Search results for "ecological system"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
Inferring the Relative Resilience of Alternative States
2013
Ecological systems may occur in alternative states that differ in ecological structures, functions and processes. Resilience is the measure of disturbance an ecological system can absorb before changing states. However, how the intrinsic structures and processes of systems that characterize their states affects their resilience remains unclear. We analyzed time series of phytoplankton communities at three sites in a floodplain in central Spain to assess the dominant frequencies or "temporal scales" in community dynamics and compared the patterns between a wet and a dry alternative state. The identified frequencies and cross-scale structures are expected to arise from positive feedbacks that…
Socioekoloģiskās sistēmas pieeja pilsētas zaļās infrastruktūras plānošanā: Hunzes upes koridora piemērs Groningenā
2019
Pilsētu var uzskatīt par daudzšķautņainu organismu, kas pastāv pateicoties gan pilsētas ekosistēmas iekšējiem, gan arī ārējiem resursiem, taču pieaugot iedzīvotāju skaitam, noslogojums uz pilsētā pastāvošajām dabas teritorijām un kultūrmantojumu nemitīgi pieaug. Pilsētvide veidošanā tiek izmantoti stingri noteikti pārvaldības instrumenti, kā arī pilsētvides apsaimniekošanā tiek izmantoti tehniski pārvaldības risinājumi. Līdz ar to pilsētas kļūs par neelastīgām un izteikti cilvēku kontrolētām sistēmām, kuras zaudē spēju pielāgoties neprognozētu ārējo faktoru iedarbībai. Arī pilsētas kultūrvēsturiskās sejas zaudēšana atstāj nospiedumu uz vietas identitātes un labklājības jautājumiem. Tā iemes…
Dynamics of closed ecosystems described by operators
2014
Abstract We adopt the so-called occupation number representation , originally used in quantum mechanics and recently adopted in the description of several classical systems, in the analysis of the dynamics of some models of closed ecosystems. In particular, we discuss two linear models, for which the solution can be found analytically, and a nonlinear system, for which we produce numerical results. We also discuss how a dissipative effect could be effectively implemented in the model.
PREDICTORS OF THE SENSE OF BELONGING TO THE COUNTRY: EXPLORING A NEW MODEL
2017
This study explored new possibilities for measuring the sense of belonging to the country and investigated predictors of the sense of belonging to Latvia. Focusing on students’ sense of belonging to the country is explained by two reasons: 1) emigration is the main factor of depopulation in Latvia; 2) students’ intention to emigrate is the highest among other social groups. Studies in the field of community psychology present models of the sense of community and explore intentions to stay in a particular place. Within a new model, different levels of social systems (from meso- to macro-system) were included into the analysis of predictors of the sense of belonging to the country. The partic…
Elementary school principals’ work from the ecological systems perspective: Evidence from Finland
2022
The present study aimed to investigate elementary school principals’ work from the ecological systems perspective and which elements of their work are experienced as demands or resources. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 principals. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The results show that the way principals experience their work is individual and influenced by several internal and external factors. Some of the most extensive demands appear to be related to interaction with different stakeholders in situations where principals have the role of mediator in solving conflicting situations. Challenges also seem to arise in dealing with elements or issues…
Interplay Between Sustainable Development, Knowledge Society, and Smart Future Manufacturing Technologies in EU RTD Policy Documents, in the Work Pro…
2015
Modern societies create, share and use knowledge to grow wealth and well-being, in other words—to follow the principles of sustainable development on a broader scale. In such societies jobs no longer depend on basic manufacturing but on gaining and smartly applying the knowledge instead: developing and using the manufacturing technologies more efficiently. A knowledge-based society addresses the socio-economic challenges by international and inter-sectorial sharing of knowledge crucial for innovation. Sustainable development is a core EU objective ensuring our future being not compromised by our present socio-economic development. Policy-makers at the EU and Member State level have agreed t…
Coastal Sustainable Development Studies in Latvia: Integrated Local Social-Ecological Systems Governance
2021
Importance of sustainable coastal governance also in the Baltic sea region has been widely recognised and since such governance has to have integrative nature that requires horizontal cross-sectorial integration as well as involvement of all governance levels and subsequently organisation of vertical integration among the levels. Besides some succesfull local cases around Europe, mainly special outside projects based, there is to be recognized that the municipal integrated sustainable coastal governance has not been yet neither well and widely locally developed in practice nor sufficiently researched field in order to permit necessary design of adequate policy innovations. Practical develop…
International Vocational Education and Training Research: An Introduction to the Special Issue
2021
The seven articles in this special issue represent a wide range of international comparative and review studies by international research teams from China, Germany, India, Russia, Switzerland and Mexico. The presented projects are part of the national program "Research on the Internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training", funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). An adapted version of Urie Bronfenbrenner���s ecological systems theory forms the conceptual framework of the special issue. The four system levels (micro, meso, exo and macro) are addressed by one article each. The article on the microsystem level focuses on the intended and implemented c…
Biocultural conflicts: understanding complex interconnections between a traditional ceremony and threatened carnivores in north Kenya
2022
Abstract Biological and cultural diversity are inextricably linked and rapidly eroding worldwide. As a response, many conservation efforts foster synergies between cultural and biological diversity agendas through biocultural approaches. However, such approaches do not always address biocultural conflicts, where certain cultural practices can lead to biodiversity loss and, in turn, threaten the continuance of such practices. In this study, we examined a biocultural conflict in the Dimi ceremony, the most important rite of passage of the Daasanach agro-pastoralists of north Kenya, in which skins from threatened carnivore species are used extensively as traditional ornaments. We quantified th…
Current agri-environmental policies dismiss varied perceptions and discourses on management of traditional rural biotopes
2017
Abstract Traditional rural biotopes (TRBs) are threatened habitats that host significant biodiversity and several ecosystem services, and depend on active management such as low-intensity grazing. The current study explores private landowners’ decision-making on TRB management and abandonment within a social-ecological system framework. We provide insight into supporting resilience of TRB systems in the face of agricultural modernization. Using a mixed methods approach with content analysis and Q analysis, we demonstrate that TRB management fosters cultural, biological, aesthetic, and utilitarian values. These are reflected in different ways through conservationist’s, profit-oriented farmer…