Human-environment Systems Research Articles

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.

A metaphor for taking into account coupled human–environmental systems

Scholz’ paper proposes considering Brunswik’s principles as “ontological,” also with regard to managing complexity in sustainable transition management. I review this proposal with reference to planning for sustainable urban development. My conclusion is: The FSA-Brunswik model cannot be considered a model for successful sustainability planning, neither in general nor for (transdisciplinary) planning groups; rather, it is a metaphor or reminder that, even if we know (urban) planning in general, we will not progress towards sustainability without considering the coupledness of human–environmental systems.

Systematic characterization and fluorescence threshold strategies for the wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS) using size-resolved biological and interfering particles

Abstract. Atmospheric particles of biological origin, also referred to as bioaerosols or primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP), are important to various human health and environmental systems. There has been a recent steep increase in the frequency of published studies utilizing commercial instrumentation based on ultraviolet laser/light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF), such as the WIBS (wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor) or UV-APS (ultraviolet aerodynamic particle sizer), for bioaerosol detection both outdoors and in the built environment. Significant work over several decades supported the development of the general technologies, but efforts to systematically characterize the operation of new commercial sensors have remained lacking. Specifically, there have been gaps in the understanding of how different classes of biological and non-biological particles can influence the detection ability of LIF instrumentation. Here we present a systematic characterization of the WIBS-4A instrument using 69 types of aerosol materials, including a representative list of pollen, fungal spores, and bacteria as well as the most important groups of non-biological materials reported to exhibit interfering fluorescent properties. Broad separation can be seen between the biological and non-biological particles directly using the five WIBS output parameters and by taking advantage of the particle classification analysis introduced by Perring et al. (2015). We highlight the importance that particle size plays on observed fluorescence properties and thus in the Perring-style particle classification. We also discuss several particle analysis strategies, including the commonly used fluorescence threshold defined as the mean instrument background (forced trigger; FT) plus 3 standard deviations (σ) of the measurement. Changing the particle fluorescence threshold was shown to have a significant impact on fluorescence fraction and particle type classification. We conclude that raising the fluorescence threshold from FT + 3σ to FT + 9σ does little to reduce the relative fraction of biological material considered fluorescent but can significantly reduce the interference from mineral dust and other non-biological aerosols. We discuss examples of highly fluorescent interfering particles, such as brown carbon, diesel soot, and cotton fibers, and how these may impact WIBS analysis and data interpretation in various indoor and outdoor environments. The performance of the particle asymmetry factor (AF) reported by the instrument was assessed across particle types as a function of particle size, and comments on the reliability of this parameter are given. A comprehensive online supplement is provided, which includes size distributions broken down by fluorescent particle type for all 69 aerosol materials and comparing threshold strategies. Lastly, the study was designed to propose analysis strategies that may be useful to the broader community of UV-LIF instrumentation users in order to promote deeper discussions about how best to continue improving UV-LIF instrumentation and results.

Exploring the coastal urban resilience and transformation of coupled human-environment systems

Resilience thinking explores the sustainability discourse and transformation of urban complex systems. From the perspective of urban and human environment, this research simulated the resilience transformation of human-environment systems according to the modified catastrophe theory. The adaptive cycle model was performed an approach to interpret resilience transformations in the interactive human-environment systems. In this study, we quantified the resilience of human and environment sub-systems through four models of catastrophe theory (Fold, Cusp, Swallowtail and Butterfly model). The resilience transformation was addressed through the mechanism of adaptive cycle that contained four phases within four different time periods (exploitation-r: 2000–2002; release phase-Ω: 2002–2003; conservation-K: 2004–2008 and exploitation-r: 2008–2010). Ultimately, we explored the key drivers of the transformation in complex human-environmental systems, which included production, energy and pollution. Moreover, understanding the transformations in terms of the human and environmental components were indispensable in urban resilience management.

システムアプローチによる「自然と人間の関係」を総合的に考える地理教育実践

システムアプローチによる「自然と人間の関係」を総合的に考える地理教育実践

Raising New Orleans: Historical Analogs and Future Environmental Risks

Raising New Orleans: Historical Analogs and Future Environmental Risks

Conceptual Delimitations Between Resilience, Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity to Extreme Events and Global Change

Abstract While extensively employed in the mainstream literature focused on earth system science and sustainable development, the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and adaptation are still difficult to operationalize given the different conceptual frameworks proposed in various scientific fields, such as ecology, disaster reduction and global change. Although multiple points of view are, to a certain degree, beneficial to an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the coupled human-environmental systems, there is a need to correlate the theoretical frameworks of the two sustainability pillars, resilience and vulnerability, in a coherent and efficient manner.

Economic Analysis of Vulnerability and Capacity: A Study of Water Logging, Bhobodah, Keshabpur, Jessore

Global environmental change and sustainability science increasingly recognize the need to address the consequences of changes taking place in the structure and function of the biosphere. These changes raise questions such as: Who and what are vulnerable to the multiple environmental changes underway, and where? This recognition requires revisions and enlargements in the basic design of vulnerability assessments, including the capacity to treat coupled human–environment systems and those linkages within and without the systems that affect their vulnerability. A vulnerability framework for the assessment of coupled human–environment systems is presented. (Turner. et.al).This study is related with economic analysis of vulnerability and capacity contextually Jessore’s village.

Uncertainties in demonstrating environmental benefits of payments for ecosystem services

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have become the flagship of conservation organizations in recent years. However, PES schemes are as much criticized as they are acclaimed in the literature. Researchers have pointed that many PES schemes, particularly water-related ones, are based on unreliable assumptions and lack strong causal links between land use and ecosystem services. Evidence of outcomes is hardly demonstrated. This uncertainty in PES schemes arises not only from practical difficulties, but from the complexity of the human-environment systems (HES), and the limits of current knowledge about HES. Many scientists and practitioners have proposed that more research is needed to improve the scientific basis of PES. Here we argue that this research should be complemented with a deeper understanding of the uncertainties involved in PES, an explicit treatment of these in the whole process of PES negotiation, design and monitoring, and clear uncertainty communication among the actors involved. Neglecting uncertainties could lead to unfounded expectations and poor assessments of PES outcomes. If recognizing and accounting for uncertainties are to threaten the success of PES, then uncertainty can be seen as an opportunity to open up the dialogue to alternative ways of achieving the desired conservation goals.

Modeling Affordance Using Formal Methods

Affordances, or the physical interactions that an environment allows for a particular agent, are critical to the design of human-interactive systems. Researchers are developing formal models of human-device interaction that can be used to verify procedures, displays, and controls; however, no formal approaches to guide design exist for affordances. This paper presents such an approach. To model affordance formally, we instantiate an extant formalism from ecological psychology. A human-environment system model represents physical entities in an environment, properties such as 3-D spatial relations among them, and motor capabilities of a human operator. An application is demonstrated in an aircraft cabin door case study, and verification results aid in identifying an undesirable situation involving door openability.

Competition between injunctive social norms and conservation priorities gives rise to complex dynamics in a model of forest growth and opinion dynamics

Human and environmental systems are often treated as existing in isolation from one another, whereas in fact they are often two parts of a single, coupled human-environment system. Developing theoretical models of coupled human-environment systems is a continuing area of research, although relatively few of these models are based on differential equations. Here we develop a simple differential equation coupled human-environment system model of forest growth dynamics and conservationist opinion dynamics in a human population. The model assumes logistic growth and harvesting in the forest. Opinion spread in the human population is based on the interplay between conservation values stimulated by forest rarity, and injunctive social norms that tend to support population conformity. We find that injunctive social norms drive the system to the boundaries of phase space, whereas rarity-based conservation priorities drive the system to the interior. The result is complex dynamics including limit cycles and alternative stable states that do not occur if injunctive social norms are absent. We found that the model with injunctive social norms had five possible observable outcomes, whereas the model without social norms had only two stable states. Thus social norms and have dramatic influence in conservation dynamics. We also find that increasing the conservation value of forests is the best way to boost and stabilize forest cover while also boosting conservationist opinion in the population, although for some parameter regimes it can also give rise to long-term oscillations in opinions and forest cover. We conclude that simple models can provide insights and reveal patterns that might be difficult to see with high-dimensional computational models, and therefore should be used more often in research on coupled human-environment systems.

Global leadership for social design: theoretical and educational perspectives

The rapid change of technological, social, and cultural structures is challenging universities to offer new educational programs. The Global Leader Program for Social Design and Management (GSDM) of the University of Tokyo can be seen as a forerunner in this field. The paper provides definitions of social design as well as of global leadership and provides a proposal for the definition of the objective of the GSDM program, i.e., multi-level resilient human–environment system. These subjects are embedded in the framework of human–environment systems (HES). We identified the different types of knowledge integration that ‘global leaders for social design’ should master. The core of a sustainable social design is to (1) properly conceptualize and manage “resilient coupled human-environment systems” and to (2) integrate or relate different systems, epistemics, interests, cultures, and knowledge systems. The specific challenge in this context is to cope with conflicting cultural–religious systems or to understand how the vulnerability of different human systems with respect to digital environments. Social design is conceived as all rules, mechanisms, and preferences that govern the interaction of humans with material, biophysical, technological, and socio-cultural epistemic environments. The goal of education for global leadership for social design may have to progress from the T-shaped skills profile (i.e., being specialized in one discipline and having the capability to collaborate with other disciplines) to the π-profile. Students for leadership in global designs must be qualified in a social and an engineering/natural science and literate and capable to know, relate, and govern different disciplines, cultures, or systems which have to be included in the sustainable transitioning of cultural and socio-technological systems. The paper elaborates in what way transdisciplinarity is needed and why resilience management should be seen as a proper objective of GSDM. The challenges of the new educational program for the science system and institutions as well as for students and professors are discussed.

Sustentabilidade e desenvolvimento sustentável: desvendando as sobreposições e alcances de seus significados

Resumo Sustentável, sustentabilidade e desenvolvimento sustentável são termos notáveis e oportunos em nível global. Entretanto pelo fato de serem desprovidos de conceitos axiomáticos geram críticas e dúvidas na práxis. Este estudo objetiva analisar os atributos de sustentável, sustentabilidade e desenvolvimento sustentável visando contribuir para o axioma de seus conceitos. Esta pesquisa tipifica-se em qualitativa, bibliográfica e interpretativa. As bases de periódicos consultados relacionam-se a Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library e Google Scholar. Os principais resultados revelam que “sustentável” tem a incumbência pelas soluções à deterioração do sistema ambiental humano com auxílio da sustentabilidade e do desenvolvimento sustentável. A sustentabilidade mensura o nível da qualidade deste sistema com intuito de avaliar o seu grau de distância em relação ao sustentável. O desenvolvimento sustentável atua com estratégias para aproximar o nível de sustentabilidade ao sistema ambiental humano sustentável. Os atributos destes termos possuem significados distintos e relacionam-se a uma práxis específica, entretanto, convergem a um único objetivo. Sendo assim, um conceito axiomático destes termos auxilia na práxis para responsabilizar as áreas com funções distintas, mas com um único intento final, o de alcançar a ideia de sistema ambiental humano sustentável. Salienta-se que este estudo pode ser o início de discussões mais profundas sobre estes termos e auxiliar no entendimento de sua práxis.

On the use of different models for consequential life cycle assessment

Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) studies how a system responds to a decision in question. There has been a growing body of CLCA studies in the last decade, with different models being incorporated from other fields, partly to compensate for the limitations of the conventional linear models used in LCA. As much as we welcome the use of new models in (C)LCA, here we provide a cautionary note on this trend by highlighting the restrictiveness of assumptions underpinning different models. And we point to a path forward for future CLCA studies. We review the model setup of, and major assumptions behind, two classes of models used in CLCA studies. One is linear models such as process- or input-output-based LCA, which have been conventionally used in LCA. And the other is nonlinear optimization models such as computable general equilibrium (CGE), which are increasingly being applied in CLCA studies. While the linear models rest on several assumptions such as fixed coefficients and unlimited supply of inputs, so do the nonlinear optimization models. Among others, CGE models assume rationality, the limitations of which have been increasingly revealed by findings of experimental and behavioral economics. We also discuss some of the foundational questions. Are LCA estimates verifiable or falsifiable? If not, then is LCA science? And is the traditional definition of science based on falsifiability suited for LCA and other disciplines studying complex systems? Considering that (1) LCA studies the complex human environment system and model estimates or predictions are largely unverifiable and (2) different classes of models have different strengths and limitations, we make the following recommendations. For decision makers, particularly policy makers, we recommend evaluating estimates from different classes of models, as opposed to relying on a single class, for more robust decision support. Each model estimate or prediction can be taken as a point of evidence. If most estimates point to the same direction, the results would be considered strong evidence of what would happen. If, on the other hand, model estimates are scattered with no obvious patterns, the results would be considered inconclusive and thus more research is needed. For modelers, we recommend efforts be put into improving a model’s predictive capability by, e.g., relaxing some of the unrealistic assumptions such as fixed input/output coefficients, 1:1 perfect displacement, and systemic optimization. Our main message is that mathematical sophistication does not necessarily equal improvement in model accuracy. Given the complexity of the human - environment system, the uncertainties of predicting the future, and the limitations of different models, a multi-model approach is entailed for more robust decision-making, and continuous effort is needed to improve model predictability.

On the System. Boundary Choices, Implications, and Solutions in Telecoupling Land Use Change Research

Land-based production provides societies with indispensable goods such as food, feed, fibre, and energy. Yet, with economic globalisation and global population growth, the environmental and social trade-offs of their production are ever more complex. This is particularly so since land use changes are increasingly embedded in networks of long-distance flows of, e.g., material, energy, and information. The resulting scientific and governance challenge is captured in the emerging telecoupling framework addressing socioeconomic and environmental interactions and feedbacks between distal human-environment systems. Understanding telecouplings, however, entails a number of fundamental analytical problems. When dealing with global connectivity, a central question is how and where to draw system boundaries between coupled systems. In this article, we explore the analytical implications of setting system boundaries in the study of a recent telecoupled land use change: the expansion of Chinese banana plantation investments in Luang Namtha Province, Laos. Based on empirical material from fieldwork in Laos in 2014 and 2015, and drawing on key concepts from the ‘systems thinking’ literature, we illustrate how treating the system and its boundaries as epistemological constructs enable us to capture the differentiated involvement of actors, as well as the socio-economic and environmental effects of this land use change. In discussing our results, the need for more explicit attention to the trade-offs and implications of scale and boundary choices when defining systems is emphasised.

Assessing recreational benefits as an economic indicator for an industrial harbour report card

Industrial harbours are a complex interface between environmental, economic and social systems. Trying to manage the social and economic needs of the community while maintaining the integrity of environmental ecosystems is complicated, as is the identification and evaluation of the various factors that underpin the drivers of economic, community and resource condition. An increasingly popular strategy to deal with the identification and evaluation challenges in complex human-environmental systems is to use a report card system which can be used as a summary assessment tool to monitor the health of aquatic ecosystems. To date though these have largely focused on environmental factors, and it is only very recently that attempts are being made to include social, cultural and economic indicators. There has been limited consensus in the selection of social and economic indicators applied in different aquatic report cards but as recreation is such an important activity, typically some measure of recreation benefit is included. However, there has been no commonality in the measures applied to assess its performance as an economic indicator.This paper is focused on the assessment of recreational benefits as an indicator of economic value in the report card for Gladstone Harbour in Queensland, Australia. It is the first aquatic health report card to include an assessment of the nonmarket value of recreation which makes it a more comprehensive indicator of economic value compared to other report cards based on measures of employment, participation or expenditure. There have now been three consecutive years of reporting (2014–2016) of the Gladstone Harbour report card, and the results indicate that the recreation index appears to be effective in monitoring changes over time.

The Building of the Terra Firma: The Political Ecology of Land Reclamation in the Veneto from the Sixteenth through the Twenty-first Century

The 1963 Vajont disaster and the devastating floods that hit the Veneto as well as other areas of Italy in 1966 brought about a significant revision of the policies on soil defense and civic protection. This was the last step in a long process of environmental management intending to build a balanced human-environmental system from the early modern period to the present. This essay explores the changing political ecology of soil and water management in the Veneto region in northern Italy. More specifically, the study traces the evolution of land reclamation works in the longue durée—in particular over the last five centuries—and the economic and social consequences of human actions on the territory. In order to fully outline the policies adopted in different historical periods, it is necessary to understand how the concept of land reclamation changed and gradually came to include drainage, hygienic, agrarian, and environmental factors, with attention paid to the specific ecologies of plains, mountains, and lagoon areas. In this long process, the changing relationships between landowners, farmers, and the state have altered human/natural interactions, with implications for land and water use.

Megacity Dhaka: ‘water security syndrome’ and implications for the scholarship of sustainability

The potentials of the scholarship of sustainability present new possibilities for integrated analysis to address syndromes in human-environment systems. A syndrome here means a big-picture complex problem or issue with sustainability implications, such as urban sprawl, land contamination, mass tourism, waste dumping, etc. Through a case history—that of a ‘water security syndrome’—this paper explores key conceptual aspects for the potential scholarship of sustainability. First, it outlines the scope of this syndrome within the context of one megacity, Dhaka (Bangladesh). Through a holistic literature analysis utilizing system’s approach six themes are then elucidated, including patterns of change, sectoral impacts, climate change implications, and opportunities to capitalize. A model is constructed representing a ‘water security syndrome’ in the perspective of developing world, and implications are drawn for the potential scholarship of sustainability.

Digital Threat and Vulnerability Management: The SVIDT Method

The Digital Revolution is inducing major threats to many types of human systems. We present the SVIDT method (a Strengths, Vulnerability, and Intervention Assessment related to Digital Threats) for managing the vulnerabilities of human systems with respect to digital threats and changes. The method first performs a multilevel system–actor analysis for assessing vulnerabilities and strengths with respect to digital threats. Then, the method identifies threat scenarios that may become real. By constructing, evaluating, and launching interventions against all identified digital threats and their critical negative outcomes, the resilience of a specific human system can be improved. The evaluation of interventions is done when strengthening the adaptive capacity, i.e., a system’s capability to cope with negative outcomes that may take place in the future. The SVIDT method is embedded in the framework of coupled human–environment systems, the theory of risk and vulnerability assessment, types of adaptation (assimilation vs. accommodation), and a comprehensive sustainability evaluation. The SVIDT method is exemplarily applied to an enterprise (i.e., a Swiss casino) for which online gaming has become an essential digital-business field. The discussion reflects on the specifics of digital threats and discusses both the potential benefits and limitations of the SVIDT method.

Predicting aquatic invasion in Adirondack lakes: a spatial analysis of lake and landscape characteristics

AbstractInvasive species continue to pose major challenges for managing coupled human–environmental systems. Predictive tools are essential to maximize invasion monitoring and conservation efforts in regions reliant on abundant freshwater resources to sustain economic welfare, social equity, and ecological services. Past studies have revealed biotic and abiotic heterogeneity, along with human activity, can account for much of the spatial variability of aquatic invaders; however, improvements remain. This study was created to (1) examine the distribution of aquatic invasive species richness (AISR) across 126 lakes in the Adirondack Region of New York; (2) develop and compare global and local models between lake and landscape characteristics and AISR; and (3) use geographically weighted regression (GWR) to evaluate non‐stationarity of local relationships, and assess its use for prioritizing lakes at risk to invasion. The evaluation index, AISR, was calculated by summing the following potential aquatic invaders for each lake: Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea), Brittle Naiad (Najas minor), Curly‐leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), European Frog‐bit (Hydrocharis morsus‐ranae), Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), Spiny Waterflea (Bythotrephes longimanus), Variable‐leaf Milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum), Water Chestnut (Trapa natans), Yellow Floating Heart (Nymphoides peltata), and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). The Getis‐Ord Gi* statistic displayed significant spatial hot and cold spots of AISR across Adirondack lakes. Spearman's rank (ρ) correlation coefficient test (rs) revealed urban land cover composition, lake elevation, relative patch richness, and abundance of game fish were the strongest predictors of aquatic invasion. Five multiple regression global Poisson and GWR models were made, with GWR fitting AISR very well (R2 = 76–83%). Local pseudo‐t‐statistics of key explanatory variables were mapped and related to AISR, confirming the importance of GWR for understanding spatial relationships of invasion. The top 20 lakes at risk to future invasion were identified and ranked by summing the five GWR predictive estimates. The results inform that inexpensive and publicly accessible lake and landscape data, typically available from digital repositories within local environmental agencies, can be used to develop predictions of aquatic invasion with remarkable agreement. Ultimately, this transferable modeling approach can improve monitoring and management strategies for slowing the spread of invading species.