Science For Sustainable Development Research Articles

An assessment framework for landscape sustainability based on ecosystem service supply-flow-demand

ContextThe study of landscape sustainability plays an important role in the development of sustainability science. Landscape sustainability assessment is crucial for landscape planning and governance, serving as a fundamental basis for achieving regional and global sustainable development.ObjectivesThe goal is to propose an assessment framework for landscape sustainability based on ecosystem services (ESs) supply-flow-demand, and select a case study area to test it.MethodsWe started from the connotation of landscape sustainability and theoretically explained the relationship between landscape patterns, ESs, and human well-being. We proposed a conceptual framework for landscape sustainability assessment based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs. Yixing City was selected as a case study area for empirical research.ResultsWe constructed a conceptual framework and assessment steps for landscape sustainability assessment based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs and applied it to assess the landscape sustainability of towns in Yixing City. The framework focuses on the concept of landscape sustainability and can be applied at various temporal and spatial scales, with high operability and replicability. However, there are still certain limitations that need to be further considered, including the determination of landscape boundaries, multi-scale assessment, the trade-offs/synergies between different ESs.ConclusionsThe landscape sustainability assessment framework based on the supply-flow-demand of ESs can expand the perspectives and methods of landscape sustainability assessment. It is also practical and replicable, aiming to provide support for landscape planning and governance.

To What Extent Are We Using Science for Sustainable Development?

To What Extent Are We Using Science for Sustainable Development?

Preface

Environmental sustainability is a complex issue, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic is case in point. Pandemic is a complex problem arising because of the decoupling of human-nature interactions. There are various problems associated with the pandemic, not only health, but also ecology, economy, food security, education, human rights and justice. The complex dynamics of life with high mobility suddenly come to a halt throughout the world, including Indonesia. The various human activities that endlessly change and put high pressure on nature, suddenly stop and humans are forced to think and make drastic changes. For a moment the universe was in silence, air pollution stopped, land clearing stopped, development activities on the coast and small islands halted, human life and the economy slowed down. Is this a response from the universe to our treatment which has been less environmentally friendly? Can this phenomenon open up opportunities for sustainability? Can this phenomenon solve the complex problems that threaten the sustainability of the universe? These various questions require a transdisciplinary approach from various disciplines, to be able to find a new balance it calls as “the new normal”. The 3rd International Symposium on Transdisciplinary Approach for Knowledge Co-creation in Sustainability (ISTAKCOS 3) is a platform where we will explore new ways and new ideas on understanding complexity and environmental sustainability. It provides insights into the implementation of transdisciplinary and sustainability science in solving the problems of increasingly complex development issues.The 3rd International Symposium on Transdisciplinary Approach for Knowledge Co_Creation in Sustainability (ISTAKCOS) was held online by the Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences – CTSS, IPB University Bogor, Indonesia on September 1-2, 2022. This activity aims to provide a forum for sharing knowledge, research, and experiences in the application of transdisciplinary science and sustainability science; to support the development of international collaborative research in transdisciplinary fields and sustainability science, and seek cooperation in the development of sustainability science. This event encourages and facilitates networking among academicians, researchers, policy makers, university students, and civil society activist all over the world, and mediates publications in reputable publishers. There were two different sessions in the Symposium, Plenary session (with Keynote and Invited Speakers), and 8 Parallel sessions. Various topics were discussed at this conference, especially in: (1) Forest, Agricultural, and Marine Resources Management, (2) The Role of Socio-Cultural Dynamics for Sustainability, (3) Sustainability and Faith-based Environmentalism, (4) Sustainability on Water Resources Governance and Management, (5) Circular Economy and Sustainable Cities, (6) Post-Modernism and the Fate of Traditional Knowledge. Participants of the ISTAKCOS are coming from various groups of the professions, academia (professors, students, researchers), policy makers, and civil society activists.The objectives of this symposium are as follows: (1) Providing a global forum for diverse groups of researchers and any stakeholders to exchange their knowledge and experiences in the application of transdisciplinarity and sustainability sciences, as well as solving the problems of increasingly complex development issues to achieve SDGs; (2) Advancing the initiative of joint research on transdisciplinarity and sustainability sciences (3). Amplifying a collaborative action and best practice across the countries on sustainability sciences.All full papers presented in this event are very insightful and are needed to be disseminated for a broader audience. We thank all Editors, Reviewers, Assistants and IOP Management to work hand in hand to publish all manuscript in due time.List of Keynote and Invited Speaker, Conference Chair, Editorial Board, Reviewer List and Assistant Editors are available in the pdf.

Coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean – Part 2: Applications in support of science priorities and societal needs

Abstract. The Mediterranean Sea is a prominent climate-change hot spot, with many socioeconomically vital coastal areas being the most vulnerable targets for maritime safety, diverse met-ocean hazards and marine pollution. Providing an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution at wide coastal areas, high-frequency radars (HFRs) have been steadily gaining recognition as an effective land-based remote sensing technology for continuous monitoring of the surface circulation, increasingly waves and occasionally winds. HFR measurements have boosted the thorough scientific knowledge of coastal processes, also fostering a broad range of applications, which has promoted their integration in coastal ocean observing systems worldwide, with more than half of the European sites located in the Mediterranean coastal areas. In this work, we present a review of existing HFR data multidisciplinary science-based applications in the Mediterranean Sea, primarily focused on meeting end-user and science-driven requirements, addressing regional challenges in three main topics: (i) maritime safety, (ii) extreme hazards and (iii) environmental transport process. Additionally, the HFR observing and monitoring regional capabilities in the Mediterranean coastal areas required to underpin the underlying science and the further development of applications are also analyzed. The outcome of this assessment has allowed us to provide a set of recommendations for future improvement prospects to maximize the contribution to extending science-based HFR products into societally relevant downstream services to support blue growth in the Mediterranean coastal areas, helping to meet the UN's Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the EU's Green Deal goals.

The Next Generation Is Here: A Review of Transcriptomic Approaches in Marine Ecology

As we enter the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, extensive efforts to reverse the decline of ocean health are taking place. Moreover, the need to utilize innovative and integrative approaches to aid in these efforts and address marine ecological questions are urgent. Transcriptomic technologies provide tools to further our understanding of an organism’s biology by allowing researchers to rapidly gain information on the genetic variation of populations and the regulation of cellular processes and pathways through gene presence, absence, and expression. Here, we review the application of transcriptomics in the field of marine ecology over the last decade, following a systematic literature review approach. We found 478 articles that fit our search criteria of using transcriptomic approaches to address ecological hypotheses, with 70% of these studies occurring within the last 5 years. Among the analysed articles, 51.7% involved a type of stressor, 16.6% used transcriptomics to study adaptation, and another 15.9% researched ecological interactions. Most articles investigated species from kingdom Animalia, with a high representation from both molluscs (19.5%) and chordates (13.3%), and only 22% of studies had a fieldwork component. Our review demonstrates how the use of transcriptomic techniques in the field of marine ecology is increasing and how they are being applied. Although there are still challenges researchers experience using such techniques, particularly when annotating genes in non-model species and those with no prior genomic resources, these innovative technologies are extremely valuable in investigating differential gene expression, molecular pathways, and generating genomic resources.

MANGROVE RESTORATION IN NE BRAZIL: A UNIFIED CONTRIBUTION TO ADAPTING TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

The decade 2021-2030 was defined by the UN as the decade of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ and of ‘Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’, aiming to restore ecosystems and protect the Oceans. Among target ecosystems, mangroves are fundamental wetlands, since they support a lively, biologically dynamic frontier between land and sea, furnishing many goods and services in relation to their extension, like fisheries, timber, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, among others. Regarding climate change, mangrove restoration helps mitigate GHG emissions, by sequestering carbon in biomass and sediments for long periods of time and increases shore protection facing sea level rise and extreme climate events. The possibilities and conditions for mangrove restoration are many, and their rehabilitation/restoration is possible as provided by evidence form many experiments worldwide. Notwithstanding, there are still many steps in methodology and governance decisions to place mangrove restoration as a globally effective mitigation and adaptation measure to climate change.
 
 Keywords: global changes, ecosystem services, ecological rehabilitation, mitigation.

THE DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE: THE IMPORTANCE OF “REDISCOVERING” THE TINY AND INVISIBLE WORLD OF PLANKTON

The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) has just started, and multiple stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers, civil society, funders, and the private sector will join transnational efforts to reverse the severe cycle of ocean biodiversity decline. This viewpoint article emphasizes goal number 14 that refers to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, and will particularly discuss the challenges of plankton research in the ongoing Anthropocene and methods to promote a true societal understanding of these species. There are many challenges for this “tiny and invisible world”, especially because they are understudied and their importance in marine trophic webs, global biodiversity, and many plankton-mediated ecosystem services is often overlooked. This article discusses and highlights the ecological aspects of plankton communities according to the seven outcomes of the Ocean Decade. Although the impacts on benthic and nekton components (such as fish and corals) are more commonly known and recognized by society, plankton worldwide are also threatened by the loss of suitable habitats, range shift of species, organic pollution, invasive species, plastics, and globalclimate change (e.g., extreme floods and droughts, heat waves, and warming). Ocean literacy is currently challenged in terms of the understanding of plankton, and it is important to explain the relevance of this “invisible world” to people of all ages, cultures, and school levels. Rapid, straightforward, and appropriate communication is required to engage the public and improve awareness and science-based policies related to this important, overlooked, and threatened component of marine life.
 Keywords: marine plankton, marine food web, ocean decade, sustainable development, marine biodiversity.

Blue Trade and Forced Labour: Breaking the Resounding Silence of International Economic Law

Abstract On 5 December 2017, the United Nations declared a ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ to be observed from 2021 to 2030. Beyond the rhetoric of sustainability, the absence of a rights-based approach that places human beings at the core of ocean policy and governance is striking. The ocean indeed remains the scene of major human rights violations. From seafarers to ship breaking sites or fisheries, the ocean is not only the place where 90% of trade in goods happens, but also the territory where grave human rights violations, often related to the labour recruited for ocean trade and investments, occur. In this context and based on a series of case studies involving seafarers, ship breaking and fisheries, in various countries, this article interrogates the silence of international economic law instruments and dispute settlement mechanisms and suggests pathways for reform in better integrating the International Labour Organization approach.

The need, opportunities, and challenges for creating a standardized framework for marine restoration monitoring and reporting

Marine ecosystems have been used, impacted by, and managed by human populations for millennia. As ecosystem degradation has been a common outcome of these activities, marine management increasingly considers ecosystem restoration. Currently, there is no coherent data recording format or framework for marine restoration projects. As a result, data are inconsistently recorded and it is difficult to universally track progress, assess restoration's global effectiveness, reduce reporting bias, collect a holistic suite of metrics, and share information. Barriers to developing a unified system for reporting marine restoration outcomes include: reaching agreement on a framework that meets the needs of all users, funding its development and maintenance, balancing the need for ‘ease of use’ and detail, and demonstrating the value of using the framework. However, there are opportunities to leverage arising from the United Nation Decades of Ecosystem Restoration and Science for Sustainable Development and with existing processes already developed by restoration groups (e.g. Global Mangrove Alliance, Society for Ecological Restoration). Here we provide guidelines and a roadmap for how such a framework could be developed and the potential benefits of such an endeavor. We call on practitioners to collaborate to develop such a framework and on governing bodies to commit to making detailed reporting a requirement for restoration project funding. Using a standardized marine restoration monitoring framework would enable the application of adaptive management when projects are not progressing as expected, advance our understanding of the state of worldwide marine restoration, and generate knowledge to advance restoration methodologies.

ELABORATING STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA REGIONS: KEY PRINCIPLES

As a form of regional spatial organisation, regional territorial communities have become the basic regional unit for a country to participate in global competition and international division of labour. Their development has a profound impact on the competitiveness of a country and is of great significance to the sustainable and stable development of the national economy. Cities constitute a significant part of China’s regional territorial communities. With the rapid growth of urbanisation in China, a series of problems, such as resource shortage, environmental pollution, and ecological destruction, have become highly concentrated and intensified, threatening regional sustainable development and national security. The fundamental reason that restricts the realisation of the ultimate goal of sustainable development of regional territorial communities is the lack of holistic, systematic and sustainable methods and policies. Therefore, this study aims to put forward key principles for regional territorial communities' strategic planning in China by analysing the main elements of the sustainable development concept. Strengthening scientific and technological publicity, creating a favourable environment conducive to scientific and technological progress and independent innovation, and facilitating the training and introduction of talents are suggested to improve sustainable development's science and technology element. Concerning the economic subsystem, the main efforts should be made to change the extensive economic growth mode, develop the tertiary industry, and adjust the industrial system in backward areas. When making strategic decisions concerning social issues, it is advisable to focus on factors affecting the community’s social sustainability (infrastructure, access to public facilities, equality and fairness) and make proper planning and guidance. For the environmental dimension of regional sustainable development, the most critical issues to be solved are the efficient use of land resources and the strengthening of the environmental governance role and functions.

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030

The United Nations General Assembly declared the “United Nations Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021–2030” in December 2017 to support the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG14 on seas and oceans. Drawing on IOC documents, the review provides background information on the Decade to help promote awareness and participation of Vietnam, a country that has actively committed to the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. The United Nations Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development vision is “the science we need for the ocean we want”. Decade’s mission is to “promote the transformation of ocean science for sustainable development, connecting people and our oceans”. The Decade is geared towards seven socially desirable goals of a pollution-free, ecologically healthy, predictable, safe, productive, transparent, and understood ocean. The Decade’s perspectives and directions for action encourage the scientific community, public, and decision-makers to think beyond just doing business as usual and expect real change in the process of ocean understanding and collaborative management and partnerships to support sustainable development and maintain healthy oceans. During 2019–2020, the IOC, as the coordinating body, coordinated to prepare the implementation plan for the Decade, including the operating mechanism, the method of financial mobilization and management, and the process of evaluating the Decade’s performance results.

2021-2030: A Decade of Possibilities for Those Working on Marine Conservation

The year 2021 marks a new systematic change in how the world's oceans and marine resources are managed through the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Changes are being made to understand and address the lack of equal representation among stakeholders which has stifled everything from ocean research to the marginalization of the members who operate small-scale fisheries. In addition, the next generation of stakeholders including: student researchers, local environmental advocates, and up-and-coming fisherfolk need to be engaged early on in the process. Part of the solution to address these challenges needs to be focused on bringing in and supporting smaller industry players who do not benefit from the economies of scale and the access to internet platforms that provide free unfettered access to share information and collaborate. One key group that required more funding is the youth interested in conservation. This decade will play a pivotal role in providing a unified framework across the UN system to help achieve ocean conservation.

Digital vector of Ukraine development: formation of national industry of oceanographic geospatial data

A step-by-step deployment of work on the creation of a national geospatial data infrastructure within the digital development of Ukraine is considered. The goals of mentioned infrastructure are as follows: provision of the open access to data, in particular the data and knowledge of scientific researches and observations; involvement of the national oceanographic scientific community in the global network of “big data”, further commercialization of research results, creation of innovations, digital products and services. The digital industry of oceanographic geospatial data is expected to become one of the components of the national digital geospatial data infrastructure. It will primarily cover the oceanography, considering the scale and complexity of hydrophysical processes in the oceans, the multifaceted impact and use of data for the sustainable development and economic activity; as well as conceptually modernize data production and disposal. The article presents an analysis of the Law on the National Infrastructure of Geospatial Data regarding the provisions that have to be fulfilled by the holders of oceanographic data. Considering that in accordance to the Law the national geospatial data infrastructure does not cover the entire array of collected oceanographic data, additional preparatory measures are proposed for the formation of a modern infrastructure and digital industry of oceanographic data. Creation of a modern digital industry of oceanographic data requires concerted efforts and consolidated actions of the state, scientific community, business entities and interested civil society. Its creation will ensure an appropriate level of participation and form a positive image of Ukraine in the framework of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021—2030).

A golden decade for ocean science (2021-2030): from knowledge to solutions and actions.

‘It is planning, it is science, it is management, and it is a huge change of human relations with the ocean.’ As introduced by Dr Vladimir Ryabinin, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Executive Secretary and Assistant Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Decade, 2021–2030) got underway this January.To echo that, on 14 January 2021, a Special Forum on the Decade was held in hybrid mode as part of the Fifth Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Science (XMAS-V) in Xiamen University, China. The Forum was organized to promote the Decade through insightful talks and in-depth discussions with international and regional representatives who have been actively involved in the planning of the Decade. In addition to Dr Ryabinin, Zhanhai Zhang, Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, gave an inspiring opening speech. What followed were presentations by invited speakers. They then joined a panel discussion chaired by Dr Minhan Dai from Xiamen University. This article is edited and re-organized from the record of this Special Forum.Panellists. First row from left to right: Brandon Justin Bethel (PhD Student of Marine Meteorology at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China), Fei Chai (Professor at University of Maine, USA), Karen Evans (Principal Research Scientist of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Oceans and Atmosphere, Australia), and Fangli Qiao (Senior Scientist at the First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China). Second row from left to right: Martin Visbeck (Professor and Head of Research Unit, Physical Oceanography at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany), Wenxi Zhu (Head and Programme Specialist of IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)), and Minhan Dai (Chair, Professor and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, China)

“Future Earth”: Nigmatulin Hypothesis and Dynamic Model of Radiation Field of Ocean-Atmosphere System

The United Nations has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to support efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean. The marine realm is the largest component of the Earth’s system that stabilizes climate and support life on Earth and human well-being. Scientific understanding of the ocean’s responses to pressures and management action is fundamental for sustainable development. Planet Earth is a natural example of a dynamic system with nonlinear processes that is in continuous change. The Earth’s radiation field is a single physical field (electromagnetic radiation) and the unifying factor of the Earth dynamical system. The Earth’s climate system is a natural environment that includes the atmosphere, the hydrosphere (oceans, seas, lakes, rivers), the cryosphere (land surface, snow, sea and mountain ice, etc.), and the biosphere that unites all living things. According to the hypothesis of R.I. Nigmatulin “Ocean is a dictator of climate”. H2O and CO2 are competing climate influences. In this article, we propose original author’s mathematical models for radiation blocks with hyperspectral data on absorption by atmospheric components. The new models are based on the development of the theory of the optical transfer operator and the method of influence functions in the theory of radiation transfer and Boltzmann equations, as well as the iterative method of characteristics with iteration convergence accelerations.

The Power of New Online Opportunities to Connect to the Ocean: The Journey of a Research Student and Mentor

This commentary shares a unique collaborative experience between a student and faculty mentor, made possible by the shift from in-person to virtual conferences during summer 2020. Although the two never met face-to-face, online technologies made it possible to facilitate the mentoring, project development, and dissemination of ArcGIS StoryMaps themed on ocean literacy, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The StoryMap collection is available at: https://bit.ly/thepowerofconnections .

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Education and Science for Sustainable Development

Paradigm Found? Immanent Critique to Tackle Interdisciplinarity and Normativity in Science for Sustainable Development

The ambition of this two-part article is to argue for immanent critique as a research strategy in sustainability studies. We do this by picking up and developing two central, cross-cutting themes in sustainability research, namely interdisciplinarity and normativity. It is widely suggested that the problem-driven and solution-focused orientation in sustainability studies necessitates interdisciplinarity and an engagement with questions of normativity, each creating problems regarding how science is conducted. For interdisciplinarity, questions remain regarding by what scientific procedure rational (i.e., non-arbitrary) interdisciplinarity can be accomplished. For normativity, it is unclear whether normativity can be addressed scientifically, or only politically; in other words, can normativity be objectively incorporated in sustainability research, and if so, how? Ultimately, the paper asks and answers the following questions: when should a researcher move from one discipline to another in sustainability research and, how do we judge the validity of the normative values that are deemed necessary for sustainability? In Part I, we show the silences, gaps, vagueness and inadequacies of how these themes are currently addressed in sustainability science literature, and from this move to propose immanent critique as a potential strategy for dealing with them in a scientific manner. In Part II, we exemplify our strategy by applying it to re-construct the debate over sustainable development, by far the most prominent topical focus in sustainability science research, producing a novel systematized typology of sustainable development approaches in the process. We conclude with reflections on how this paper amounts to an initial contribution to the construction of a Lakatosian research programme in sustainability studies.