The Pentatope Model: A holistic approach for analysing and reviewing environmental complexity

Vannevel, Rudy

doi:10.1016/j.swaqe.2014.06.001

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In the common understanding of mining sustainability researchers [5,11,70,71], the above-mentioned concerns are not solely a matter of applied science but are primarily dependent on a combination of decision-making, technological and operational viabilities. In fact, WQM implementation is subject to available budgets, technical capabilities and political structures, besides natural constraints such as climate, topography and ecological understanding (specific to each social-ecological system) [72]. The scarcely-studied Andes region is characterized by its topographic and climatic complexity [18], making ecosystem measurements prone to variability.…”

Section: Systemic Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Freshwater Quality of a Large-Scale Mining Watershed: The Need for Integrated Approaches

Mercado‐Garcia

Beeckman

Butsel

et al. 2019

Water

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Water quality assessments provide essential information for protecting aquatic habitats and stakeholders downstream of mining sites. Moreover, mining companies must comply with environmental quality standards and include public participation in water quality monitoring (WQM) practices. However, overarching challenges beyond corporate environmental responsibility are the scientific soundness, political relevance and harmonization of WQM practices. In this study, a mountainous watershed supporting large-scale gold mining in the headwaters, besides urban and agricultural landuses at lower altitudes, is assessed in the dry season. Conventional physicochemical and biological (Biological Monitoring Water Party-Colombia index) freshwater quality parameters were evaluated, including hydromorphological and land-use characteristics. According to the indicators used, water quality deterioration by mining was absent, in contrast to the effects of urban economic activities, hydromorphological alterations and (less important) agricultural pollutants. We argue that mining impacts are hardly captured due to the limited ecological knowledge of high-mountain freshwaters, including uncharacterized mining-specific bioindicators, environmental baselines and groundwater processes, as well as ecotoxicological and microbial freshwater quality components. Lessons for overcoming scientific and operational challenges are drawn from joint efforts among governments, academia and green economy competitiveness. Facing a rapid development of extractive industries, interinstitutional and multidisciplinary collaborations are urgently needed to implement more integrated freshwater quality indicators of complex mining impacts.

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Section: Systemic Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Freshwater Quality of a Large-Scale Mining Watershed: The Need for Integrated Approaches

Mercado‐Garcia

Beeckman

Butsel

et al. 2019

Water

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“…The Pentatope Model [18] is used to illustrate and structure complexity at the supragovernance level. Figure 1 depicts the dynamism between four sub-frameworks of the Pentatope Model (societal capitals, ecosystems, the environmental information cycle (EIC), and governance).…”

Section: Major Components Of Complex Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Pentatope Model (PT Model; [18]), a general approach for mapping environmental issues that includes interactions between societal capitals (CAPs), the environmental information cycle (EIC), and governance; II. Increasing environmental complexity [19], that further elaborates on the EIC subframework of the PT Model; III.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and Contentual Complexity in Water Governance

Vannevel

Goethals

2021

Sustainability

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Social-ecological systems and governance are complex systems and crises that affect those systems are likely to be complex as well. Environmental topics are multi-faceted with respect to both structure and content. Structural complexity is about societal and institutional organization and management, whereas contentual complexity deals with environmental (or societal) analyses, knowledge, and problem-solving. Interactions between both are manifold, and it is essential they are included in decision-making. Describing these interactions results in a series of nineteen units, arranged in a matrix according to their prevailing mutual dependencies. These units show dominant processes and concepts, representative of environmental analysis. This approach, called ACCU (aggregation of concepts and complex adapted systems units), is provided with evidence through practices of, in particular, water governance.

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“…It is possible to explain the functioning of the society by means of a small number of interacting frameworks. In [27,28], the Pentatope Model (PTM) is proposed as a holistic framework for societal, and, in particular, environmental analyses. It includes five (sub)frameworks, with each framework composed of five factors ( Figure 1):…”

Section: A Common Framework For Resources Valuationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Ecosystem Key Factors to Support Sustainable Water Management

Vannevel

Goethals

2020

Sustainability

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There is a growing consensus that sustainable development requires a behavioral change, forced by firm decision-making. However, existing decision-supporting tools are unlikely to provide relevant information, hampered by the complexity of combined socio-economic and natural systems. Protecting the intrinsic value of ecosystems and providing sufficient natural resources for human use at the same time leads up to a wide span of management, ranging from species traits to governance. The aim of this study is to investigate the interactions between the natural and economic systems from the perspective of sustainable development. The way to reduce systems complexity by selecting key factors of ecosystem functioning for policy and management purposes is discussed. To achieve this, the Pentatope Model is used as a holistic framework, an ecosystem nodes network is developed to select key factors, and a combined natural and socio-economic valuation scheme is drawn. These key factors—abiotic resources and conditions, biodiversity, and biomass—are considered fundamental to the ecosystem properties habitat range and carrying capacity. Their characteristics are discussed in relation to sustainable water management. The conclusion is that sustainable development requires environmental decision-making that includes the intrinsic natural value, and should be supported by ecological modelling, additional environmental quality standards, and substance balances.

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The Pentatope Model: A holistic approach for analysing and reviewing environmental complexity

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Assessing the Freshwater Quality of a Large-Scale Mining Watershed: The Need for Integrated Approaches

Assessing the Freshwater Quality of a Large-Scale Mining Watershed: The Need for Integrated Approaches

Structural and Contentual Complexity in Water Governance

Identifying Ecosystem Key Factors to Support Sustainable Water Management

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