Sustainability of Socio-Ecological Paradigms in the Marine Environment
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2023) | Viewed by 4845
Special Issue Editors
Interests: coastal processes; coastal, port and river engineering; numerical modelling of coastal hydrodynamics; water quality and ecological modelling in marine ecosystems
Interests: environmental impact assessment; transitional water; science to policy interface; ecosystem based management; marine regulation
Interests: macroalgae aquaculture environmental effects; aquaculture site selection; feasibility of macroalgae aquaculture; primary production; plankton ecology
Interests: systemic approaches to marine environmental and cumulative effects assessment; human activities and pressures; science to policy interface (national and international); marine spatial planning
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The marine environment supports a wealth of industries, associated activities and infrastructure (fisheries, aquaculture, aggregate extraction, navigation dredging and disposal, renewable energy, etc.), which can impact the surrounding environment and compete for space and resources. At the same time, the increasing policy focus towards blue growth, greenhouse gas reductions and marine biodiversity protection, is pushing for a sustainable management and development of the marine environment and its resources. The sustainability concept is complex, and sustainable management of the marine environment is even more so. Sustainability links together social, economic and environmental factors, which need to be systemically assessed for activities, in addition to the shifting baselines of natural variability. Numerical modelling is an important tool for capturing and predicting the complexity of these different factors, allowing to assess their sustainability, while considering a variety of past, current, and future scenarios. Spatial modelling, for example, can help with regulatory issues and planning of coastal and offshore areas, balancing the potential impacts of marine activities with the need for protecting valuable resources and habitats. This special issue aims to capture examples of socio-ecological sustainability of activities in the marine environment. Activities considered include (but are not limited to) aquaculture, fisheries, offshore renewable energy, disposal of dredges material, with associated impacts encompassing dissolved nutrient enrichment, dispersal of invasive species, litter, pollutant, etc. Both practical and theoretical case studies are welcomed, covering assessment and approaches of sustainability, as well as effectiveness of management measures, both preventative and mitigative. By understanding the environmental interactions of activities and predicting their impacts, it is possible to take preventive or mitigation measures to achieve an effective management of marine ecosystems. This is fundamental as the ecological degradation of marine environments has severe implications on the functioning of these ecosystems and their biodiversity, and consequently on the use of these resources with implication for national and global economies. The management interventions and priorities to address these issues is a societal choice, so social sciences are a critical aspect of sustainability assessments. Humans are an integrated part of marine ecosystems, so assessments need to consider the services, goods and benefits provided by natural assets.
The interrelationships between these processes, drivers and social concepts are essential to meet the target of ‘sustainable development’, as well as individual national policy targets. The aim and scope of this SI are also well aligned with current United Nations programmes on sustainable development, such as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
This Special Issue aims to propose a collection of studies that combine the aforementioned concepts, including methodologies and/or case studies on the following topics:
- assessment of sustainable marine developments and activities, including quantification of potential environmental, and socio-economic effects;
- investigation of the interrelationships between social and ecological factors within ecosystem-based assessments;
- the efficiency of protective measures such as mitigation or compensation measures;
- analysis of international or national marine policies and their contribution towards reaching or preventing reaching the aim of sustainable development;
- recommendations to improve on current processes and activities and the potential to lead to an increase the sustainability of our marine environment;
- how bioremediation and blue carbon can be used into the assessment of sustainability of marine activities.
Dr. Maria Amélia V. C. Araújo
Dr. Jemma-Anne Lonsdale
Dr. Elisa Capuzzo
Dr. Adrian Judd
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- net gain
- net zero
- sustainable development
- blue growth
- natural capital
- shifting baselines
- offshore renewable
- ecosystems modelling
- blue carbon
- aquaculture
- circular economy