A Review of the Elements of Human Well-Being with an Emphasis on the Contribution of Ecosystem Services

Summers, James K.; Smith, Lisa M.; Case, Jason L.; Linthurst, Rick A.

doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0256-7

Cited by 306 publications

(196 citation statements)

References 87 publications

(66 reference statements)

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“…Third, sense of place has been theorized as a constituent of wellbeing, including well-being contingent upon ecosystem services (Summers et al 2012, Russell et al 2013). However, there has been insufficient attention to understanding well-being as co-created by people and ecosystems (Smith et al 2013), as well as incorporating the subjectivity of well-being in this context (Breslow et al 2016).…”

Section: Sense Of Place In Assessment Of Ecosystem Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of sense of place to social-ecological systems research: a review and research agenda

Masterson¹,

Stedman²,

Enqvist³

et al. 2017

E&S

330

273

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ABSTRACT. To develop and apply goals for future sustainability, we must consider what people care about and what motivates them to engage in solving sustainability issues. Sense of place theory and methods provide a rich source of insights that, like the socialecological systems perspective, assume an interconnected social and biophysical reality. However, these fields of research are only recently beginning to converge, and we see great potential for further engagement. Here, we present an approach and conceptual tools for how the sense of place perspective can contribute to social-ecological systems research. A brief review focuses on two areas where relation to place is particularly relevant: stewardship of ecosystem services, and responses to change in social-ecological systems. Based on the review, we synthesize specific ways in which sense of place may be applied by social-ecological systems researchers to analyze individual and social behaviors. We emphasize the importance of descriptive place meanings and evaluative place attachment as tools to study the patterned variation of sense of place within or among populations or types of places and the implications for resilience and transformative capacity. We conclude by setting out an agenda for future research that takes into account the concerns of resilience thinking such as the effects of dynamic ecology, interactions between temporal and spatial scales, and the interplay of rapid and incremental change on sense of place and place-related behaviors. This future research agenda also includes concerns from the broader sense of place literature such as the importance of structural power relationships on the creation of place meanings and how scaling up a sense of place may influence pro-environmental behavior.

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Section: Sense Of Place In Assessment Of Ecosystem Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of sense of place to social-ecological systems research: a review and research agenda

Masterson¹,

Stedman²,

Enqvist³

et al. 2017

E&S

330

273

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In spite of the mainstream of the ecosystem service approach and its repercussions at international forums, the explicit connections between ecosystem services and human wellbeing have been infrequently studied and have rarely been incorporated effectively into environmental and land-use planning policies. Some work has been done on how ecosystems regulate infectious diseases or extreme natural events [24] through the ecohealth perspective (http://www.ecohealth.net/); however, it is notable how there has been no impact on the most intangible components of wellbeing, such as mental health, freedom of action and election and having good social relationships [25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Farming in the Promotion of Social-Ecological Sustainability in Rural and Periurban Areas

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Rural areas are facing a spectrum of landscape changes and vulnerability as a consequence of financial and environmental crises. Innovative approaches are required to maintain the provision of social services and manage ecosystem services in these areas. We explore the capacity of social farming to create viable and sustainable rural and periurban areas according to a social-ecological perspective. We use the key elements of social-ecological systems under social farming practices to analyse (1) the role of local communities and non-formal institutions; (2) the involvement of target stakeholders; and (3) the explicit connection between agroecosystems and human wellbeing. To do so, we selected and described four cases of local social farming initiatives in terms of the key elements of social-ecological systems and conducted a literature review to provide an overview of the explicit impact of social farming on the quality of life. We found that social farming illustrates hybrid governance solutions beyond market instruments that could be applied for the governance of agroecosystems. It can also provide a range of other wellbeing and cultural ecosystem services to rural and urban inhabitants. Greater cooperation between social farming and ecosystem service science could rebound in rural landscape sustainability.

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“…The index presented here offers a necessary measure of the influence of policies and services (environmental, economic and social) on aspects of social welfare and overall human well-being [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Index of Human Well-Being for the U.S.: A TRIO Approach

Summers¹,

Smith²,

Harwell³

et al. 2014

Sustainability

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Abstract:In 2011, the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development program, Sustainable and Healthy Communities, coined the term TRIO (Total Resources Impact Outcome) to represent approaches that fully incorporate all three pillars of community sustainability-environmental, economic and social. This holistic approach to sustainability is embodied in the Human Well-Being Index (HWBI) comprised of sub-indices representing environmental well-being, economic well-being and societal well-being (which includes basic human needs and subjective well-being). The development of the HWBI is described in this manuscript along with its application at national, state and county spatial scales. In addition, application at even smaller spatial scales (communities, neighborhoods, demographic and economic sub-groups, and even individuals) is discussed. The potential utility of HWBI for comparing the intended and unintended consequences of alternative decisions is described.

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A Review of the Elements of Human Well-Being with an Emphasis on the Contribution of Ecosystem Services

Cited by 306 publications

References 87 publications

The contribution of sense of place to social-ecological systems research: a review and research agenda

The contribution of sense of place to social-ecological systems research: a review and research agenda

Social Farming in the Promotion of Social-Ecological Sustainability in Rural and Periurban Areas

An Index of Human Well-Being for the U.S.: A TRIO Approach

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