A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

作者：Gardner Toby A^*; Ferreira Joice; Barlow Jos; Lees Alexander C; Parry Luke; Guimaraes Vieira Ima Celia; Berenguer Erika; Abramovay Ricardo; Aleixo Alexandre; Andretti Christian; Aragao Luiz E O C; Araujo Ivanei; de Avila Williams Souza; Bardgett Richard D; Batistella Mateus; Begotti Rodrigo Anzolin; Beldini Troy; de Blas Driss Ezzine; Braga Rodrigo Fagundes; Braga Danielle de Lima; de Brito Janaina Gomes; de Camargo Plinio Barbosa; dos Santos Fabiane Campos

来源：Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2013, 368(1619): 20120166.

DOI：10.1098/rstb.2012.0166

• tropical forests
• land use
• sustainability
• trade-offs
• interdisciplinary research
• social-ecological systems

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.

• 出版日期2013-6-5