Urban sustainability and social ecological systems: linking civic ecology, nature and ecosystems services for the achievement of the SDGs.

Abstract

To address global environmental change and ensure well-being, an improved understanding of complex human-environment relationships is needed. It further requires that the role of natural systems and ecosystem services are recognised for their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are included in a broad range of development sectors, and are managed and protected appropriately to safeguard those contributions. This PhD contributed to the evolution of the application of sustainability frameworks, from global to local level, by providing local-level evidence from two sources of change, civic / community action and local government actions (eThekwini Municipality). Through the five papers produced in this PhD research, I developed and assessed contributions of civic ecology, research organisation processes, and government planning and management, to global sustainability, using socialecological systems and ecosystem services theory as a foundation. In Chapters 2, 3 and 4, a mixed methodological approach was used (household surveys, interviews, field observations and impact assessment) to identify the systemic linkages between civic ecology interventions of the Wise Wayz Water Care programme (case study), ecosystem services, SDGs, and human well-being. Chapter 5 analysed virtual vs face-to-face international conferences of the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems programme (case study) and identified impacts on inclusivity, organisational learning, carbon footprints, barriers and enabling conditions for improved efficiency, and environmental sustainability, of international research collaborations. Chapter 6 used the Durban Research Action Partnership (D’RAP) transdisciplinary scienceaction collaboration as a case study, to explore the links between social outcomes and ecosystem services from multiple viewpoints, through expert collaboration and engagement for urban planning and sustainability. The main contributions made by this work are: (1) Identification, quantification, and assessment of civic ecology interventions as a tool to improve human well-being, using a social-ecological systems approach; (2) Linking local interventions to global policy outcomes through quantified systems mapping of civic ecology, natural capital, and ecosystem services enhancement, related to the SDGs; (3) Linking ecosystem services to human well-being improvements and policy implementation through transdisciplinary approaches. This thesis provided insights, tools, methods and evidence for local-level actions, yielding national and international sustainability wins.