Download Resilience Thresholds in resources use Carrying capacity and limits

Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente / Master in Environmental Engineering
Gestão de Ambiente e Território / Environment and Territory Management
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Resilience
Thresholds in resources use
Carrying capacity and limits of acceptable
change
Prof. Doutora Maria do Rosário Partidário
BIBLIOGRAPHY!
Jackson, Tim, 2009, Prosperity without Growth - economics for a
finite planet. Earthscan. London.!
Almeida, Fernando, 2007, Os Desafios da Sustentabilidade - uma
ruptura urgente, Elsevier, Rio de Janeiro.!
Coccossis, H. and Mexa, A. (Eds), 2004, The challenge of tourism
carrying capacity assessment – theory and practice, Ashgate,
Aldershot.!
Holling, C.S. 1978. Adaptive environmental assessment and
management. (Editor) London: John Wiley & Sons.!
Kozlowski, J. , 1986, Thresholds Approach in Urban and Regional
and Environmental Planning. University of Queensland Press, St.
Lucia, London, New York.!
Meadows, D; D. Meadows. e J. Randers, 1993, Além dos Limites da catástrofe total ao futuro sustentável, Difusão Cultural, Lisboa!
SOWMAN, Mark R. (1987), A procedure for assessing recreational
carrying capacity of costal resort areas Landscape and Urban
Planning, 14: 331-344!
HOMOEOSTASIS
(HOMO = SAME; EOSTASIS =STATE)
or
RESILIENCE CAPACITY
the tendency toward a relatively stable
equilibrium between interdependent elements,
esp. as maintained by physiological processes.
Resilience is...
The ability to absorb disturbances, to be changed and
then to re-organise and still have the same identity
(retain the same basic structure and ways of
functioning).
It includes the ability to learn from the disturbance.
Resilience shifts attention from purely growth and
efficiency to needed recovery and flexibility.
http://www.resalliance.org/564.php
The adaptive cycle
Fore-loop and back-loop
Source: (originally CS Holling, Adaptive Management Systems)
The Resilience Alliance
http://rs.resalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/4box-adaptive-cycle.gif)
Ecological research has
shown that, depending on
environmental conditions, an
ecosystem can have different
stable states.
A perturbation, be it a sudden
event or a slow cumulative
process, can cause
the ecosystem to shift to an
alternate stable state. Going
back to the former state
requires significant effort or
energy. Resilience thinking
applies the same concept to
social-ecological systems.
(Source: Scheffer et
al., 2001).
AUTO-REGULATORY CAPACITY
Capacity of individuals to maintain its functional
stability and organic integrity in face of a
destructive environment, and at same time
ensuring the renovation of its components
ADAPTATION
Outcome of natural selection over the
genotypes in species population
Adaptation results from the interaction of
genetic factors and environmental
selective factors
Natural selection can conduct to
adaptation as well as to extinction
VALUE
Meaning; Utility; Satisfaction
Meaning of a resource in a complex context,
integrating factors such as:
 rarity, distinction, particularities
 functional viability and
 local and regional meaning in the market
SENSITIVITY
Corresponds to the probability of
degradation of attributes, of
functionality and the consequent
capacity of performing services
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© International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
CERUCHUS CHRYSOMELINUS
Ceruchus chrysomelinus
© Stanislav Krejcik
RESOURCES MULTIFUNCIONALITY
WETLAND FUNCTIONS (SERVICES)
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Recharge / download of groundwater;
Change in flooding regimes;
Sediments stabilization/ coastline stability;
Sediments retention/ toxic substances;
Deposition of CO2 , CH4, NOx, etc.
Nutrients processing/ water quality;
Production and basis of the food chain;
Wildlife habitat / nursery;
Fisheries
Cultural Heritage
Recreation and leisure
Scientifc
CARRYING CAPACITY
BIOLOGY:
 
Relationship between the resources basis, the environmental assimilation and
rehabilitation capacity and the species biotic capacity
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT:
 
Supporting capacity of natural resources without changing their key characteristics
and functionalities
PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT:
 
Explains the level of human activity that a region can sustain for a quality of life
indefinitly acceptable
 
Capacity of a natural or artificial system to absorbe populational growth without
significant degradation
The question of limits (Tim Jackson, 2009)
Three distinct phases:
late 18th century - raised by Parson Thomas Robert Malthus, Essay on
Population – sooner or later population expands beyond the “means
of subsistence” and some people – the poorest inevitably – will
suffer. However the fact is that global population is now six times
bigger and the economy 68 times bigger than it was in 1800 –
technological changes explain the difference
1970’s - Club of Rome, Limits to Growth – sooner or later the resource
base would collapse (due to resource extraction rates and available
reserves) and with it the potential for continued economic activity –
turning points (peak points) when this would arrive. Resource
scarcities before the Millennium did not happen as expected, but
they were not too far
currently – climate change and peak oil – problem of “sinks” – the
capacity of the planet to “assimilate” the environmental impacts of
economic activity. Climate change is one of these sink problems.
Though it came late to the party, the climate may turn out to be the
mother of all limits
Beyond limits (Tim Jackson, 2009)
Ecological limits linked to resource scarcity or climate change include:
  rapid deforestation
  biodiversity loss
  collapse of fish stocks
  water scarcity
  pollution of soil and water supplies
60% of the world ecosystem services have been degraded or over-used
since the mod-20th century
In the same period of time the global economy has grown more than 5
times.
If growth rate continues it will be 80 times bigger in 2100 than it was in
1950.
Carrying Capacity classification
(UK Countryside Commission, 1970)
PHYSICAL CARRYING CAPACITY – max nr of (individuals, boats, vehicles)
that can be physically accomodated in a given area
e.g. Parking area, reservoir water plan
ECONOMIC CARRYING CAPACITY
Maximum use that enables economic feasibility of resources potential uses e.g.
Recreational use, oysters exploitation
ECOLOGICAL CARRYING CAPACITY
Max pop that can be indefinitely supported in an habitat without affecting the
productivity of that ecosystem (Rees, 1988) e.g. Safaris, coastal maritime use
SOCIAL CARRYING CAPACITY
Maximum level of use above which there is a decline in the quality of experience
sensed by the user (Pigrim, 1983)
Related to an individual perception in relation to the presence or absence of
other users e.g. hicking, yacht race
Carrying capacity models (Meadows, 2002)
Sustainable yield curve: Natural resources economic
Tourism carrying capacity (Butler, 1980)
Case study: application to carrying capacity, POOC , Sado-Sines
OBJECTIVES AND STRUCTURE OF
OF AREA DEVELOPMENT
INVENTORY OF
RESOURCES AND CHARACTERIZ
(Value and sensitivity)
IDENTIFICATION OF UNITS
IN STUDY AREA
(Condicionants + Opportunities)
INVENTORY OF SPECIFIC
DEMAND OF ACTIVITIES
DEVELOPMENT
MODEL FOR THE
AREA
ANALYSIS OF CARRYING CAPACITY/
ISSUES AND THRESHOLDS
ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT
ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL
CONSERVATION
LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE
Concept that attempts to overcome the technical limits of the
carrying capacity concept, taking advantage of its political
opportunity
Reformulated approaches to carrying capacity, that attenmpts to
integrate social dimensions.
Enables the consideration of the interaction between natural and
human systems, at any level: from thresholds objectively assessed
to desirable or political acceptable conditions.
Objective management approaches
INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT CARRYING
CAPACITY / LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE
  Development strategies
  Relationship environmental degradation –
human activity
  Priorities setting in response to population
growth pressures