Search

‘Landscape’ is relatively underexplored in legal scholarship, notwithstanding its occasional centrality to legal analysis, and the ways in which law contributes to the shaping of landscape.Wind energy is an especially rich area for the exploration of landscape; not only do wind farms consistently raise concerns about landscape, but the existence of climate change complicates the response to local concern. Most of the legal literature on ‘knowledge’ focuses on the ways in which different ‘expert’ knowledges find their way into, and then shape, legal processes and decisions. This article is more concerned with the ways in which the planning system receives different knowledge claims, and validates some of them. The discussion turns around four tentative categories of knowledge claim: expert or technical knowledge claims; lay (or sometimes local) knowledge claims; prior institutional knowledge claims; and professional planning knowledge claims. Knowledge of the complex, dynamic and plural idea of landscape in any particular case is constructed in the process of decision making and reason giving through a careful layering of these different sorts of knowledge claim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy PointsFaced with urgent threats to human health and well‐being such as climate change, calls among the academic community are getting louder to contribute more effectively to the implementation of the evidence generated by our research into public policy.As interest in knowledge translation (KT) surges, so have a number of anxieties about the field's shortcomings. Our paper is motivated by a call in the literature to render useful advice for those beginning in KT on how to advance impact at a policy level.By integrating knowledge from fields such as political science, moral psychology, and marketing, we suggest that thinking and acting like marketers, lobbyists, movements, and political scientists would help us advance on the quest to bridge the chasm between evidence and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea defence policy in England has proven contentious in the early twenty-first century, with government willing to defend the coast only where it is considered cost effective and not minded to compensate people for any resulting abandonment of homes. Additional focus is brought to this position by the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which reflect a growing emphasis on climate change effects and other environmental hazards, and the wellbeing of the current generation and those to come. This requires policy makers to seek to balance economic, social and environmental dimensions, and to tackle inequalities; with a central commitment of the goals to "leave no one behind". Subsequent to publication of the SDGs, England was promised a revolution in the government's approach to Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM). This paper seeks to understand the nature of this revolution with particular regard to extant issues around just governance. It finds that policy fails to deal with issues over the local acceptability of proposals for change and the bearing of risk, and instead lies principally in the elevation of the problematic concept of resilience and an accompanying ambivalence towards ideas of sustainability and sustainable development. International agreement that compensation should be paid to those countries suffering the worst effects of climate change, including sea level rise, suggests that adoption of a similar approach to vulnerable homeowners might be the more appropriate revolution and bring policy more into line with the aspirations of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative approach to addressing critical global challenges in long-term energy planning for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The paper proposes and tests an international enabling environment, a delivery ecosystem, and a community of practice. These components are integrated into workflows that yield four self-sustaining capacity-development outcomes. Planning long-term energy strategies in LMICs is particularly challenging due to limited national agency and poor international coordination. While outsourcing energy planning to foreign experts may appear to be a viable solution, it can lead to a reduction in government agency (the ability of a government to make its own informed analysis and decisions). Additionally, studies commissioned by external experts may have conflicting terms of reference, and a lack of familiarity with local conditions can result in misrepresentations of on-the-ground realities. It is argued here that enhancing national agency and analytical capacity can improve coordination and lead to more robust planning across line ministries and technical assistance (TA) providers. Moreover, the prevailing consulting model hampers the release and accessibility of underlying analytics, making it difficult to retrieve, reuse, and reconstruct consultant outputs. The absence of interoperability among outputs from various consultants hinders the ability to combine and audit the insights they provide. To overcome these challenges, five strategic principles for energy planning in LMICs have been introduced and developed in collaboration with 21 international and research organizations, including the AfDB, IEA, IRENA, IAEA, UNDP, UNECA, the World Bank, and WRI. These principles prioritize national ownership, coherence and inclusivity, capacity, robustness, transparency and accessibility. In this enabling environment, a unique delivery ecosystem consisting of knowledge products and activities is established. The paper focuses on two key knowledge products as examples of this ecosystem: the open-source energy modeling system (OSeMOSYS) and the power system flexibility tool (IRENA FlexTool). These ecosystem elements are designed to meet user-friendliness, retrievability, reusability, reconstructability, repeatability, interoperability, and audibility (U4RIA) goals. To ensure the sustainability of this ecosystem, OpTIMUS is introduced—a community of practice dedicated to maintaining, supporting, expanding, and nurturing the elements within the ecosystem. Among other ecosystem elements, training and research initiatives are introduced, namely the Energy Modelling Platform for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific as well as the ICTP Joint Summer School on Modelling Tools for Sustainable Development. Once deployed via workflows, the preliminary outcomes of these capacity-development learning pathways show promise. Further investigation is necessary to evaluate their long-term impacts, scalability, replication, and deployment costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate services for small-scale farmers are gaining recognition for contributing to adaptation and resilience to climate variability and change, their provision in developing countries remains a critical challenge. Effective climate services consider why and how farmers of varied socioeconomic background make relevant decisions avoiding the traditional prescriptive forms of transfer that merely focus on delivering climate information. Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa shows that climate services for agriculture generates transformations in how farmers access and use climate information, as well as changes in farmer decision-making. In this paper, we address the question of whether the same effect is also seen in Latin America, where farming systems, farming decisions, socioeconomic contexts and non-climate constraints are very different to those of Africa. A group of 209 farmers in the dry corridor in Honduras was studied. We find that 98% of the trained farmers did uptake and use the climate information, and some 73% expressed that the agroclimatic information was key to the success of their harvest despite the challenging 2019 season. Some 43% of the farmers made changes in farming practices. In particular, farmers changed the crop they grew, the crop and land management, the planting dates, inputs and crop varieties. These changes reportedly had positive effects on their food security, and income. These findings support the hypothesis that Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) plays a positive role in providing effective climate services in Central America, improving decision-making, and enabling farmers to make their own decisions based on the analysis of information and their demands regardless of their level of literacy. We pose that participatory climate services in agriculture can catalyse processes of long-term transformation in farming systems, notably through lifting farmers out of poverty and food insecurity and providing an integrated approach to make informed decisions in the face of climatic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal tropical cyclone (TC) forecasting has evolved substantially since its commencement in the early 1980s. However, present operational seasonal TC forecasting services still do not meet the requirements of society and stakeholders: current operational products are mainly basin-scale information, while more detailed sub-basin scale information such as potential risks of TC landfall is anticipated for decision making. To fill this gap and make the TC science and services move forward, this paper reviews recent research and development in seasonal tropical cyclone (TC) forecasting. In particular, this paper features new research topics on seasonal TC predictability in neutral conditions of El Ni˜no-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), emerging forecasting techniques of seasonal TC activity including Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, and multi-annual TC predictions. We also review the skill of forecast systems at predicting landfalling statistics for certain regions of the North Atlantic, Western North Pacific and South Indian oceans and discuss the gap that remains between current products and potential user's expectations. New knowledge and advanced forecasting techniques are expected to further enhance the capability of seasonal TC forecasting and lead to more actionable and fit-for-purpose products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Land-use change (LUC) estimated by economic models has sparked intense international debate. Models estimate how much LUC might be induced under prescribed scenarios and rely on assumptions to generate LUC values. It is critical to test and validate underlying assumptions with empirical evidence. Furthermore, this modeling approach cannot answer if any specific indirect effects are actually caused by biofuel policy. The best way to resolve questions of causation is via scientific methods. Kim and Dale attempt to address the question of if, rather than how much, market-induced land-use change is currently detectable based on the analysis of historic evidence, and in doing so, explore some modeling assumptions behind the drivers of change. Given that there is no accepted approach to estimate the global effects of biofuel policy on land-use change, it is critical to assess the actual effects of policies through careful analysis and interpretation of empirical data. Decision makers need a valid scientific basis for policy decisions on energy choices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Failure of governments across the world to address climate change has fuelled social movements focused on climate-related policy and action. Research analysing these movements has focused mainly on the types of strategies employed including blockades and occupations, marches and petitions, divestment, boycotts and litigation as well as how groups are framing climate change as a problem. What has been largely missed are the ways these groups are framing the change they want to see, that is their demands to governments. Not all demands and actions have the same potential to create the changes needed to mitigate climate change. Used in public health and health promotion, the systems science Intervention Level Framework (ILF) is a tool that can help analyse to what extent different demands have the leverage to create change in a system. We use the ILF to analyse 131 demands from 35 different climate-related advocacy groups in Australia. Results show demands are more focused on lower system leverage points, such as stopping particular projects, rather than on more impactful leverage points, such as the governance structures that determine climate-related policy and decision-making mechanisms. Further, the results highlight the lack of attention on public health related topics of transport and food systems. This paper shows how a systems science framework used in health promotion, the ILF, could enable climate advocacy groups to more effectively target demands to achieve more impactful outcomes from governments, corporations and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people are key stakeholders in the future, but their stake is rarely considered in decision making and policy development. In this paper we explore how climate change education can allow the voices of young people to be listened to and help young people imagine desirable futures and develop agency to address the steps, both personal and policy based, that are needed to achieve this. Initially reporting on the findings of a survey of 985 young people (aged 7–18 years from across the UK), we explore what young people currently know about climate change. Informed by this data, we then present a creative approach to backcasting, using a participatory action pedagogical approach to explore the desired futures that 150 young people aged 8–11 years have about the fast fashion industry. We suggest that within the context of fast fashion and other climate related industries, such a methodology could enable educators to address climate change without provoking eco-anxiety and provide a way that decision makers in industry and government can listen to young people's voices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies to combat climate change may be based on mitigation of the phenomenon or on adaptation to its consequences. This paper aims to identify the driving factors of the choice between these two categories of strategies in the context of urban climate plans. The fight against climate change being characterized by a logic of free riding, the situation tilts the balance towards adaptation strategies in an urban context, to the detriment of mitigation. This hypothesis is tested here through a review of the existing literature on urban climate strategies. This study shows that, counterintuitively, mitigation prevails over adaptation in urban climate strategies up to now. This paper explores the explanations for this seemingly paradoxical situation. We argue that a big part of the explanation has to do with the institutional context of urban climate strategies, specifically the decision-making capacities of municipalities, or the fact that they take part in international networks promoting mitigation over adaptation. Other explanations rely on the cost/benefit impact of adopting mitigation or adaptation, like the collateral local/private benefits of urban climate strategies that are often bigger with mitigation than adaptation. Another finding is that there is no systematic planning making it compulsory to choose between mitigation and adaptation strategies, as they are in some instances complementary, providing co-benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have identified many potential climate change impacts on bridges. Considering the sheer number of these potential impacts, how can a bridge owner prioritise which impacts to consider, and for which bridges? This paper proposes a risk-based multi-criteria decision analysis method for systematically addressing these two questions simultaneously. The proposed method can be used to address both extreme and non-extreme impacts as opposed to focussing solely on extreme impacts as has been done in previous prioritisation studies related to climate change risks. The proposed method is based on four main components of risk: hazard, impact, vulnerability and consequences. Several indices characterising these components are used to address the previous two questions. To reflect the uncertainty in the analysis, the different indices are assessed optimistically and pessimistically. Additionally, to ensure a more transparent decision-making process the inclusion of a strength of evidence assessment is also proposed. The applicability of the method is then demonstrated on three illustrative case studies for three different potential climate change impacts. It is concluded that the proposed method is both feasible and appropriately fulfils its purpose. Nevertheless, the proposed method should be more elaborately tested on practical bridge case studies to further establish its applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many transition scenarios describe potential low-carbon systems, few link these system-level outcomes to the microlevel stakeholder decision-making needed to actualise them, resulting in a 'planning gap'. Closing this gap requires that insights from modelling-based transition scenarios on what must happen to achieve climate targets are linked to those on how to make it happen from stakeholder-focused transition scenarios. This link requires a different understanding of decision-making rationality from that of a representative agent with rational expectations, as employed in much climate-change modelling currently. Rationality conceived as 'frame-sensitive reasoning' can better account for heterogenous stakeholders' alternative preferences, the actions they take in pursuit of them, and the effect of these actions on low-carbon transitions. This paper augments the Intuitive Logics (IL) stakeholder-focused scenario approach to enable frame-sensitive reasoning and provide modelling-based transition scenarios with realistic innovation-diffusion assumptions. In so doing, the paper assists in closing the planning gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of stock assessment is to provide managers with an understanding of the biomass and age-/size-composition of a stock, stock status (ideally relative to target and reference points), and to support management decision making, often through projections and application of harvest control rules. Stock assessments are increasingly being used to form the basis for the operating models used to evaluate the ability of management strategies to achieve the goals of fisheries management. Stock assessments for rock lobsters were among the first to adopt size-structured population models as the basis for stock assessment, and population model-based stock assessments have been used extensively to evaluate management strategies for rock lobster stocks in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This paper identifies how closely population model-based stock assessments for rock lobsters satisfy the guidelines identified for best practices for conducting stock assessments during meetings of, for example, the Center for the Advancement of Population Assessment Methodology and papers identifying best practice guidelines for stock assessment. The paper highlights some key directions for stock assessment science for rock lobsters, including considerations related to environmental variation and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial introduces the Special Issue on the role and use of discrete choice modelling in informing environmental and energy decision making and summarises the main insights provided. The papers collected in this Special Issue address a range of applications of discrete choice modelling, from energy decisions to climate change and transport choices, from tourism preferences for climate change mitigation to wildlife conservation strategies and ecosystem management. However, all the papers share the same fundamental aim of using novel methodological approaches in choice models to tackle conceptually and spatially specific policy questions and support decisions with robust empirical evidence. This is particularly relevant to enhance the real-world policy uptake of choice modelling results and develop a network of practice and capacity building to improve the quality of information that is provided to stakeholders and decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of future research and development needs to assess the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in watersheds at scale using hydrological models. Two main questions are addressed: to what extent are hydrological model approaches able to support decision making on nature-based solutions and adaptation, and how well is this hydrological analysis embedded in the broader planning process? To support the research, case studies in Bhutan, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands are presented. The Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis approach is used to structure the planning process. All three case studies demonstrate how the hydrological system and full landscape of land and water use in watersheds can be simulated to better understand hydrometeorological hazards under current and future climate. Also, simulations of nature-based solutions are demonstrated, which need creativity and profound expert knowledge. In contrast to the assessment of grey infrastructure, no rules or guidance exists for the hydrological assessment of nature-based solutions. Physically-based models are better able to support the understanding of the functioning of the ecohydrological system and, therefore, the effectiveness of adaptation using nature-based solutions. There are however trade-offs between the computational complexity, the computation time and the multiple scenarios and sensitivity analyses of adaptation options needed for climate stress testing. Often there is a lack of monitoring data for verification of model outcomes. Several recommendations on how to improve modelling in an adaptation process are given. In addition, it is recommended to develop and rectify a set of nature-based solutions performance indicators, rules and algorithms to be adopted in models in order to quantify the effectiveness of these solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of future research and development needs to assess the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in watersheds at scale using hydrological models. Two main questions are addressed: to what extent are hydrological model approaches able to support decision making on nature-based solutions and adaptation, and how well is this hydrological analysis embedded in the broader planning process? To support the research, case studies in Bhutan, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands are presented. The Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis approach is used to structure the planning process. All three case studies demonstrate how the hydrological system and full landscape of land and water use in watersheds can be simulated to better understand hydrometeorological hazards under current and future climate. Also, simulations of nature-based solutions are demonstrated, which need creativity and profound expert knowledge. In contrast to the assessment of grey infrastructure, no rules or guidance exists for the hydrological assessment of nature-based solutions. Physically-based models are better able to support the understanding of the functioning of the ecohydrological system and, therefore, the effectiveness of adaptation using nature-based solutions. There are however trade-offs between the computational complexity, the computation time and the multiple scenarios and sensitivity analyses of adaptation options needed for climate stress testing. Often there is a lack of monitoring data for verification of model outcomes. Several recommendations on how to improve modelling in an adaptation process are given. In addition, it is recommended to develop and rectify a set of nature-based solutions performance indicators, rules and algorithms to be adopted in models in order to quantify the effectiveness of these solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of climate change and development present significant challenges and complexities that require new solutions, wise choices, and multi-disciplinary integration. In this context, emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role. However, traditional engineering education and practice overlook the importance of understanding and managing emotions. This research aims to determine the impact of EI as a tool to enhance proactive decision-making and implement sustainable measures within the engineering profession.The study makes three main research contributions. First, it confirms a positive relationship between EI and proactive sustainable decision-making among engineers. This means that engineers with high EI are more likely to consider the impacts of their decisions on various stakeholders and dimensions of sustainability. Second, it suggests that EI can enhance creativity and innovative thinking in engineering, helping engineers to develop effective solutions for challenges related to climate change. Third, the study advocates for incorporating EI training and assessment into engineering curriculums to foster a sustainable and ethical engineering culture. By improving EI, engineers can enhance their interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and emotional management, which in turn can significantly improve teamwork in addressing challenges related to climate change. • Innovative Approach: The paper introduces emotional intelligence (EI) as a novel factor in engineering decision-making for climate change adaptation, which provides a fresh perspective within the realm of sustainable practices. • Relevance to Sustainability: It emphasizes the role of EI in fostering proactive and strategic decision-making, which is crucial for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate, aligning with the journal's focus on sustainable solutions1. • Multidisciplinary Integration: The study bridges engineering, psychology, and environmental science, reflecting the journal's interdisciplinary approach to addressing sustainability challenges. • Practical Implications: By exploring the attitudes of engineers and their decision-making tendencies in relation to EI, the paper offers insights that can lead to targeted interventions, contributing to the journal's aim of promoting sustainable practices. • This paper does not constitute a bibliometric study; rather, it provides empirical research on the impact of EI on sustainable decision-making among engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current approach to retrofit has failed to deliver the promised reductions in energy use in the built environment, but it has exposed many historic buildings to maladaptation, and is threatening many more. This paper argues that the problem rests in a classic misalignment between the intentions behind retrofitting, and the means being used to assess retrofit options. Underlying issues include a poor understanding of how buildings were designed and operated before the Industrial Revolution radically changed our approaches to materials, construction, and use. This pre-carbon past still has much to teach us, with lessons that can be integrated with the best of the modern tools. But this requires careful planning for the long term, together with a much more flexible approach to modelling and assessment. This paper suggests a simple approach that might be used to unlock whole-life energy or carbon assessment, encouraging feedback and sharing of knowledge to achieve the rapid improvement needed to tackle the climate emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is an important driver of migration, but little research exists on whether migrant communities in the U.S. identify climate change-related factors as reasons for migrating. In 2021, we conducted a multidisciplinary, collaborative project to better understand the nexus of climate change and immigrant health in the Atlanta area. This paper presents one arm of this collaboration that explored both the role of climate change in decisions to immigrate to Georgia and the ways that climate change intersects with other possible drivers of migration. First generation migrants from Latin America were recruited primarily through CPACS Cosmo Health Center and were invited to participate in an intake survey and an in-depth interview. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings suggest that while participants may not have explicitly identified climate change as a primary reason for migration, in both surveys and in-depth interviews, participants reported multiple and intersecting social, economic, political, and environmental factors that are directly or indirectly influenced by climate change and that are involved in their decisions to migrate. The narratives that emerged from in-depth interviews further contextualised survey data and elucidated the complex nexus of climate change, migration, and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current adaptation theory tends to consider individual buildings or the city level, which cannot address decisions related to masterplan developments on large brownfield sites. This paper investigates the drivers for building demolition or retention and adaptation decisions at the masterplan scale. Expert interviews and three case studies are used to explore how and why decisions to demolish, or to retain and adapt, are made at this scale. The research compared three different geopolitical contexts: Cambridge in the UK; Eindhoven in the Netherlands; and Sydney in Australia. Additional factors and complexities that should be considered at the masterplan scale are identified. The theoretical underpinnings of urban development processes are used to explain these complexities in relation to four existing models and demonstrate that no one model is adequate to describe the interactions. With increasing awareness of climate change impacts, it is critical that demolition decisions on masterplan developments are reviewed in the light of retaining carbon as well as heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) in the building sector has become a widely used method for quantifying environmental impacts of a building over its entire life cycle. Currently, however, no standardized procedure exists for considering refurbishment measures. In addition, the LCA, according to the European standard EN 15978, is limited to building level only. This paper shows how a methodological LCA framework of refurbishment methods can be applied at three levels: single building, neighbourhood, and municipality. Initially, the proposed methodological approaches are introduced while the framework rules are defined for each of the three levels. The system boundaries of the LCA differ regarding the assessment levels within the given methodology and are adapted accordingly. In addition, the three levels of assessment are defined by the accuracy of measurement results, and data requirements, as well as by the specific value of the calculations and the ownership of the building stock. The assessment levels provide a specific quality and quantity of environmental indicator results. Thus, the complex interrelationships of the assessment levels are shown. The developed framework for the environmental assessment of refurbishment measures provides comparability at the building level. At the neighbourhood level, emissions from refurbishment measures are compared with the reductions of emissions through heating energy demand. Ultimately, the potential of refurbishment measures at the municipal level can be identified on a large scale and used as a decision-making tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to other goods, buildings have a long lifespan. It is therefore the norm and not the exception that adaptation will be needed at some point in their life cycle to changing environmental conditions, technical progress and new/additional user requirements. The adaptation of existing buildings to future challenges in the form of refurbishment contributes to sustainable development. The proportion of refurbishments is increasing in both absolute and relative terms in the building sector in Europe. It is therefore surprising that the modelling particularities of refurbishment in the context of a life cycle-based environmental performance assessment are still neglected in the ENstandards. The paper deals with these particularities. Specifically, it presents a typology of approaches starting with a distinction between planned refurbishment as B5 and unforeseen refurbishment as an independent design and construction task / next life cycle, as well as the status of the discussion in selected countries. Recommendations for action for the life cycle assessment are given for specific decision-making situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint to address urgent global challenges, with a clear role for social workers. This paper explores a Sustainable Development Goal's focused student placement at the Australian Association of Social Workers, with RMIT University. Students reviewed the AASW's policy actions and their contribution to the SDGs, including recommendations for future work. The review identified advocacy in key areas, and the need for action on several issues, including climate action. Students learned about social work policy, practice, and sustainability. The placement itself provides a model for other organisations to align their actions to the SDGs. IMPLICATIONS There is a need for greater social work engagement with the United Nations' SDGs to address urgent social and environmental challenges. Field education placements can provide an important opportunity for students to learn about sustainability, social work policy practice, and the SDGs. The placement model proposed in the article is suitable for any organisation that seeks to review their actions and better align their work to the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, diverse geohazards and structural deterioration pose major challenges in planning, maintenance and emergency response for transport infrastructure operators. To manage these risks and adapt to changing conditions, well-informed resilience assessment and decision making tools are required. These tools are commonly associated with resilience metrics, which quantify the capacity of transport networks to withstand and absorb damage, recover after disruption and adapt to future changes. Several resilience metrics have been proposed in the literature, but there is lack of practical applications and worked examples. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap and provide engineers and novice researchers with a review of available metrics on the basis of the main properties of resilience (robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness and rapidity). The main steps of resilience assessment for transport infrastructure such as bridges are discussed and the use of fragility and restoration functions to assess the robustness and rapidity of recovery is demonstrated. Practical examples are provided using a bridge exposed to scour effects as a benchmark. An illustrative example of a system of assets is provided and different aspects of resilience-based decision making are discussed, with the aim of providing a comprehensive, yet straightforward, understanding of resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important and continuously growing research areas in marine ecology is assessing the sustainability of ecosystems. The concept is traditionally approached by quantifying different anthropogenic pressures, such as top-down effects, overexploitation, invasive species, overfishing, and pollution. However, this perspective has been criticized for its inability to capture the complex interactions between natural factors (such as climate change), human factors, and sociopolitical factors that shape ecosystems. In this paper, we present a new structural model for assessing the sustainability of marine ecosystems, PCA-DEA-based model, as an extension to current models that incorporates these key interfaces into dynamic system modeling by including trade-offs on horizontal scales (e.g., decision making). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Converging global evidence highlights the dire consequences of climate change for human mental health and wellbeing. This paper summarises literature across relevant disciplines to provide a comprehensive narrative review of the multiple pathways through which climate change interacts with mental health and wellbeing. Climate change acts as a risk amplifier by disrupting the conditions known to support good mental health, including socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions, and living and working conditions. The disruptive influence of rising global temperatures and extreme weather events, such as experiencing a heatwave or water insecurity, compounds existing stressors experienced by individuals and communities. This has deleterious effects on people's mental health and is particularly acute for those groups already disadvantaged within and across countries. Awareness and experiences of escalating climate threats and climate inaction can generate understandable psychological distress; though strong emotional responses can also motivate climate action. We highlight opportunities to support individuals and communities to cope with and act on climate change. Consideration of the multiple and interconnected pathways of climate impacts and their influence on mental health determinants must inform evidence-based interventions. Appropriate action that centres climate justice can reduce the current and future mental health burden, while simultaneously improving the conditions that nurture wellbeing and equality. The presented evidence adds further weight to the need for decisive climate action by decision makers across all scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health as a common good is of paramount importance for the world, especially in developing countries. This paper contributes to the literature by analysing the effect of climate vulnerability on child health outcomes in a sample of 107 developing countries over the period 2000–2020. We also analyse the mediating role of women's political empowerment and women's education in the relationship between climate vulnerability and child health outcomes. Using the method of generalised moments in a two-stage system and linear regression absorbing several levels of fixed effects, we found robust evidence that climate vulnerability worsens child health outcomes. We also found that women's political empowerment (WPE) and women's education mitigate the negative effect of climate vulnerability on child health outcomes. These results remain robust against several alternative tests and therefore highlight the need to better examine how the health consequences of climate vulnerability are structured by gender in developing countries. Given the importance of women as agents of change, it would be more beneficial for policymakers to include them in the decision-making process. • We use a dataset covering 107 developing countries over 21 years. • Child health outcomes: IMR, NMR, under-5 mortality rate, and vaccination coverage. • Linear regression absorbing multi-levels of fixed effects, and S-GMM are used. • Climate vulnerability leads to worse child health outcomes. • WPE and female education mitigate the effects of vulnerability on child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to introduce different views regarding the concept of adaptive capacity in water governance and unpack it in the Central Asian context, specifically. The desk study research built on the recommendations provided by the academia, policy papers and by experts on enhancing adaptive water governance. The juxtaposition of the three sets of recommendations demonstrates that the further strengthening of IWRM, as well as experimental approach to resource management, improved access to climate knowledge and disaster risk reduction mechanisms can consolidate the adaptive capacities of Central Asian water governance systems. The research was limited by the specific set of selected opinions and should be expanded in the future. As a practical outcome, the analysis aimed to provide the decision-makers in Central Asian states with better science-based avenues to planning adaptation measures ensuite the water sector. Thus, the study can be considered a stepping stone in the discussion on the adaptive capacities of water governance in the Central Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to formulate a novel framework of probabilistic model for long-term significant wave height to facilitate accurate probabilistic analysis and further decision making in engineering practice. It is found that there are several sources of inconsistency through the investigations of the records of significant wave height and correspondingly, three main challenges in the probabilistic modeling together with the relevant characteristics of long-term significant wave height are presented. A cluster based probabilistic model, in which the extremes are highlighted, is derived afterwards by optimization to ensure that it keeps consistent with the information conveyed from the records. Further, the model will also evolve with the recognition of the inconsistency between the records collected from different lengths of period. Finally, a framework for the analysis is formulated and its application is illustrated. • Main challenges in the probabilistic modeling of significant wave height are presented. • A cluster based probabilistic model, in which the extremes are highlighted, is derived by optimization. • The proposed model would evolve with the records collected from different lengths of period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services to support climate action in cities has proliferated over the past decade. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the unique features of urban forests under climate change. This paper addresses this gap by providing an integrative critical review of 44 articles published during the 2000-2020 period. The review allowed to identify three key themes that require further research: (1) the need to strengthen the framing of urban forests under climate change in the light of other discourses; (2) the need to better understand the complexity of urban forest benefits and exposures, and (3) the need to facilitate further knowledge integration to support more informed and inclusive decision making. The paper concludes by highlighting prospects for collaboration across science, policy and practice contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates how the social networks and the networking of migrants, and through that their migration trajectories, are being shaped by mobile technologies. I examine this through the case of environmentally-related migration in Bangladesh. This case, and the issue of environmentally-related migration more generally, provides new insights as it has a different context to most of the cases thus far examined to study the implications of ICTs on migration. In contrast to those studies, it is about internal movement. Such movement is highly dynamic with people frequently visiting places of origin or even trying to move back, and with travel routes being relatively safe and well known. It is less about smart phones and social media, as many of the most affected only have access to a mobile phone without internet. In that context, this paper shows that the use of mobile technologies does not necessarily lead to a drastic shift of social network structure towards the proliferation of weak ties. Rather, in this case, the impact is on how (often existing) ties that are geographically dispersed are utilised to enable mobility in a more coordinated manner, making mobility decisions more reflected on and to an extent less risky. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First review that examines multi-actor approaches for WEFN systems. • Multi-actor approaches have been classified into four categories. • Only multi-agent based models enable operational decision making simulations. • Stakeholders must choose multi-actor approaches according to their needs. Water, energy and food are essential resources for human life; however, their security is increasingly threatened worldwide by climate change, urbanization, and population growth. The Nexus approach, conceptualized in 2011 by the Bonn Nexus Conference, addresses the interconnections and trade-offs of water-energy-food systems and analyzes the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dimensions of these systems with a systemic approach. This bibliographic review aims at showing how multi-actor perspectives and objectives on water-energy-food nexus systems are modeled together with socio-ecological considerations. It sheds light on the major techniques found in the literature to do so; mathematical modeling, participative approaches and multi-criteria decision-making. This paper identifies commonalities between models developed at similar spatio-temporal scales and decision levels. It also highlights literature gaps and outlines research challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex interaction between city and climate crisis is converting design-based disciplines from deterministic to flexible approaches. In this regard, Decision-Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) methods and operational strategies can be valuable support mechanisms to cope with the emerging climate fragilities of urban systems. In light of recent advances in the field of adaptive approaches, this paper discusses key concepts, current limitations and the potential to introduce the DMDU in the method and practices of regenerative design. Our critical discussion aims to restore the designer’s role within the DMDU and to reduce current and future climate fragilities in European cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change are multiple and fundamental. Decisions made today may result in irreversible damage to the planet's biodiversity and ecosystems, the detrimental impacts of which will be borne by today's children, young people and those yet unborn (future generations). The use of citizens' assemblies (CAs) to tackle the issue of climate change is growing. Their remit is future focused. Yet is the future in the room? Focusing on a single case study, the recent Irish CA and Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action (JOCCA) deliberations on climate action, this paper explores the extent to which children, young people and future generations were included. Its systemic analysis of the membership of both institutions, the public submissions to them and the invited expertise presented, finds that the Irish CA was 'too tightly coupled' on this issue. This may have been beneficial in terms of impact, but it came at the expense of input legitimacy and potentially intergenerational justice. Referring to international developments, it suggests how these groups may be included through enclave deliberation, institutional innovations, design experiments and future-oriented practice.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophers now commonly reject the value free ideal for science by arguing that non-epistemic values, including personal or social values, are permissible within the core of scientific research. However, little attention has been paid to the normative political consequences of this position. This paper explores these consequences and shows how political theory is fruitful for proceeding in a world without value-neutral science. I draw attention to an oft-overlooked argument employed by proponents of the value free ideal I dub the "political legitimacy argument." This argument claims that the value-free ideal follows directly from the foundational principles of liberal democracy. If so, then the use of value-laden scientific information within democratic decision making would be illegitimate on purely political grounds. Despite highlighting this unaddressed and important argument, I show how it can be rejected. By appealing to deliberative democratic theory, I demonstrate scientific information can be value-laden and politically legitimate. The deliberative democratic account I develop is well suited for capturing the intuitions of many opponents of the value free ideal and points to a new set of questions for those interested in values in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing concern over catastrophic weather events, mostly as a direct result of climate changes, has underscored the need for expanding traditional power system contingency analyses to handle the associated risks of extreme power outages. To enable power system operators to make timely decisions when facing extreme events, we explore in this paper the viability of a classifier which uses the machine learning approach based on the Bayes decision theory as a means of predicting power system component outages. However, owing to an excessively imbalanced and largely sparse power component outage datasets, the corresponding classifier learning is a challenging problem in the data mining community. In the proposed approach, we apply a resampling method to overcome the class imbalance problem. The proposed classifier provides an effective framework that not only minimizes outage prediction errors for power system components, but also considers the cost of each preventive action according to its implication in extreme events. The outcome of the proposed model can be used for introducing operation-oriented preventive measures that allow the rescheduling of generation resources for maximizing the power system resilience. The performance of the proposed classifier is examined through numerical simulations by utilizing the confusion matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of green spaces (GS) in cities is perceived as an efficient solution to combat climate change and biodiversity loss while also improving human health. Quantitative health impact assessment (QHIA) is a powerful tool to assess the health benefits of GS and support policy-making decisions. In France, a preliminary analysis of the literature led to the decision of developing guidance for QHIA applied to GS and mortality. This paper focuses on the choice of exposure-response functions (ERF) for those QHIA. Literature review and analysis of the key steps of QHIA. Articles providing ERF for all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in relation to GS were identified through a literature review and ranked based on a quality score. ERF from the articles with the highest scores was pooled in meta-analyses. In total, 13 ERF were selected for all-cause mortality, 10 for cardiovascular mortality and 5 for respiratory mortality. Meta-risk for a 0.1 increase in the normalised differential vegetation index were, 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94; 0.97), 0.98 (95% CI 0.96; 0.99) and 0.97 (95% CI 0.92; 1.02) for all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, respectively. While current knowledge makes it possible to use QHIA on GS and mortality, interdisciplinary research is still needed to clarify the shape of the relationship and its temporality and to assess exposure in a meaningful way for decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we assess the quality of state-of-the-art regional climate information intended to support climate adaptation decision-making. We use the UK Climate Projections 2018 as an example of such information. Their probabilistic, global, and regional land projections exemplify some of the key methodologies that are at the forefront of constructing regional climate information for decision support in adapting to a changing climate. We assess the quality of the evidence and the methodology used to support their statements about future regional climate along six quality dimensions: transparency; theory; independence, number, and comprehensiveness of evidence; and historical empirical adequacy. The assessment produced two major insights. First, a major issue that taints the quality of UKCP18 is the lack of transparency, which is particularly problematic since the information is directed towards non-expert users who would need to develop technical skills to evaluate the quality and epistemic reliability of this information. Second, the probabilistic projections are of lower quality than the global projections because the former lack both transparency and a theory underpinning the method used to produce quantified uncertainty estimates about future climate. The assessment also shows how different dimensions are satisfied depending on the evidence used, the methodology chosen to analyze the evidence, and the type of statements that are constructed in the different strands of UKCP18. This research highlights the importance of knowledge quality assessment of regional climate information that intends to support climate change adaptation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the impact that changes in natural ecosystems can have on health and wellbeing focusing on the potential co-benefits that green spaces could provide when introduced as climate change adaptation measures. Ignoring such benefits could lead to sub-optimal planning and decision-making. A conceptual framework, building on the ecosystem-enriched Driver, Pressure, State, Exposure, Effect, Action model (eDPSEEA), is presented to aid in clarifying the relational structure between green spaces and human health, taking climate change as the key driver. The study has the double intention of (i) summarising the literature with a special emphasis on the ecosystem and health perspectives, as well as the main theories behind these impacts, and (ii) modelling these findings into a framework that allows for multidisciplinary approaches to the underlying relations between human health and green spaces. The paper shows that while the literature based on the ecosystem perspective presents a well-documented association between climate, health and green spaces, the literature using a health-based perspective presents mixed evidence in some cases. The role of contextual factors and the exposure mechanism are rarely addressed. The proposed framework could serve as a multidisciplinary knowledge platform for multi-perspecitve analysis and discussion among experts and stakeholders, as well as to support the operationalization of quantitative assessment and modelling exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a practical approach to adaptive management of dam risk based on robust decision-making strategies coupled with estimation of climate scenario probabilities. The proposed methodology, called multi-prior weighted scenarios ranking, consists of a series of steps from risk estimation for current and future situations through definition of the consensus sequence of risk reduction measures to be implemented. This represents a supporting tool for dam owners and safety practitioners in making decisions for managing dams or prioritizing long-term investments using a cost-benefit approach. This methodology is applied to the case study of a Spanish dam under the effects of climate change. Several risk reduction measures are proposed and their impacts are analyzed. The application of the methodology allows for identifying the optimal sequence of implementation measures that overcomes uncertainty from the diversity of available climate scenarios by prioritizing measures that reduce future accumulated risks at lower costs. This work proves that such a methodology helps address uncertainty that arises from multiple climate scenarios while adopting a cost-benefit approach that optimizes economic resources in dam risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional climate models (RCMs) are used to dynamically downscale global climate models (GCMs) to provide high-resolution projections of future climate change to better inform policy and decision making at the regional scale. However, biases from GCMs are transferred to RCMs and this can limit the usefulness of the regional climate projections. This paper investigates the influence of bias correcting 4 GCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3, for regional climate simulations over the CORDEX-Australasia domain using Weather Research and Forecasting. The GCM outputs are bias corrected against ERA-Interim reanalysis as a surrogate truth. Results show that over decadal time scales bias correction removes large systematic precipitation and temperature biases. However, bias correction also introduced biases where there were none, introduced biases of the opposite sign, or enhanced existing biases in other regions in some instances. The dynamical mechanisms driving the changes in the biases are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long term impact posed by climate change risk remains unclear and is subject to diverse interpretations from different maritime stakeholders. The inter-dynamics between climate change and ports can also significantly diversify in different geographical regions. Consequently, risk and cost data used to support climate adaptation is of high uncertainty and in many occasions, real data is often unavailable and incomplete. This paper presents a risk and cost evaluation methodology that can be applied to the analysis of port climate change adaptation measures in situations where data uncertainty is high. Risk and cost criteria are used in a decision-making model for the selection of climate adaptation measures. Information produced using a fuzzy-Bayesian risk analysis approach is utilized to evaluate risk reduction outcomes from the use of adaptation measures in ports. An evidential reasoning approach is then employed to synthesize the risk reduction data as inputs to the decision-making model. The results can assist policymakers in developing efficient adaptation measures that take into account the reduction in the likelihood of risks, their possible consequences, their timeframe, and costs incurred. A technical study across 14 major container ports in Greater China is presented to demonstrate the interaction between cost and risk analysis, and to highlight the applicability of the stated methodology in practice. The paper offers a useful analytical tool for assessing climate change risks to ports and selecting the most cost-effective adaptation measures in uncertain conditions. It can also be used to compare the practitioners’ perceptions of climate risks across different geographical regions, and to evaluate improvements after implementation of the selected adaptation measures with potential budgetary constraints. The methodology, together with the illustrative cases, provides important insights on how to develop efficient climate change adaptation measures in a supply chain context to improve the sustainability of development and enhance adaptation measures for ports, port cities, intermodal transport, supply chains, and urban and regional planning in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the growing demand for climate change information to guide national and local adaptation decision-making in the Philippines, the climate science and services community is producing an increasing volume of future climate data using a range of modelling approaches. However, there is a significant methodological challenge in how to best compare and combine information produced using different models and methods. In this paper, we present the landscape of climate model data available in the Philippines and show how multi-model, multi-method climate projections are being used and communicated to inform climate change policy and planning, focusing on the agriculture sector. We highlight the importance of examining and communicating methodological strengths and weaknesses as well as understanding the needs and capabilities of different user communities. We discuss the assessment of projections from different methods, including global and regional downscaled simulations, and discuss ways to summarise and communicate this information to stakeholders using co-production approaches. The paper concludes with perspectives on how to best use an “ensemble of opportunity” to construct defensible, plausible and usable climate projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, as many other threats, requires more activity from the government, and people inquire about this, rightfully so. However, the public and private sectors nowadays have a joint responsibility with society. Global warming has come out of the scientific community and shows that climate change is an important social, economic, and political issue. Currently the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions by transportation sector are the main polluter of the planet. For this reason, in this paper we propose a reflection on transport, which is an important sector of the economy, responsible for the generation of many jobs and wealth but, at the same time, it has negative impacts on people, companies, and the environment. Recent investigations demonstrate that mobility problems affects the life quality of the people, business productivity and gross domestic product (GDP) performance. In the face of the changes that we are experiencing, it is important to find alternatives that assistance governments in the decision-making to solve the problem of traffic in large and medium-size cities and bring well-being to the population. The goal is to provide accurate tool to help take the best decisions in situations that most of the time has a lack of economic resources and transparency. Another motivation is to increase the productivity of companies and achieve sustainable development by reducing mobility problems and CO 2 emissions. As outcomes of the paper, an in-depth study is presented on the subject that indicates a gap in the literature with fuzzy logic applied to sustainability. We indicate a sustainable option for the transport sector using algorithms for decision-making, and broaden the discussion on climate change and solutions to reduce the impacts caused by humanity. When the models were applied through a conceptual study, it was possible to provide an instrument generated on the use of algorithms that can aid decision-making by getting qualitative data from a discussion with stakeholders on a topic. Finally, the document identifies the importance of the participation of stakeholder, reinforces legitimacy and transparency in decision-making processes and above all present a tool that can help governments to solve this problem. In short, this work proposes an original and valuable tool to be applied in the decision-making process for the sustainable transport sector based on the stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerability of a socio-ecological system to one or more climatic hazards depends on climatic, geophysical, socio-economic and institutional factors. In addition, vulnerability is a scale- and place-dependent concept. While decision-making on adaptation is often made by local government, only a small number of local-scale assessments have been conducted. When indicators are used, global utility functions based on additive or multiplicative aggregation implicitly assume complete compensation between indicators, implying that one source of vulnerability (e.g., proximity to the sea) can always be compensated for by an advantage in another source (e.g., strong social or economic capital) when evidence shows that this is not always the case. This paper presents an indicator-based assessment of vulnerability of eight beaches in Shoalhaven, New South Wales, that are especially exposed to sea level rise. Its goal is twofold. First, it illustrates how indicator-based vulnerability assessments can be applied at a local scale – and not just sectoral, regional and national scales – with the aim of informing local government adaptation planning and resource allocation. In the process, models operationalising the concepts of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity are developed for two valued attributes identified through discussions with the local council, namely the well-being of beach residents and the well-being of users of infrastructure systems located at the beaches. Second, the paper studies, for the first time, the way outranking procedures can be applied in real-life vulnerability assessments as a form of data aggregation that better reflects the non-compensatory nature of many vulnerability indicators. The strengths and weaknesses of the outranking approach are discussed, especially the extent to which the concepts of preference, indifference and dominance thresholds can be conveyed to, and their values elicited from, stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the development of climate vulnerability maps for three Sahelian countries - Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger - and for coastal West Africa, with a focus on the way the maps were designed to meet decision-making needs and their ultimate influence and use in policy contexts. The paper provides a review of the literature on indicators and maps in the science-policy interface. We then assess the credibility, salience, and legitimacy of the maps as tools for decision-making. Results suggest that vulnerability maps are a useful boundary object for generating discussions among stakeholders with different objectives and technical backgrounds, and that they can provide useful input for targeting development assistance. We conclude with a discussion of the power of maps to capture policy-maker attention, and how this increases the onus on map developers to communicate clearly uncertainties and limitations. The assessment of policy uptake in this paper is admittedly subjective; the article includes a discussion of ways to conduct more objective and rigorous assessments of policy impact so as to better evaluate the value and use of vulnerability mapping in decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-stationarity of hydrologic processes due to climate change or human activities is challenging for the researchers and practitioners. However, the practical requirements for taking into account non-stationarity as a support in decision-making procedures exceed the up-to-date development of the theory and the of software. Currently, the most popular and freely available software package that allows for non-stationary statistical analysis is the GAMLSS (generalized additive models for location, scale and shape) package. GAMLSS has been used in a variety of fields. There are also several papers recommending GAMLSS in hydrological problems; however, there are still important issues which have not previously been discussed concerning mainly GAMLSS applicability not only for research and academic purposes, but also in a design practice. In this paper, we present a summary of our experiences in the implementation of GAMLSS to non-stationary flood frequency analysis, highlighting its advantages and pointing out weaknesses with regard to methodological and practical topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent climate changes have created intense natural disasters, such as windstorms, which can cause significant damages to power grids. System resilience is defined as the ability of the system to withstand such high-impact low-probability events. This paper proposes a robust resilient operational schedule for active distribution networks against windstorms. In order to capture dynamic behaviors of these disasters, zonal disaster-specific uncertainty sets associated with the windstorm are proposed. Additionally, the unavailability uncertainties of N-K contingencies as well as the forecast uncertainties of load demand, wind power, and solar power are taken into account. Instead of committing micro-turbines and energy storage systems in the first stage (here-and-now) of the decision-making process, the proposed model considers these commitment decisions in the second stage (wait-and-see) of the decision-making process, which is more consistent with the fast response time of these units. Since the second stage of the proposed model has binary decision variables, recent KKT-based and duality-based methods are not applicable. Therefore, a new solution method based on block coordinate descent (BCD) and line search (LS) techniques is proposed to solve the bi-level problem. Eventually, IEEE 33-bus distribution test system is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and solution method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is impractical to implement conservation efforts for all species due to complexity of natural systems, large scale of biodiversity issues, and budget limitations. Prioritizing species of conservation importance can alleviate this issue. Multiple interrelated criteria may be used for conservation prioritization of species. Therefore, the accurate evaluation of criteria is a multi-criteria decision-making problem. In the current paper, which is a complementary study to our previous work on identifying landscape species in central Iran, we aimed to provide more details about the integrated DEMATEL Analytical Network Process (DANP) for evaluating the criteria used for the process of selecting landscape species. The impact-relation map implied that home range size had the greatest effect on other criteria and the feasibility of monitoring received the most impact from other criteria. Also, conflict with human, vulnerability to climate change, and extent of occurrence have the highest priorities for selecting landscape species. Based on our findings, multi-criteria decision making systems effectively evaluate the interrelationships between the criteria affecting the selection process of species and rank the criteria according to their impacts. This framework can be used as a guideline for prioritizing species to increase the efficiency of site-based conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]