Table 1
Categories to describe the variables.
| Data format | Analysis scale | Data sources | Data collection strategies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numerical (N) | International (I) | Environmental databases (E) | Workshops (W) |
| Narrative description (D) | National (N) | Socio-economic databases (SE) | Interviews (I) |
| Geographical (G) | Regional (R) | Geospatial databases (GS) | Surveys (S) |
| Local (L) | Legal databases (L) | Life stories (LS) | |
| Observation (O) | |||
| Media analysis (M) |
Table 2
Practical problems identified to describe the variables.
| Code | Problem | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uncertain reliability of statistics | There is reasonable doubts about the consistency and validity of the available statistics |
| 2 | Lack of data at local level | The existing data is generated to upper levels than the local one |
| 3 | No formal register of data | The information needed has not been measured or registered or these registers are not publicly available |
| 4 | Subjective information | The information derives from participants’ opinion or perception and thus results can not be extrapolated |
| 5 | Difficulty to access and collect data | There are not easily available mechanisms or procedures to access or collect data (mainly biophysical and ecological) |
| 6 | Unclear or abstract concept for local stakeholders | The meaning of the concepts is not well understood for participants. It can also refer to new concepts or to concepts the participants are not familiar with |
| 7 | Uncertain limits | The variable measured has blurred boundaries |
| 8 | Difficulty to define categories | The concepts struggle to be delimited in categories |
| 9 | Difficulty to measure | Problems to quantify data with traditional research tools or mechanisms or lack of a range of possible descriptive values |
| 10 | Difficulty to integrate and organise information | The variables are not static, values vary with time, space, etc., thus integration and organization can be complex |
Table 3
Adaptations of the social, economic and political settings (S) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables | Scale | Data sources | Research tools | Data type | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic development (S1) | Economic situation, including the standard of living and the economic health of the area | S1a. Economic sectors | R, L | SE | I, S, W | D, N | 1 |
| S1b. Employment per sector | R, L | SE | N | 1, 2, 3 | |||
| S1c. Income per capita | R, L | SE | N | 1, 2, 3 | |||
| S1d. Income dispersion | R, L | SE | I, O, S, W | N | 1, 2, 3 | ||
| Demographic trends (S2) | Trends, changes and status of the human population | S2a. Number of inhabitants | L | SE | N | 1 | |
| S2b. Population density | L | SE | N | 1 | |||
| S2c. Demographic structure | L | SE | D, N | 1 | |||
| S2d. Population growth rate | L | SE | D, N | 1, 2 | |||
| S2e. Migration trends | R, L | SE | I, S, W | D, N | 1, 2 | ||
| S2f. Settlement patterns | L | GS | D, G | 1 | |||
| Political stability (S3) | Core regulatory framework for the country or region and regularity in the rules and values of the democratic processes | S3a. Respect for democratic values | R, L | L | I, LS, M, O, S, W | D | 3, 4 |
| S3b. Norm compliance | R, L | L | I, LS, M, O, S, W | D | 5 | ||
| S3c. Conflicts | N, L | L | I, LS, M, O, S, W | D | 3, 4 | ||
| S3d. Drivers of political change | N, R, L | I, M, S, W | D | 4 | |||
| Government resource policies (S4) | Top-down policies adopted by the national, regional and local governments to manage natural resource | S4a. Governmental regulatory framework for natural resources | N, R | L | D | ||
| S4b. Environmental policies | N, R, L | L | D | ||||
| S4c. Compliance of environmental regulatory and policy frameworks | N, R, L | L | I, M, O, S, W | D | 2 | ||
| Market incentives (S5) | Markets for natural resources and conservation incentives | S5a. Type of products | R, L | SE | I, S, W | D | |
| S5b. Influence of global/local markets | N, R, L | SE | I, S, W | D | |||
| S5c. Access to markets | R, L | SE | I, S, W | D | |||
| S5d. Demand for natural resources | I, L | SE | I, S, W | D | |||
| S5e. Market incentives for conservation | I, L | SE | I, S, W | D | |||
| Media organization (S6) | Number, diversity and freedom of private and public media | S6a. Presence of media S6b. Media deterrence capability S6c. Interest of media in socio-environmental issues | R, L I, L N, L | I, M, O, W I, M, O, W I, M, O, W | D D D | 6 |
Table 4
Adaptations of the resource system (RS) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables | Scale | Data sources | Research tools | Data type | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sector(s) (RS1)Clarity of system boundaries (RS2) | Biological production systems (e.g. water, forest, pasture, fish) Clarity of the system’s geographical, social and legal boundaries | RS1. Sectors | R, L | E, SE | I, O, S, W | D, N | |
| RS2a. Natural boundaries | R, L | E, GS | O, S, W | D, G | 7 | ||
| RS2b. Anthropogenic boundaries | R, L | GS, SE | I, O, S, W | D, G | 8 | ||
| RS2c. Extraction access and property boundaries | L | GS, SE | I, S, W | D, N | 7 | ||
| Size (RS3) | Size of the different types of resources | RS3. Size | L | E, GS, SE | N | 9 | |
| Human constructed facilities (RS4) | Anthropogenic structures facilitating resource management (e.g. boundaries, access ways, storage or transformation facilities) | RS4. Human constructed facilities | L | E, GS, SE | I, O, S, W | D | |
| Productivity of system (RS5) | Estimation of the resource system productivity (qualitative if necessary) | RS5. Productivity of the resource system | L | E, SE | I, S, W | N, D | 2, 5, 9 |
| Equilibrium properties (RS6) | Influences (positive and negative) on the equilibrium of the resource system (interaction between species, or between biological and anthropological systems) | RS6a. Interactions between subsystems | R, L | I, O, S, W | D | 9 | |
| RS6b. External impacts and system responses | R, L | E | I, S, W | D | 6, 9 | ||
| RS6c. History and evidence of impacts in sub-systems and its effects | R, L | E | I, M, S, W | D | 2, 6, 8, 9 | ||
| Predictability of dynamics (RS7) | Capacity to estimate the evolution and dynamics of the resource system and the impact of interventions or external influences | RS7. Predictability of system dynamics | R, L | I, S, W | D | 4, 6, 9 | |
| Storage characteristics (RS8) | Retention of information about the system dynamics | RS8. Storage (memory) of the effects of disturbances | R, L | I, S, W | D | 4, 6, 9 | |
| Location (RS9) | Geographic location | RS9. Location | L | GS | G |
Table 5
Adaptations of the resource units (RU) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables | Scale | Data sources | Research tools | Data type | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource unit mobility (RU1) | Mobility or not of the resource (e.g. fish and water are mobile, while trees are static) | RU1. Resource unit mobility | R, L | E | I, S, W | D | |
| Growth or replacement rate (RU2) | Estimations based upon the resource unit’s life cycle (e.g. reproductive age, harvesting age, growth rate) | RU2. Growth or replacement rate | L | E | I, W | D, N | 2 |
| Interaction among resource units (RU3) | Identification of the relation patterns between resources (e.g. competition, collaboration) | RU3. Interaction among resource units | L | I, S, W | D, N | 9 | |
| Resource value (RU4) | Value of the resources, including the values non recognised by the markets | RU4a. Market value | I, L | SE | I, S, W | D, N | 3 |
| RU4b. Environmental value | I, L | E, SE | I, S, W | D | 4, 9 | ||
| RU4c. Strategic value | I, L | SE | I, S, W | D, N | 4, 9 | ||
| Number of units (RU5) | Total volume or amount of resource (e.g. wood volume, agriculture production volume, number of fish) | RU5. Number of resource units/amount of resource | L | E | I, S | N | 2 |
| Distinctive characteristics (RU6) | Natural or artificial markings to distinguish categories in the resource | RU6. Distinctive characteristics | R, L | E | I, S, W | D | 9 |
| Spatial and temporal distribution (RU7) | Availability of the resource in space and time | RU7. Spatial and temporal distribution | R, L | E, GS | I, S, W | D, G, N | 10 |
Table 6
Adaptations of the actors (A) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables | Scale | Data sources | Research tools | Data type | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant actors (A1) | Actors with a direct influence on the SES | A1a. Direct users of natural resources | L | SE | S, W, I | N, D | 2, 9 |
| A1b. Other actors | R, L | SE | S, W, I | N, D | 9, 10 | ||
| Socio-economic attributes of users (A2) | Socio-economic characteristic of the resource system users | A2a. Demographic attributes | L | SE | S, W, I | D, N | 2, 3 |
| A2b. Economic attributes | L | SE | I, S, W | D | 3, 9 | ||
| A2c. Social attributes | L | SE | I, O, S, W | D | 2, 3 | ||
| History or past experiences (U3) | Chronological description of the main events related to the resources and its management | A3. History or past experience | R, L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4 | |
| Location (A4) | Geographical location of resource system’s users (e.g. settlements, villages, dispersed) | A4. Location | L | GS, SE | I, S, W | D, G | |
| Leadership/entrepreneurship (A5) | Existence of, and attitude towards leadership and entrepreneurship among users | A5a. Leadership patterns A5b. Entrepreneurship patterns | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 10 | |
| L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 9 | ||||
| Norms/social capital (A6) | Levels of social and institutional interactions among users, including aspects like reciprocity and trust | A6a. Traditional forms of collaboration | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 9 | |
| A6b. Social capital | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 6 | |||
| A6c. Attitude toward corruption | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 10 | |||
| A6d. Traditions and community values related to natural resource use | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | ||||
| Knowledge of SES/mental models (A7) | Level of knowledge among the users of the SES conditions, the potential and real disturbance patterns and its possible effects | A7a. Local knowledge on SES | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 9 | |
| A7b. Knowledge of the effect of over-harvesting | L | I, O, S, W | D | 4 | |||
| A7c. Knowledge of the effect of social attitudes toward resource management | L | I, O, S, W | D | 4, 8, 9 | |||
| A7d. Knowledge of the effect of biological shocks on the SES | L | I, O, S, W | D | 4 | |||
| A7e. Mental models related to SES management (e.g. conservation, exploitation, human-nature relationships) | L | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 4, 8 | |||
| Importance of resources (A8) | Users dependence on resources for livelihood | A8. Importance of resources | L | I, O, S, W | D | 2, 3 | |
| Technologies available (A9) | Type of technologies used to extract, harvest and manage the resource, and access of users to different technologies | A9. Technologies available | L | SE | I, LS, O, S, W | D | 3 |
Table 7
Adaptations of the governance system (GS) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables | Scale | Data sources | Research tools | Data type | Problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government organizations (GS1) | Presence or absence of different organizations at local level. | GS1a. State organizations | N, R, L | L, SE | I, S, W | D | |
| GS1b. Communitarian organizations | L | L | I, S, W, LS | D | |||
| NGOs (GS2) | Presence of NGOs. | GS2. NGOs | R, L | L | I, S, W | D | 3 |
| Network structure (GS3) | Network configuration at local level and their interactions. | GS3a. Social networks | R, L | I, LS, S, W | D | 3, 4, 10 | |
| GS3b. Community networks | L | I, LS, S, W | D | ||||
| GS3c. Environmental networks | R, L | I, LS, M, S, W | D | ||||
| GS3d. Market networks | N, L | I, LS, M, S, W | D | ||||
| Property-rights systems (GS4) | Local property-rights systems and their relation to resource management. | GS4a. Property-rights system | R, L | L, SE | I, O, S, W | D | |
| GS4b. Excludability | L | I, O, S, W | D | 4, 9 | |||
| GS4c. Subtractability | L | I, O, S, W | D | 4, 9 | |||
| Operational rules (GS5) | Local rules for defining Who, How, Where, When, and Why have access to local natural resources | GS5. Operational rules | L | SE | I, O, S, W | D | |
| Collective-choice rules (GS6) | Rules set defined by involved actors according to local environment and political and economic conditions | GS6. Collective-choice rules | L | SE | I, S, W | D | |
| Constitutional rules (GS7) | Legal framework defined by regional and national governments | GS7. Constitutional rules | R–L | L, DB | I, S, W | D | |
| Monitoring and sanctioning processes (GS8) | Locally adapted processes to monitor and sanction natural resource use and management strategies | GS8a. Monitoring processes | L | SE | I, O, S, W | D | |
| GS8b. Sanctioning processes | L | SE | I, O, S, W | D |
Table 8
Third level variables defined for the Interactions (I) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables |
|---|---|---|
| Harvesting levels (I1) | Quantity of resource(s) harvested by different users | I1a. Harvesting levels and effects on SES |
| I1b. Free-Riding | ||
| Information sharing (I2) | Methods for information sharing among users | I2a. Knowledge transmission |
| I2b. Information/knowhow sharing about SES variations | ||
| I2c. Learning processes | ||
| Deliberation processes (I3) | Deliberation processes used among users | I3a. Deliberation processes |
| I3b. Knowledge about participation mechanisms and rights | ||
| I3c. Trust building processes | ||
| Conflicts (I4) | Existing conflicts among users | I4a. Conflicts |
| Investment activities (I5) | Investments for improving and managing the resources (investor, amount invested and destination of investment) | I5a. Investment activities |
| Lobbying activities (I6) | Internal and external influence capacity of the users | I6a. Lobbying activities |
| Self-organizing activities (I7) | Internal rules for the extraction and management of resources among users | I7a. Self-organizing activities |
| Networking activities (I8) | Networking and partnership activities of the users within and outside the community | I8a. Internal networking |
| I8b. External networking | ||
| I8c. Partnership and cooperation | ||
| I8d. External communication processes | ||
| Monitoring activities (I9) | Monitoring activities on the use and management of resources (e.g. locally-defined by users, controlled by the government) and their performance | I9a. Monitoring activities |
| Evaluation activities (I10) | Processes of evaluation of the resource situation and of the effects of management initiatives | I10a. Evaluation activities |
Table 9
Third level variables defined for outcomes (O) subsystem.
| Second level variables | Description | Third level variables |
|---|---|---|
| Socio-economic performance measures (O1) | Evolution and impacts of the socio-economic concepts included | O1a. Efficiency |
| O1b. Socio-economical sustainability | ||
| O1c. Equity | ||
| O1d. Accountability | ||
| O1e. Effects of deliberation processes in the SES | ||
| O1f. Empowerment | ||
| O1g. Adaptation strategies | ||
| Ecological performance measures (O2) | Evolution and impacts of the ecological concepts included | O2a. Environmental sustainability |
| O2b. Pressure on resources | ||
| O2c. Natural habitat condition | ||
| O2d. Effect of SES management on natural hazards potential impacts | ||
| O2e. Environmental quality | ||
| O2f. Resilience | ||
| O2g. Vulnerability | ||
| Externalities to other SES (O3) | Non desired effects (positive and negative) that occur as results of processes | O3a. Positive externalities |
| O3b. Negative externalities |