Bridging socio-economic and environmental aspects in the study of Greek rural settings (for sustainability assessment) Erasmia Kastanidi Apostolos Papadopoulos Vassilis Detsis XIII World Congress of Rural Sociology 29/7 4/8 Lisbon, Portugal Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Aim and Objectives The social environment interactions contribute in the creation of diverse rural spaces and influence the sustainability and adaptability of rural locales by creating synergies or antergies The aim of the project is the development of a methodological framework to allow for the study of social environmental interactions in rural areas In the process we are looking to: Find a common ground between social and natural sciences Gain a better understanding of the factors that drive (un) sustainability Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Rationale Sustainability assessments often concentrate in assessing social and environmental attributes in parallel rather than in conjunction The indicators used in the assessments are based on a set of criteria rather than being organised in conceptual frameworks The majority are not derived from a perspective of hypothesis setting and testing Missing the role of social environmental interactions, which play an important part in the (un)sustainability of rural locales Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Conceptual Frameworks DPSIR frameworks are linear and ignore complexity of interactions More complex frameworks come of the area of Natural Resource Management Systems Social Ecological Systems Attempt to correct fragmented approach of sustainability Emphasis on Interactions Phenomena manifest on different scales Sustainability is based on the assessment of the ability of the system to adapt while continuing its main functions (resilience) Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Attributes of an assessment framework Rural locales are considered to be the different SES s Each locale is identified at the LAU 2 level which are the Municipality Departments for Greece Each MD will be assed according to: 1. The socioeconomic and ecological characteristics of the area in question 2. The activities taking place within that space 3. Influences from external activities (higher/ lower scale biophysical and socioeconomic and adjacent areas) 4. Presence of adaptation mechanisms 5. The outcomes of the activities taking place Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Higher Scale Socioceonomic characteristics and Properties Ecosystem Characteristics Existence Properties Effectiveness Potential Connectedness Lower Scale Biophysical characteristics and properties Interactions Harvest / Extract Disposal Non-Consumptive uses Cultural / Economic Values Conflicts Monitoring Activities Outcomes Intra / Intergenerational Equity Interspecific Equity Quality of Life System Sustainability Human System Characteristics Existence Properties Effectiveness Potential Connectedness Lower Scale Socioeconomic characteristics and properties Higher Scale biophysical characteristics and Properties national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
What is there? The criteria chosen to describe each base unit have to reflect spatial and natural characteristics Is it Rural? Rural areas were defined using fuzzy logic GIS by combining population numbers and percentage of open land cover Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Ecosystem characteristics How natural is the land cover Nature is defined by the relationship between the social and ecological characteristics and the participation of physical processes in shaping, maintaining or actively interacting with the spaces of interest
Reflects the distribution and richness of patch types and is related to the property of Connectedness Land Cover Diversity was estimated based on 25 different land cover types and was calculated on a 3km by km grid Land Cover Diversity SHDI = m ( P i ln P i ) i= 1
Some socio-economic attributes
Interactions We, farmers produce something utilising the sun, the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, water and elements from the earth... For us farmers the space of work and the space of living almost coincide. For us farmers the environment is not just a work space, it is also a living space for our families, for our children, and you have to be sure that we care about the natural environment more than anyone else. President of young farmers association in Argolida Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) - Research Funding Program: Heracleitus II. Investing in
Interactions Availability depends on physical processes which are determined by Physiological characteristics not affected by human actions Physiological characteristics affected by human actions Human Use Quantity and Quality change in time scales similar to socioeconomic changes It can be used as a tool for policy assessment as well as the effectiveness of institutions In draught prone Mediterranean it can also be considered as the weakest link in the sustainability process A source of conflicts
Water Resources in the study area
Water Extraction Catchment Areas Area (km2) Annual Water supply (mil. m3) Collective Irrigation Private Irrigation House water supply Industries Livestock Farming Alfeios 3.568 156 27,90% 52,10% 9,30% 9,70% 1,10% Pamissos 3.425 132,5 15,10% 67,40% 15,60% 1,10% 0,90% Coastal Streams 3.575 224,5 22,90% 56,80% 18,50% 0,90% 0,90% Pinios 2.423 340 24,30% 67,60% 5,40% 1,70% 1,00% Tripolis 907 26 n/a 79,40% 17,80% 0,40% 2,40% Argolikos 5.300 284 11,50% 78,20% 7,10% 2,20% 0,90% Evrotas 2.240 63 18,70% 67,10% 10,50% 2,00% 1,80%
Conclusions Identifying indicators for interactions presents the most challenging aspect of this work Some interactions such as extract (quantity of water) and disposal (quality) will be assessed at the regional level Others are more qualitative and can only be identified during fieldwork research (cultural / economic values) Different type of actors participation in WFD meetings
Conclusions continued Bridging social and ecological features is a challenge but it is necessary in order to understand rural sustainability A regional application of the framework can provide us with an idea of the differentiation amongst the MDs but field study is needed to understand the factors that drive (un)sustainability
Thank you for your attention!