Dynamic integration of sustainability indicators in insular socio-ecological systems

Abstract

The sustainability assessment on socio-ecological systems requires a systemic perspective in order to address the close relationships between the environmental and socio-economic processes. This need is especially urgent in the case of arid insular systems where limiting factors, as land and water resources, are more evident. The hyperarid island of Fuerteventura (The Canary Islands, Spain) represents a challenging case due to the need for compatibilizing the rising tourist development with the sustainable management of its natural resources, highly vulnerable due to processes such as the degradation of natural habitats – which hosts endemic and endangered species – or the high dependence of allocthonous energy sources for basic processes, including water supply.In this work we present an integral dynamic model, the Fuerteventura sustainability model (FSM), tested and calibrated for 1996–2011 period. The FSM allows to understand the main components of this socio-ecological system and their changes along time, as well as the interaction between the included sustainability indicators and other factors within the system. Results have shown the existence of potential trade-offs not only between socioeconomic development and conservation options, but also between sustainability goals under different management options. The conservation of the Houbara habitat might require the elimination of traditional agro-systems restoration plans, although these agro-systems offer important environmental functions. Besides, a reduction of cattle herd in order to control the degradation of high quality vegetation might negatively affect the endangered population of scavengers on the island. The water–energy binomial offers another trade-off regarding sustainable development, due to the strong dependency of the water availability on energy consumption. In this sense, the FSM has shown to be a useful tool to improve the comprehensive diagnosis of the system and to identify trade-offs between sustainability indicators to orientate management policies for this insular socio-ecological system.