The Ecosystemic Decision

The Ecosystemic Decision
Author: Rita Carrizo
Publisher: Editorial Autores de Argentina
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2022-04-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9878724220

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"The human brain is neutral, it does not distinguish between right and wrong, ethical and non-ethical behaviour. It only learns and optimizes whatever is repeated" Talking about risks implies talking about decisions, those we do make and those we don't. Learning how to manage those risks requires considering the decision content and, fundamentally, understanding what drives us to "make" a decision. We would all probably agree that the current state of the global ecosystem demands urgent action. It seems that changing radically the way in which we decide is necessary for all the species of the planet to keep on coexisting. But, how do we do it? Why are we still chained to a decision-making model that has shown to be poor in terms of sustainability and ethics? It may be that the answer lies in our own evolution, but what kind of biological and cultural evolution process transformed humans into "not so good" decision-makers at recognizing and becoming responsible for the impacts and potential responses of the ecosystem towards their decisions? This book approaches these questions with a view to understanding who has been and who currently is the Western decision-maker. It proposes a paradigm shift that makes "ecosystemic" management of decisions and risks possible. Through a deep reflection about the topic, Rita Carrizo -the author- seeks to connect contributions from the fields of biology, genetics, sociobiology, neurosciences, systems thinking and ontology of language.

Structured Decision Making

Structured Decision Making
Author: Robin Gregory
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2012-03-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1444333410

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This book outlines the creative process of making environmental management decisions using the approach called Structured Decision Making. It is a short introductory guide to this popular form of decision making and is aimed at environmental managers and scientists. This is a distinctly pragmatic label given to ways for helping individuals and groups think through tough multidimensional choices characterized by uncertain science, diverse stakeholders, and difficult tradeoffs. This is the everyday reality of environmental management, yet many important decisions currently are made on an ad hoc basis that lacks a solid value-based foundation, ignores key information, and results in selection of an inferior alternative. Making progress – in a way that is rigorous, inclusive, defensible and transparent – requires combining analytical methods drawn from the decision sciences and applied ecology with deliberative insights from cognitive psychology, facilitation and negotiation. The authors review key methods and discuss case-study examples based in their experiences in communities, boardrooms, and stakeholder meetings. The goal of this book is to lay out a compelling guide that will change how you think about making environmental decisions. Visit www.wiley.com/go/gregory/ to access the figures and tables from the book.

Valuation of Ecological Resources

Valuation of Ecological Resources
Author: Ralph G. Stahl, Jr.
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2007-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1420062638

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Choosing the optimal management option requires environmental risk managers and decision makers to evaluate diverse, and not always congruent, needs and interests of multiple stakeholders. Understanding the trade-offs of different options as well as their legal, economic, scientific, and technological implications is critical to performing accurate

Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change

Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change
Author: Bryan G. Norton
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2015-12-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022619759X

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“Systematically investigates the philosophical foundations of sustainable development in the context of the history of environmental policy. . . . Compelling.” —Choice Sustainability is a nearly ubiquitous concept today, but can we ever imagine what it would be like for humans to live sustainably on earth? One of the most trafficked terms in the press, on university campuses, and in the corridors of government, sustainability has risen to prominence as a buzzword before the many parties laying claim to it have agreed on how to define it. But the term’s political currency urgently demands that we develop an understanding of this elusive concept. While economists, philosophers, and ecologists argue about what in nature is valuable, and why, in Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change, Bryan Norton offers an action-oriented, pragmatic response to the disconnect between public and academic discourse around sustainability. Looking to the arenas in which decisions are made—and the problems driving these decisions—Norton reveals that the path to sustainability cannot be guided by fixed objectives; sustainability will instead be achieved through experimentation, incremental learning, and adaptive management. Drawing inspiration from Aldo Leopold’s famed metaphor of “thinking like a mountain” for a spatially explicit, pluralistic approach to evaluating environmental change, Norton outlines a new decision-making process guided by deliberation and negotiation across science and philosophy. Looking across scales to today’s global problems, Norton urges us to learn to think like a planet. “An excellent distillation of Norton’s extensive and groundbreaking work.” —Ben Minteer, Arizona State University, author of Refounding Environmental Ethics “Engaging and important.” —Sahotra Sarkar, University of Texas at Austin, author of Environmental Philosophy: From Theory to Practice

Coastal Zones Ecosystem Services

Coastal Zones Ecosystem Services
Author: R. Kerry Turner
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2015-06-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 331917214X

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This book applies the ‘ecosystem services’ framework to coastal environments, showing how it could facilitate an adaptive management strategy. The contributors describe a decision support system (DSS) based on the 3 Ps – pluralism, pragmatism and precaution – that leads to a more flexible, ‘learn by doing’ approach to the stewardship of coastal environments. The book lays out a “Balance Sheets Approach” to formatting, interrogating and presenting data and findings. The opening chapter defines coastal zones, their characteristics and natural resources, and describes their complex and dynamic nature. The chapter shows that large-scale trends and pressures have led to a global loss of 50% of marshes, leading to significant declines in biodiversity and habitat. Part I presents a conceptual framework, describes natural science techniques for coastal and shelf modeling, and describes valuation of ecosystem services. Part II outlines practical ecosystem indicators for coastal and marine ecosystem services, reviews literature on valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services, explores scenarios, outlines marine and coastal ecosystem services data and offers tools for incorporating data into decision-making. PART III offers case studies including one linking the ecosystem services of Marine Protected Areas to benefits in human wellbeing; and another on valuing blue carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems. Also included are a study of managed realignments and the English coastline and their value estimate transferability; and studies of the impact of jellyfish blooms on recreation in the UK and on fisheries in Italy.

A Primer on Environmental Decision-Making

A Primer on Environmental Decision-Making
Author: Knut Lehre Seip
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2006-10-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1402040733

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This book integrates decision-making and environmental science. For ecologists it will bridge the gap to economics. For practitioners in environmental economics and management it will be a major reference book. It probably contains the largest collection available of expressions and basic equations that are used in environmental sciences. The book is organized in disciplines, but it also includes 13 applications that draw on all subjects in the book, and where cross-references are extensively used. The applications show how a range of topics in economics, social sciences and ecology are interrelated when decisions have to be made.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process in Natural Resource and Environmental Decision Making

The Analytic Hierarchy Process in Natural Resource and Environmental Decision Making
Author: Daniel L. Schmoldt
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2001-06-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780792370765

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Decision making in land management involves preferential selection among competing alternatives. Often, such choices are difficult owing to the complexity of the decision context. Because the analytic hierarchy process (AHP, developed by Thomas Saaty in the 1970s) has been successfully applied to many complex planning, resource allocation, and priority setting problems in business, energy, health, marketing, natural resources, and transportation, more applications of the AHP in natural resources and environmental sciences are appearing regularly. This realization has prompted the authors to collect some of the important works in this area and present them as a single volume for managers and scholars. Because land management contains a somewhat unique set of features not found in other AHP application areas, such as site-specific decisions, group participation and collaboration, and incomplete scientific knowledge, this text fills a void in the literature on management science and decision analysis for forest resources.

Making Transparent Environmental Management Decisions

Making Transparent Environmental Management Decisions
Author: Keith M. Reynolds
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2014-03-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642320007

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Since 1997, the Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system has been used around the world to support environmental analysis and planning in many different application areas, and it has been applied over a wide range of geographic scales, from forest stands to entire countries. An extensive sampling of this diversity of applications is presented in section 2, in which EMDS application developers describe the varied uses of the system. These accounts, together with the requisite background in section 1, provide valuable practical insights into how the system can be applied in the general domain of environmental management.

Ecosystem Services in Patagonia

Ecosystem Services in Patagonia
Author: Pablo L. Peri
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 499
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030691667

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This book aims to quantify and discuss how societies have directly and indirectly benefited from ecosystem services in Patagonia; not only in terms of provisioning and cultural services, but also regulating and supporting services. Patagonia, a region that stretches across two countries (ca. 10% in Chile and 90% in Argentina), is home to some of the most extensive wilderness areas on our planet. Natural grasslands comprise almost 30% of the Americas, including the Patagonian steppe, while Patagonian southern temperate forests are important for carbon sequestration and storage, play a pivotal role in water regulation, and have become widely recognized for their ecotourism value. However, profound changes are now underway that could affect key ecosystem functions and ultimately human well-being. In this context, one major challenge we face in Patagonia is that ecosystem services are often ignored in economic markets, government policies and land management practices. The book explores the synergies and trade-offs between conservation and economic development as natural landscapes and seascapes continue to degrade in Patagonia. Historically, economic markets have largely focused on the provisioning services (forest products, livestock) while neglecting the interdependent roles of regulating services (erosion and climate control), supporting services (nutrient cycling) and cultural services (recreation, local identity, tourism). Therefore, the present work focuses on ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, as well as on trends in biodiversity and the interactions between natural environments and land-use activities throughout Patagonia.

Decision Making for the Environment

Decision Making for the Environment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2005-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309095409

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With the growing number, complexity, and importance of environmental problems come demands to include a full range of intellectual disciplines and scholarly traditions to help define and eventually manage such problems more effectively. Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities is the result of a 2-year effort by 12 social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and practitioners. The report sets research priorities for the social and behavioral sciences as they relate to several different kinds of environmental problems.