Environmental mediation: an instrument for collaborative decision making in territorial planing

Caser, Ursula; Cebola, Cátia Marques; Vasconcelos, Lia; Ferro, Filipa

doi:10.18055/finis6969

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Scarce social participation and weak institutions are other features that typify the definitions and laws of land management and spatial planning in Latin America, although it occurs in differing degrees (Hernández 2010). On the continental scale, the absence of a culture of participatory planning and limited knowledge of consensus and conflict resolution methodologies predominate (Arias and Vargas 2010, Needham and Buitelaar 2012, Caser and Cebola 2017. The absence or weakness of institutional organizations and the cultural traditions that endorse coordinated, cooperative, interdisciplinary, flexible, and open work, are among the most important obstacles for implementing systematic approaches of land management.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use planning in the Amazon basin: challenges from resilience thinking

Agudelo¹,

Mazzeo²,

Díaz³

et al. 2020

E&S

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Amazonia is under threat. Biodiversity and redundancy loss in the Amazon biome severely limits the long-term provision of key ecosystem services in diverse spatial scales (local, regional, and global). Resilience thinking attempts to understand the mechanisms that ensure a system's capacity to recover in the face of external pressures, trauma, or disturbances, as well as changes in its internal dynamics. Resilience thinking also promotes relevant transformations of system configurations considered adverse or nonsustainable, and therefore proposes the simultaneous analysis of the adaptive capacity and the transformation of a system. In this context, seven principles have been proposed, which are considered crucial for social-ecological systems to become resilient. These seven principles of resilience thinking are analyzed in terms of the land use planning and land management of the Amazonian biome. To comprehend its main conflicts, challenges, and opportunities, we reveal the key aspects of the historical process of Latin America's land management and the Amazon basin's past and current land use changes. Based on this review, the Amazon region shows two concrete challenges for resilience: (1) the natural system's fragmentation, as a consequence of land use limiting key ecological processes, and (2) the cultural and institutional fragmentation of land use projects designed and partially implemented in the region. In addition, the region presents challenges related to institutional design, the expansion and strengthening of real participation spaces, and the promotion of social learning. Finally, polycentric and adaptive governance is itself a major, urgent need for this region and its socialecological complexity.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use planning in the Amazon basin: challenges from resilience thinking

Agudelo¹,

Mazzeo²,

Díaz³

et al. 2020

E&S

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“…Mediation is a structured process centered on dialogue to bring consensus around sustainable solutions that serve the interests and needs of all stakeholders (Caser et al 2017). Mediating factors go beyond the court systems and economic and political interests to develop a framework for formal participation and true collaboration between all stakeholders.…”

Section: Mediating Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As explained in the 2030 Agenda, mediation involves extending the dialogue to all available technical and nontechnical knowledge as well as the values and interests of stakeholders to ask for their contribution to the decisionmaking process (UN 2015). Such a dialogue leads to improved participation in and legitimacy of final decisions, promotes accountability and minimizes disputes between local communities, local governments and the private sector (Caser et al 2017).…”

Section: Mediating Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Decision-making Spherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In settings where there are a variety of conflicting interests in the use of resources, there should be an appropriate balance of power between private and public interests in decision-making (Caser et al 2017). The use of the same resource for different purposes by different stakeholders creates competition, incompatibility of use and sometimes dispossession for some stakeholders (Caser et al 2017). This is clearly displayed in the two case studies; the Maasai want to use their land for pastoral activities, while the national and local governments have greater interest in tourism activities, and private sector entities want the land for commercial wheat farming.…”

Section: Decision-making Spherementioning

confidence: 99%

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Decentralized governments: local empowerment and sustainable development challenges in Africa

Atisa

Zemrani

Weiss

2020

Environ Dev Sustain

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This study examines the extent to which decentralization is being utilized as a vehicle for sustainable economic development outcomes at all levels of governance in Africa. Research shows that decentralization is missing the triple-bottom line of sustainability: economic, social and environmental prosperity that meets current needs and does not take away from future generations in regions settled by indigenous communities. In this study, selected peer-reviewed literature and reports from conservation organizations on decentralization are analyzed. This research explores ways decentralization can be integrated with sustainability to minimize the short-term and longrun consequences of human actions on the environment at local levels. Factors enabling local sustainability-the legal structures, mediating factors and the decision-making sphere-are used to identify sustainability processes and activities in the governance and decentralization outcomes. This study is guided by the argument made by the United Nations in Agenda 21 and the 2030 Agenda that local governments are best placed to implement sustainability through the development of programs that educate and engage with local communities. Under these circumstances, the best avenue to advance sustainable development initiatives is through the framework of decentralization in order to produce durable economic outcomes, minimize civil disputes and improve the living standards of local communities. The results demonstrate that there are no concrete national initiatives that have been developed to date to promote sustainability within the decentralization framework.

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