Coupled Human-environment Systems Research Articles

Modelling coupled human-environment complexity for the future of the biosphere: strengths, gaps and promising directions.

Humans and the environment form a single complex system where humans not only influence ecosystems but also react to them. Despite this, there are far fewer coupled human–environment system (CHES) mathematical models than models of uncoupled ecosystems. We argue that these coupled models are essential to understand the impacts of social interventions and their potential to avoid catastrophic environmental events and support sustainable trajectories on multi-decadal timescales. A brief history of CHES modelling is presented, followed by a review spanning recent CHES models of systems including forests and land use, coral reefs and fishing and climate change mitigation. The ability of CHES modelling to capture dynamic two-way feedback confers advantages, such as the ability to represent ecosystem dynamics more realistically at longer timescales, and allowing insights that cannot be generated using ecological models. We discuss examples of such key insights from recent research. However, this strength brings with it challenges of model complexity and tractability, and the need for appropriate data to parameterize and validate CHES models. Finally, we suggest opportunities for CHES models to improve human–environment sustainability in future research spanning topics such as natural disturbances, social structure, social media data, model discovery and early warning signals.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years’.

Preface

The 2021 7th International Conference on Advances in Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering (AEECE 2021) was to be held in Chengdu, China during July 9-11, 2021. The idea of the conference is for the scientists, scholars, engineers and students from the Universities all around the world and the industry to present ongoing research activities, and hence to foster research relations between the Universities and the industry. AEECE 2021 will keep promoting the information exchange on Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering, which aims to promote international academic exchange and international cooperation, and provides an opportunity for researchers around the world to exchange ideas and latest research results, in both theory and application of Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering.The conference model was divided into two sessions, including oral presentations and keynote speeches. In the first part, some scholars, whose submissions were selected as the excellent papers, were given 15 minutes to perform their oral presentations one by one. Then in the second part, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches. In this conference, we were greatly honored to have invited three elites as our Conference Chair. There were over 90 experts and scholars in the area of Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering representing different famous universities and institutes around the globe to attend the conference.During the conference, we were pleased to invite five distinguished experts to present their insightful speeches. Prof.Lei Guo, our first keynote speaker, from Tongren University, China. He has conducted a series of studies in various areas such as electrochemistry, organic chemistry, corrosion science, as well as theoretical simulations. Prof. Wenjie Liao, from Sichuan University, China. He had outstanding research in Coupled human-environment systems, Industrial ecology, Life cycle assessment, Energy and environmental policy analysis. Prof. Kew-Yu Chen, from Feng Chia University, Taiwan, China. He devoted to Functional organic small molecule materials and other related research area. Prof. Mohammad Dalour Hossen Beg, from Universiti Malaysia, Pahang, Malaysia. His major research area is Polymer and Composites. Prof. Dongfang Yang, our finale keynote speaker, from Guizhou Minzu University, China. His research area: Environment, Ecology, Bio-geochemistry, Materials Science and Engineering.The participants of the conference were from most part of the world, with background of either academia or industry, even well-known enterprise. The success and prosperity of the conference is reflected high level of the papers received. The proceedings are a compilation of the accepted papers and represent an interesting outcome of the conference. AEECE 2021 for exchange of research findings, analysis, information and knowledge in areas which include but are not limited to: Energy Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering and other related topics.We would like to acknowledge all of those who supported AEECE 2021. Each individual and institutional help are very important for the success of this conference. Especially we would like to thank the organizing committee for their valuable advices in the organization and helpful peer review of the papers. We sincerely hope that AEECE 2021 will be a forum for excellent discussions that will put forward new ideas and promote collaborative researches. We are sure that the proceedings will serve as an important research source of references and the knowledge, which will lead to not only scientific and engineering progress but also other new products and processes.The Committee of AEECE 2021List of Committee member are available in this pdf

A Review on Management Strategies of the Terraced Agricultural Systems and Conservation Actions to Maintain Cultural Landscapes around the Mediterranean Area

Coupled human–environment systems and traditional agricultural landscapes can be a key element in the conservation of biodiversity, ecological functionality, and cultural heritage. Terraced landscapes are a relevant example of traditional landscapes within the Mediterranean area, but they are now threatened due to the abandonment of agricultural activities. In order to identify factors that can affect the conservation strategies needed to maintain terraced landscapes in the Mediterranean area, we performed a literature review on studies about terraces and their management, soil erosion and vegetation dynamics after abandonment, etc. We collated a total of 285 scientific papers reporting 293 case studies in 19 countries. The majority of these studies analyze dry stone terraces and their influence on soil erosion and water runoff, either in cultivated or abandoned terrace systems. Only a minority of papers suggest maintenance or conservation strategies or involve farmers, exploring their decision-making. The conservation of terraced landscapes is in the hands of local farmers, and thus they should be actively involved in decision-making to find the most suitable strategies for assuring the continuity in farming and preserve cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean area.

Coupled human-environment system amid COVID-19 crisis: A conceptual model to understand the nexus

The world today is dealing with a havoc crisis due to the pervasive outbreak of COVID-19. As a preventive measure against the pandemic, government authorities worldwide have implemented and adopted strict policy interventions such as lockdown, social distancing, and quarantine to curtail the disease transmission. Consequently, humans have been experiencing several ill impacts, while the natural environment has been reaping the benefits of the interventions. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the interlinked relationship between human society and the natural environment amid the current crisis. Herein, we performed a meta-analysis of existing literature reporting the various impacts of COVID-19 on human society and the natural environment. A conceptual model was developed to portray and address how the interaction of the existing elements of both sub-components of the coupled human-environment system (CHES) – human society and natural environment – are impacted by the government interventions. Results revealed a suite of positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on both the sub-components. Our model provides an explicit impression of the complex nexus of CHES amid the current crisis. The proposed conceptual model could help in understanding the complex nexus by identifying the route of short-term impacts of COVID-19 measures and thus may aid in identifying priority areas for discussion and planning in similar crises as well.

Assessing China’s human-environment relationship

China’s coupled human-environment system (CHES) is assessed here via a systems schema that emphasizes the complex interactions of components and their attributes. In addition to the human and environment components, we identified two other components to evaluate the relationship. The four components are human activity intensity, resource carrying capacity, ecological constraints and system’s openness. Based on their interactions, we derived a cognitive schema for classifying the level of strain or stress of an area. The analysis draws on 11 indicators and 29 sub-indicators including remote sensing data and statistical data that are used to estimate the four components. The findings indicate that human activities are highly intense in a few geographical areas, particularly large urban systems and trade and investment zones on the eastern coastal areas. Nonetheless, these areas are also well-endowed in water resources and fertile soils although urban systems are increasingly stressed from negative pollution externalities. They are also open systems which allow them to bear a higher level of pressure and adjust accordingly. Desertification and soil erosion point to relatively fragile biophysical systems in the west and southwest, but human activities are still relatively less intense compared to their coastal counterparts. As a whole, only 14% of areas may be said to be relatively or highly strained. This however belies another one-third of areas that are currently unstable, and likely to become strained and thereby vulnerable in the near future.

A Conceptual Model for Land System Dynamics as a Coupled Human–Environment System

This paper presents a conceptual model of land as a coupled human–environment system. Land use and land cover are incorporated as elements of the human and environment system respectively. Drivers and associated processes that influence land use, land cover, and land system dynamics are incorporated within a set of sub-systems. The model includes consideration of driving sub-systems as a set of capital funds and flows, and how these are influenced by linkages between processes in the human (socio-economic) and environment systems and sub-systems. The model is consistent with existing models of the biophysical earth system used by the land change, earth system sciences, and socio-ecological systems communities. The purposes of the model are to provide (i) a holistic framework within which descriptions, models and analyses that focus on various components of land can be placed to describe and explain land systems and land system changes; and (ii) a guide for the development of more fully integrated and interdisciplinary understanding, analysis and study of land use and land cover dynamics, with explicit focus on relationships between human and natural systems.

2 Tropical Landscapes and the Ancient Maya: Diversity in Time and Space

ABSTRACTArchaeologists have begun to understand that many of the challenges facing our technologically sophisticated, resource dependent, urban systems were also destabilizing factors in ancient complex societies. The focus of IHOPE‐Maya is to identify how humans living in the tropical Maya Lowlands in present‐day Central America responded to and impacted their environments over the past three millennia, and to relate knowledge of those processes to modern and future coupled human–environment systems. To better frame variability in ancient lowland Maya development and decline, the area that they once occupied may be subdivided into a series of geographical regions in which the collected archaeological data can be correlated with environmental differences. Although beginning as small agricultural communities occupying a variety of ecological niches in the humid tropics of Mesoamerica, the ancient Maya became an increasingly complex set of societies involved in intensive and extensive resource exploitation. Their development process was not linear, but also involved periods of rapid growth that were punctuated by contractions. Thus, the long‐term development and disintegration of Maya geopolitical institutions presents an excellent vantage from which to study resilience, vulnerability, and the consequences of decision‐making in ancient complex societies.

The impact of urbanization on water vulnerability: A coupled human–environment system approach for Chennai, India

While there is consensus that urbanization is one of the major trends of the 21st century in developing countries, there is debate as to whether urbanization will increase or decrease vulnerability to droughts. Here we examine the relationship between urbanization and water vulnerability for a fast-growing city, Chennai, India, using a coupled human–environment systems (CHES) modeling approach. Although the link between urbanization and water vulnerability is highly site-specific, our results show some generalizable factors exist. First, the urban transformation of the water system is decentralized as irrigation wells are converted to domestic wells by private individuals, and not by the municipal authority. Second, urban vulnerability to water shortages depends on a combination of several factors: the formal water infrastructure, the rate and spatial pattern of land use change, adaptation by households and the characteristics of the ground and surface water system. Third, vulnerability is dynamic, spatially variable and scale dependent. Even as household investments in private wells make individual households less vulnerable, over time and cumulatively, they make the entire region more vulnerable. Taken together, the results suggest that in order to reduce vulnerability to water shortages, there is a need for new forms of urban governance and planning institutions that are capable of managing both centralized actions by utilities and decentralized actions by millions of households.

Progress in Vulnerability Analysis of Coupled Human-Environment System

The last several years have witnessed a significant evolution and extension in the connotation and contents of vulnerability and its applying knowledge spheres,especially in global climate change,environmental risks and sustainable management.Our understanding of vulnerability has been changing rapidly in both research and application.Vulnerability of human-environment systems is a multidimensional concept made up of various categories and originates from sophisticated courses.It is undoubtedly a key to maintaining the balance of ecological system and to achieving sustainability development of human society.However,questions about the great divergence in theory and practical assessment of vulnerability of Coupled Human-Environmental Systems are emerging as a central focus of debates among scientists who are facing the challenge to depict a comprehensive and integrative vulnerability assessment framework.The integration calls for consideration of concepts,assessment approaches and data organization which may have a basis on the same basic data.In the first part of this paper,we generalize several differentiating sources on diversity definitions and practically work such as overlapping and confusing defined concepts,unclear relevant knowledge bases and multi-dimensional views.On the basis of analyzing various vulnerability articles,we define the vulnerability in terms of ecological risk,and clarify the relationships of those concerning concepts.A generalization by classifying the ongoing and finished researches was made: The global environmental change and the sustainable development with selective characteristics of each source listed in a table.To meet integration purpose,we proposed an framework for vulnerability-based assessment on the clarity of definition in view of local ecological risk and vulnerability,formal assessment approaches with eight steps and the indicator structuring technique: The VSD(Vulnerability Scoping Diagram) which organizes the data in an circular assessment diagram with "vulnerability" as the center and its three fundamental elements :Exposure-Sensitivity-Adaptive capacity in the first ring in general form with exposure unspecified,while,in the processes of a specific assessment form,evaluating layers as Dimension-Indicator-Measures rings will be developed to organize those flourishing data.

Adaptation of Human Coping Strategies in a Small Island Society in the SW Pacific—50 Years of Change in the Coupled Human–Environment System on Bellona, Solomon Islands

Coupled human–environmental timelines are used to explore the temporal coevolution of driving forces and adaptive strategies from the 1960s to 2006 on Bellona in the SW Pacific. Climatic events and agro-environmental conditions are assessed in conjunction with issues such as population dynamics, agricultural strategies, non-agricultural activities, transport and infrastructure, migration, education, political conditions, etc. Satellite imagery and aerial photos reveal relative stability in agricultural land use intensity despite an increase in de facto population (51% from 1966–2006). Results of questionnaire survey of 48 households show that the utilization of natural resources (notably shifting cultivation and fisheries) remains widespread, although it is increasingly supplemented by other income generating activities (e.g., shopkeeping, private business, government employment). Group interviews are used to discuss ways in which the local communities’ adaptive resource management strategies have been employed in the face of climatic and socioeconomic events and changes in the recent past. Fifty years’ development is described as a combination of continuity and change. Resource management practices are only marginally impacted by different stress factors, but the importance of agriculture has been decreasing in relative terms. Culturally determined bonds have become a main ‘mechanism’ to cope with environmental or socioeconomic stress and the Bellonese have become less vulnerable to external shocks.