A spatial approach for integrating and analyzing indicators of ecological and human condition

Abstract

“Sustainable development” is used in this study as an integrating theme and defined as a positive relationship between ecological integrity and human welfare over time within ecologically-relevant areas. Ecological rather than political areal units are used for aggregating data because human welfare ultimately relies on the natural resources and life support systems provided by healthy ecosystems. Although, no scientific consensus on defining and measuring “ecological integrity” and “human welfare” exists, partial metrics for each were taken from the literature. A geographic information system (GIS) was created to explore statistical relationships between selected measures of ecological and human condition aggregated up to the watershed scale. Rank correlation results at the watershed scale generally corresponded with other findings in the literature reporting negative interactions between society and nature at other spatial scales. The spatial analysis suggested that higher levels of well-being in Ohio, USA, (i.e. in terms of educational attainment, employment, income, and lack of poverty) were near metropolitan areas with connections to larger scale economies rather than isolated economies based on local natural resources (i.e. open rather than closed systems). The same locational arrangement was also found for several “sustainable watersheds” identified in the landscape (i.e. those with higher levels of both human and terrestrial and aquatic ecological conditions). In other words, sustaining high levels of ecological condition and human welfare in watersheds appeared dependent on linkages with external areas and their continued “sustainability” as well. Theoretically, relations between society and nature within one place and between different places may range from mutualistic to competitive interactions, but the former, along with cooperative and commensal relations, are preferred if sustainable development is desired.