Complex problems and unchallenged solutions: Bringing ecosystem governance to the forefront of the UN sustainable development goals

Abstract

Sustainable development aims at addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns, but the current lack of responsive environmental governance hinders progress. Short-term economic development has led to limited actions, unsustainable resource management, and degraded ecosystems. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may continue to fall short of achieving significant progress without a better understanding of how ecosystems contribute to achieving sustainability for all people. Ecosystem governance is an approach that integrates the social and ecological components for improved sustainability and includes principles such as adaptive ecosystem co-management, subsidiarity, and telecoupling framework, as well as principles of democracy and accountability. We explain the importance of ecosystem governance in achieving the SDGs, and suggest some ways to ensure that ecosystem services are meaningfully considered. This paper reflects on how integration of these approaches into policies can enhance the current agenda of sustainability.

Keywords

Conservation; Ecosystems; Environmental degradation; Governance; International conventions; Sustainability

Published in

AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2017, Volume: 46, number: 7, pages: 731-742

SLU Authors

• Jones, Michael

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-0918-6

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/103982