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Policy interest in socio‐ecological systems has driven attempts to define and map socio‐ecological zones (SEZs), that is, spatial regions, distinguishable by their conjoined social and bio‐geo‐physical characteristics. The state of Idaho, USA, has a strong need for SEZ designations because of potential conflicts between rapidly increasing and impactful human populations, and proximal natural ecosystems. Our Idaho SEZs address analytical shortcomings in previously published SEZs by: (1) considering potential biases of clustering methods, (2) cross‐validating SEZ classifications, (3) measuring the relative importance of bio‐geo‐physical and social system predictors, and (4) considering spatial autocorrelation. We obtained authoritative bio‐geo‐physical and social system datasets for Idaho, aggregated into 5‐km grids = 25 km2, and decomposed these using principal components analyses (PCAs). PCA scores were classified using two clustering techniques commonly used in SEZ mapping: hierarchical clustering with Ward's linkage, and k‐means analysis. Classification evaluators indicated that eight‐ and five‐cluster solutions were optimal for the bio‐geo‐physical and social datasets for Ward's linkage, resulting in 31 SEZ composite types, and six‐ and five‐cluster solutions were optimal for k‐means analysis, resulting in 24 SEZ composite types. Ward's and k‐means solutions were similar for bio‐geo‐physical and social classifications with similar numbers of clusters. Further, both classifiers identified the same dominant SEZ composites. For rarer SEZs, however, classification methods strongly affected SEZ classifications, potentially altering land management perspectives. Our SEZs identify several critical regions of social–ecological overlap. These include suburban interface types and a high desert transition zone. Based on multinomial generalized linear models, bio‐geo‐physical information explained more variation in SEZs than social system data, after controlling for spatial autocorrelation, under both Ward's and k‐means approaches. Agreement (cross‐validation) levels were high for multinomial models with bio‐geo‐physical and social predictors for both Ward's and k‐means SEZs. A consideration of historical drivers, including indigenous social systems, and current trajectories of land and resource management in Idaho, indicates a strong need for rigorous SEZ designations to guide development and conservation in the region. Our analytical framework can be broadly applied in SES research and applied in other regions, when categorical responses—including cluster designations—have a spatial component.
Policy interest in socio‐ecological systems has driven attempts to define and map socio‐ecological zones (SEZs), that is, spatial regions, distinguishable by their conjoined social and bio‐geo‐physical characteristics. The state of Idaho, USA, has a strong need for SEZ designations because of potential conflicts between rapidly increasing and impactful human populations, and proximal natural ecosystems. Our Idaho SEZs address analytical shortcomings in previously published SEZs by: (1) considering potential biases of clustering methods, (2) cross‐validating SEZ classifications, (3) measuring the relative importance of bio‐geo‐physical and social system predictors, and (4) considering spatial autocorrelation. We obtained authoritative bio‐geo‐physical and social system datasets for Idaho, aggregated into 5‐km grids = 25 km2, and decomposed these using principal components analyses (PCAs). PCA scores were classified using two clustering techniques commonly used in SEZ mapping: hierarchical clustering with Ward's linkage, and k‐means analysis. Classification evaluators indicated that eight‐ and five‐cluster solutions were optimal for the bio‐geo‐physical and social datasets for Ward's linkage, resulting in 31 SEZ composite types, and six‐ and five‐cluster solutions were optimal for k‐means analysis, resulting in 24 SEZ composite types. Ward's and k‐means solutions were similar for bio‐geo‐physical and social classifications with similar numbers of clusters. Further, both classifiers identified the same dominant SEZ composites. For rarer SEZs, however, classification methods strongly affected SEZ classifications, potentially altering land management perspectives. Our SEZs identify several critical regions of social–ecological overlap. These include suburban interface types and a high desert transition zone. Based on multinomial generalized linear models, bio‐geo‐physical information explained more variation in SEZs than social system data, after controlling for spatial autocorrelation, under both Ward's and k‐means approaches. Agreement (cross‐validation) levels were high for multinomial models with bio‐geo‐physical and social predictors for both Ward's and k‐means SEZs. A consideration of historical drivers, including indigenous social systems, and current trajectories of land and resource management in Idaho, indicates a strong need for rigorous SEZ designations to guide development and conservation in the region. Our analytical framework can be broadly applied in SES research and applied in other regions, when categorical responses—including cluster designations—have a spatial component.
Rural abandonment is a significant process in the Mediterranean region, posing sustainability challenges for rural and urban areas. Although there is an increase in studies focusing on the ecological implications and impacts of land abandonment and the role of rewilding, there is a knowledge gap in the study of the socio-cultural dimension of abandonment from the local perspective, even though it is crucial for land management decision. This study focuses on a case study in Western Spain, where a social survey was used to assess the perceptions of local communities regarding land abandonment and their implication on nature’s contributions to people and quality of life. A survey campaign was administered in the case study region during the summer of 2020, collecting 205 face-to-face surveys. The results show that local communities overall have a negative reaction toward rural abandonment. In addition, local respondents recognize how traditional agriculture is the main source for maintaining nature’s contributions to human well-being. Additionally, four groups of narratives toward rural abandonment were identified representing clusters of respondents with different motivations and interpretations of rural abandonment. This paper calls for understanding better the perceptions, values, and motivations toward rural abandonment and how their outcomes can be used as input for landscape management. Our results indicate that the local population perceives that the loss of rural livelihoods may entail serious environmental and societal problems, as locals are forced to abandon their rural-associated ways of life and migrate to urban areas.
Recently, a global trend towards a broader use of secondary data in social sciences has been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. This evoked doubts about the validity of the results unless restrictive assessment procedures are implemented. To address this need in the field of protected area (PA) conflict analysis, we propose a three-fold approach (theory-, method-, and cross-scale simulation-driven) to assess the usefulness of the utilized state register dataset and the indicator analysis methodology for the multi-level recognition of PA conflict determinants. With the ultimate aim to inform case study selection, we processed 187 relevant indicators from the official Statistics Poland register for a Lesser Poland region. We distinguished five types of PA conflict determinants in Lesser Poland (‘urbanity’, ‘agriculture’, ‘tourism’, ‘small-scale entrepreneurship’, and ‘sprawl’) and respective groups of 15 clusters comprising local-level units. For one cluster, we juxtaposed the obtained results with secondary data from another source (Internet content) and for a specific PA (Tatra National Park). Although the reported conflict issues corresponded to the indicator-derived descriptors of the cluster, in the theory-driven phase of the assessment, the state register failed to address the key prerequisites of PA conflicts. We have demonstrated that, in crisis conditions such as COVID-19, the proposed method can serve as a proxy for a multi-level recognition of PA conflict potentials, provided that it synthesises the results of different methodological approaches, followed by in-person interviews in the selected case studies.
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