This paper is an attempt to apply the Driving forces–Pressures–State–Impact–Responses (DPSIR) framework to identify the issues of pollinator loss. The linkages between the significant pressures on ...insect pollinators, their underlying socio-economic driving forces and responses, with the focus on Europe, are addressed in the study. A review of literature revealed the shortage of empirical studies that prove direct links between policy responses and specific pressures on the pollinators. Based on written evidence and expert judgement, land use practices and the use of agrochemicals were regarded as the most significant pressures on different functional groups of pollinators. As demonstrated in the study, agricultural and rural development policy has been the key driving force of these pressures. The application of the DPSIR framework proved to be useful in identifying the pathway of human pressures on pollinators. The study also concludes that there is further need for specific empirical research on the effects and effectiveness of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures (agri-environment measures in particular) to support farming practices that facilitate the protection of the environment and the prevention of pollinator loss.
This study addresses the key aspects of the Estonian SEA system and the main factors affecting the effectiveness of SEA. Five dimensions of SEA effectiveness (substantive, pluralist, transactive, ...normative and transformative) have been examined. The study is also complemented by semi-structured interviews of key actors of the SEA systems (public authorities, SEA experts and environmental NGOs), but also on the authors' own experiences in analysing and participating in the SEA process. The paper concludes that SEA has become a relatively routine process at national government and local government levels, and effectiveness is affected by the level of assessment of cumulative effects (especially those of climate change, biodiversity loss and green area network), consideration of alternatives and extent of public participation. One of the significant impediments to the effectiveness, however, is the missing SEA follow-up.
Adequate provision of information is essential for decision making. This paper provides the results of the quality assessment of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), documents prescribed by EIA ...Directive (337/85/EEC). The assessment was completed by several categories of reviewers in Estonia, which has been an EU member state since 2004. The quality assessment of EIS was based on the EC Guidance on EIS Review (2001). Firstly, the quality assessment of 50 randomly selected EIS was carried out by a single reviewer. Secondly, the individual grading among 24 independent reviewers of a single EIS was tested. Thirdly, a comparison of the results of 15 individual and 5 group assessments of the same EIS was conducted. The results from the quality assessment of the selected EIS demonstrate a satisfactory level of information provided for decision making; 68% of the sample EIS were positively graded. However, more than half of the 50 EIS were graded as “just satisfactory”. Comparison between the individual and group assessment of the same EIS demonstrates that the group assessment is more critical than the individual assessment. This possibly results from a wider technical expertise and balancing of subjective values and perspectives among group members. Arguably, the current practice of EIA competent authorities assessing the quality of EIS with individuals could be revised. We discuss the effect of the group assessment on expanding the narrow technical expertise and the subjectivity of a single expert.
Agri-environmental measures are applied on 80% of the farmland in Estonia. Nonetheless, as an Eastern European country, the history of intensification is shorter than in Western Europe and yield gaps ...mean that the pressure for intensification is still high. There are various land management measures that can relieve pressure on the environment, but the factors that trigger the adoption of such changes is unclear. This study analyses survey data on Estonian farmers. It concludes that farmers are more concerned about soil fertility issues than with wider environmental issues. By analysing the implementation of various farmland management measures, we conclude that general environmental awareness is playing a crucial role in the adoption, specifically these where link to private benefits is not so straightforward, i.e. biodiversity issues. Raising environmental awareness about land management measures that are beneficial for biodiversity deserves more attention by the policy makers and relevant agencies. The farmers who regard environmental issues as more important are also the ones who are more likely to implement environmentally beneficial land management measures.
•Farmers mostly apply land management measures that are related to soil fertility.•Farmers are more concerned about soil fertility than the wider impact on nature.•Those with high levels of environmental concern use agri-environmental measures more.
The importance of public and stakeholder participation in environmental assessments (EIA and SEA) has been increasing in the EU, international, and national policy contexts. However, to date, no ...synthesis of the literature that analyses the performance of participation in different EU countries has been conducted. This review aims to contribute to filling this gap, by systematically gathering a pool of empirical scientific literature that focuses on studying participation in EIA and SEA across the EU and analyzing its content. We conducted systematic literature searches in the Scopus database (n = 2272 references), and via a systematic screening procedure, we selected n = 34 empirical full texts for an in-depth qualitative synthesis. We found that the included publications are mostly from West-European countries, focus on the EIA domain (mostly infrastructure projects), and use multiple comparative case study methodologies. Main participatory arenas include formal arenas intended for traditional forms of two-way interaction mechanisms (e.g., public hearings), but informal arenas are also emerging in the literature. The main challenges outlined in the analyzed publications are associated with the low impact of the public or the stakeholders on decisions and timing of participation. Our review was limited to published academic articles, thus, future reviews should include a more diverse set of evidence, and primary research is needed to focus on the performance of participation in the South- and East-European countries' socio-political contexts. We encourage EIA/SEA practitioners to use more widely participatory mechanisms aimed at joint problem-solving.
•Nature and challenges of participation within EIA and SEA in the EU were reviewed.•We systematically searched empirical literature in the Scopus database.•From 2272 references, we selected n = 34 full texts for qualitative synthesis.•Formal participatory arenas dominate but informal arenas are also emerging.•Low impact on decisions and timing of participation are key challenges.
This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in ...2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP.
We use data from a survey of 2439 farmers in 5 countries around the Baltic Sea (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland and Sweden) to investigate their preferences for adopting agricultural practices ...aimed at reducing nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. The measures considered are set-aside, catch crops and reduced fertilization. Contracts vary with respect to the area enrolled, contract length, possibility of premature termination, availability of professional advice and compensation. We quantitatively describe farmers’ preferences in terms of their willingness-to-accept compensation for specific attributes of these contracts, if implemented. The results vary substantially between farm types (farmers’ characteristics) and between the 5 countries, and support differentiation of contract obligations and payments to improve the uptake of Agri-Environmental Schemes. The results can be readily used to improve the design of country-specific nutrient reduction policies, in accordance with the next Common Agricultural Policy.
Sustainable use of Baltic Sea resources Ojaveer, Henn; Neuenfeldt, Stefan; Dierking, Jan ...
ICES journal of marine science,
12/2018, Letnik:
75, Številka:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
The BONUS symposium “Science delivery for sustainable use of the Baltic Sea living resources” held in Tallinn, Estonia, in October 2017 was an opportunity for the presentation and discussion ...of 107 papers that examined the state and dynamics of living resources of the Baltic Sea, and associated management challenges. The symposium included a half-day stakeholder panel discussion that addressed the main challenges related to sustainable management and matching research and policy/management needs. Based on the five symposium papers published in this Special Issue as well as the stakeholder panel discussion, it can be concluded that (i) new observations about the feeding ecology of clupeids supports a more complete understanding of trophic interactions in the pelagic realm and improved calibration of ecosystem models, (ii) to safequard sustainable and diverse fisheries resources, one should take into account the specific local characteristics of the fish community, (iii) to safeguard sustainable use of marine resources and mitigate cross-sectoral and transboundary conflicts, a risk-based approach should be adopted, and (iv) incorporation of scientific advice into management faces several obstacles including the reality that not all readily available knowledge is currently being incorporated into the decision-making process.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) serves as a platform for bringing together researchers, policy developers and other stakeholders to evaluate and communicate significant environmental and ...socio-economic effects of policies, plans and programmes. Quantitative computer models can facilitate knowledge exchange between various parties that strive to use scientific findings to guide policy-making decisions. The process of facilitating knowledge generation and exchange, i.e. knowledge brokerage, has been increasingly explored, but there is not much evidence in the literature on how knowledge brokerage activities are used in full cycles of SEAs which employ quantitative models. We report on the SEA process of the national energy plan with reflections on where and how the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model was used for knowledge brokerage on emissions modelling between researchers and policy developers. Our main suggestion is that applying a quantitative model not only in ex ante, but also ex post scenario modelling and associated impact assessment can facilitate systematic and inspiring knowledge exchange process on a policy problem and capacity building of participating actors.
•We examine the knowledge brokering on emissions modelling between researchers and policy developers in a full cycle of SEA.•Knowledge exchange process can evolve at any modelling stage within SEA.•Ex post scenario modelling enables systematic knowledge exchange and learning on a policy problem.
Assessing biodiversity risks with socio economic methods: the ALARM experience Rodriguez-Labajos , Beatriz (ed.) (Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona(Espagne).); Spangenberg , Joachim H. (ed.) (Helmholtz - Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig(Allemagne).); Maxim , Laura (ed.) (Université de Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines(France). Centre d'Economie et d'Ethique pour l'Environnement et le Développement) ...
2009
Book
Odprti dostop
Humans play an undeniable role in the acceleration of threats to the diversity of ecosystems, species and genes. This book is a response to the urgent need of policy oriented socio-ecological ...research, profoundly based on empirical evidence. Socio-environmental patterns and political responses are compared through the use of case studies analyzing a range of pressures to biodiversity. Aquatic bioinvasions in the Ebro River and Lake Izabal exemplify socio-environmental processes linked to river basins. Other cases examine processes at the regional level: the social attitudes to genetically modified organisms in Catalan agriculture, the implementation of a Regional Strategy for Biodiversity in the I^le-de-France, the management of an invasive insect in the city of Paris, and the comparative analysis in Kent (UK) and Tartu (Estonia) county of the effects of the Common Agricultural Policy on pollinators’ diversity. An economic valuation of the decline of pollinators in Germany and Spain, and an analysis of land use changes in the new EU member states focus on processes at the national scale within the EU frame. A case study in Argentina, about the emergence of pesticide resistance in an invasive pest, embodies the relationship between a national state and the processes of the world economy. The ALARM project aims to promote creative thinking. Inspired by ecological economics, methodologies employed range from multi-criteria evaluation and participatory techniques to social network analysis, valuation of environmental services, scenario modelling and historical analysis. The authors have uniquely explored case-study-based research for socio-economic analyses of biodiversity risks. Emphasis is put both on the lessons learnt from the comparative analysis as well as on the methodological innovations.
PDF
