A Magnificent Mountain Landscape – Understanding the connection between management objectives and how and what to measure in a system dynamic perspective

2013 EEEN Forum

Hordur Haraldsson, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

The Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives where stipulated in 1999 in order to enable foster policies and management towards long-term sustainable development of the Swedish society. The Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives (EQO) are sixteen in total and describe the desired state of the enviromnent within one generation in each of the areas the EQO addresses. In the brief history of the EQO, there has been need of understanding how cumulative effects of the different activities and stakeholders that influence, and are influenced by policies in order to towards fulfilling the EQO. Previously, it has been difficult to measure success in management since many of the key actors and their activities and interaction have not been mapped in a systematic way.

Therefore it has not been possible to determine in a systematic way which of two different policies are likely to have a desired effect, when including all the direct and indirect impacts and feedbacks and their unintended side effects onto other EQOS. In this regard, the Swedish EPA started a pilot study in 2009 with the aim to understand the different stakeholders’ interest and activities in the Swedish mountain regions in which the EQO “A Magnificent Mountain Landscape” is formulated. The purpose was to understand how the different stakeholders (private, enterprise as well as authorities) interacted in a systematic way and what driving forces and feedbacks where important to understand in order to formulate proper management objectives and indicators for measuring success. This study looks at the first results of the systematic mapping and its connection to the current management steps and indicators. The overall goal is to have all the EQO system mapped in an integrated and transparent way. This will enable a proper scenario analysis of policies and their intended and Lmintended upon management and the ultimate goal of fulfilling the EQOS.

Keywords: Enviromnental Quality Objectives, indicators, stakeholders, System Dynamics, Causal Loop Diagrams, management, scenario analysis

 

Post a Comment