Assessing the Complexity of Social-Ecological Systems: Taking Stock of the Cross-Scale Dependence

Leandra R Gonçalves,Mayara Oliveira,Alexander Turra

doi:10.3390/su12156236

Leandra R Gonçalves, Mayara Oliveira + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156236

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Abstract

Human demands and activities introduce cross-scale pressures in different systems and scales, affecting the provision of ecosystem services and causing an unbalanced effect on human well-being within the territory. The existing institutions are frequently considered panaceas since they do not take into account the different spatial and jurisdictional scales of the social-ecological systems (SES). This paper aims to broaden the existing DPSIR (Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response) assessment frameworks to strengthen the ecosystem approach and promote an integrated cross-scale perspective. The concept of the Cross-scale Ecosystem-Based Assessment (DIET) was developed and applied to a case study on the demand of seafood provisions. The assessment has indicated that the activities related to the specified demand occur at different scales and generate cumulative impacts and pressures on other scales, especially in the coastal zone. The existing responses to address this issue are highly fragmented, both spatially and among sectors. DIET was applied here to the land–sea interface to illustrate how coastal zone governance and management can be improved and how the impact of certain drivers or activities in the SES can be reduced. DIET may help to reduce the governance morbidity and prevent panaceas by fostering the integration of institutions in pursuing flexible, adaptive and fit-for-purpose policies to address complex issues so as to secure social-ecological justice and well-being for all humans.

Highlights

The sustainability of social-ecological systems (SESs) depends, in part, on the fit of institutions to the problems, their contexts and scales [1,2,3]
The impact flows and connections between the coastal zone and the large metropolis, and the other metropolitan centers, reveal different and unique dynamics that represent a challenge for management and planning [104], stimulating a reflection on the necessary governance arrangements, and methodological and management tools that can contribute to decision-making with the application of science
The seafood provision chain case study in São Paulo macro metropolis (SPMM) shows that to promote the development of activities, it is imperative to take into account the pressures and impacts that go beyond the coastal and marine zones

Summary

Introduction

The sustainability of social-ecological systems (SESs) depends, in part, on the fit of institutions to the problems, their contexts and scales [1,2,3]. Assessment approaches that consider the dialectical and causal relationship between environment and society, and include the different scales and process of a social-ecological system [4,5], are fundamental to facing the challenges of sustainable development in its three interdependent dimensions: ecological, economic and socio-cultural [2]. The assessment approaches to assist in the understanding of social-ecological systems are varied, and include applied tools such as the Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework and its adaptations [7,8,9], scientific information [10,11,12], and institutional arrangements [3,13,14]. To properly assess the cross-scale nature of SES problems and their causal chain, it is essential to recognize that they feature complex and dynamic interactions within the territory

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