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Sustainability
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Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development
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Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2020) | Viewed by 27531

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Noelle Aarts

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Socio-Ecological Interactions, Institute for Science in Society (ISiS), Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Interests: land use, conflict, communication, sensemaking, framing, multistakeholder collaboration
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Martin Drenthen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Philosophy, Institute for Science in Society (ISiS), Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Interests: environmental philosophy, ethics, rewilding, human-wildlife cohabitation, ecological restoration, interpreting landscapes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change, biodiversity degradation, and energy transition are examples of complex ecological challenges that ask for sustainable development and societal transformations. Solutions demand changing interdependencies between people and their biophysical environments and  hence relate to socio-ecological interactions.

In addition to technological devices and ecological interventions, motivations, value orientations, the knowledge and practices of stakeholders involved, as well as institutional and cultural contexts (e.g., formal and informal rules and regulations) should be taken into account. The Special Issue’s overarching goal is to better understand the preconditions, mechanisms, and dynamics of socio-ecological interactions for sustainable development based on the interplay of different disciplines, domains, and levels. Relevant issues are as follows:

  • How interdependencies and interactions can be understood between people and their environments, as well as between stakeholders who are involved from different backgrounds;
  • How people interpret, value, and appreciate their biophysical environment in their communications and practices, and subsequently how these interpretations, values, communications, and practices translate into sustainable development;
  • What knowledge is needed for, and how knowledge from different domains, interpretive communities, and disciplines can be integrated;
  • What tensions may exist between a focus on sustainable development as a challenge to humanity and a focus on and concern with the protection of the nonhuman world;
  • What kind of interventions may be effective for addressing socio-ecological challenges from an integrated perspective.

We welcome articles exploring theoretical and methodological approaches, philosophical analyses, and empirical research related to socio-ecological interactions for sustainable development.

Prof. Dr. Noelle Aarts
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Martin Drenthen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Socio-ecological interactions
  • Human-nature relationships
  • Interdependences
  • Knowledge and interpretation
  • Integral development

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 191 KiB  
Editorial
Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development—Introduction to a Special Issue
by Noelle Aarts and Martin Drenthen
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6967; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176967 - 27 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2753
Abstract
Understanding socio-ecological interactions requires an interdisciplinary approach that recognizes the value of both a social and an ecological perspective. However, such a recognition does not yet automatically result in an integral approach. Many studies of socio-ecological transformations start from either social science or [...] Read more.
Understanding socio-ecological interactions requires an interdisciplinary approach that recognizes the value of both a social and an ecological perspective. However, such a recognition does not yet automatically result in an integral approach. Many studies of socio-ecological transformations start from either social science or a natural science perspective, and take results from other academic disciplines merely as a given, thus treating these disciplines as black boxes. In this editorial we argue that socio-ecology requires a new paradigm that not only seeks to transcend the separation between social sciences and ecological sciences but also develops a more intimate relationship between these different academic disciplines. We argue that studying socio-ecological interactions is not merely the sum total of social scientific and ecological research, because socio-ecological interactions are not interactions between sociological and ecological systems, but interactions that take place within the socio-ecological whole. Therefore, the study of socio-ecological interactions should start with a new ontology, in which social and ecological aspects are considered different aspects of one and the same reality. The papers in this special issue all show aspects of socio-ecological interactions, but also illustrate the challenge of studying socio-ecological interactions in a comprehensive way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

36 pages, 15976 KiB  
Article
Habitat Banking and Its Challenges in a Densely Populated Country: The Case of The Netherlands
by Mechtilde M. J. Gorissen, C. Martijn van der Heide and Johannes H.J. Schaminée
Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3756; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093756 - 6 May 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4627
Abstract
Due to a growing population, urbanization, industrialization and agriculture, the quality of nature and biodiversity globally has decreased enormously. This also applies to The Netherlands. Habitat banking is a market-based instrument for nature conservation and sustainable development to counteract this decrease. We analyze [...] Read more.
Due to a growing population, urbanization, industrialization and agriculture, the quality of nature and biodiversity globally has decreased enormously. This also applies to The Netherlands. Habitat banking is a market-based instrument for nature conservation and sustainable development to counteract this decrease. We analyze under which conditions habitat banking can indeed offer possibilities and opportunities for improving biodiversity, nature conservation and sustainable development in The Netherlands. For this, we first identify the shortcomings of mandatory nature compensation in The Netherlands and link them to current innovations in Dutch nature policy. In addition, we investigate three necessary instruments for a successful habitat banking system: (1) a system for nature valuation, (2) a method for creating ecological opportunity maps, and (3) the institutional setting in which habitat banking can be operationalized. We conclude that habitat banking contributes to solving the problems for nature and biodiversity and to sustainable development in The Netherlands, provided that this is primarily addressed (i) in the domain of voluntary nature compensation, (ii) in bottom-up pilots for integrated area development (in this article shortly referred to as area pilots) where the widest possible range of owners and users of these areas is involved, (iii) in a context of participatory decision-making and (iv) learning and experiment en route to social-ecological systems (SESs). To actually realize the added value of habitat banking for The Netherlands, further scientific research is required to collect and analyze empirical data from relevant stakeholders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)
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20 pages, 1065 KiB  
Article
Analysis of a Monitoring System for Bacterial Wilt Management by Seed Potato Cooperatives in Ethiopia: Challenges and Future Directions
by Shiferaw Tafesse, Rico Lie, Barbara van Mierlo, Paul C. Struik, Berga Lemaga and Cees Leeuwis
Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3580; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093580 - 28 Apr 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5010
Abstract
Collective action is required to deal with various complex agricultural problems such as invasive weeds and plant diseases that pose a collective risk to farmers. Monitoring systems could help to stimulate collective action and avoid free-riding. The paper develops a novel framework consisting [...] Read more.
Collective action is required to deal with various complex agricultural problems such as invasive weeds and plant diseases that pose a collective risk to farmers. Monitoring systems could help to stimulate collective action and avoid free-riding. The paper develops a novel framework consisting of essential elements of a monitoring system for managing a complex disease like bacterial wilt in potato crops. The framework is used to explore how seed potato cooperatives in Ethiopia operationalised the essential elements of a monitoring system and identifies which challenges remain to be overcome. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, reflective workshops, participant observation, and document analysis. We found that the cooperatives had organised a self-monitoring system to monitor disease occurrence and the disease management practices of their members. Monitoring committees were in charge of the data collection and enforcement of sanctions on farmers who did not adhere to the cooperatives’ bylaws. The main challenges included the dependency on visual observation, which does not disclose latent infections, limited financial incentives for the monitoring committee members, lack of trust, weak peer monitoring, and the social and ecological interdependency between producers of ware and seed potatoes. Suggestions are provided to strengthen the monitoring systems of farmers’ seed potato cooperatives in Ethiopia. In addition, we discuss the broader value of our novel framework for describing and analysing monitoring systems for future research and intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)
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19 pages, 988 KiB  
Article
Spatial Effects of Urban Agglomeration on Energy Efficiency: Evidence from China
by Jiang Du, Mengqin Zhao, Ming Zeng, Kezhen Han and Huaping Sun
Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083338 - 20 Apr 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2316
Abstract
The rapid expansion of large cities in China has substantially increased energy consumption. With ever stringent environmental policy in force, energy efficiency becomes an important issue. As the emergence of these urban agglomerations (UAs) is usually due to externality effects of spatially concentrated [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of large cities in China has substantially increased energy consumption. With ever stringent environmental policy in force, energy efficiency becomes an important issue. As the emergence of these urban agglomerations (UAs) is usually due to externality effects of spatially concentrated factors, this paper investigates how these factors can affect energy efficiency. Based on mono index, which is used to describe the spatial location information, we have constructed the spatial-structure index of UAs. Using panel data on ten major UAs in China from 2008 to 2017, we find that, in the whole sample, there is an inverse relationship between the spatial structure of UAs and energy efficiency: The higher the concentration degree of factors of UAs, the lower the energy efficiency. Across different regions, however, the relationship between spatial structure and energy efficiency is heterogeneous. The concentration degree of factors in the eastern and central regions of China is relatively high, and the spatial structure there does lead to a decrease in energy efficiency. By contrast, UAs in China’s western region are in a period of factor concentration, with spatial structure playing, in that region, a positive role in improving energy efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)
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25 pages, 9903 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Regenerative Aspects of Living Root Bridges
by Wilfrid Middleton, Amin Habibi, Sanjeev Shankar and Ferdinand Ludwig
Sustainability 2020, 12(8), 3267; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083267 - 17 Apr 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7355
Abstract
Living root bridges (LRBs) are functional load-bearing structures grown from Ficus elastica by rural Khasi and Jaintia communities in Meghalaya (India). Formed without contemporary engineering design tools, they are a unique example of vernacular living architecture. The main objective of this study is [...] Read more.
Living root bridges (LRBs) are functional load-bearing structures grown from Ficus elastica by rural Khasi and Jaintia communities in Meghalaya (India). Formed without contemporary engineering design tools, they are a unique example of vernacular living architecture. The main objective of this study is to investigate to what extent LRBs can be seen as an example of regenerative design. The term "regenerative" describes processes that renew the resources necessary for their function. Whole systems thinking underpins regenerative design, in which the integration of human and non-human systems improves resilience. We adapted the living environments in natural, social, and economic systems (LENSES) framework (living environments in natural, social, and economic systems) to reflect the holistic, integrated systems present in LRBs. The regenerative / sustainable / degenerative scale provided by LENSES Rubrics is applied to 27 focal points in nine flow groups. Twenty-two of these points come from LENSES directly, while five were created by the authors, as advised by the LENSES framework. Our results show 10 focal points in which LRBs are unambiguously regenerative. One focal point is unambiguously sustainable, while 16 are ambiguous, showing regenerative, sustainable, and degenerative aspects. User perspective determines how some focal points are evaluated. The contrast between a local, indigenous perspective and a global, tourism-focused perspective is demonstrated by the results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)
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25 pages, 367 KiB  
Article
Expanding the Role of Biodiversity in Laypeople’s Lives: The View of Communicators
by Michiel J. D. Hooykaas, Menno Schilthuizen and Ionica Smeets
Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2768; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072768 - 1 Apr 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4330
Abstract
Biodiversity is a fundamental part of sustainable development, yet it is threatened by numerous factors associated with human population growth. The current lack of broad-based support for biodiversity conservation may be explained by the widening gap between people and nature. In order to [...] Read more.
Biodiversity is a fundamental part of sustainable development, yet it is threatened by numerous factors associated with human population growth. The current lack of broad-based support for biodiversity conservation may be explained by the widening gap between people and nature. In order to conserve biodiversity, people should be engaged in biodiversity, yet it is not yet clear what potential is present in highly urbanized environments. We conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve biodiversity communicators in the Netherlands, a highly urbanized country, and used their perceptions and experiences to explore motivations, opportunities and challenges for expanding the role of biodiversity in people’s lives in an increasingly urban world. Overall, the interviewees perceived the current role of biodiversity in laypeople’s lives to be too limited, but they were positive about the potential to expand the role. Based on communicators’ perceptions potential lies in a combination of direct exposure to biodiversity outdoors, the media, and education. Furthermore, strategically designed communication is also expected to play an essential part in opening people’s eyes for biodiversity. The results are valuable both at national and international levels, as they can motivate and aid professionals operating in urbanized contexts at reaching out to their audiences about biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development)
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