Suchergebnisse

Water protection has long been a cornerstone of EU environmental policy. It is the sector with the most comprehensive coverage in EU environmental regulations (Kallis & Butler 2001). In some European countries such as the Netherlands, France, Sweden and Italy, national and local governments have implemented substantial programmes aimed at combating excessive nutrient loss to watercourses from agricultural, silvicultural and waste treatment activities. It is generally accepted that agricultural operations contribute, in a significant manner, to increased nitrogen and phosphorous loss to water catchments and result in environmentally unacceptable occurrences such as eutrophication and algal blooms. The increase in N and P loading may be dealt with in a number of ways, including a reduction of input or better fertiliser management. However there remains two problems. One is the perseverance of high fertility in the catchment long after regulation or cessation of input and the other is the potential for lower yields as a result of policy change. Water catchment nutrient management is poorly developed in Ireland and runoff nutrient entering watercourses is increasing (Tunney et al 2001). This has a serious and detrimental effect on water quality as well as ecological processes. It has been demonstrated that many trees have the ability to intercept and absorb large volumes of nutrients (Hefting & de Klein 1998). Buffer plantations of, often, willow (Salix spp.) and other species may be established in order to effectively and efficiently intercept surface runoff of nitrate (N) and phosphate (P). In addition, such buffer plantations could themselves produce an annual crop requiring little management and low-priced technology to harvest. Yet, the science behind the application has not been established in Ireland. Hefting, M.M. & de Klein, J.J.M, (1998) Nitrogen removal in buffer strips along a lowland stream in the Netherlands: a pilot study. Environmental Pollution, 102, 521 – 26. Kallis, G. & Butler, D. ...

The intensification of European policies, agreements and regulations for climate action, water resources, energy, agriculture and forestry, and biodiversity is pressurising governments to adopt a wider portfolio of actionable solutions that are more financially and socially sustainable as well as scalable.Traditional engineering solutions,such as grey infrastructure,are the standard approach to the management of waterways, particularly when it comes to water purification and flood prevention or abatement. However, grey infrastructure depreciates over time, necessitating costly and technology de- pendant interventions on a continual basis. Green infrastructure, on the other hand, often appreciates over time and can provide multiple co-benefits in the longer term; this is the nature-based solution approach.This paper outlines the potential of nature-based solutions and integrated catchment man- agement. It describes how current integrated catchment policy and programmes would benefit from this new approach and posits that nature-based solutions are a complimentary technology that would have multiple co-benefits in the Irish landscape.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the forms of ownership over natural resources according to the theories of Coase and Ostrom. Coase's work is regarded as a theoretical basis for establishing private ownership over natural resources, whereas Ostrom's theory is considered the most influential one supporting common/collective ownership. The key research question of the paper is whether the two theories are indeed opposite and contradictory. The novelty of our approach is that we account for the nature of common property rights in light of Buchanan's theory of clubs, thereby showing that the opposition between the concepts of Coase and Ostrom is exaggerated. The point is that ownership is generally considered only in its most extreme forms – purely private and purely public. By referring to Buchanan, we show that in contexts of common/collective entitlements with varying degrees of publicness/privateness, Coasean bargaining and Ostromian rules of common/collective governance can coexist and work together effectively. On this basis, this research proposes a framework for defining policies for managing natural resources. If you have any difficulty accessing this document, or you would like to know more about the Connecting Nature project, please email marcus.collier@tcd.ie. ; Suggested citation: Slaev, A. D. and Collier, M. (2018) Managing natural resources: Coasean bargaining versus Ostromian rules of common governance. Environmental Science & Policy, 85, pp. 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.03.017

The objectives of these events were to disseminate and exchange the solutions developed within the framework of TURAS foremost with other local authority officials but also with interested politicians, SMEs, academic institutions and the public. The events enabled an exchange on TURAS outcomes with actors outside the TURAS project especially regarding their adaptation to varying local contexts. These events have contributed significantly to the effective exploitation of TURAS results by the target group. The events took place either on a regional, national or international scale. They were free of charge and widely promoted through the TURAS communication channels and through the communication channels of the partners organising the events. For additional information on the TURAS project see here, or email marcus.collier@tcd.ie. ; Suggested citation: McQuaid, S., Schuchmann, S. and Collier, M.J. (2011) TURAS Exploitation Strategy. Deliverable 8.4 of the TURAS FP7 Project. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3941799.

The emergent discourse on social-ecological resilience can be understood as a response to the rapid pace of change and severe challenges facing urban areas. This paper reports on one strand of research being carried out as part of the EU FP7 TURAS project (Transitioning to Urban Resilience and Sustainability) that aims to gain insight into the implications of social-ecological resilience thinking on urban planning practice and policy by presenting a unique, trans-disciplinary perspective that has been developed collaboratively between academic, local government and SME partners. A framework for adaptive co-management and design is introduced as a basis for the operationalisation of urban resilience, highlighting the need to actively solve problems collaboratively by exercising imagination and creativity, and presenting a new and potentially fertile source for innovation. Five experiments exploring urban planning practices relating to the framework are put forward as examples of urban resilience in practice: an online crowd-sourcing application for mapping underused spaces; an interactive timeline tool for identifying drivers of change over time; a guidance and signposting tool to help community projects overcome resource barriers; an epistemic network of citizens that exchanges knowledge and resources relating to underused spaces; and an online portal that provides visibility for community groups or projects, and facilitates horizontal networking. The paper describes each experiment, sets out the aims and theoretical contexts, records any initial findings, and reflects on the potential and limitations. Initial findings are discussed relating to the challenges of crowd-sourcing spatial or historical data, and the resource commitment required for the emerging practices. It is observed that the experiments attempt to address fundamental issues in urban planning practice and policy, and involve established and familiar activities. The paper concludes that the research provides insight into what urban resilience ...

Why is governance so central to sustainability transitions? A superficial answer to this question would argue that these transitions are about the policies for and the politics of a significant move towards a resilient and sustainable society. This answer correctly emphasizes the important interplay between the State, civil society and the market in formulating appropriate measures (policies for transitions) as well as the importance of bargaining power when it comes to negotiating between alternative trajectories (politics of transition). But on a deeper and arguably more relevant level, the reason why governance constitutes both a bottleneck and a key to societal transitions is that the latter will involve a much broader, complex and fuzzier set of interventions than merely formulating adequate policies: changing the current social-ecological regimes in European cities and regions will require transcending the State-civil society-market triangle and overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers, powerful vested interests, incommensurate metrics, dazzling complexities and a multiplicity of agencies: in practice, the State is not a unified actor but includes both political and administrative agencies; civil society is also diverse and contains potentially antagonistic interests; finally, the market is a place where radically different players such as multinational corporations and small family business interact. Dealing with such an intricate problem as social-ecological transitions therefore requires new ways of approaching societal problems, forging new politico-economic alliances and reframing the terms of the debate – and many of the innovations necessary to achieve this are likely to be social and related to governance rather than technological. So how can we govern the adaption of European cities and regions to the urgency of the current social, environmental and economic crises? How can we make extant governance models more adaptive so as to ensure sustainable and resilient transitions rather than short-run ...

Urban regions face a wide spectrum of challenges. They are home to over half of the world population, but occupy a relatively small area, resulting in pressures related to a limited amount of natural resources such as space and water. Moreover, both the societal system and the natural system are in constant flux resulting in constantly changing boundary conditions. This relates to, inter alia, the climate, demographics and the economy. In order to adequately tackle todays and tomorrows challenges, urban areas need to anticipate and adapt in their planning policies for the city in a strategic way. This strategic urban planning concerns not only spatial planning, but relates to all sectors that are relevant in a city (e.g. energy, waste, water, transport). To support effective strategic urban planning, policy and decision makers need information on the changing state of their urban environment, on how certain measures/policies affects this, and how unwanted impacts (e.g. heat stress, flood risk, traffic jams) are reduced. Correspondingly, strategic urban planning requires the merge of environmental analyses and the policy process with all relevant stakeholders (which will be discussed in Chapter 2). This document reports on various tools and methods that have been developed to aid decision making within this joint analytical and policy framework. This research has been performed in various settings (cities) and related to various themes, namely energy (Aalborg), flooding and water management (Rotterdam and Ljubljana), green roofs (London), urban climate (Rotterdam) and transport (Ljubljana). Experiences from not only the research performed, but also from explicitly reflecting on past activities shed some light on the governance associated with the policy process and implementation. These experiences teach us that people and timing play a crucial role in the actual execution. Timing relates to the time horizons of different actors (e.g. researchers, politicians, practitioners) and processes (e.g. urban development ...