Publications

@phdthesis{SerranoTovar2014,

title = {Spatial analysis in MuSIASEM. The use of geographic information systems and land use applied to the integrated analysis of rural systems' metabolism},

author = {Tarik Serrano Tovar},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/286179 https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/286179},

isbn = {9788449047879},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-05-01},

pages = {135},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {This doctoral dissertation is about exploring and developing procedures making it possible to incorporate spatial analytical tools, and more concretely Geographic Information Systems (GIS), into one of the most interesting approaches to study sustainability issues: the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). In particular, this is a methodological exercise having the goal to develop, test and propose tools that can be used for the integrated assessment of the sustainability of socio-ecological systems, and more specifically rural systems. Therefore, this thesis combines both theoretical discussions and practical case studies. The development of a robust methodology required dealing with the theory of complexity, whereas the test and calibration of the resulting methods required ground-based with empirical work. Thus, the dissertation goes through three main parts: an introductory part developing the theory, a second part with the three case studies and a third part with the conclusive reflections on the lessons learned about the methodology. The first part is divided in three chapters where I firstly make a general introduction to the context motivating this thesis, a second chapter in which I explain the MuSIASEM approach, the background theories and I justify why I have chosen this approach rather than others, and a third chapter where I develop the general theory and methodology to analyse rural systems tested in the second part. The second part of this dissertation contains the core of the applied research; the three case studies. The first application is a case study of rural Laos, where I develop a system of accounting capable of handling the quantitative information about the metabolic performance of typologies of farming systems across levels and scales based in the land use and GIS information. This quantitative method can scale-up and scale-down the characterization of elements defined on different hierarchical levels of organization, which can only be perceived and represented on non-equivalent descriptive domains. The second case study was undertaken in Guatemala and it included empirical field work. There, I established a procedure to generate geographic information at local level to be used for the metabolic analysis of the system, in order to later simulate scenarios taking into account geographic constraints. The third case study is more complex, it is an analysis of Mauritius Island integrating many dimensions and scales (energy, food, water, money, land use, human activity) and handling data through the use of GIS and remote sensing to simulate possible scenarios of development. The final part of the dissertation develops some reflections about the particular scope of this thesis (the use of GIS in MuSIASEM), and a last chapter of concluding theoretical remarks.},

keywords = {GIS, Integrated assessment, Multi-scale},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{MadridLopez2014,

title = {The water metabolism of socio-ecosystems. Epistemology, methods and applications},

author = {Cristina Madrid L\'{o}pez},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/285540},

isbn = {9788449050541},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-01-01},

pages = {300},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {The research line presented in this dissertation is a first attempt to provide a bridge for the communication between Hydrological studies and Social Metabolism. It was born from the observation that water is neglected in Social Metabolism and that current water science, while certain about the need of evolving towards a more interdisciplinary field, still faces challenges in the connection of social and ecosystem analyses. The contribution made here is the definition of an analytical framework \textendashthe Water Metabolism of Socioecosystems- where this connection can be established and which is formed by a conceptual proposal and a methodological toolkit. The document is divided in three parts where the epistemological, the methodological and the formal novelties of the framework are discussed. Part I covers the epistemological reflections related to the analytical framework. It begins in Chapter 1 with the explanation of the challenges faced by current water science and that relate to the need of finding analytical frameworks that contribute useful inputs to integrated management of the water resources (IWRM). As with the case of other resources, IWRM requires the analytical connection of the social and ecosystem dynamics. As a key piece within Sustainability Science the analogy of the metabolism of societies can be used to establish this connection. However, the metabolism concept needs a close examination before its joint use with other conceptions of the relations between humans and nature. After highlighting the need of considering the societal and ecosystem metabolism of socio-ecosystems as two separate but connected processes, a conceptual scheme is proposed in Chapter 2 to describe the metabolic relations between them. In Chapter 3, this scheme is adapted to the specifics of water using some of the most relevant concepts in socio- and eco-hydrology. In this way the water metabolism of socio-ecosystems is defined as the metabolism of the coupled water-human systems. Part II describes the methodological framework. In Chapter 4 the Multi-Scale Assessment of the Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) is presented as an established framework able to deal with the scale issues and the integration of narratives. MuSIASEM is selected as a root and adapted to the analyses of coupled water-human systems. Since water presents some differences with the previous energy-focus analyses, its adaptation requires the inclusion of new scales of analysis \textendashproblemshed and watershed- and new definitions of water as a metabolite \textendashas flow and fund. In Chapter 5 the differences and synergies between MuSIASEM and the water footprint analysis \textendashas one of the tools of the IWRM- are highlighted. In part III four case studies are presented with two objectives. First, Chapter 6 assesses the sustainability of the metabolic patterns I Punjab and Mauritius in order to test the adaptation of MuSIASEM to water and to show how this type of analyses is made functional. Second, Chapter 7 shows how the water footprint accounting methods can complement the analysis of the water flows in MuSIASEM and how MuSIASEM, in turn an provide a space for their contextualization.},

keywords = {Agriculture, Complex systems, Integrated Water Resources Management, MuSIASEM, Socio-ecological system, Virtual Water},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{DellAngel2013,

title = {Abusing the commons? An integrated institutional analysis of common-pool resource governance in conflict situations},

author = {Jampel Dell'Angel},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/129471 https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/129471},

isbn = {9788449040801},

year  = {2013},

date = {2013-11-01},

pages = {260},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {Governance of natural Common-Pool Resources (CPRs) is a central area of sustainability theory and practice. This arena generally lies at the interface between policy and science. Nevertheless, the conflict nature of CPR governance is often not systematically acknowledged in analytical approaches developed for the study of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) and specifically common-pool resources. This dissertation integrates three different bodies of scholarship\textemdashInstitutional Analysis/Commons Theory, Political Ecology, and Societal Metabolism\textemdashand discusses the complementarities and potentials for bringing them together. Moreover, based on this theoretical discussion, it proposes an integrated and modified version of Elinor Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. The dissertation illustrates the integration of the proposed modified version of the IAD Framework and its application to two case studies, both related to the governance of CPRs in conflict situations but significantly different in terms of geographical and political-economic contexts, institutional arrangements, and kinds of actors involved. Both cases are related to the ecological condition of critically important watersheds, and in both cases government plays a central role; however, the types of conflict and controversy show distinct characteristics. The two cases are not addressed in a comparative way but the take part in the same iterative theoretical/methodological/empirical process. In the first case, the resettlement programs in the Sanjiangyuan area (literally, three river heads) in Qinghai, People's Republic of China, are investigated. In order to preserve the Sanjiangyuan area, which contains the watersheds of the Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong rivers, the Chinese central government has implemented since the year 2000 a program with the aim of resettling the total nomadic population and move them from the grasslands to new, semi-urban conglomerates, transforming their system of production from a predominantly self-subsistence pastoral mobile system to a sedentary system and promoting their integration into the market economy. In the second case, the policy-science interplay behind the geothermal development plans on Mount Amiata in Tuscany Region, Italy, is investigated. Mount Amiata is one of the most important freshwater reserves of central Italy. It has an aquifer that serves over 700,000 people in southern Tuscany and northern Lazio. However, independent studies, local environmental groups, and citizens associations point out that the geothermal activity is depleting and contaminating the Mount Amiata watershed and increasing the rate of degenerative diseases, morbidity, and mortality in the geothermal areas. This dissertation is presented as a hybrid between a “book format” and “collection of essays format.” It is developed in three parts. In Part I, the methodological, meta-theoretical, and theoretical background are discussed. Part II contains five stand-alone essays that relate to the applications and elaboration of the proposed modified IAD approach. In Part III, a conclusive discussion is presented.},

keywords = {Agriculture, Agronomy, Edaphology, governance, Soil},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{ViteriSalazar2013,

title = {Evaluaci\'{o}n de la sostenibilidad de los cultivos de caf\'{e} y cacao en las provincias de Orellana y sucumb\'{i}os \textendash Ecuador},

author = {Oswaldo Viteri Salazar},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/131452},

isbn = {9788449042430},

year  = {2013},

date = {2013-10-01},

pages = {303},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {Worldwide, coffee and cocoa production is mainly done by small-holders, with productive areas less than 3 hectares. These commodities are more than just a source of income for millions of families, ensuring work and reducing poverty. They are also a source of food, closely associated with other crop species, and aid the exclusion of other, illegal, crops. Ecuador's northern Amazon is no exception, and there are thousands of small farms producing Robusta Coffee and National Fine Cocoa Aroma. This leads to a very complex social metabolism. In an area with high biodiversity, there is broad participation of the rural population, whilst about 30% of the productive surface falls within protected areas, including much of the Yasuni National Park. It is also an area with high levels of oil extraction, placing even greater pressure on land use. Is is therefore no surprise that the attention of the government and NGOs in the region during the last decade has been very intense. Sadly however, with little coordination, and precious little information about proper land management, there has been a great duplication of effort and, overall, a failure to achieve goals. It was therefore necessary to conduct an investigation to define a strategy for sustainable production in the region. Combining information on the programs and projects implemented, and by analyzing the current situation through extensive field work, this thesis analyses the social, environmental, economic, organizational and political landscapes impacting the region. It describes the advance of the agricultural frontier, analyzes the economic situation of producers, the organizational & marketing infrastructure, and gives a comparative analysis of production systems in other countries. Finally, it offers clear guidelines for achieving sustainability of such crops, directly applicable to current government programs (year 2013).},

keywords = {Pol{\'{i}}ticas p{\'{u}}blicas, Prodeucci{\'{o}}n cafe y cacao, Sostenibilidad},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{Scheidel2013,

title = {New challenges in rural development: A multi-scale inquiry into emerging issues, posed by the global land rush},

author = {Arnim Scheidel},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/120543 https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/120543},

isbn = {9788449038532},

year  = {2013},

date = {2013-06-01},

pages = {238},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {Within the recent years, new challenges in rural development have appeared, triggered by the emergence of a global rush for land resources. This phenomenon, well-known under the term ‘land grabbing', has produced controversial debates surrounding the question whether rising global interest in farmland and related large-scale land deals may benefit poor rural communities across countries of the global South, or whether it may drive the marginalization of the global peasantry. This doctoral dissertation presents a compilation of four research articles that address important issues, relevant to better understand debates, drivers, characteristics and impacts regarding the global land rush and its implications for rural development. In order to understand the controversial debates on potential risks and opportunities of the land rush to poor rural communities, it becomes necessary to deal with the question: what kind of poverty is aimed to be reduced? Poverty is a complex phenomenon, appearing across multiple dimensions and scales. This matters to the debates, as large-scale land deals may help to alleviate poverty in one dimension, while jeopardizing at the same time other poverty dimensions. The first article thus addresses on an epistemological and theoretical level challenges for development efforts that result from a multidimensional conceptualization of poverty. The second article investigates underlying driving forces of the land rush on a global level, in order to better understand future trajectories and implications for global rural development. Taking a biophysical perspective, the article argues that the land rush is likely not an ephemeral phenomenon, but rather might be persistent. Increasing competition and struggles over access to land might increase in the future, thus provoking new challenges for rural development on a global level. The third article illustrates for the case of Cambodia, how both the land rush and conflicting visions of rural development and poverty reduction may unfold in practice. Based on an empirical investigation at the national level, characteristics, constraints and impacts of large-scale land deals are addressed and a fundamental conflict between governmental interests and local realities of rural development is illustrated. Finally, the last article discusses how small-farmers at the village and household level may be able to deal with declining access to land. This is an issue which likely will require more attention in the future, when the land rush further unfolds. Conclusions on global rural change and the emergence of new ruralities, characterized by new economic activities and institutions, are presented. In summary, this dissertation combines general theoretical and empirical case study research in Cambodia, in order to discuss from a variety of different perspectives emerging challenges in rural development. While the dissertation points out the complex issues that rural development studies and efforts may face due to the existence of multiple scales and dimensions of rural systems, also some simple lessons and clear conclusions are presented regarding debates, drivers, impacts and future consequences of the global land rush on rural development.},

keywords = {Cambodia, Land grabbing, Rural development},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{HerreroCabrejas2013,

title = {Anatom\'{i}a de un conflicto socioecol\'{o}gico El caso de la miner\'{i}a de carb\'{o}n a cielo abierto en el Valle de Laciana},

author = {Amaranta Herrero Cabrejas},

url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/116202},

isbn = {9788449037283},

year  = {2013},

date = {2013-03-01},

pages = {370},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {This thesis deals with research in the field of environmental sociology conducted between 2008 and 2013 on the socioenvironmental conflict of Mountaintop Removal coal mining (MTR) in Laciana Valley (Leon). Despite being protected by European environmental legislation for its high ecological value, this valley (located in the Southwest of the Cantabrian Mountains) has been suffering from the serious social and environmental impacts of MTR for decades. Some of Laciana's inhabitants, together with regional environmental groups, autonomous activists and MEPs, have spent years opposing and struggling against this industrial activity. MTR is subsidised by the Spanish government and, paradoxically, in Laciana it has been carried out illegally, without the necessary environmental and planning permits. These illegalities have led to multiple sanctions from Spanish and European Courts of Justice. These sanctions still remain unpaid. The objective of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the configuration and coordination of the many aspects involved in socioenvironmental conflicts using the conflict over MTR in Laciana Valley as a case study. This is a rural area suffering from progressive industrial decline, where conflict is strongly expressed through the discursive and practical opposition or complicity of the different social agents involved. Using qualitative research methods such as interviews, participant observation and the analysis of documents, the thesis describes the socio-environmental consequences of MTR; it also tries to understand the historical and institutional constraints that have conditioned and shaped the conflict; and examines the discourses and practices of the contesting social agents. The most important contribution of this thesis is the identification and explanation of some of the key legitimation mechanisms used by the stakeholders who directly or indirectly encourage the destruction of the mountains and their biodiversity, forming a pro-MTR block. By doing this, they are hindering an economic and social transition to an alternative future scenario, which could be more compatible with the preservation of the ecological assets of the valley. In fact, the articles or article-proposals presented as chapters of this thesis discuss several of these mechanisms of domination by the MTR block. The first article describes and explains how violence and ideology are interwoven through the scapegoat mechanism against environmental groups. The second article focuses on the broad mobilisation of support that coal mining received during the summer of 2012. It highlights some of the clues to understand why the coal industry in the Spanish State receives sympathy and widespread popular support. This support has continued despite the serious social and environmental damages that coal mining and burning entail both locally and globally and despite the massive drop in jobs that the sector has experienced. Finally, the third article examines the technoscientific rationalities present in two Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and how the different antagonistic blocks in Laciana's conflict use these, to support or oppose the continuation of MTR in the area.},

keywords = {Conflicto socioambiental, Ecologismo, Sociolog{\'{i}}a ambiental},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}

@phdthesis{DiazMaurin2013,

title = {The Viability and Desirability of Alternative Energy Sources Exploring the Controversy over Nuclear Power},

author = {Fran\c{c}ois Diaz Maurin},

isbn = {9788449042027},

year  = {2013},

date = {2013-01-01},

pages = {394},

school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},

abstract = {This doctoral dissertation provides an alternative take on two related topics: the energetics of human societies (the approach), and the use of nuclear energy to make electricity (the issue). First, in relation with theoretical aspects, it provides alternative procedures based on a new formulation of energetics to generate effective analysis of the energetics of human societies. Second, in relation with practical application, it performs an integrated assessment of nuclear power based on an alternative representation of the “nuclear energy system” aimed at guaranteeing the quality of the assessment of nuclear power both on descriptive and normative sides. By doing so, the present work intends to improve the quality of the scientific discussions over energy-supply issues, and at the same time, to better understand the systemic problems associated with the large-scale deployment of nuclear power. In recent years the revived interest from the scientific community over energy-supply issues was turned into a desperate search for alternative energy sources. Yet, performing the critical appraisal of the potentiality of alternative energy sources to power modern societies requires first handling the systemic problems of conventional energy analysis once and for all. First, dealing with the energy transformations of living systems such as human societies requires adopting a ‘complex systems thinking' approach due to the unavoidable co-existence of multiple relevant dimensions and multiple relevant scales. This “technical incommensurability” on the descriptive side implies abandoning the use of the excessive simplifications of reductionism consisting in protocols generating numbers based on the adoption of one scale and one dimension at the time. Second, when deliberating over sustainability issues there is an obvious existence of different social actors \textendash different potential story tellers \textendash expressing non-equivalent but legitimate perceptions of the same issue based on their values, beliefs and goals. This problem of “social incommensurability” on the normative side is particularly evident when considering the case of nuclear power in the discussion over alternative energy sources. In fact, one easily finds contrasting \textendash and even opposite \textendash perceptions over the viability and desirability of this technology, a fact which is at the origin of its systemic controversy. This situation reflects the impossibility to generate a shared perception between social actors over the use of this technology as a viable and desirable alternative energy source. The case of nuclear power provides a very good example why alternative energy sources cannot be taken as desirable and viable “by default”. In fact, this dissertation indicates that we can only deliberate about the viability and desirability of alternative energy sources by means of “participatory integrated assessment”, which forces revisiting the role of the scientist when using science for governance},

keywords = {Complex energetics, Integrated assesment, Nuclear power},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}