About the Book
This book fills a gap in the literature on environmental sustainability by addressing the topic from the perspective of social and economic development. Progress in understanding and achieving sustainability requires the integration of scientific, social, economic, and legal issues. Yet progress in understanding and achieving sustainability will only be achieved through integration of scientific, social, economic, and legal aspects. A treatise on environmental sustainability should raise the current state of knowledge by proposing and recommending decision-making efforts and breaking new ground with agendas aimed for the younger generation. These younger scientists will be confronted with future uncertainty related to the set of crises that characterise the 21st Century (e.g. ecological, social, food, energy, environmental, climatic, financial, etc.). Currently, there are a number of indicators that demonstrate that ecological conditions are being compromised globally.These include reduced primary productivity, reduction in biological complexity, spreading pollution such as eutrophication, ecological degradation in any continental/basin/coastal/sea ecosystem, reduction in biodiversity, lowered resilience and slow recovery of damaged ecosystems, and reduced ecological integrity.
All of these problems are related to social and economic pressure. The challenge for most ecological systems is not only to establish the baseline for current ecosystem conditions, but also to explore options for recovery and sustainability. The latter involves ecological restoration where ecosystem and environmental services are maintained and enhanced. These services are essential to social integration and economic development. This book not only introduces a theoretical and conceptual framework for the topic, but also analyses the uncertainty for sustainability because of dwindling natural resources. It includes contributions providing a basis for public policies, case studies integrating concepts and tools for solutions, and a set of position papers addressing new agenda topics that will shape the 21st century.The book will be useful for researchers, professors and students alike, as well as for all stakeholders from social, economic and academic sectors.
Table of Contents:
Contents PART 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction to ecological dimensions for sustainable socioeconomic development; The concept of sustainable development from an ecosystem perspec-tive: history, evolution, and epistemology PART 2 DWINDLING RESOURCES AND UNCERTAINTY FOR SUSTAINABILITY Water, energy and sustainable development in the 21st century; Ecologically sus-tainable water management: role of the academy to face the development? Pres-sures and challenges - experiences in Chile; Water management in Mexico: analy-sis from the sustainability perspective; Hydrological consequences of climate vari-ability and impact on sustainability of the two great basins in the northwest of Mexico; Enso drought effects and their impact in the ecology and economy of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico; The relation of oil to the Mexican economy: past, present and future; Climate change as a key variable for a socially and eco-nomically sustainable future: a synthesis PART 3 FUNDAMENTALS TOWARD PUBLIC POLICIES Coastal governance in Brazil: the challenges of pre-salt cycle; Uncoupled public policies and institutions: persistent challenges for management of altered ecosys-tems; Environmental policy for sustainable development and biodiversity conservation: a case study involving the exploitation of Beaucarnea recurvata; Gaps in environmental law on sustainable socioeconomic development PART 4 CONCEPTS, TOOLS AND STUDY CASES An ecosystem vision for New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta: applying ecologi-cal economics and ecological engineering; Current concepts of eco-economy and biophysical economics: towards sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico coastal zone; Renewable resources and poverty alleviation: an application to non-timber forest products; Use of wetland spatial models for sustainable development; Quantitative analysis of natural resource regulations leading to coastal ecosystems sustainabil-ity: Mexico as a case study; Conservation priorities from the structural stability of ecosystems; Identifying areas for ecotourism and conservation of threatened species: the model of black howler monkey in Playas de Catazaja, Mexico; Toward sustainability of development in the southern coast of Brazil; Interdisciplinary diagnosis and scenario analysis for the implementation of a coastal protected area, Laguna de Rocha Uruguay; The Mayakoba touristic development: a model of sus-tainable tourism in the Mexican Caribbean; The role of dung beetles in the sus-tainability of pasture and grasslands; Ecological engineering for controlling water pollution in Latin America; Biotechnology for edible mushroom culture: a tool for sustainable development in Mexico; Using ecotechnology to address water and habitat loss quality in estuarine systems, Gulf of Mexico: a synthesis PART 5 POSITION PAPERS TOWARD NEW AGENDA TOPICS Beyond duplicity and ignorance in global fisheries; A holistic vision on sustainable forest management for the 21st century; Diminished resources, energy scarcity and climate change: unsustainable future development; The limits of urban sustain-ability; Achieving sustainability: issues facing United States public research universities
About the Author :
Dr. Alejandro Yanez-Arancibia is a senior scientist and full professor at East Carolina University, USA & Instituto de Ecologia A.C., Mexico. His numerous awards include Membership in the Mexican Academy of Science (1983), Membership in the National Research System (1984-1998), NAGA Award (1990) from the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Philippines (now WFI Malaysia) for best scientific paper or book by a developing-country author, 1992 Distinguished Honored Professor in Marine Sciences with the Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, William A. Niering Outstanding Educator Award (2007) from the Estuarine Research Federation USA (now CERF) for excellence in coastal and estuarine education and research, 2010 Thomas W. Rivers Distinguished Professorship in International Affairs. He has served as Scientific Director of EPOMEX, University of South Carolina (1992), Associate Editor for Ocean & Coastal Management (1997-2008) Dr. Raymundo Davalos Sotelo has been the Coordinator of the Environment and Sustainability Network at the Instituto de Ecologia A.C., Mexico since 2009. He has been a member of the National Research System 1985-2004 and 2006-present and has served as Head, Division of Natural Resources, Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico (1998), Coordinator for research Units, Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico (2005), Editor in Chief for Madera y Bosques INECOL (2008). Dr. John W. Day was named Distinguished and Emeritus Professor at Louisiana State University, USA in 2005. His numerous awards include: Distinguished Honored Professor in Estuarine Ecology at EPOMEX, Mexico (1993), School of the Coast & Environment Outstanding Faculty Teaching Aware at Louisiana State University (1998), International Lipsey Professional Educator Award 2000), Distinguished Visiting Professor with the Organization for Tropical Studies at the Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico (2002), William A. Niering Outstanding Educator Award (2007) from the Estuarine Research Federation USA (now CERF) for excellence in coastal and estuarine education and research. Dr. Enrique Reyes is an Associate Professor at East Carolina University, USA. His many awards include: Student Scholarship at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) (1985), Honors distinction in MSc Studies in Marine Sciences at UNAM (1988), Pew Charitable Trust scholarship (1991) for development of a computerized interface for resources management of a Mexican coastal system, UNAM scholarship for PhD studies in Marine Sciences at Louisiana State University (1992), Membership in Scientific Research Society, Sigma X (1992), Distinguished Visiting Professor with the Organization for Tropical Studies at the Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico (2002).
