This study describes the first general optimization model for complex systems with uncertain parameters and decision variables represented as intervals in CDM forestry projects. We work through a specific example of the optimization method developed for a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) forestry project in Inner Mongolia, China. This model is designed to optimize the carbon sink capacity of t...

Social–Ecological Systems (SES) are complex due to uncertainty related to their nature and their functions. In these systems, decision-making processes and practices of managers are often valueladen and subjective, dominated by their world-views and their own knowledge. People’s knowledge are central in building their adaptive capacity but are seldom taken into account by traditional decision-m...

Despite intensive research during the past decade on the effects of alien species, invasion science still lacks the capacity to accurately predict the impacts of those species and, therefore, to provide timely advice to managers on where limited resources should be allocated. This capacity has been limited partly by the context-dependent nature of ecological impacts, research highly skewed towa...

Pond aquaculture is the most significant fish production method in central Europe, approximately 70% of the total fish production is originated from traditional fish ponds in this region, which is a resource-saving, ecologically sustainable production method. However, the growth of this sector is not expected because of the low production capacity of valuable fish species and the relatively hig...

We have developed a social optimization model that integrates wastewater treatment cost function and ecosystem damage cost function. The social optimal abatement level of water pollution is determined by finding the tradeoff between pollution control cost and ecosystem damage. The model is applied to data from the Lake Taihu region in China to demonstrate this tradeoff. A wastewater treatment c...

The tenet that ecological opportunity drives adaptive diversification has been central to theories of speciation since Darwin, yet no widely accepted definition or mechanistic framework for the concept currently exists. We propose a definition for ecological opportunity that provides an explicit mechanism for its action. In our formulation, ecological opportunity refers to environmental conditi...

Prescribed fire is a critical tool for promoting restoration and increasing resilience in fire-adapted ecosystems, but there are barriers to its use, including a shortage of personnel with adequate ecological knowledge and operational expertise to implement prescribed fire across multijurisdictional landscapes. In the United States, recognized needs for both professional development and increas...

Humans’ demands for biological resources and energies have always been increasing, whereas evidence has shown that this demand is outpacing the regenerative and absorptive capacity of the planet. Since China is experiencing unprecedented urbanization and industrialization processes, how much impact this has imposed on the earth during economic development worldwide is conspicuous. Therefore, th...

Stresses present in different forms and call for subtly different responses. Conventional modes of planning seek to render such stressors manageable by administering them discretely. This has generally resulted in a segregated approach to spatial planning wherein functional delineations have become institutionally ‘sedimented’ within planning authorities (flood risk management, open space deman...