Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response Framework Research Articles

Stakeholder engagement in advancing sustainable ecotourism: an exploratory case study of Chilika Wetland

Ecotourism, over time, has emerged as a preferred strategy for resource utilization within protected areas of developing nations, as it effectively bridges the gap between ecological conservation imperatives and the imperative for local economic development. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the multifaceted impacts of ecotourism on local communities, with due consideration given to its environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Furthermore, the research endeavors to evaluate the degree of stakeholder engagement in fostering sustainable tourism practices within ecotourism initiatives. Thematic content analysis has been used and the data for the analysis has been sourced through field observations, key informant discussions and different secondary sources. This research examines the dynamic interaction between local communities and ecotourism aspects in the Chilika Wetland in India, using the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework. It promotes a comprehensive decision-making method that considers the Triple Bottom Line and Community-oriented Collaborative approach. Findings underscore the potential for Chilika’s ecosystem restoration and mitigating adverse tourist impacts with effective ecotourism governance. The need for collaboration among stakeholders becomes crucial for the effective administration of ecotourism, as shown by the instance of Mangalajodi, which exemplifies the successful outcome of community-led ecotourism. Nevertheless, certain prerequisites, such as knowledge dissemination, training, financial support, cultural promotion, eco-friendly infrastructure, and a commitment to conservation, have been recognized as necessary for ensuring long-term community involvement in ecotourism initiatives.

Sustainable tourism in China: Visualization of low-carbon transitions at three tourist attractions across three occasions

The presence of tourists and the absence of scientific evidence exacerbate the silence of alarming destructions at China's minority tourist attractions. The yearly tourist arrival to resident ratio reaches 26.5 at minority attractions—the Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture in China, which is higher than 16.3 in Venice, Italy. Overtourism motivates us to develop a low-carbon transition evaluation system at three Dong culture attractions. Based on the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework (DPSIR), we develop a low-carbon transition evaluation system and then, evaluate low-carbon transitions at three minority tourist attractions in 2010, 2012, and 2017. Our three-dimensional visualization reveals the changes (Liping and Tongdao upgrade from fair to average and good ratings over time) or the lack thereof (Sanjiang shows no improvement) in low-carbon transitions. This study provides a foundation and a step-by-step process to design, develop, and apply a tailor-made low-carbon transition evaluation system for minority tourist attractions in China. Our rigorous research methodology verifies the actual situations and demonstrates the first evidence of its validity. Visualization offers profound practical implications to scholars and practitioners in tourism research. Future scientists in socio-economic planning sciences may follow our approach, incorporate local rich characteristics, and replicate our visualization of low-carbon transitions in other locations, globally. Our methodology helps decision-makers identify and mitigate the most vulnerable sectors in the ecological and environmental niche and optimize sustainable tourism. We nudge government organizations and business enterprises in the tourism industry to strengthen environmental awareness, engage in systematic socio-economic planning and construction, and promote green tourism.

Microplastics and heavy metals in a tropical river: Understanding spatial and seasonal trends and developing response strategies using DPSIR framework

Microplastics (MPs) have become an increasingly popular topic in recent years due to the growing concern about their impact on human health and the environment. Rivers in Southeast Asia are the dominant source of plastics and MPs into the environment; however, research on MPs in rivers from the region is insufficient. This study aims to investigate the impacts of spatial and seasonal variations on the distribution of MPs with heavy metals in one of the top 15 rivers releasing plastics into oceans (Chao Phraya, Thailand). Findings from this study are analyzed using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework for proposing strategies to minimize plastic and MPs in this tropical river. Spatially, most MPs were detected in the urban zone, while the lowest was in the agricultural zone. Also, MP levels in the dry season are higher than at the end but lower than at the beginning of the rainy season. MPs with fragment morphology were mainly found in the river (70–78 %). Polypropylene was found with the highest percentage (54–59 %). MPs in the river were mostly detected in the size range of 0.05–0.3 mm (36–60 %). Heavy metals were also found in all MPs collected from the river. Higher metal concentrations were detected in the agricultural and estuary zones in the rainy season. Potential responses, including regulatory and policy instruments, environmental education, and environmental cleanups, were drawn from the DPSIR framework.

Stepwise Analysis of the Ecosystem-based Fisheries Assessement and Management Approach Linked to the DPSIR Framework

In this study, the traditional DPSIR (Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response) framework was extended to use for the analysis of the assessment and management of fisheries resources, by adding measures(M) as another new element to be DPSIRM. Marine fisheries are usually carried out to obtain foods from the seas and oceans, which are the main driver(D) of the framework. The fishing operations affect the marine ecosystems as pressures(P). Such pressure will cause the state(S) of ecosystem component, such as changes in abundance and distribution of fish, and deterioration of the marine environment. These changes will have impacts(I) in the productivity and economy of fisheries. In response(R) to these impacts, various scientific management advice will be proposed, which will be developed into measures (M), such as policy-making or legislation. This DPSIRM framework was used to analyze and evaluate the ecosystem-based fisheries assessment and management (EBFAM) approach. An EBFAM approach with a link to the DPSIRM framework makes it easy to identify each element of DPSIRM that corresponds to a step in the EBFAM process. Thus, in the event of uncertainty in the fisheries assessment and management system, based on a feedback system that uses the framework as a complementary and synergistic approach. The EBFAM approach with links to the DPSIRM framework can ensure that each step of the assessment and management process is in the science domain or policy domain, which can enhance and strengthen the Science-Policy Interface(SCI) highlighted by the UN

The marine litter issue in the Windward Islands- a pathway to responses using the DPSIR framework

Marine litter is an important and worldwide concern that should be deeper analysed. It also requires information from all over the world and especially in less studied areas like small islands developing states, e.g., the Windward Islands of the Eastern Caribbean. This study analyses the issue of marine litter in the English-speaking Windward Islands using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. The research is based on a bibliographical review and analysis of scientific and grey literature regarding these islands and the Wider Caribbean Region at large. The Windward Islands present a unique situation because of their geographic location in the south-eastern Caribbean, socio-economic status, and strong external influences. The DPSIR Framework was used to frame and assess the major types, causes and effects of marine litter for the Windward Islands by reviewing current scientific and grey literature. The major solid waste item retrieved from the coastal and marine environment is fishing gear in the case of Dominica and plastic waste for the other islands. The challenges in current and proposed management measures were identified. Proposed solutions in the form of responses were tailored to meet each casual and effect component of the DPSIR framework. The study strongly recommends that the islands make use of their existing participation in global agreements and initiatives, participate more actively in the negotiations for the upcoming Global Plastics Treaty set to launch in 2024, and tackle their mutual need for effective solid waste management systems and infrastructure and increased recycling efforts or opportunities. These measures could undoubtedly pave a way to the achieving a cleaner and healthier ocean.

A Combined DPSIR Framework and Logical Framework Approach for Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Lagoon Floodplain

This article describes a combination of the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework and the logical framework approach (LFA) to develop water management strategies for a lagoon floodplain in Thailand. The DPSIR framework identified the cause-effect relationship between water and anthropogenic activities. LFA developed management strategies based on a systematic and logical approach. DPSIR analysis for the issue of water shortages for irrigated areas revealed the need for income from agriculture is a major driver, as indicated by agricultural development policy. The driver exerted pressure on increasing irrigation water demand, which increased the risk of a water shortage. The impact of water shortage was indicated by loss of farmer income. Existing responses led to inadequate problem-solving, for example, the promotion of mixed farming. Using data captured from DPSIR analysis for LFA analysis, proposed strategies to address the root causes of “ineffective irrigation water allocation” focused on improving (1) the performance of rotating irrigation systems; (2) monitoring water allocation; and (3) water use efficiency. The strategies developed using the combined DPSIR framework and LFA are effective because: (1) this method provides insight into complex water systems; (2) the strategies are developed logically to solve the problem at its root cause; and (3) there is intensive stakeholder participation and in-depth study of the area. This method is a helpful tool for developing a management strategy for a complex water system and is suitable for application by decision-makers. Stakeholder verification is required for future research to ensure that the strategies are appropriate and capable of being implemented.

Sustainable restoration strategies for rivers Mula-Mutha, Pune, India - adaptive learnings from global river restoration experiences and thematic analysis

This study explores the causal link between the drivers and impacts of pollution in Mula-Mutha rivers and further recommends sustainable restoration strategies for these rivers based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework. It also draws learnings from 20 degraded rivers across the globe with respect to their drivers, corresponding pressures, and restoration strategies and identifies a pool of thirteen best practices to guide Mula-Mutha restoration efforts. To understand specific issues associated with Mula-Mutha rivers, the study organised 18 semi-structured interviews, and performed thematic analysis to explore themes for each component of the DPSIR framework. Finally, the study recommends suitable response strategies for sustainable restoration of Mula-Mutha rivers. The paper strengthens understanding of river restoration practices and supports policy-making by providing a set of sustainable river restoration strategies for urban, degraded rivers.

Introducing a temporal DPSIR (tDPSIR) framework and its application to marine pollution by PET bottles.

Environmental governance is highly sensitive to temporal dynamics, due to the ever-accelerating rate of technological changes, the cumulative nature of environmental impacts and the complexity of multi-level environmental policy processes. Yet, temporality is generally only implicitly included in frameworks used for describing or assessing policy response in the broad context of social-ecological systems, such as the widely used Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. As a result, the application of such frameworks often does not give due attention to questions of temporality, with potential negative impacts on attaining environmental goals. The current work proposes to modify the DPSIR framework to explicitly incorporate temporal aspects. We suggest two extensions of the common framework to account for time lags and allow for early response through a "response shift-left" mechanism. The potential of the modified framework-temporal DPSIR (tDPSIR)-to shed light on these temporal aspects is demonstrated through analysis of the European Union's response to pollution of the marine environment by plastic bottle waste. The analysis emphasizes the pronounced time lags between the initiation of this anthropogenic pressure and effective governance capable of curbing emissions. We discuss how tDPSIR can be applied to a range of environmental issues to populate databases of time lags in environmental governance, which, in turn, can be analysed for systemic patterns and chains of causality.

Developing DPSIR Framework for Managing Climate Change in Urban Areas: A Case Study in Jakarta, Indonesia

From an environmentally conscious and ecological perspective, the sustainability of cities within the effects of climate change are closely related to the wise use of resources and modifications in the ecological status of the environment. In terms of the ecological environment, the sustainability of smart cities entails meeting present and future societal demands for the environment of the water, land, and air, among others. Environmental and the ecological concerns that arise from rapid climate change and monetary developments are shown in the inconsistency between ecological assets, environmental pollution, and the destruction of nature. In this study, the authors aim to develop a strategy to deal with climate change in urban areas using Remote Sensing and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) Framework with a case study in Jakarta Smart City. The DPSIR framework, which will be developed and implemented in the city of Jakarta, is a smarter and more sustainable framework that is evaluated through a systematic evaluation of sustainability with quantitative research using the entropy weight method and Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). These methods evaluate 58 representative elements of environments at the urban level, including the shortcomings of earlier research such as data availability, spatial and temporal constraints, and several related ecological indicators, such as soil pH, wind speed, air quality index as well as land changes in the spatial (spatiotemporal) time series. The results of the study show that in the metropolitan city of Jakarta, the Drivers that are related to climate change are the rate of population growth and the rate of industrial growth which, although increases people’s income and GRDP in Jakarta; it also creates Pressures, namely an increase in the amount of water consumption and in the amount of wastewater. Based on these pressures, the environmental conditions (State) of Jakarta city have undergone several environmental changes, such as loss of water supply, changes in wind speed, changes in rainfall, and increasing concentrations of the Air Pollutant Standard Index. The Impact of these three elements resulted in the increase in household and industrial water consumption, an increase in annual electricity consumption, and deteriorating air quality. Hence, the Response to these four interrelated causal variables is that the Jakarta Provincial Government must increase annual funds for the construction of urban community facilities, increase the production capacity of clean water supply, build environment-friendly wastewater treatment facilities, increase the capacity of waste processing infrastructure and transportation fleets, and educate people to use water wisely to reduce the level of water use.

Identification of Pivotal Factors Influencing the Establishment of Green Port Governance Models: A Bibliometric Analysis, Content Analysis, and DPSIR Framework

Green port governance is an emerging and recent port restructuring process influencing port authorities regarding adopting recurring sustainable governance practices within their business models. However, contemporary academic bias towards a particular aspect of port sustainable governance practice leads to publication results fragmentation and difficulty in a collective assessment of the conclusions. The lack of holistic research endeavors to port sustainable governance practices hinders the identification of organized, specific, and goal-oriented factors indispensable for coherently directing ports to sustainable and green transitions. In order to bridge the identified gap, this paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of 278 scientific articles on the emerging green port governance concept in the maritime industry, published in 113 academic outlets, authored by 695 scholars, and obtained from the world’s most reputable scientific database—ISI Web of Science. The conducted meta-analysis via HistCite software revealed the most prestigious academic institutions, the most prominent scientific journals, the most impactful scientific articles, and the most influential scholars. The bibliographic coupling methodology via Bibliometrix tool in R software indicated five concurrent research streams on the basis of the top 10% of the scientific articles: (1) Adoption of contextualized models of port governance reform as a consequence of port multi-scalar embeddedness forces and institutional stretching; (2) Fostering port sustainability competitiveness via extended resource pools in terms of dry ports coupling; (3) The digitalization role of information systems regarding the interaction between transport, infrastructure, and institutional management in ports; (4) Assessment and innovation in seaport competition policies for the integration of green and sustainable operations; and (5) Conceptual development and awareness raising of port management practices on account of CO2 evidence-based policies regarding port terminals. The application of co-citation analysis methodology revealed future research directions within the five concurrent research streams on the basis of the top 5% trending scientific articles. The detailed content analysis assesses the scientific mapping of future research directions via the structural associations of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. The cause-and-effect relationships of the structural associations of the DPSIR framework possess the possibility of providing substantial insights into the most influential factor identification regarding the development of green port governance models and self-assessment toolkits.

Applying the DPSIR framework to qualitatively assess the globally important mangrove ecosystems of Indonesia: A review towards evidence-based policymaking approaches

Indonesia has the largest extent of mangroves globally, supporting communities at the local scale while contributing to climate change mitigation at the global scale. Yet, they are highly threatened by multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors. Thus, in this study, we aim to qualitatively assess Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems by conducting a literature review applying the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. By using the framework, we identified multiple stressors and existing management efforts in 27 provinces of Indonesia. For instance, we identified aquaculture expansion as the most frequented driver of mangrove loss leading to the conversion of mangroves to shrimp farms in 20 provinces. In terms of responses, mangrove rehabilitation and community-based management have a long history in Indonesia while economic valuation and payment of ecosystem services are yet to be established across the country. The identification of multiple stressors and/or threats is instrumental to addressing the causes of degradation of globally-important mangroves in Indonesia if effectively translated into policies, which remains a future challenge.

Extending the DPSIR framework to analyse Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response of sand dune management in Manawatu-Whanganui (New Zealand) since the 19th century

Coastal sand dunes are multifunctional landscapes with rich biodiversity. In New Zealand, with the establishment of European settlement around 1840, dunes in the Manawatu-Whanganui region were affected due to the removal of their vegetation cover by human activities and animal grazing. As a result, sand drifted further inland affecting villages, infrastructure and agricultural areas. The main response was to introduce marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) used in Europe to stabilize dunes. This solution caused significant environmental impacts as marram grass turned invasive and native habitats of fauna and flora significantly decreased.This paper focused on the long-term analysis of aspects related to sand dune management in the region during two-time frames: 1) from the 19th to the late 20th century and 2) from then on to the early 21st century, using the innovative spiral DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework. Data for this study comes from historical records, scientific literature and present management reports.The integrated spiral framework allows for establishing the connections between historical and future management initiatives for mitigating and adapting to environmental impacts due to socio-economic drivers and their pressures. The study reinforces the paradigm shift from dune stabilization before the late 20th century to the restoration of stabilized dunes to make them active for enhancing native biodiversity should be again assessed in the context of sea-level rise during this century. Coastal managers should adopt an optimized solution between these two extreme solutions adopted from the 19th century to the present, by considering long-term and interdisciplinary analysis to better understand the systems’ evolution and the full consequences of human actions.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Aquaculture Environments: Unravelling the Complexity and Connectivity of the Underlying Societal Drivers.

Food production environments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are recognized as posing significant and increasing risks to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the greatest threats to global public health and food security systems. In order to maximize and expedite action in mitigating AMR, the World Bank and AMR Global Leaders Group have recommended that AMR is integrated into wider sustainable development strategies. Thus, there is an urgent need for tools to support decision makers in unravelling the complex social and environmental factors driving AMR in LMIC food-producing environments and in demonstrating meaningful connectivity with other sustainable development issues. Here, we applied the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework to an aquaculture case study site in rural Bangladesh, through the analysis of distinct social, microbiological, and metagenomic data sets. We show how the DPSIR framework supports the integration of these diverse data sets, first to systematically characterize the complex network of societal drivers of AMR in these environments and second to delineate the connectivity between AMR and wider sustainable development issues. Our study illustrates the complexity and challenges of addressing AMR in rural aquaculture environments and supports efforts to implement global policy aimed at mitigating AMR in aquaculture and other rural LMIC food-producing environments.

Integration of DPSIR framework and TOPSIS model reveals insight into the coastal zone ecosystem health

Establishing a management framework for coastal ecosystem health in a resource-based city contributes to curtail coastal environmental deterioration. In this study, the indicator system (34 indicators) for assessing ecosystem health in Zhanjiang Bay Coastal Zone (ZJB), the southernmost coastal zone of China, was developed according to the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework. The level of ecosystem health in ZJB was assessed from 2010 to 2018 by the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Results indicated that the ecosystem health in ZJB was generally at sub-healthy level. Ecosystem health index of each DPSIR element, i.e., “driver subsystem”, “pressure subsystem”, “state subsystem”, “impact subsystem”, and “response subsystem” varied greatly from 2010 to 2018. The grey correlation analysis suggested that the 7 key factors affecting the ecosystem health of the ZJB included industrial solid-waste generation per unit area, ZJB water area, marine catch per capita, marine education cooperation, length of coastal erosion, frequency of typhoon storm surge disaster, and population density. Also, the “driver subsystem” and “response subsystem” are closely associated with the ecosystem health of the ZJB. Eventually, the framework of integrated management strategies was proposed to curb the destruction of the ZJB ecosystem health. This study provided a scientific theoretical basis for the mathematical evaluation of sustainable coastal ecosystem, which highlighted the management insights into coastal ecosystem health issues.

Spatio-temporal assessment of land use dynamics and urbanization: linking with environmental aspects and DPSIR framework approach.

Urbanization is the main force of the global environmental as well as land use land cover changes (LULC). Urbanization is caused by prompt increase in population growth, migration, and urge for employment. In this study, Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied for the analysis and representation of spatio-temporal changes in LULC in Peshawar district and these results were linked with environmental aspects and Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework approaches. For LULC classification, the Landsat freely available satellite imageries were used. The analysis revealed that the vegetation cover has increased from 37.8% of the total area to 71.3% during 1990-2020 and this change in vegetation is attributed to the government initiatives of Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation project after 2014 which has substantially decreased the barren land (from 66% in 1990 to 19% in 2020) in southeastern part of Peshawar district. Although, there was reduction in the vegetation cover in the past but due to extensive plantation between 2014 and 2020 resulted rapid increase in vegetation cover in the study area. The results of the present study detected a remarkable increase in built-up area which has increased almost 224.6% from 1990 to 2020. The study area population has increased from 2.12 million during 1998 to 4.26 million in 2017. The DPSIR results revealed that drivers and pressure have adverse effects on the carrying capacity of natural resources which have resulted deterioration of ecosystem. The resulted reduced capacity leading towards land degradation, loss of agricultural land, decline the groundwater level and resulted in pluvial flooding in Peshawar district. Government and environmental protection agency should implement the land use bylaws to reduce the rapid and unplanned urban growth and its negative impacts on natural environment.

DEPD model for evaluating marine ranching ecological security and its application in Shandong, China

As an ecological fishery enhancement mode, marine ranching can conserve fishery resources and restore degraded marine environments. However, research on marine ranching ecological security (MRES) is nascent, and the few studies evaluating MRES are relatively subjective. To fill this gap and objectively evaluate MRES, this study constructed a model (abbreviated DEPD) that combined four methods: driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR), entropy weight method (EWM), path analysis (PA), and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL). DPSIR was used to construct an evaluation index system and provide the possible influence relationships of MRES. EWM was used to determine the index weight in each DPSIR element while PA examined the possible influence relationships and determined the effective influence mechanism. DEMATEL was used to determine the weights of five elements considering the direct and indirect effects between them in the DPSIR framework. The established DEPD model was then applied to 20 marine ranching enterprises in Shandong, China. The results showed that 20% of the enterprises were at the level of “most secure,” 10% “relatively secure,” and 70% “least secure.” Although the MRES of national enterprises is better than that of provincial ones, the overall performance is low and needs improvement.

Targeting sustainable greenhouse agriculture policies in China and Denmark: A comparative study

Greenhouse agriculture has become vitally important in promoting sustainable food supplies globally, especially by encouraging local production and consumption practices. However, it also represents an industry with a high risk for groundwater pollution due to much higher application limits allowed for nitrogen fertilizers compared to conventional agriculture. Although sufficient focus has been placed on characterizing any environmental impacts stemming from agriculture, including greenhouses, the influence of social, economic and political aspects on this process are generally overlooked. This one-sided focus may be partly due to the complexity of environmental systems, i.e. in measuring the state of the system accurately. However, any actions taken by a government, i.e. in the form of policy instruments, will play a key role in ensuring the safety and quality of agricultural products and the surrounding environmental systems. Insufficient knowledge regarding policy and related influential factors may thus slow the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ultimately inhibit environmental protection. In light of this, a cross-national comparative study was carried out to enable a systematic understanding of Chinese and Danish greenhouse agriculture policy using the agro-environmental DPSIR (Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response) indicator framework. We critically examined whether current legislative steps for mitigating anthropogenic sources of N-pollution are suitably aimed at the parameters controlling (driving) specific pressures/impacts on groundwater. The potential for reaction (feedback/responses) within each legislative system, as well as the key gaps in policy responses for monitoring both water and N-fertilizer applied in greenhouses were identified. Notably, most responses are found to target only the pressure component of the framework. This discovery opens the door for the development of additional response mechanisms, which together could result in more sustainable policy measures for greenhouse agriculture that may be more effective, more quickly. Although many countermeasures exist for control of land, water and fertilizer use at the national level in both countries, their deployment depends heavily on effective stakeholder engagement and local-level adoption strategies, indicating a more holistic and multi-objective (less fragmented) policy approach is needed. Importantly, this paper demonstrates an alternative implementation of the DPSIR framework, where comparative study applications may be used to enable mutual learning that may enhance the uptake of disruptive solutions (technological and/or policy advancement), recognizing that incremental change may not be cost-efficient or sustainable especially for regions with critical water issues.

Brown algae (Lessonia nigrescens, species complex) fisheries of northern Chile evaluated through the DPSIR approach: Social and economic impact of management strategies.

The kelp (Lessonia nigrescens, species complex) resource is, in economic and social terms, one of the main benthic fisheries in northern Chile. The fishery for this resource is artisanal in character and operates under a free access regime. However, in response to increasing market demand extractive activity has expanded from the collection of dead plants to direct extraction. This resource has biologically-based management plans that include effort regulations and annual extraction quotas. However, the algal population has suffered strong fishing pressure, complicating the governance of this activity. This study assessed the fishery dynamics of the algal resource L. nigrescens complex in northern Chile over the last decade by means of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework. The results showed that the fishery dynamics were affected by high international demand, which has promoted the fishing effort (pressure) in response to economic and social factors (driving forces). This scenario presents problems for the fishery due to a tendency towards resource overexploitation, negative effects on the state of benthic ecosystems, and negative economic “impacts” that occur as a result of reduced fishers' revenues, social conflict and ineffective fishery governance. The assessment of the fishery management of the algae L. nigrescens through the DPSIR framework in the coastal area of the Atacama Region allowed us to identify the main components that explain the trend towards the deterioration of this fishery over the last decade.

An Assessment of Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Regional Water Resources Security in the DPSIR Framework in Jiangxi Province, China.

Water resources are critical for the survival and prosperity of both natural and socioeconomic systems. A good and informational water resources evaluation system is substantial in monitoring and maintaining sustainable use of water. The Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework is a widely used general framework that enabled the measurement of water resources security in five different environmental and socioeconomic subsystems: driver, pressure, state, impact, and response. Methodologically, outcomes of water resources evaluation based on such framework and using fuzzy set pair analysis method and confidence interval rating method depend critically on a confidence threshold parameter which was often subjectively chosen in previous studies. In this work, we demonstrated that the subjectivity in the choice of this critical parameter can lead to contradicting conclusions about water resources security, and we addressed this caveat of subjectivity by proposing a simple modification in which we sample a range of thresholds and pool them to make more objective evaluations. We applied our modified method and used DPSIR framework to evaluate the regional water resource security in Jiangxi Province, China. The spatial-temporal analysis of water resources security level was carried out in the study area, despite the improvement in Pressure, Impact, and Response factors, the Driver factor is found to become less safe over the years. Significant variation of water security across cities are found notably in Pressure and Response factors. Furthermore, we assessed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally the inter-correlations among the DPSIR nodes in the DPSIR framework. The region-specific associations among the DPSIR nodes showed important deviances from the general DPSIR framework, and our analysis showed that in our study region, although Responses of regional government work effectively in improving Pressure and State security, more attention should be paid to improving Driver security in future regional water resources planning and management in Jiangxi Province, China.

Vulnerability assessment of Balikpapan (Indonesia) for climate change-induced urban flooding

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the inter- and intra-relationships between climate change and urban flood risk in Balikpapan city.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative method by applying the driver–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework, which helps to determine the strategies for reducing flood vulnerability in response to drivers, pressures, states and impacts. A secondary survey was conducted to understand the DPSIR.FindingsThe key drivers are identified as the population growth, land-use change, climate change and urbanization. Secondary data show that population growth due to urbanization in Balikpapan city is very high, which means that there is a lot of demand for land in the city, and the city’s current responses are mostly focused on building flood control and prevention infrastructures like detention ponds, zero Q technology policies and green open space. The study reveals that the responses that have been implemented in Balikpapan are mostly ineffective problem-solving, which cannot reduce vulnerability to flooding for the long term.Originality/valueTo the author’s knowledge, this is the first instance of the DPSIR framework being applied to Balikpapan city. It is, therefore, hoped that the study results will provide feasible directions to the city government for managing the future flood risks