List of Figures, Tables and Boxes
v
Acronyms and Abbreviations
viii
Foreword: Doing Systemic Sustainability Analysis - a Practitioner Note
x
Acknowledgements
xvi
Part I The Bad Application of Good Science?
1 Sustainability and Sustainability Indicators 3
Introduction and objectives 3
Two roots of sustainability 6
The meaning of sustainability 9
Space and time in sustainability 13
System quality l5
Sustainability in practice 16
Indicators of ecosystem health 18
Sustainability indicators 22
Calculation, presentation and interpretation of sustainability indicators
28
Sustainability Indicators: a realistic and reasonable approach to measuring
sustainability? 30
2 Sustainability Indicators in Practice 33
Introduction and objectives 33
The Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) 35
Problems with the application of the MSY 41
Maximum sustainable yield as a sustainability indicator 46
Sustainability indicators in marine ecosystems-the AMOEBA approach
47
Some conclusions 54
3 Indicators, Cities, Institutions and Projects 59
Introduction and objectives 59
Sustainable communities 61
Institutional sustainability 65
Projects, appraisal and sustainability 71
Part II The Application of Realistic Systemisism?
4 Paradigms and Professionals 77
Introduction and objectives 77
Changes in thinking: From science to systems 80
The demise of narrow scientism 81
Systems approaches to problem solving 85
A range of systems approaches 88
New definitions and new thinking-holism, eclecticism, systemisism 100
Emerging premises for SI development 102
5 Projects and Sustainability Indicators 104
Introduction and objectives 104
The project scenario for SIs 107
The stakeholder scenario for SIs - participation and coalition 110
Accommodating multiple views of sustainability 111
Introducing the systemic sustainability analysis (SSA) idea 115
6 A Systemic Approach to Sustainability Analysis 119
Introduction and objectives 119
Finding out how we are - a question of mood 122
Understanding the project context 124
Identifying and involving the stakeholders 126
Being clear on methods 132
The five step procedure 132
Unpacking the SI analysis 144
Responding to 'good' AMOEBA 146
Responding to 'bad' AMOEBA 146
A stitch in time... 147
Part III Where Next? Humility and Honesty
7 Sustainability Indicators - the Rhetoric and the Reality 151
Introduction and objectives 151
Managing expectation 153
Organic and empowering approaches compared to inorganic and de-humanizing
approaches 154
Culture change 155
The essential need for reflective practice 156
Future research priorities 157
References
160
Index
171
List of Figures, Tables and Boxes
FIGURES
F.1 Overview of the book
xiv
1.1 The roots of the modern view of sustainability
6
1.2 System quality and sustainability
11
1.3 Importance of the reference point for gauging sustainability
15
1.4 The two broad approaches to the use of environmental indicators
19
1.5 Fish distribution in the Cynon River system in South Wales, UK
20
1.6 Change in biodiversity (Shannon-Wiener Index, H) along the River
Gynon in South Wales
22
1.7 The concept behind sustainability indicators (Sls)
23
2.1 Examples of population growth curves
37
2.2 Example of an age distribution
38
2.3 Main elements contributing to population change
39
2.4 The concept of maximum sustainable yield in harvesting a population
40
2.5 The Schaefer model employed to determine MSY based on the fishery
yield for a particular fishing effort
41
2.6 Population growth curves based on the equation in Box 2.4
43
2.7 Schaefer model fitted to data from the Peruvian anchovy fishery
45
2.8 Example of an AMOEBA approach to presenting sustainability indicators
50
2.9 Biomass of trout and bullhead and numbers of midges at four sampling
stations on the River Cynon relative to station C1 (the reference condition)
51
2.10 Biomass of trout and bullhead and numbers of midges at four sampling
stations on the River Cynon relative to station C2 (the reference condition)
52
4.1 A continuum of research approaches
81
4.2 A systems view of a particular context
87
4.3 A reductionist view of a particular context
88
4.4 Axis for comparing systems approaches
89
4.5 The soft systems method
90
4.6 The reinforcing loop (snowball)
93
4.7 Three pillars of PRA
96
4.8 The four approaches
100
5.1 The use people make of Sis
106
5.2 The blueprint project cycle(s); relationship between the phases
of project formulation and the traditional project cycle
106
5.3 The process or 'adaptive' project approach
107
5.4 Project approaches and the spectrum of thinking about problem solving
109
5.5 Venn diagram of participant group overlap
113
5.6 Multiple views on a project's goal
114
5.7 A systems view of participation
115
5.8 What SIs we are going to make use of
116
5.9 An SI AMOEBA
117
6.1 The five steps to producing the SSA
121
6.2 SSA within the greater cycle
122
6.3 SWOT analysis of mood of a university department concerning a project
to develop consultancy within the department
123
6.4 Quadrants with notes
123
6.5 Rich picture of a project context
125
6.6 Norwich 21 rich picture
126
6.7 Single view of sustainability
129
6.8 Multiple views of sustainability
130
6.9 State SIs
134
6.10 State and process SIs
135
6.11 Internal and external process SIs
135
6.12 Relative controllability of internal and external process SIs
136
6.13 The River Cynon and SIs
136
6.14 Different types of Sis evolving in the project
137
6.15 The SI learning cycle
137
6.16 A collection of 'valid' SIs
139
6.17 The SI continuum
141
6.18 The equilibrium band - drawing the SIs
143
6.19 AMOEBA drawn from SIs
144
6.20 IT project AMOEBA
145
6.21 Extending the AMOEBA over time
146
7.1 Equilibrium and agreed expectations
153
7.2 A learning cycle of further questions
158
TABLES
1.1 The United Nations working list of sustainable development indicators
25
1.2 Some sustainability indicators for sub-Saharan African agroecosystems
27
3.1 Top ten key components of sustainable development
62
3.2 The Norwich 21 set of SIs
63
3.3 Values of the subsidy dependence index (SDI) for some rural finance
institutions
69
4.1 Defining features of systems
87
4.2 Comparison of systems and reductionist approaches
89
4.3 The five disciplines
92
4.4 An overview of the logical framework (LF)
97
4.5 Explaining logical frameworks
98
4.6 A partial LF expression of Norwich 21
99
5.1 Project: blueprint and process
108
5.2 Participant stakeholder groups
112
5.3 Participant stakeholder groups in an Nigerian project
112
6.1 Stakeholder and analysis spreadsheet
131
7.1 Problems and prizes of vulnerability
157
BOXES
1.1 Visions of sustainable agriculture
8
1.2 Some definitions of sustainability
10
1.3 Two different visions of sustainability
13
1.4 A summary of ten Ballagio Principles for gauging progress towards sustainable
development
17
1.5 The Shannon-Wiener Index (H) of biodiversity
21
1.6 The theory behind the calculation of the total factor productivity
(TFP) indicator of sustainability in tropical farming systems
29
2.1 The mathematical equations behind the population curve in Figure 2.1(a)
38
2.2 The mathematical equations behind the population curve in Figure 2.1(b)
39
2.3 An equation relating fishing effort to yield from a fishery
41
2.4 A population growth equation based on the assumption that the size
of the population is linked to that of the previous generation
42
2.5 The calculation of ecological Dow Jones indices for three indicators
(trout and bullhead biomass and midge numbers) from the River Cynon in
South Wales
53
2.6 Two simple factors that complicate the use of the algal index as an
SI
56
3.1 Two indicators that can be employed to gauge the self-sufficiency of
development institutions in providing financial services to resource-poor
groups
68
4.1 Some of the techniques in participatory rural appraisal (PRA)
94
6.1 Some major elements of workshop
128