Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet

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Publications

Incorporation of abandoned and lost fishing gear into the structure of Dendrophyllia ramea in the Atlantic coast of Portugal

Publication . Seixas, Sónia; Parrinha, Joaquim; Gomes, Pedro; Bessa, Filipa

Plastic pollution poses global and societal concerns, especially from discarded fishing gear, threatening seabed environments like coral reefs. This study examines the incorporation of lost and/or abandoned fishing gear - specifically synthetic lines, and filaments - into the structure of orange tree coral, Dendrophyllia ramea along the coast of Portugal, in the North-East Atlantic Ocean. The specimens were inadvertently captured by local fishers (Sines and Cascais), with 6 % showing filaments inside their structure, raising questions about their potential impact on coral health. We discuss the implications of understanding the interactions between plastics, fishing gear, and corals, which is important for developing conservation strategies. We address the need for improved of measures aimed at reducing the impact of fishing gear on corals, emphasizing the importance of endorsing biodegradable fishing materials and supporting lost gear retrieval initiatives. Furthermore, we emphasize the urgent need to communicate these issues to both fishers and stakeholders.

2024Journal article

Open access

Climate change and society

Publication . Alves, Fátima; Schmidt, Luísa

Climate change represents the greatest challenge of the 21st Century and will affect human societies in multiple ways. Our knowledge about the nature and physics of climate change, its causes and its consequences, is far greater than our understanding of the societal changes it poses. Climate change is a social production, a complex process of societal transformations, which we all need to understand to better cope with the challenge it presents. Climatic conditions play a significant role in people's lives and can interfere with lives in multiple ways. The causes are known, and they put human action at the center of the debate. The consequences of climate change to ways of life are complex, diversified, inevitable, and will likely become worse over time. The nations that contributed most to the problem are often those that least suffer the consequences while those who contributed the least are often the most affected, vulnerable and unprepared. In addition to the expected impacts in the most diverse economic and environmental sectors, human health has emerged as an important area associated with climate change. Although not frequently mentioned or targeted as a key political concern, it is expected that the impact of climate change on human health will be severe, both in the distribution and incidence of diseases. Moreover, climate change will have extensive implications to human well-being, which will reflect on social structures and ways of life. The aim of this E-Book is to highlight and share knowledge on the social, economic, political and cultural implications of climate change, as well as reflect upon the required transformations in policy, governance and social-cultural strategies to mitigation, adaptation and prevention. To understand the multiple dimensions of climate change and their interdependencies, we need to bring together various sciences, knowledges and powers. The social sciences, and sociology, play a central role in analyzing the effects of human activities on natural systems. Social Sciences can scrutinize those phenomena and relations that, within human societies, produce social structures that ultimately have negative impacts on the environment. This E-Book also aims to provide an overview of social sciences literature and research on climate change, identifying key areas for further research and development.

2022-11-01Book

Open access

Editorial: climate change and society

Publication . Alves, Fátima; Schmidt, Luísa

Climate change presents one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century. It will massively affect human societies in complex and multiple ways. And it seems to be almost uncontrollable in the near future. Our knowledge of the chemistry and physics of climate change, its causes and its consequences for planetary systems, is far greater than our understanding of the societal changes it poses. Climate change results from a complex process of societal transformations, which we all need to understand to better cope with the challenges it presents. Climatic conditions play a significant role and interfere with people’s lives in multiple ways. The causes are essentially known, based on unequivocal human action. All solutions also involve human decision and action. It is social and human action in both individual and social settings that are decisive for the future pathways of climate change and its disentanglement. There is also a factor of climate injustice that must be addressed. The nations that contributed most to the problem are often those that experience more limited and manageable consequences while those who contributed the least are often the most affected, vulnerable and unprepared. With climate change, the risk of conflicts, disasters and internal displacement increases so exacerbate existing inequalities and poverty. This presents a moral conundrum of the highest order. At the ecological level, the destruction or disintegration of nature/nurture is more visible, with strong impacts on the availability and reduction of natural resources. In terms of social systems, climate change breaks down social organization, housing, the food system, generates migration, increases economic losses, hunger and public health breakdowns. In a more invisible way, climate change destroys cultural belonging and individual and collective identities. In addition to these expected impacts in the most diverse social, cultural, economic and environmental sectors, human health has emerged as an important area of considerable alarm. Although not frequently mentioned or targeted as a key political concern, it is expected that the impact of climate change on human health will be severe, both in the proliferation and incidence of diseases. Moreover, climate change will have extensive implications to human wellbeing, which will reflect on social structures and ways of life.

2022-08-28Journal article

Open access

Editorial: Shaping healthier cities. Ecosystem services and health for a responsive human-nature relations

Publication . Salata, Stefano; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Alves, Fátima; Ribeiro, Ana Isabel; Artmann, Martina

Shaping Healthier Cities -Ecosystem Services and Health for a Responsive Human-Nature Relations Cities have become the predominant living environments of human beings worldwide. In an era of social-ecological crisis intensified by climate change, loss of biodiversity, and socio-environmental injustice, the shaping of responsive cities is crucial for fostering healthy and regenerative urban societies and nature preservation beyond the instrumental value. The role of urban environmental spatial qualities should be rethought in light of the COVID-19 pandemic diffusion (Bolleter et al., 2022). However, the relationship between the daily environmental conditions of urban citizens and their health, as well as the interconnection between healthy nature as a basis for resilient cities are lacking an organic inclusion in the urban design, thus limiting the capacity for shaping cities in the context of planetary health (Pineo et al., 2021;WBGU, 2021). Although ecosystem services' relations with urban planning have been at the center of numerous publications aiming to find practical solutions for building sustainable cities, the systematic investigation of how ecosystem services affect human health is still an open subject. Furthermore, the well-being of citizens is a concept that goes beyond the instrumental values of nature, which are the This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article focus of the ecosystem service concept. In this regard, an integrative ecosystem services valuation 39 needs to consider relational and intrinsic values unfolding in responsive human-nature relations 40 striving for a good life for humans and non-humans in cities and beyond. Healthy urban human-41 nature relations call for a fundamental shift in attitudes and norms regarding how we deal with non-42 humans, considering that our health is inseparable from nature's health, a web of interdependencies 43 (Moore, 2015). This is also linked with biocultural diversity, which has gained attention since 44 recognizing the intangible cultural values of the natural environment as a key for promoting 45 intercultural dialogue among communities. In fact, there is a need to integrate and consider the 46 sociocultural specificities in each territory and the diversity of visions of human-nature relations in the new shaping of healthier cities for all, humans and non-humans.

2023Journal article

Open access

Research in environmentally induced human mobility: an analysis of methodological and theoretical dimensions

Publication . Fernandes, Carla Sofia Ferreira; Loureiro, João; Alves, Fátima

Purpose – This paper aims to define a proposal of a theoretical–methodological framework aimed at supporting researchers in conducting studies on the topic of environmental mobility. Design/methodology/approach – The complexity of environmental change and the frequent subsequent human mobility raises challenges in the research process. The variety of theoretical and methodological approaches that can be applied to each of the phenomena contributes to different layers of analysis when focusing on the decision-making process of migration due to environmental factors. Drawing from the theoretical and methodological frameworks used by scholars, this paper includes an analysis of how they are applied in empirical studies that focus on environmental change and mobility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Findings – Empirical studies in this field for the MENA region are focused on collecting and analyzing data but are not linking it with wider human mobility theoretical and methodological frameworks. The proposalincluded in this study privileges the use of a qualitative methodology, aimed at obtaining an overview of the individuals’ experience. Originality/value – This study adds to existing overviews of empirical studies of environmentally induced mobility by analyzing in detail the dimensions used to frame the methodological and theoretical research approaches in the empirical studies used in different disciplines that study the environment and/or human mobility. The studies analyzed focus on the different countries in the MENA region, which has the highest level of forced migratory movements in the world while facing challenges in terms of environmental degradation.

2023Journal article

Open access