At present, leading international agencies, such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, are largely focused on what they claim to be ‘win-win’ scenarios of ‘sustainable development’ rhetoric. These combine social, economic and environmental objectives. However, as noted by the ‘Scientists’ Warning to Humanity’, environmental integrity is the essential precondition for the healthy functioning of social and economic systems, and thus environmental protection needs to be prioritized in policy and practice. Ecological sustainability cannot be reached without realizing that population growth and economic growth, with attendant increased rates of depletion of natural resources, pollution, and general environmental degradation, are the root causes of unsustainability. This article argues that to strategically address ecological unsustainability, the social, economic and political barriers to addressing the current economic model and population growth need to be overcome. Strategic solutions proposed to the current neoliberal economy are generic – namely, degrowth, a steady-state economy, and a ‘circular economy’. Solutions to demographic issues must be sensitive to the countries' cultural, social, political and economic factors to be effective as fertility differs from country to country, and culture to culture. As discussed here, Mediterranean countries have the lowest fertility in the world, while many countries in Africa, and some in Asia, South America have stable but consistently high birthrates. This is discussed using three case studies - Tanzania, Italy, and Cambodia, focusing on the "best case" policy practice that offers more realistic hope for successful sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-019-0139-4 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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Business landscapes are changing at global, regional and sectoral levels as well as the social and ecological contexts. In order to understand what these changes are and how clusters are dealing with these, the research explores drivers of change and cluster dynamics using a Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) approach. The research uses Energy Valley as its main case study to gain insights into these changes. The research has developed a conceptual framework for cluster development. One of the main reasons for this research is the signicance of clusters in the European Union’s competitiveness strategy, Innovation Union (EC, 2010).
Camera trap technology has galvanized the study of predator-prey ecology in wild animal communities by expanding the scale and diversity of predator-prey interactions that can be analyzed. While observational data from systematic camera arrays have informed inferences on the spatiotemporal outcomes of predator-prey interactions, the capacity for observational studies to identify mechanistic drivers of species interactions is limited. Experimental study designs that utilize camera traps uniquely allow for testing hypothesized mechanisms that drive predator and prey behavior, incorporating environmental realism not possible in the lab while benefiting from the distinct capacity of camera traps to generate large data sets from multiple species with minimal observer interference. However, such pairings of camera traps with experimental methods remain underutilized. We review recent advances in the experimental application of camera traps to investigate fundamental mechanisms underlying predator-prey ecology and present a conceptual guide for designing experimental camera trap studies. Only 9% of camera trap studies on predator-prey ecology in our review mention experimental methods, but the application of experimental approaches is increasing. To illustrate the utility of camera trap-based experiments using a case study, we propose a study design that integrates observational and experimental techniques to test a perennial question in predator-prey ecology: how prey balance foraging and safety, as formalized by the risk allocation hypothesis. We discuss applications of camera trap-based experiments to evaluate the diversity of anthropogenic influences on wildlife communities globally. Finally, we review challenges to conducting experimental camera trap studies. Experimental camera trap studies have already begun to play an important role in understanding the predator-prey ecology of free-living animals, and such methods will become increasingly critical to quantifying drivers of community interactions in a rapidly changing world. We recommend increased application of experimental methods in the study of predator and prey responses to humans, synanthropic and invasive species, and other anthropogenic disturbances.
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Socio-economic pressures on coastal zones are on the rise worldwide, leaving increasingly less room for natural coastal change without affecting humans. The challenge is to find ways for social and natural systems to co-exist, co-develop and create synergies. The recent implementation of multi-functional, nature-based solutions (NBS) on the sandy Dutch coast seem to offer great potential in that respect. Surprisingly, the studies evaluating these innovative solutions paid little attention to how the social and natural systems interact in the NBS-modified coastal landscapes and if these interactions strengthen or weaken the primary functions of the NBS. It is not clear whether the objectives to improve coastal resilience and spatial quality will be met throughout the lifetime of the intervention. In the proposed project we will investigate the socio-bio-physical dynamics of anthropogenic sandy shores applying a Living Lab approach, documenting and analyzing interactions between evolving anthropogenic shores (Sand Motor and Hondsbossche Duinen, Fig.1) and people that use and manage these NBS-modified landscapes. Socio-bio-physical interactions will be investigated at various scales, and consequences for the long-term functionality of the NBS will be assessed, by coupling an agent-based social model and a cellular automata landscape model. By studying the behavior of the coupled system we aim to identify limits to, and optima in, multi-functionality of the NBS design, and will study how various stakeholders can influence the development of the NBS in desired directions with respect to primary NBS functions, including social and ecological goals. Together with consortium partners from public and private sectors we will co-create guidelines for management and maintenance of multifunctional NBS and design procedures and visualization tools for intervention design.
