Socio-ecological Vulnerability Research Articles

Tikuna Perceptions of Extreme Weather Events: A Case Study on an Indigenous Lands in the Upper Solimões River, Brazil

The synergistic effects of extreme weather events and socioecological vulnerability are still poorly documented for Amazonian indigenous peoples. Herein, we investigated the impacts of recent extreme weather events on Tikuna villages. Tikuna are ancient people of the Amazon, with an estimated population of approximately 53 thousand people widely distributed along the upper Solimões River in the western Brazilian Amazon. The fieldwork was carried out between October 10 and December 10, 2018, using participatory research, including focus group interviews and free-listing exercises. Four extreme weather events were recalled, namely, the extreme floods of 2009, the subsequent extreme drought of 2010, and the extreme floods of 2012 and 2015. The results indicated that Tikuna from some villages are adopting migration from floodplain habitats to nonflooded lands as a coping strategy to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This process was characterized by famine periods, internal divisions, and increased vulnerability. The three villages have rich traditional knowledge and live on a large diversity of biological resources, base for a fishing economy and for an agroforestry system, the original indigenous subsistence agriculture with a high level of self-sufficiency in terms of food. Until our study, Tikunas had not received any information about the global climate emergency. Our findings can contribute to formulating public policies to provide support for adapting to climate change. These policies must ensure the participation of the Tikuna and other indigenous peoples in local and national discussions on climate change, strengthening their capacity to develop adaptation strategies based on their ancestral knowledge.

KENYA: ESTABLISHING THE NATURE AND RATE OF RESILIENCE (RECOVERY) AMONG THE DISPLACED POPULATION IN NAKURU COUNTY

Although internal displacement of persons has been witnessed in Kenya over the years, the 2007/08 episode was the most severe. This study was conducted to examine the socio-eco nomic characteristics of the internally displaced population (IDPs) and to assess the nature of the initial resettlement among the displaced population at the Nakuru Pipeline Complex, Nakuru County, Kenya. The study used a survey design and sampled 260 households from the resettle ment register. Questionnaires which included the household displacement deprivation scale and key informant guide were used. Indicators that were rated worst (i.e., severely or rarely available or accessible) at the time of the initial settlement in 2008 included loss of self-esteem (82%), loss of income (82%), loss of employment (78%), lack of shelter (81%) and loss of property (71%). By 2018, there were considerable improvements (recovery) that included housing (72.0%), food access (63.0%), water (57.0%), and clothing (54.0%) compared to the initial crisis periods. Given the occurrence of processes that induce disasters and displacement, social development efforts should be directed to the reduction of vulnerabilities, including socio-ecological vulnerabilities. Such measures will ensure that when disasters and displacements occur, it will be possible for the people, and citizens, to recover, adapt to new environments, and continue with their liveli hoods. Reduction of severity in magnitude and duration will need to be an integral part of the social development planning. Keywords: Resilience, internally displaced pop ulation, displacement, Nakuru Pipeline, deprivation.

Investigating socio-ecological vulnerability to climate change via remote sensing and a data-driven ranking algorithm

The necessity for extensive historical data, variables, and weight determination still presents challenges and complexity, notwithstanding the growth in research on socio-ecological vulnerability to climate change. In order to fill in these gaps, this study used China's Fujian Province as a case study to propose a unique strategic approach for studying socio-ecological vulnerability to climate change from 2000 to 2020 by utilizing remote sensing and the framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In a GIS scenario, this method employs a comprehensive framework with a wide variety of indicators and a data-driven ranking algorithm. The findings of this study revealed a moderate degree of socio-ecological vulnerability throughout the coast, with significant regional heterogeneity in its spatial distribution. Furthermore, throughout the course of the two-decade, the highly vulnerable zones expanded by 6.04%, outpacing the low-risk areas by 1116 km2 (61.41%) and 2066 km2 (123.39%), respectively, with the majority of the increase taking place in Fuzhou and Ningde. These changes in vulnerability were shown to be principally influenced by changes in vegetation, precipitation, GDP, and land use (LULC). The major influence of precipitation was highlighted further in the spatial autocorrelation analysis, which demonstrated a close correlation between growing socio-ecological vulnerability and increased precipitation. To conclude, this study's methodology differs from other socio-ecological vulnerability studies in that it is flexible and self-sufficient, offering users a choice of weight application. It also gives a more useful, accurate, and suggestive model to enable decision-makers or stakeholders build strategies or ideas for constructing more resilient coastal systems.

Perceptions of Climate Change Risk on Agriculture Livelihood in Savanna Region, Northern Togo

The agriculture sector in the Savanna region of Togo is especially vulnerable to weather fluctuations, which have an impact on crop production levels. However, farmers’ decisions to implement adaptation strategies are directly related to their perceptions of climate change risk. The current study employed a participatory workshop and household survey of 425 farmers to examine the drivers of specific climate change risks of interest (risk of loss of livelihood for farmers) and measure farmers’ level of climate change risk perception. A climate change risk perception score (CCRPS), descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and K-means cluster analysis were used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that the most important changes in climate conditions affecting agricultural production in the study area were mainly the increased duration of dry spells, erratic rainfall, and an increase in extreme rainfall events. These climatic variations cause more floods and droughts, which, when coupled with socio-ecological vulnerability drivers, increase the impact of these events on agricultural livelihood, expose more farmers and their farmland, and contribute to the risk of farmers’ livelihood loss in the study area. Based on farmers’ appraisals of the occurrence of hazards, their exposure, and their vulnerability, farmers’ perceptions of climate risk have been classified into three categories: high, moderate, and low. This finding sheds some light on farmers’ climate change risk perception, which may influence their adaptation decision. These findings can be used to increase the uptake of adaptation strategies and thus the resilience of Savanna region agriculture to climate change.

Socio-ecological vulnerability in rural Spain: research gaps and policy implications

Socio-ecological vulnerability in rural Spain: research gaps and policy implications

A methodological framework for assessing pastoral socio-ecological system vulnerability: A case study of Altay Prefecture in Central Asia

Vulnerability analysis is important for enhancing sustainability, especially for highly interlinked pastoral socio-ecological systems. This study presents a modified methodological framework for assessing the vulnerability of pastoral socio-ecological systems based on the interactions between social and ecological subsystems and their vulnerabilities. Altay Prefecture (Northwest China), a typical pastoral area located in Central Asia, was chosen for the case study. The ecological vulnerability index (EVI) and socio-ecological vulnerability index (SEVI) of Altay Prefecture from 2001 to 2018 were assessed and classified into five levels. The results showed that the distribution pattern of EVI was spatially heterogeneous, with EVI increasing from north to south and from west to east. The EVI was high in low-altitude deserts, decreased with altitude rising from 1300 m to 2200 m, and increased when the altitude exceeded 2200 m. The average EVI increased from 2001 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2018, with the highest EVI in 2010 and the lowest in 2018. The SEVI of western counties was lower than that of eastern counties; the SEVI of all counties continuously decreased from 2001 to 2018, with a higher rate from 2010 to 2018. Social adaptive capacity, increased by the policies that aim at protecting grasslands and improving livelihoods, was the main influencing factor of the SEVI dynamic. These results will help to identify key areas with high EVI for grassland ecosystem management and strengthen the adaptive capacity for addressing vulnerability. Furthermore, the presented methodological framework can be adopted in vulnerability assessments of similar pastoral areas or natural resource-based socio-ecological systems.

Socio-Ecological Vulnerability in Aba Prefecture, Western Sichuan Plateau: Evaluation, Driving Forces and Scenario Simulation

With the social and economic development in recent years, human activities have been more extensive and intensified. As a result, ecosystems are damaged to varying degrees, and regional ecological environments tend to be weaker. The socio-ecological system in Aba Prefecture, Western Sichuan Plateau, China, the researched area, also faces increasingly serious problems. To advance ecological civilization development in a coordinated way across the country, the national government and the competent authorities have launched a series of new strategies. Research on socio-ecological vulnerability, a major part of the ecosystem protection and restoration program, is provided with powerful spatial data observation and analysis tools thanks to the invention and development of remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. This study was based on the vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD) framework. Multi-source data such as digital elevation model (DEM), geographical data such as land use types, soil and geological disasters, remote sensing image data, meteorological data and social statistics data from 2005 to 2019 were used to construct the temporal social-ecosystem vulnerability evaluation index database of Aba Prefecture, Western Sichuan Plateau. The spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) is applied to evaluating the socio-ecological vulnerability and analyzing its spatial-temporal variation in Aba Prefecture, Western Sichuan Plateau. To probe into the driving effects of various impact factors on the socio-ecological vulnerability, the Geodetector is used to analyze the driving factors. The ordered weighted average (OWA) method is applied to the multi-scenario analysis of socio-ecological vulnerability in the researched area. The conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) from 2005 to 2019, the spatial distribution characteristics of exposure and sensitivity in Aba Prefecture were higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest, and the overall spatial distribution characteristics of socio-ecological system vulnerability showed that the degree of vulnerability increased from the north to the southeast. (2) Extreme natural climate conditions play a leading role in the driving of socio-ecosystem vulnerability, followed by human production activities and geological hazards. (3) The degree of social-ecosystem vulnerability in Aba Prefecture will increase with the increase of decision risk coefficient. The results of social-ecosystem vulnerability under the status quo scenario are similar to those in 2010 and 2019, indicating that the selected evaluation factors can reflect the actual social-ecosystem vulnerability. In the sustainable guided scenario and the unsustainable guided scenario, the proportion of the area of the social-ecosystem severe vulnerability level was at the minimum value and the maximum value, respectively.

A scoping review protocol of age-friendly practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Actions focused on age-friendly environments contribute to promote and maintain older people's functional ability and may enable them to contribute to their communities and enjoy life. As such, age-friendly practices require collaboration between diverse stakeholders across multiple sectors responsible for natural, built, and social environments, which can be particularly relevant during public health emergencies when socio-ecological vulnerabilities become more salient and may disproportionally affect older people. This paper presents a protocol for a scoping review aiming to investigate the breadth of evidence concerning the development, implementation, and evaluation of age-friendly practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protocol sets out the objectives, methods, and dissemination plans for the review. Methods: The scoping review will be conducted in line with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology. We will search databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, PsychNet) and grey literature sources. Publications relating to practices across the 8 domains of the World Health Organization's age-friendly cities and communities' framework will be included. A tabular data extraction tool will be used to facilitate a narrative synthesis of results. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required as the methods proposed for this scoping review consist of collecting publicly available data. Findings will be reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and submitted to a journal for academic dissemination. Lay dissemination plans include an infographic and a blog-style article presenting our core results. Conclusion: The publication of this protocol allows for transparency in the systematic process of a scoping review focused on age-friendly practices during COVID-19. Findings emerging from the scoping review will provide insights into the evidence available regarding age-friendly activities during COVID-19 and may inform future age-friendly practices during public health emergencies and beyond.

Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana

Mining can be the source and target of opportunities and threats of different natures exceeding the mine site perimeter, affecting the socio-ecological system and leading to social conflicts and entrepreneurial risks for mining companies. Hence, a mining project is a matter of land planning rather than a simple industrial object. Nevertheless, current mandatory risk and impact assessment methods are often performed on one project at a time, neglecting the coexistence of different mining activities and the socio-ecological vulnerability of the territory where mining takes place. This paper proposes an original risk-based approach to develop and compare different territorial mining scenarios (TMSs) to support land-planning strategies in mining territories, tested on the French Guiana gold mining sector. Five TMSs combining different mine types (e.g., legal artisanal, medium, large-scale mining, illegal mining) were developed for the same total amount of gold production at the watershed level. For each TMS, both accidental and ordinary risk scenarios were assessed through a GIS-based approach considering watershed socio-ecological vulnerability. Risks were finally weighted according to different stakeholders’ perception, and the TMSs were compared based on their global risk scores. Despite the multiple challenges highlighted, this paper highlights the feasibility of a methodological framework to support mining planning at the territory level.

Socioecological vulnerability and the risk of zoonotic disease emergence in Brazil.

In developing countries, outbreaks of zoonotic diseases (ZDs) result from intertwined ecological, socioeconomic, and demographic processes that shape conditions for (i) increased contact between vulnerable human population and wildlife in areas undergoing environmental degradation and (ii) the rapid geographic spread of infections across socially vulnerable regions. In Brazil, recent increases in environmental and social vulnerabilities, amplified by economic and political crises, are potential triggers for outbreaks. We discuss Brazilian features that favor outbreaks and show a novel quantitative method for zoonotic risk assessment. Using data on nine ZDs from 2001 to 2019, we found that the most significant causal variables were vegetation cover and city remoteness. Furthermore, 8 of 27 states presented low-level risk of ZD outbreaks. Given the ZD-bushmeat connection, we identified central hunted mammals that should be surveilled to prevent spillover events. The current challenge is to coordinate intersectoral collaboration for effective One Health management in megadiverse countries with high social vulnerability and growing environmental degradation like Brazil.

Socio-ecological vulnerability and adaptation of southwestern Malagasy to changing environment and climate

Socio-ecological vulnerability and adaptation of southwestern Malagasy to changing environment and climate

A multi-stakeholder participatory methodology to facilitate socio-ecological climate change vulnerability–adaptation–resilience strategies: application of the Q Method

A multi-stakeholder participatory methodology to facilitate socio-ecological climate change vulnerability–adaptation–resilience strategies: application of the Q Method

The materialization of the Buen Vivir and the Rights of Nature: Rhetoric and Realities of Guayaquil Ecol\xf3gico urban regeneration project

In 2008, Ecuador became the first country in the world to declare nature as a subject of rights based on the ‘Buen Vivir’ (Good Living) philosophy which is premised on an indigenous principle that envisions a world where humans are part-and-parcel of a larger natural and social environment. Although Ecuador’s constitution is groundbreaking from a legal standpoint, the question arises of how the rights of nature is spatially manifested beyond the designation of protected areas? To shed light on such interrogation, this article, based on qualitative research, focuses on the linear park component of the mega-project Guayaquil Ecológico heralded as a first materialization which champions the “Rights of Nature” under the vision of the Buen Vivir. It unravels the contested rhetoric and realities of the Guayaquil Ecológico linear park in a critical review of the as-built project in relation to the larger objectives of Buen Vivir. The Guayaquil Ecologico linear park promised to simultaneously upgrade both social and environmental dimensions. However, it did not fully address the complexity of Guayaquil’s socio-ecological context and some of the structural injustices of the estuarine territory. Buen Vivir was rhetorically mobilised to implement a project where aesthetic dimensions dominated, further perpetuating socio-ecological vulnerabilities through relocation and evictions. Furthermore, its implementation was dependent on a specific political moment, leaving it in a state of abandonment and neglect. The Buen Vivir philosophy—as a decolonial stance that challenges western forms of development—can offer a fundamental base to question current modes of territorial occupation based on extractivist planning and design strategies. It holds significant potential to serve as base to re-think the relationship between forms of settlement, natural dynamics, and worldviews.

Static Socio-Ecological COVID-19 Vulnerability Index and Vaccine Hesitancy Index for England.

SummaryBackgroundPopulation characteristics can be used to infer vulnerability of communities to COVID-19, or to the likelihood of high levels of vaccine hesitancy. Communities harder hit by the virus, or at risk of being so, stand to benefit from greater resource allocation than their population size alone would suggest. This study reports a simple but efficacious method of ranking small areas of England by relative characteristics that are linked with COVID-19 vulnerability and vaccine hesitancy.MethodsPublicly available data on a range of characteristics previously linked with either poor COVID-19 outcomes or vaccine hesitancy were collated for all Middle Super Output Areas of England (MSOA, n=6790, excluding Isles of Scilly), scaled and combined into two numeric indices. Multivariable linear regression was used to build a parsimonious model of vulnerability (static socio-ecological vulnerability index, SEVI) in 60% of MSOAs, and retained variables were used to construct two simple indices. Assuming a monotonic relationship between indices and outcomes, Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between the SEVI and cumulative COVID-19 case rates at MSOA level in the remaining 40% of MSOAs over periods both during and out with national lockdowns. Similarly, a novel vaccine hesitancy index (VHI) was constructed using population characteristics aligned with factors identified by an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey analysis. The relationship between the VHI and vaccine coverage in people aged 12+years (as of 2021-06-24) was determined using Spearman correlation. The indices were split into quintiles, and MSOAs within the highest vulnerability and vaccine hesitancy quintiles were mapped.FindingsThe SEVI showed a moderate to strong relationship with case rates in the validation dataset across the whole study period, and for every intervening period studied except early in the pandemic when testing was highly selective. The SEVI was more strongly correlated with case rates than any of its domains (rs 0·59 95% CI 0.57-0.62) and outperformed an existing MSOA-level vulnerability index. The VHI was significantly negatively correlated with COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the validation data at the time of writing (rs -0·43 95% CI -0·46 to -0·41). London had the largest number and proportion of MSOAs in quintile 5 (most vulnerable/hesitant) of SEVI and VHI concurrently.InterpretationThe indices presented offer an efficacious way of identifying geographical disparities in COVID-19 risk, thus helping focus resources according to need.FundingFunder: Integrated Covid Hub North EastAward numbern/aGrant recipientFiona Matthews

Socio-ecological vulnerability and resilience of mountain communities residing in capital-constrained environments.

The study evaluated perceived reactions and counter-actions of Himalayan communities to climate change. The evaluation was conducted through identification and characterization of 62 socio-environment-specific indicators in three altitude zones (< 1200 m asl (zone A), 1200–1800 m asl (zone B), and > 1800 m asl (zone C)) in Pauri district, Uttarakhand, India, using a bottom-up, indicator-based approach. Indicators with higher significance for the local economy, livelihoods, or conservation were selected and assimilated into dimensions of vulnerability and resilience. Finally, these were integrated into a sustainable livelihood framework in an approach intended to calculate vulnerability and resilience jointly. The results indicated that the vulnerability and resilience of the mountain communities studied varied widely along the altitude gradient, due to variations in socioeconomic profile, livelihood requirements, resource availability, accessibility, and utilization pattern, and climate risk. The overall values for vulnerability (exposure + sensitivity−adaptive capacity) and resilience (exposure + sensitivity−restorative capacity) were, respectively, 0.34 and 0.28 in zone A, 0.54 and 0.37 in zone B, and 0.65 and 0.59 in zone C. There was a significant difference in contribution of indicators to vulnerability and resilience along the altitudinal gradient was recorded. Strategies for dealing with site-specific vulnerability are required and should address bottlenecks in accessibility and availability of food, water, and healthcare; sustainable utilization of forest resources; educational attainment and skill enhancement; and migration. These results extend current knowledge among the research community and policymakers on socio-ecological changes affecting mountain communities. To reduce the policy level gap between bottom-up and top-down approaches, we suggest precautionary and ongoing site-specific traditional practices and modern adaptation practices, leading to effective and efficient handling of local issues in the context of climate change.

Social-Ecological Vulnerability and Livelihood Improvement Strategies of Landslide Victims in Pattalikang Village, Gowa Regency in National Security Perspective

Landslides are caused by natural environmental factors and cultural, environmental factors, such as changes in land use and social conditions. In the event of a landslide disaster in Pattalikang Village, the community had to start over from scratch and improve their livelihoods. This study aims to analyze: (1) the social-ecological vulnerability of landslide in Pattalikang Village; (2) disaster mitigation efforts for the people of Pattalikang Village after landslides; and (3) Strategies for improving the livelihoods of the people of Pattalikang Village after landslides from a national security perspective. This study used a qualitative approach with descriptive-analytical methods. Respondents are from the Pattalikang Village community and representatives from the head of Pattalikang village, the Regional Disaster Management Agency, the Social Service, the Agricultural Service, the Public Works and Housing Agency, and Tagana Gowa Regency. The results showed that: (1) The socio-ecological vulnerability in Pattalikang Village was categorized as vulnerable based on the scoring and weighting of socio-ecological vulnerability factors; (2) Mitigation efforts carried out were planting vetiver in every landslide-prone point and training of disaster risk reduction for community; (3) The strategy used by the communities who are victims of landslides is consolidation and survival strategy as the strength point to rebuild the communities and improving livelihoods after disaster.

Critical junctures, agrarian change, and the (re)production of vulnerability in a marginalised Indigenous society

• Many societies globally and throughout Papua New Guinea have experienced significant capitalist-driven agrarian change. • The Bedamuni have remained marginal to the extractive industry-led development seen throughout the country. • The Bedamuni have experienced (non-capitalist) agrarian change, which has increased their socioecological vulnerability. • I explore key historical and contemporary critical junctures and show how vulnerability has been (re)produced over time. • I problematise essentialist, universal narratives about the drivers of vulnerability in marginalised Indigenous societies. Marginalised agrarian societies are suggested to be the most vulnerable to environmental hazards and other perturbations. There are competing explanations for this phenomenon, which include: a lack of development, global environmental change, and the development process itself, or capitalism more specifically. All three causal arguments are compelling, but typically offer only partial explanations. With most societies experiencing significant capitalist-driven agrarian change over the last few centuries (e.g., depeasantisation, dispossession, proletarianisation), the critical agrarian change literature is biased towards these studies. Here I explore one of the most marginalised societies in Papua New Guinea, the Bedamuni People of Western Province. After 60 years of Western contact, at the time of fieldwork (2018), they remained shifting horticulturalist who had not been disposed of their land, had no commodity production and very limited opportunities for paid work. By exploring agrarian change within Bedamuni society since first Western contact (1962) and the arrival of missionaries (1968), and employing the concept of critical junctures, I critically unpack some of the root causes of heightened socioecological vulnerability. In the Bedamuni case study, and likely in many other societies, it is not just lack of development, environmental change, or the development process itself, it is all these things, and more, concomitantly. With the resource and commodity frontier almost upon them, and many Bedamuni desiring it to come, it is critical to understand the root causes of growing hunger. I argue that the development approach being driven by powerful actors will not meaningfully address this crisis and, in fact, may exacerbate the processes and factors that have produced heightened socioecological vulnerability. This paper problematises essentialist, universal narratives about the drivers of vulnerability in marginalised Indigenous societies in the global South. Whilst universal explanations can be insightful, we must not forget the centrality and specificity of space and place in development research.

Socio-Ecological Vulnerability of Forest Dependent Communities to Climate Change along an Altitude Gradient in Western Himalayas

Micro level socio-ecological vulnerability assessment to climate change has a paramount significance in defining climate-risks, identification of site-specific sectoral remedial measures and fabrication of adaptation actions. Cross-sectional survey research design has been employed to examine the extent of socio-ecological vulnerability of 492 randomly selected households in 62 villages along an attitudinal gradient (&lt;1200 m asl (zone A), 1201-1800 m asl (zone B), and &gt;1801 m asl (zone C)) in Pauri District, Uttarakhand. Among the socio-ecological systems, highest vulnerability was recorded in socio-economic sector (0.92) followed by forests (0.80). The vulnerability was directly proportional to elevation and recorded highest in Zone 'C' (0.80). Socio-ecological systems contribute differently to overall vulnerability and it is determined by systems' sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Strategies for sector and site-specific adaptation are required that address bottlenecks in availability and accessibility to biophysical resources and socio-cultural complexities in mountainous settings. The results extend current knowledge among the research community and policymakers on socio-ecological changes affecting forest dependent communities. To reduce the policy level gap between bottom-up and top-down approaches, authors suggest precautionary and ongoing site-specific assessment, leading to effective and efficient handling of local issues in the context of climate change.

Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe

Urban growth is a largely debated issue in social science. Specific forms of metropolitan expansion—including sprawl—involve multiple and fascinating research dimensions, making mixed (quali-quantitative) analysis of this phenomenon particularly complex and challenging at the same time. Urban sprawl has attracting the attention of multidisciplinary studies defining nature, dynamics, and consequences that dispersed low-density settlements are having on biophysical and socioeconomic contexts worldwide. The present commentary provides a brief overview on nature and implications of the latent relationship between sprawl, demographic dynamics, and background socio-environmental contexts with special focus on Europe. Empirical evidence supports the idea that spatial planning should cope more effectively with the increasing environmental and socioeconomic exposure of European regions to sprawl and demographic transitions, being progressively far away from a traditional urban cycle with sequential waves of urbanization, suburbanization, counter-urbanization, and re-urbanization. Growing socio-ecological vulnerability of metropolitan regions was evaluated based on a literature review demonstrating how a better comprehension of the intimate linkage between long-term demographic dynamics and urban cycles is necessary to inform fine-tuned policies controlling sprawl and promoting a sustainable management of peri-urban land.

Major fruit crops production in Bangladesh and their relationships with socio-ecological vulnerabilities

Many nutrient rich fruits are grown in Bangladesh, but consumption is less than half of the daily requirement. Such situations are worst depending on growing seasons, natural hazards and localities of the country. The climate extremes are increasing globally including Bangladesh and damaging crops severely. So, the impacts of climate extremes on fruit crop losses and socio-ecological vulnerability were investigated in the present investigation. The socio-ecological vulnerable zones were determined based on minimum of 10 attributes, arithmetic, geometric and weighted mean scores and maps were prepared using IDRISI3.2. Banana, mango, watermelon, pineapple, and jackfruit covered the highest areas in Bangladesh. Total fruit production varied from 600000 tons depending on location of gardens and its size. North-east, south and south-east coastal regions of Bangladesh are moderate to very highly socio-ecologically vulnerable for fruit production. Most safe zones for fruit cultivation are situated in major hilly, parts of north-west and a few districts in central region in Bangladesh. Fruit crop area damages were the highest in Khulna division. Hailstorms were dominating hazards responsible for 28.83% losses followed by thunderstorms (14.73%), cyclone (14.54%) and salinity (10.86%). Based on economic losses, about 67% areas of the country are moderate to highly vulnerable for fruit cultivation. Major hilly, parts of north-west and part of central regions are safe for fruit production of country. Damages from climate extremes can be minimized by changing sowing times, selection of hazard tolerant varieties, making physical barriers, early warning for disaster preparedness and community based disaster management.