Ten years of sustainability evaluation using the MESMIS framework: Lessons learned from its application in 28 Latin American case studies

Abstract

This paper focuses on sustainability evaluation and, more specifically, it describes and analyses the Indicator-based Framework for Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems (MESMIS, its Spanish acronym), ten years after its development. This framework fulfilled a pioneering role by proposing an integrated interdisciplinary approach to assess sustainability of peasant NRMS. Results of a thorough analysis of 28 case studies are presented, to seek improvement to the methods. The MESMIS approach is acceptable to a wide range of systems and to stakeholders; it has greatly assisted in sustainability evaluation and has increased understanding of the complexity of such systems, making it a significant tool for sustainability evaluation. The degree to which MESMIS and evaluation in general was shown to be an effective tool in reaching more sustainable systems depended mainly on the type of participation applied; additional guidance and information on participation is essential. Improvement possibilities are further directed to exploration and incorporation into the framework of 'new' tools that have proved valuable for the monitoring and integration of indicators (i.e.simulation models, linear programming and trade-off analysis), tools capable of assessing effects of management on indicators in the long term and thereby increasing the understanding of system attributes.