Stratos Arampatzis

Identifying governance strategies that effectively support ecosystem services, resource sustainability, and biodiversity

Conservation scientists, national governments, and international conservation groups seek to devise, and implement, governance strategies that mitigate human impact on the environment. However, few studies to date have systematically investigated the performance of different systems of governance in achieving successful conservation outcomes. Here, we use a newly-developed analytic framework to conduct analyses of a suite of case studies, linking different governance strategies to standardized scores for delivering ecosystem services, achieving sustainable use of natural resources, and conserving biodiversity, at both local and international levels. Our results: (i) confirm the benefits of adaptive management; and (ii) reveal strong associations for the role of leadership. Our work provides a critical step toward implementing empirically justified governance strategies that are capable of improving the management of human-altered environments, with benefits for both biodiversity and people.

IA tools applied to impact assessment of EU policies in agriculture and environment

Demand for impact assessment (IA) tools by public administrations has increased significantly in the last decades, when the European Union has also increased its efforts to measure the impact of its agricultural and environmental policies. Different IA tools have been applied to assess EU policies in agriculture and environment, like the Common Agricultural Policy reform, decoupling, the Water Framework Directive, agri-environmental schemes, the Nitrates Directive, etc. This paper considers impact assessment tools that are commonly used in Europe and the rest of the world for carrying out assessments initiated by policymakers. The aim of the paper is to provide a review of the IA tools applied for the assessment of the EU policies in agriculture and environment, to analyse them and to classify them by different criteria according to the policy that they have been applied to and by the impacts that they have been measured. This paper reviews 116 published studies for impact assessment carried out in European countries.

Transactional Environmental Support System Design: Global Solutions

Designing a Transactional Environmental Support System grew from the desire to allow citizens to exchange knowledge on local land and animals for the purpose of learning how to increase their sustainability in regards to biodiversity and livelihood.Transactional Environmental Support System Design: Global Solutions details the results of this project ranging from studies done in small, local communities to those done in much larger national settings. Survey results of government practices, availability of decision support software, and community responses to data recording are all highlighted in this emerging research. Additionally, the book goes on to emphasize the increasing potential for environmental decision support while directly addressing some of the challenges that must be overcome.