The Elgar Companion to Geography, Transdisciplinarity and Sustainability

Offering a cutting-edge, transdisciplinary approach to bio-physical and bio-cultural scales of sustainability, this Companion explores diverse understandings of the what, how, why and where questions of sustainability. It examines the key notion of how to optimize human quality of life whilst minimizing environmental suffering. Integrating a range of disciplines through the social sciences, natural sciences and arts and humanities, this Companion focuses on the human component of sustainability, using a place-based and life-scape approach to environmental questions. Chapters analyze critical topics including: urbanization and city life, environmental conservation and rural landscapes, long-term interactions with natural life, climate change and the importance of mountain regions. Looking beyond an economic analysis of sustainability and well-being, this Companion incorporates cross-cutting social, cultural, judicial and spiritual dimensions of sustainability and regenerative development. With a combination of international case studies and an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the topic, this will be an interesting read for those studying sustainability from a range of disciplinary bases including ecological economists, human ecologists and geographers. It will also be beneficial to urban planners and ecologists interested in how the profoundly impactful evolutionary trend towards the urban environment is impacting human geographies around the world. Contributors include: B. Antaki, J. Balsiger, A. Barreau, S. Boillat, B. Boley, A. Borsdorf, F. Boyer, M. Bush, J.B. Campbell, M. Carré, R. Cheddadi, T.J. Christoffel, B. Debarbieux , M.E. Donoso-Correa, N. Dudley, W. Dunbar, F. Ficetola, L. François, L.M. Frolich, E. Guevara, J.A. González, A. Haller, C.P. Harden, D. Harmon, A.-J. Henrot, S.L. Hitchner, G.A. Holdridge, K. Huang, J.T. Ibarra, K. Ichikawa, E.A. Macdonald, C. Mena, C. Merchant, A. Michaels, C. Monterrubio-Solís, E. Müller, M. Navarro, H. Norberg-Hodge, M. Oliva, S. Padgett-Vasquez, S.E. Pilaar Birch, D. Quiroga, J.K. Reap, L.M. Resler, A. Rhoujjati, R. Rozzi, F.O. Sarmiento, J.W. Schelhas, Y. Shao, C. Stadel, P. Taberlet, K. Taylor, S.J. Walsh, K.R. Young, Z. Zheng, F.M. Zimmermann, S. Zimmermann-Janschitz List of contributors -- Introduction: the scale of sustainability-the limiting universe where everything and nothing is sustainable / Larry M. Frolich, Esmeralda Guevara and Fausto O. Sarmiento -- Part I: Foundational binaries of geography and sustainability / 1. Packing transdisciplinary critical geography amidst sustainability of mountainscapes / Fausto O. Sarmiento -- 2. a binary south to north world: the geography of sustainability for a high-energy, urbanizing, digitalized human species / Esmeralda Guevara and Larry M. Frolich -- 3. Sustainable development and the concept of scale / Bernard Debarbieux and J.rg Balsiger -- 4. Multidisciplinary approaches for conservation issues / Rachid Cheddadi, Fausto O. Sarmiento, Alain Hambuckers, Ali Rhoujjati, Pierre Taberlet, Francesco Ficetola, Alexandra-Jane Henrot, Louis Fran.ois, Fr.d.ric Boyer and Majda Nourelbait -- 5. The dance of sustainability: a call to engage geographers in local- and global-scale research / Carol P. Harden -- 6. Sustainability and globalization / Helena Norberg-Hodge -- 7. The climate framework in sustainability research: a geographic critique from the global south / Kenneth R. Young -- Part II: Integration of disciplinary development for sustainability -- 8. Why sustainability matters in geography / Friedrich M. Zimmermann and Susanne Zimmermann-Janschitz -- 9. Urban montology: mountain cities as transdisciplinary research focus / Axel Borsdorf and Andreas Haller -- 10. The Satoyama Initiative for landscape/seascape sustainability / William Dunbar and Kaoru Ichikawa -- 11. A biocultural ethic for sustainable geographies / Ricardo Rozzi -- 12. Values in place: protected areas as a geography of commitment / David Harmon -- Part III: Resource exploitation and cycling of accommodation -- 13. Regenerative development as natural solution for sustainability / Eduard Müller -- 14. Sustainable relationships and ecological authenticity / Nigel Dudley -- 15. Feeding futures framed: rediscovering biocultural diversity in sustainable foodscapes / Genevieve A. Holdridge, Fausto O. Sarmiento, Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch, Bynum Boley, James K. Reap, Eric A. Macdonald, Mar.a Navarro, Sarah L. Hitchner and John W. Schelhas -- 16. sustainable urbanism or amenity migration fad: critical analysis of urban planning of cuenca cityscapes, Ecuador / Mario E. Donoso-Correa and Fausto O. Sarmiento -- Part IV: Country examples: non-traditional actors/TEK -- 17. Land cover and land use change in an emerging national park gateway region: implications for mountain sustainability / Lynn M. Resler, Yang Shao, James B. Campbell and Amanda Michaels -- 18. Listening to the campesinos : sustaining rural livelihoods in the tropical Andes / Christoph Stadel -- 19. Decolonizing ecological knowledge: transdisciplinary ecology, place making and cognitive justice in the Andes / S.bastien Boillat -- 20. Cultural sustainability and notions of cultural heritage: a review with some reference to an Asian perspective / Ken Taylor -- 21. Threats to sustainability in the Galapagos islands: a social-ecological perspective / Carlos F. Mena, Diego Quiroga and Stephen J. Walsh -- 22. Celestial bird's eye view: tracking forest cover change in the bellbird biological corridor of Costa Rica / Steve Padgett-Vasquez -- 23. Andean indigenous foodscapes: food security and food sovereignty in mountains' sustainability scenarios / Juan A. Gonz.lez and Fausto O. Sarmiento -- Part V: Postcript -- 24. Montology: an integrative understanding of mountain foodscapes for strengthening food sovereignty in the Andes / Jos. Tom.s Ibarra, Antonia Barreau, Carla Marchant, Juan A. Gonz.lez, Manuel Oliva, Mario E. Donoso-Correa, Berea Antaki, Constanza Monterrubio-Sol.s and Fausto O. Sarmiento -- 25. Sustainability: cooperation industry earth 2300 -- "think local planet, act regionally" / Thomas J. Christoffel -- Part VI: Epilogue -- 26. Sustainability thinking: the road ahead / Fausto O. Sarmiento and Larry M. Frolich -- Index Front Matter Copyright Contents List of contributors Introduction: the scale of sustainability—the limiting universe where everything and nothing is sustainable Part I: Foundational Binaries of Geography and Sustainability 1 Packing transdisciplinary critical geography amidst sustainability of mountainscapes 2 A binary South to North world: the geography of sustainability for a high-energy, urbanizing, digitalized human species 3 Sustainable development and the concept of scale 4 Multidisciplinary approaches for conservation issues 5 The dance of sustainability: a call to engage geographers in local- and global-scale research 6 Sustainability and globalization 7 The climate framework in sustainability research: a geographic critique from the Global South Part II: Integration of Disciplinary Development for Sustainability 8 Why sustainability matters in geography 9 Urban montology: mountain cities as transdisciplinary research focus 10 The Satoyama Initiative for landscape/seascape sustainability 11 A biocultural ethic for sustainable geographies 12 Values in place: protected areas as a geography of commitment Part III: Resource Exploitation and Cycling of Accommodation 13 Regenerative development as natural solution for sustainability 14 Sustainable relationships and ecological authenticity 15 Feeding futures framed: rediscovering biocultural diversity in sustainable foodscapes 16 Sustainable urbanism or amenity migration fad: critical analysis of urban planning of Cuenca cityscapes, Ecuador Part IV: Country Examples: Non-Traditional Actors/Tek 17 Land cover and land use change in an emerging national park gateway region: implications for mountain sustainability 18 Listening to the campesinos: sustaining rural livelihoods in the tropical Andes 19 Decolonizing ecological knowledge: transdisciplinary ecology, place making and cognitive justice in the Andes 20 Cultural sustainability and notions of cultural heritage: a review with some reference to an Asian perspective 21 Threats to sustainability in the Galapagos Islands: a social–ecological perspective 22 Celestial bird’s eye view: tracking forest cover change in the Bellbird Biological Corridor of Costa Rica 23 Andean indigenous foodscapes: food security and food sovereignty in mountains’ sustainability scenarios Part V: Postcript 24 Montology: an integrative understanding of mountain foodscapes for strengthening food sovereignty in the Andes 25 Sustainability: Cooperation Industry Earth 2300 – “Think local planet, act regionally” Part VI: Epilogue 26 Sustainability thinking: the road ahead Index "Offering a cutting-edge, transdisciplinary approach to bio-physical and bio-cultural scales of sustainability, this Companion explores diverse understandings of the what, how, why and where questions of sustainability. It examines the key notion of how to optimize human quality of life whilst minimizing environmental suffering. Integrating a range of disciplines through the social sciences, natural sciences and arts and humanities, this Companion focuses on the human component of sustainability, using a place-based and life-scape approach to environmental questions. Chapters analyze critical topics including: urbanization and city life, environmental conservation and rural landscapes, long-term interactions with natural life, climate change and the importance of mountain regions. Looking beyond an economic analysis of sustainability and well-being, this Companion incorporates cross-cutting social, cultural, judicial and spiritual dimensions of sustainability and regenerative development. With a combination of international case studies and an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the topic, this will be an interesting read for those studying sustainability from a range of disciplinary bases including ecological economists, human ecologists and geographers. It will also be beneficial to urban planners and ecologists interested in how the profoundly impactful evolutionary trend towards the urban environment is impacting human geographies around the world"-- Provided by publisher With contributions from top geographers, this Companion frames sustainability as exemplar of transdisciplinary science (critical geography) while improving future scenarios, debating perspectives between rich North/poor South, modern urban/backwards rural, and everything in between. The Companion has five sections that carry the reader from foundational considerations to integrative trends, to resources use and accommodation, to examples highlighting non-traditional pathways, to a postscript about cooperation of the industrialized Earth and a prognosis of the road ahead for the new geographies of sustainability.