Seeking Sustainability within Complex Regional NRM Systems. Harris, G. In Ostendorf, B., Baldock, P., Bruce, D., Burdett, M., & Corcoran, P., editors, Proceedings of the Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute Biennial International Conference, Adelaide 2009, pages 1001–1014.
Seeking Sustainability within Complex Regional NRM Systems [link]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
It is becoming clearer by the day that what we have constructed on this planet is a globally inter-connected set of biophysical and socio-economic systems: the biosphere and the anthroposphere are inextricably intertwined at all scales from the local to the global. The pressing issues for the next fifty years include population growth, resource use and depletion, climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, food security and the global spread of diseases. Efforts are being made to protect, improve and restore ecosystems, mitigate climate change and improve resource use efficiency. Because of the inherently complex, non-linear and context sensitive interactions between systems - and the emergence of surprising events - we have major problems with the management of these global issues and with the prediction of undesirable ” tipping points”. The goals of landscape-scale environmental improvement and restoration are hard to achieve. The ” uniqueness of place”, complex and emergent interactions, space-time variability and poor data quality/quantity ensure that it is often very difficult to associate policy goals and programs of management measures with desirable ecological outcomes. The paper gives some specific examples of the problems of linking inputs to outcomes in uncertain non-linear environmental and socio-economic systems and will discuss some of the latest ideas to address these problems. New tools and techniques include sensors and systems leading to data sources with improved spatial and temporal coverage, new measures of system states, emulation rather than simulation, decision support tools for change and impact detection and the emerging possibility of being able to ” model everything everywhere”. Above all what is required is some hard thinking and an appreciation of the ” nature of the beast” if we are to successfully make the transition from paddock, to place, to planet and achieve a more sustainable world.
@incollection{harrisSeekingSustainabilityComplex2009,
  title = {Seeking Sustainability within Complex Regional {{NRM}} Systems},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the {{Surveying}} \& {{Spatial Sciences Institute Biennial International Conference}}, {{Adelaide}} 2009},
  author = {Harris, Graham},
  editor = {Ostendorf, B. and Baldock, P. and Bruce, D. and Burdett, M. and Corcoran, P.},
  date = {2009},
  pages = {1001--1014},
  url = {https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=3233973386129549752},
  abstract = {It is becoming clearer by the day that what we have constructed on this planet is a globally inter-connected set of biophysical and socio-economic systems: the biosphere and the anthroposphere are inextricably intertwined at all scales from the local to the global. The pressing issues for the next fifty years include population growth, resource use and depletion, climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, food security and the global spread of diseases. Efforts are being made to protect, improve and restore ecosystems, mitigate climate change and improve resource use efficiency. Because of the inherently complex, non-linear and context sensitive interactions between systems - and the emergence of surprising events - we have major problems with the management of these global issues and with the prediction of undesirable ” tipping points”. The goals of landscape-scale environmental improvement and restoration are hard to achieve. The ” uniqueness of place”, complex and emergent interactions, space-time variability and poor data quality/quantity ensure that it is often very difficult to associate policy goals and programs of management measures with desirable ecological outcomes. The paper gives some specific examples of the problems of linking inputs to outcomes in uncertain non-linear environmental and socio-economic systems and will discuss some of the latest ideas to address these problems. New tools and techniques include sensors and systems leading to data sources with improved spatial and temporal coverage, new measures of system states, emulation rather than simulation, decision support tools for change and impact detection and the emerging possibility of being able to ” model everything everywhere”. Above all what is required is some hard thinking and an appreciation of the ” nature of the beast” if we are to successfully make the transition from paddock, to place, to planet and achieve a more sustainable world.},
  isbn = {978-0- 9581366-8-6},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-11861187,integrated-natural-resources-modelling-and-management,non-linearity,sustainability,system-of-systems,tipping-point,uncertainty}
}

Downloads: 0