Our case study is the Italian regional level, examined to identify eventual flaws and areas for improvement for each regional legislative framework. For this purpose, this study refers to a selection of analytical criteria recurring in the international debate on sustainability assessments. Statistical multi-dimensional analysis is used to identify Italian regions with similar SEA legislation. We recognize four taxonomies, depending on the way regional legislation provides information about: - i) legislation and guidelines, - ii) integration between SEA and PPPs, - iii) sustainability goals, - iv) technical organization, - v) participatory organization, and - vi) monitoring. The results suggest that Italian administrators should cooperate to improve legislation at the regional level. Acknowledging the institution-centred nature of SEA, this methodology could drive the EU to better support SEA development in countries with diversified traditions