The exclusive concept and criteria of sustainability does not seem enough to cope with the need and the complexity of our modern society, which seeks a balance between material and non-material values. A conceptual model is presented for the development and evaluation of goals for sustainable development by combining explicit notions of governance and ethics in the complex field of sustainability. Thus, the paper is aimed at exploring the interlinkages established among sustainability, governance and ethical variables. The chaotic arena of these variables -although dependent on each other -is systematised in distinct and discrete fields. The framework represents a back-to-basis approach, transferable to any condition, in which the functions are: (1) sustainability (S), a field of macro-variables underlying normative targets and criteria to enhance social, economic and environmental sustainability; (2) governance (G), a field of macro-variables pertinent to the organisation of the civil society and influencing the organisation of the social system to ensure sustainability; (3) ethics (€), a field of principles used to explicitly orient goals and targets of sustainable development towards a higher level of values that clearly determine the future paths of sustainability. The outcome of the methodology consists of a matrix that translates some of the S-G-€ interlinkages into multidimensional criteria to be used for framing sustainable development into specific multidimensional goals for project or strategy development. An application of the theoretical model is given in the last part of this paper.

Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is an aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium of the monotypic genus Xylella. It is transmitted exclusively by xylem fluid feeding sap insects. Xf is one of the most dangerous plant bacteria worldwide, causing a variety of diseases, with huge impact for agriculture, and affecting cultivated plants of high economic value (e.g., olive trees, stone fruits-plums, almonds, cherries) or wide-spread ornamental plants (e.g., myrtle-leaf milkwort, oleander). In the frame of H2020 Project XF-ACTORS, analysis of the environmental, socio-economic and governance impact and vulnerability to Xf have been carried out in selected case study areas. To reach this goal, an extensive survey was conducted with the support of a comprehensive questionnaire in Puglia (Italy), Crete (Greece), Valencia and Andalusia (Spain). Questionnaires were completed through face-to-face interviews with local farmers, decision makers, extension experts and practitioners. The survey aimed to: 1) collect the point of view and perception of people about Xf disease and the containment plans; 2) identify possible gaps in communication, understand possible weak points in the communication strategy that could hamper the application and the effectiveness of containment measures; 3) understand the network of relationships existing among stakeholders in territorial contexts; and 4) collect suggestions from local people with a view to improving the management of information related to the disease. Questions were grouped under different main criteria: Knowledge, Perception, Practices, Involvement, Effectiveness, Responsibility. A scoring procedure assigned to each question a value to assess the corresponding indexes: DKI-Disease Knowledge Index,

Despite common acknowledgement of the value of protected areas as instruments in ensuring sustainability, and their promotion for the achievement of policies on halting the loss of biodiversity, there is no common approach today for monitoring and evaluating them. This paper presents a novel integrated nature conservation management procedure developed to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of Mediterranean protected areas. This procedure was successfully implemented and formally evaluated by protected area managers in six Mediterranean countries, results of which are presented here together with an overview of the web-based Decision Support System (DSS) developed to facilitate its wide adoption. The DSS and procedure has been designed and evaluated by managers as a useful tool, which facilitates and provides needed procedural guidance for protected area monitoring whilst minimizing input requirements to do so. The procedure and DSS were developed following a review of existing protected area assessment tools and a detailed primary investigation of the needs and capacity of its intended users. Essentially, the procedure and DSS guides provide the facilities for protected area managers, in following a participatory approach to develop a context-specific sustainability monitoring strategy, for their protected area. Consequently, the procedure is, by design, participatory, context specific, holistic and relevant to protected area management and institutional procedures. The procedure was piloted and formally evaluated in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Malta and Cyprus. Feedback collected from the pilot evaluations is also summarised herein.publishersversionPeer reviewe

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