What is it about?
Measuring sustainability in river basins requires looking at nature, society, and geography together — not in isolation. This study introduces the ESI (Environmental-Social Index) approach, which integrates environmental data, geographic information, and social indicators to produce a comprehensive sustainability assessment for hydrographic basins. Applied to Brazilian river basins, the index reveals important spatial patterns of sustainability and helps identify regions where human pressures are exceeding ecological limits. The ESI approach provides a practical framework for evidence-based watershed governance.
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Why is it important?
Integrated sustainability assessments that bridge environmental and social dimensions are urgently needed to guide water resource management in rapidly changing landscapes. The ESI approach developed in this study offers a transparent, replicable, and spatially explicit methodology that can be adapted to river basins worldwide. By connecting ecological and social data, it enables more holistic and equitable approaches to sustainable watershed governance.
Perspectives
Developing the ESI approach was a collaborative effort to bridge the gap between environmental monitoring and social science in watershed management. I am proud of this integrative framework and I believe it reflects the kind of interdisciplinary thinking that is urgently needed to address the complex sustainability challenges facing Brazil's river basins. I hope it inspires similar integrated approaches in other countries.
PhD Edivando Vitor do Couto
Technische Universitat Munchen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Integrating Environmental, Geographical and Social Data to Assess Sustainability in Hydrographic Basins: The ESI Approach, Sustainability, April 2020, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/su12073057.
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