Abstract
Global environmental change affects all societies and their environ- ments at various spatial and temporal scales. The linking of natural ecosystems to social ones is of central importance for the analysis, mitigation of and adap- tation to any action or issue related to sustainability and global change. When examining the human dimensions of environmental change, the study of ecosystem services illustrates the strong interlinkages existing between both socio-ecological systems and global change. Ecosystem services are inextricably linked to human well-being and play a central role in sustainable adaptation strategies. Environ- mental impact of global change can both add to social vulnerability and change resilience by altering the supply of ecosystem services and the trade-offs which can occur. It is when examining such phenomena that the importance and abilities of governance systems to shape change and responses are seen.
Highlights
Global environmental change affects all societies and their environments at various spatial and temporal scales
Research was previously widely based on the assumption that anthropogenic actions are basically of little influence on the workings of these systems or represent only sporadic disturbances that can be discounted for purposes of analysis
A science of coupled systems is required, where anthropogenic impacts are integrated into analyses of global environmental changes
Summary
Present global environmental change can, to a large extent, be attributed to anthropogenic activities. Taking as an example the case of Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC) for a study of the human dimensions of global environmental change, the complexity and the interdependence of numerous factors (e.g. cross-cutting themes) become clear. The study of vulnerability/resilience/adaptation and thresholds/transitions of a system can give important insights into why and how a system will be impacted and respond to events and pressures and what can be done to reduce the magnitude of response Governance is another deciding field that requires ongoing and innovative research as long-term policy making and prevailing governance patterns can directly influence land usage and land cover change and are two of the major determinants of land degradation. It is evident that when discussing the human dimensions of global environmental change it is crucial to explore the element of ecosystem services
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