Communities around the world are confronting unique challenges to sustain their local environment, culture and identity in the face of climate change. From B.C.’s coastal communities to Arctic gateway cities in the north, UBC Vancouver sociology professor Ralph Matthews is leading teams of researchers in the study of the sociological and cultural implications of climate change through two distinct projects: The Co-Management of Climate Change in Coastal British Columbia (C5) Project and The City of Whitehorse – Climate Change and Institutional Adaptive Capacity Project.

Réalisées aux échelles internationales et nationales, les études de vulnérabilité aux changements et à la variabilité climatiques sont peu pertinentes dans un processus de prise de décisions à des échelles géographiques plus petites qui représentent les lieux d’implantation des stratégies de réponses envisagées. Les études de vulnérabilité aux changements et à la variabilité climatiques à des échelles géographiques relativement petites dans le secteur agricole sont généralement rares, voire inexistantes au Canada, notamment au Québec. Dans le souci de combler ce vide et de favoriser un processus décisionnel plus éclairé à l’échelle de la ferme, cette étude cherchait principalement à dresser un portrait de l’évolution de la vulnérabilité des fermes productrices de maïs-grain des régions de Montérégie-Ouest et du Lac-St-Jean-Est aux changements et à la variabilité climatiques dans un contexte de multiples sources de pression. Une méthodologie générale constituée d'une évaluation de la vulnérabilité globale à partir d’une combinaison de profils de vulnérabilité aux conditions climatiques et socio-économiques a été adoptée. Pour la période de référence (1985-2005), les profils de vulnérabilité ont été dressés à l’aide d’analyses des coefficients de variation des séries temporelles de rendements et de superficies en maïs-grain. Au moyen de méthodes ethnographiques associées à une technique d’analyse multicritère, le Processus d’analyse hiérarchique (PAH), des scénarios d’indicateurs de capacité adaptative du secteur agricole susmentionné ont été développés pour la période de référence. Ceux-ci ont ensuite servi de point de départ dans l’élaboration des indicateurs de capacité de réponses des producteurs agricoles pour la période future 2010-2039. Pour celle-ci, les deux profils de vulnérabilité sont issus d’une simplification du cadre théorique de « Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change » (IPCC) relatif aux principales composantes du concept de vulnérabilité. Pour la dimension « sensibilité » du secteur des fermes productrices de maïs-grain des deux régions agricoles aux conditions climatiques, une série de données de rendements a été simulée pour la période future. Ces simulations ont été réalisées à l’aide d’un couplage de cinq scénarios climatiques et du modèle de culture CERES-Maize de « Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer » (DSSAT), version 4.0.2.0. En ce qui concerne l’évaluation de la « capacité adaptative » au cours de la période future, la construction des scénarios d’indicateurs de cette composante a été effectuée selon l’influence potentielle des grandes orientations économiques et environnementales considérées dans l’élaboration des lignes directrices des deux familles d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) A2 et A1B. L’application de la démarche méthodologique préalablement mentionnée a conduit aux principaux résultats suivants. Au cours de la période de référence, la région agricole du Lac-St-Jean-Est semblait être plus vulnérable aux conditions climatiques que celle de Montérégie-Ouest. En effet, le coefficient de variation des rendements du maïs-grain pour la région du Lac-St-Jean-Est était évalué à 0,35; tandis que celui pour la région de Montérégie-Ouest n’était que de 0,23. Toutefois, par rapport aux conditions socio-économiques, la région de Montérégie-Ouest affichait une vulnérabilité plus élevée que celle du Lac-St-Jean-Est. Les valeurs des coefficients de variation pour les superficies en maïs-grain au cours de la période de référence pour la Montérégie-Ouest et le Lac-St-Jean-Est étaient de 0,66 et 0,48, respectivement. Au cours de la période future 2010-2039, la région du Lac-St-Jean-Est serait, dans l’ensemble, toujours plus vulnérable aux conditions climatiques que celle de Montérégie-Ouest. Les valeurs moyennes des coefficients de variation pour les rendements agricoles anticipés fluctuent entre 0,21 et 0,25 pour la région de Montérégie-Ouest et entre 0,31 et 0,50 pour la région du Lac-St-Jean-Est. Néanmoins, en matière de vulnérabilité future aux conditions socio-économiques, la position relative des deux régions serait fonction du scénario de capacité adaptative considéré. Avec les orientations économiques et environnementales considérées dans l’élaboration des lignes directrices de la famille d’émission de GES A2, les indicateurs de capacité adaptative du secteur à l’étude seraient respectivement de 0,13 et 0,08 pour la Montérégie-Ouest et le Lac-St-Jean-Est. D’autre part, en considérant les lignes directrices de la famille d’émission de GES A1B, la région agricole du Lac-St-Jean-Est aurait une capacité adaptative légèrement supérieure (0,07) à celle de la Montérégie-Ouest (0,06). De façon générale, au cours de la période future, la région du Lac-St-Jean-Est devrait posséder une vulnérabilité globale plus élevée que la région de Montérégie-Ouest. Cette situation s’expliquerait principalement par une plus grande vulnérabilité de la région du Lac-St-Jean-Est aux conditions climatiques. Les résultats de cette étude doivent être appréciés dans le contexte des postulats considérés, de la méthodologie suivie et des spécificités des deux régions agricoles examinées. Essentiellement, avec l’adoption d’une démarche méthodologique simple, cette étude a révélé les caractéristiques « dynamique et relative » du concept de vulnérabilité, l’importance de l’échelle géographique et de la prise en compte d’autres sources de pression et surtout de la considération d’une approche contraire à celle du « agriculteur réfractaire aux changements » dans les travaux d’évaluation de ce concept dans le secteur agricole. Finalement, elle a aussi présenté plusieurs pistes de recherche susceptibles de contribuer à une meilleure évaluation de la vulnérabilité des agriculteurs aux changements climatiques dans un contexte de multiples sources de pression. / The undertaking of vulnerability studies in relation to climatic change and vulnerability at the international and national levels renders them less relevant to a decision-making process at smaller spatial scales where specific response strategies are implemented. Vulnerability studies to climatic change and variability at relatively small geographic scales within the agriculture sector are rare in general, and even nonexistent in Canada, including Quebec. In order to fill in this gap and to contribute to a better decision-making process at the farm level, this study aimed at presenting a description and analysis of the evolution of grain corn growers’ vulnerability to climatic change and variability and other stressors within the Montérégie-Ouest and Lac-St-Jean-Est regions. A general methodology consisting of an assessment of farmers’ overall vulnerability by combining vulnerability profiles to climate and socio-economic conditions has been considered. For the reference period (1985-2005), vulnerability profiles were constructed by analyzing the variation coefficients of grain corn yields and crop area data. By means of ethnographic methods associated with a multicriteria analysis technique, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), adaptive capacity indices of the agriculture sector have been elaborated upon for the reference period. These indices have then been used as a starting point in the construction of scenario indices of future adaptive capacity of farmers for the future period 2010-2039. For this future period (2010-2039), vulnerability profiles for both regions have been created using a simplified version of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conceptual framework on the components of vulnerability. For the « sensitivity » component of grain corn growers to climate conditions within the selected agricultural regions, a set of grain corn yields has been simulated using five climate scenarios coupled with CERES-Maize, one of the crop models embedded in the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT 4.0.2.0 version) software. In regards to the evaluation of the « adaptive capacity » for the future period (2010-2039), the elaboration of indices for this component has been undertaken by considering the potential influence of the main economic and environmental drivers used in the development of the storylines for two greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenarios families, namely the A2 and A1B families. The application of the methodological approach mentioned above produced the following key results. For the reference period, the Lac-St-Jean-Est region appeared to be more vulnerable to climate conditions than Montérégie-Ouest region. The coefficient of variation for grain corn yields within the Lac-St-Jean-Est region was evaluated to be 0,35, while the value for the Montérégie-Ouest region was only 0,23. However, with respect to the socio-economic conditions, the Montérégie-Ouest region showed greater vulnerability than the Lac-St-Jean-Est region. The values of the coefficient of variation for the areas under grain corn during the reference period (1985-2005) within Montérégie-Ouest and Lac-St-Jean-Est were 0,66 and 0,48 respectively. For the future period (2010-2039), the Lac-St-Jean-Est region, once again, would seem to be more vulnerable to climate conditions than the Montérégie-Ouest region. The average values of the coefficient of variation for the simulated grain corn yields fluctuate between 0,21 and 0,25 for the Montérégie-Ouest region and between 0,31 and 0,50 for Lac-St-St-Jean-Est region. However, from a socio-economic perspective, the relative vulnerability status of both regions would seem to vary according to the scenario of adaptive capacity considered. With the economic and environmental drivers considered in the storylines of the A2 GHG emissions scenario family, the adaptive capacity indices for the sector under study would be 0,13 and 0,08 for Montérégie-Ouest and Lac-St-Jean-Est, respectively. On the other hand, by considering the economic and environmental drivers considered for the A1B GHG emissions scenario family, the Lac-St-Jean-Est agricultural region would appear to have an adaptive capacity slightly higher (0,07) than that of the Montérégie-Ouest region (0,06). In general, for the future period, the Lac-St-Jean-Est region would appear to have greater overall vulnerability than the Montérégie-Ouest. This situation can be explained mainly by a greater vulnerability of Lac-St-Jean-Est region to climate conditions. The results of this study have to be interpreted within the context of the assumptions considered, the methodology used, and the characteristics of the two regions under study. In general, using a simple methodological approach, this study revealed the « dynamic and relative » characteristics of the vulnerability concept, the importance of spatial scale and consideration of multiple stressors and the integration of an approach different to the commonly used« dumb-farmer » approach for the evaluation of this concept of vulnerability within the agriculture sector. Finally, this study has also identified some new research pathways likely to contribute to a better evaluation of farmers’ vulnerability to climate change in the context of multiple stressors.

Three complicated and interrelated issues are marine conservation, local development, and climate change. To seek insight into the challenges posed by these issues in a particular context, this dissertation focuses on seven communities near marine protected areas (MPAs) on the Andaman Coast of Thailand. The central question was “How can conservation outcomes and community livelihoods and adaptive capacity be enhanced in communities near MPAs on the Andaman Coast of Thailand in consideration of a changing climate?” The objectives were to explore local perceptions of social and environmental change and vulnerability, community opinions of Thailand’s National Marine Parks (NMPs), and the adaptive capacity of coastal communities. Literatures on resilience, adaptive capacity, vulnerability, conservation impacts, sustainable livelihoods, and governance and management frame the research. Fieldwork included Photovoice, interviews, and household surveys. Four stand-alone manuscripts are included in the dissertation: a) “A picture of change: Using Photovoice to explore social and environmental change in coastal communities on the Andaman Coast of Thailand”; b) “Vulnerability to multiple stressors in coastal communities: A study of the Andaman Coast of Thailand”; c) “Why local people do not support conservation: Community perceptions of marine protected area livelihood impacts, governance and management in Thailand”; and, d) “The capacity to adapt?: Communities in a changing climate, environment and economy on the northern Andaman Coast of Thailand”. Broadly, the dissertation offers relevant insights into the complex social-ecological changes being experienced by heterogeneous communities and the multi-faceted and multi-scalar actions required to address increasing challenges. Specifically, it a) demonstrates that Photovoice is an effective method for examining social and environmental change and providing input into community adaptation, conservation, and development processes, b) explores the social-economic and biophysical stressors that contribute to household vulnerability and suggests that multiple stressors, particularly economics and climate change, need to be considered in adaptation planning, c) recommends significant improvements to current NMP governance and management to engender local support for marine conservation, and d) illustrates that communities on the Andaman coast of Thailand are coping with environmental and fisheries declines, reacting to climate change and adapting variably to alternative livelihoods and proposes interventions for improving adaptive capacity. / Graduate / 0366 / njbennet@uvic.ca

Social Innovation Laboratories, or short, social labs, represent an emerging field of lab-based inquiry to sustainability transitions, which emphasize learning through experimentation to find new ways of addressing highly complex challenges. Yet, a key challenge for these initiatives is on one hand to know whether they are “on track”, on the other hand, to evaluate their contribution to addressing a complex challenge. Our hypothesis was that adaptive capacity could serve as a lens for the evaluation of a social labs impact to building social resilience and hence in building capacities necessary for a transition towards sustainability. The aim of this research was firstly to gain a better understanding of the evaluation practices of social labs and secondly to find out how the adaptive capacity of a social lab could be evaluated and might, more generally, point towards a novel approach of evaluating in complexity for strategic sustainable development. Our results suggest that adaptive capacity could support evaluations by providing a mirror for the essential features of a social lab to be resilient. We propose three key aspects to evaluate: systems thinking, trust and prototyping capacity. Yet, this is only a first stepping stone toward an evaluation framework, which will require field testing and further research.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / The search for improvements rooted in the skills and resources of the direct beneficiaries is a strategic tool for development given level of commitment, independence and the local empowerment, especially in regions where people face serious problems such as drought. Being a recurring phenomenon of high economic and social impacts and wide geographic coverage in the State of CearÃ, it becomes a challenge both political and academic to find solutions to mitigate the damage and increase the capacity to take benefit from the opportunities that arise; revealing the need to understand how people exposed to this phenomenon adapt to live as best as possible within the constraints in terms of available resources, in other words, understand the Adaptive Capacity of people exposed to this situation. Thus, the objective of this work was to investigate the Adaptive Capacity level of rural communities inserted in the Areas Susceptible to Desertification (ASDs) of State of CearÃ. The Adaptive Capacity Index (ICA) resulted from the aggregation of four capitals (Social, Human, Natural and Economic) weighted according to their importance defined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on the results of the Delphi methodology. Between the four capitals that constitute the Adaptive Capacity of rural communities in relation to droughts in the ASDs of the State of CearÃ, the Social Capital is the best that communities have and Human Capital is the weakest component. It is concluded that the rural communities of ASDs of the State of Cearà have an average level of Adaptive Capacity in relation to droughts and Human Capital is the most critical determinant of it. / A busca das melhorias enraizada nas habilidades e recursos dos beneficiÃrios diretos constitui uma ferramenta estratÃgica para promover o desenvolvimento dado nÃvel de comprometimento, a independÃncia e o empoderamento local, principalmente nas regiÃes onde se deparam graves problemas como as secas. Sendo um fenÃmeno recorrente, de altos impactos econÃmicos e sociais e de grande abrangÃncia no Estado do CearÃ, torna-se um desafio tanto polÃtico quanto acadÃmico encontrar soluÃÃes que mitiguem os danos causados e aumentem a capacidade de aproveitamento das oportunidades que surgem; revelando a necessidade de entender a forma como os sujeitos sociais expostos a esse fenÃmeno se adaptam para conviver da melhor forma possÃvel dentro das limitaÃÃes em termos de recursos disponÃveis, em outras palavras, compreender a Capacidade Adaptativa das pessoas expostas a essa situaÃÃo. Assim, objetivou-se neste trabalho investigar o nÃvel de Capacidade Adaptativa das comunidades rurais inseridas nas Ãreas SusceptÃveis à DesertificaÃÃo (ASDs) no Estado do CearÃ. O Ãndice de Capacidade Adaptativa (ICA) resultou da agregaÃÃo dos Ãndices de quatro capitais (Social, Humano, Natural e EconÃmico) ponderados de acordo com suas importÃncias definidas pelo mÃtodo de AnÃlise HierÃrquica do Processo (AHP) baseado nos resultados obtidos da metodologia Delphi. Dos quatro capitais que constituem a Capacidade Adaptativa das comunidades rurais em relaÃÃo Ãs secas nas ASDs do Estado do CearÃ, o Capital Social à o que as comunidades apresentam maior avanÃo e o Capital Humano à o mais fraco dos componentes. Conclui-se que as comunidades rurais das ASDs do Estado do Cearà possuem um nÃvel mÃdio da Capacidade Adaptativa em relaÃÃo Ãs secas e o Capital Humano à o determinante mais critico da mesma

Orientador: Cristiana Simão Seixas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T17:38:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Prado_DeborahSantos_M.pdf: 4539004 bytes, checksum: 00ac403fb11bb6fbee316a66f55a9ed8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O resumo poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: The abstract is available with the full electronic document / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestra em Ecologia

Orientador: Cristiana Simão Seixas / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T03:29:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bahia_NataliaCristinaFidelis_M.pdf: 16403981 bytes, checksum: 5f062daeff4ec96f66e86c2ff7ecc3cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar como as mudanças sócio ecológicas afetam a pesca artesanal e a captura incidental de tartarugas marinhas no bairro São Francisco (São Sebastião, São Paulo) e como os pescadores estão respondendo às alterações nos últimos 60 anos. Para tanto, a capacidade adaptativa de sistemas complexos e o conhecimento ecológico local foram adotados como referencial teórico. Os métodos de coleta de dados consistiram na aplicação de entrevistas semi-estruturadas aos pescadores artesanais (canoa e batera), mapeamento participativo, acompanhamento de desembarque pesqueiro, observação direta e levantamento de dados secundários. Os pescadores observaram várias mudanças ao longo desse período que influenciaram na atividade pesqueira local, especialmente migração de pescadores catarinenses de arrasto de camarão, introdução de petrechos de pesca mais eficientes, aumento do esforço de pesca de embarcações de médio porte, surgimento de novas oportunidades de trabalho com o crescimento urbano e industrial do município e expansão do turismo. Como conseqüência, houve alterações nos petrechos de pesca e pontos de pesca utilizados, redução na quantidade de pescados capturados e aumento na ocorrência de capturas incidentais de tartarugas marinhas. Os desembarques pesqueiros amostrados foram analisados em dois conjuntos: pescarias provenientes de São Sebastião, especialmente da costa norte (Área 1) e da Costa da Ilhabela, Ilha de Búzios e Ilha Vitória (Área 2). Atualmente existe um predomínio do uso de rede de lanço bitana pelos pescadores de canoas e bateras da Área 1, enquanto o cerco-flutuante e a rede de emalhe de fundo foram os petrechos mais empregados na Área 2. A produção total registrada no período de outubro/2009 a setembro/2010 foi superior na Área 2, assim como a riqueza de espécies de pescados. Na Área 1, apenas quatro grupos de pescados (corvina - Micropogonias furnieri; parati - Mugil curema; tainha - Mugil liza e raias - Rajomorphii) foram responsáveis pela maioria das capturas registradas (71% do total). Dos 29% da produção restante, 11% são caratinga (Diapterus spp.) e canhanha (Archosargus rhomboidalis), pescados de baixo valor comercial e tamanhos menores. Houve ainda relatos de alterações no clima local, principalmente relacionadas a um aumento na instabilidade do tempo. As estratégias adaptativas adotadas pelos pescadores para lidar com as mudanças Sócio ecológicas incluíam principalmente, a procura por novas formas de trabalho (não relacionadas à pesca), a migração para a pesca de arrasto de camarão e o uso de petrechos de pesca multiespecíficos (por exemplo, rede de lanço bitana). A motorização das embarcações, além do alcance de áreas de pesca mais distantes, possibilitou que os pescadores enfrentassem a instabilidade do tempo de forma mais segura do que com embarcações a remo. Apesar da capacidade de se adaptarem demonstrada até o momento, o abandono da pesca artesanal por muitas famílias de pescadores associada ao acesso aos meios de comunicação em massa, pode contribuir para a perda do conhecimento ecológico local e sua transmissão. Essa perda pode comprometer a percepção dos pescadores e as estratégias adotadas para enfrentar as mudanças socioecológicas futuras, afetando conseqüentemente, a capacidade adaptativa da comunidade pesqueira do bairro São Francisco / Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate how socio-ecological changes affect artisanal fishing and sea turtle bycatch in the São Francisco neighborhood (São Sebastião, São Paulo) and how the fishermen are responding to such changes during the last 60 years. For that, adaptive capacity of complex systems and local ecological knowledge were adopted as theoretical frameworks for data analysis. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with artisanal fishers (those using dugout canoes and batera), participatory mapping, fish landings surveys, direct observation and secondary data analysis. Fishermen observed several changes that influenced local fisheries during the analyzed period, mainly the migration of shrimp bottom trawling fishermen, the introduction of more efficient fishing gears, the increase of fishing efforts of medium-sized vessels, the emergence of new jobs due to urban and industrial growth and tourism development. As a result, fishing gear and fishing areas were modified, the amount of fish catch was reduced and the occurrence of sea turtle bycatch increased. The sampled fish landings were divided in two sets for analysis: fisheries from São Sebastião, particularly the northern coast (Area 1) and from the coast of Ilhabela, Búzios Island and Vitória Island (Area 2). Currently, there is a predominant use of encircling nets (bitana) by dugout canoe and batera fishermen from Area 1, while floating fixed trap nets and bottom gill nets were the most used fishing gears in Area 2. Total production registered between October/2009 and September/2010 was higher in Area 2, as well as the richness of captured species. In Area 1, only four groups of fish (whitemouth croacker - Micropogonias furnieri; white mullet - Mugil curema; mullet - Mugil liza and rays - Rajomorphii) were responsible for most of the recorded catches (71% of total). Mojarra (Diapterus spp.) and Western Atlantic seabream (Archosargus rhomboidalis) represent about 11% out of the 29% remaining production, wich are small sized and low commercial value fish. Fishermen have been perceiving some climate changes, specially an increase in weather instability. The adaptive strategies adopted by artisanal fishermen to deal with socio-ecological changes included searching for new jobs (unrelated to fisheries), shifting to shrimp bottom trawling fishery and using multispecific fishing gear (for example, encircling bitana nets). The motorized vessels allowed the fishermen to face more safely the weather instability when compared to non-motorized canoes, and it also enabled them to reach more distant fishing areas. Despite the demonstrated adapting ability until the present moment, the abandonment of artisanal fishing by many fishing families, associated with urbanization and mass media access, can contribute to loss of local ecological knowledge and its transmission. This loss may compromise fishermen perception and the adopted strategies to address socio-ecological future changes, consequently affecting the adaptive capacity of São Francisco neighborhood fishing community / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestre em Ecologia

Climate adaptation is an important and necessary response to global climate change.Numerous studies show that adaptive capacity is shaped by cultural and social determinants.Gender relations are an integral aspect of social relations in all societies, yet the literature onhow gender influences climate adaptation is limited. Women and men, with different roles,responsibilities and decision-making power have different possibilities to cope and adapt withclimate change, thus adopting a gendered approach to climate adaptation is essential toenhance our understanding of successful adaptation.The aim of the study is to explore how cultural attributes and power relations of genderinfluence adaptive capacity in relation to climate change among smallholder farmers inwestern Kenya. Furthermore this study contributes to resilience thinking by using the lens ofpost-structural feminist political ecology and the concept of gender contracts, whichhighlights the influence of power laden gender discourses and the construction andreconstruction of such contracts. The study is triangulated by the use of qualitative methodsand draws upon 12 semi-structured interviews, 4 focus group discussions and 4 expertinterviews.Gendered power relations were primarily a constraint to the adaptive capacity of women,restricting their possibilities to pursue a number of coping and adaptation strategies, which inturn affected the resilience of the household. Capacity building and farmer group formationpromoted by a Swedish NGO (ViAFP) resulted in altered power relations, renegotiated andreconstructed gender contracts which increased adaptive capacity and adaptation opportunitiesfor both men and women, although particularly for women because of their initial vulnerableposition. This study adds an understanding of the gendered dimensions of local climatechange adaptation and shows that adaptation cannot be understood separate from socialrelations. The policy implication is thus that enhancing local climate adaptation requiresconsideration of power relations and gender equality.

The primary intent of this thesis was to determine if and how the practice of Art of Hosting, a dialogue–based, participatory process architecture, could foster social capital in communities and other large, complex social systems working to address a variety of complex challenges, in order to draw conclusions that could contribute, in a meaningful way, to the advancement of strategic sustainable development (SSD). We hoped to gain useful insights by examining and interpreting the results from two case study systems existing within very different social contexts and with very different organizational structures: Columbus, Ohio and the European Commission. Based on the results of our research, strategic recommendations, guidelines and tools were developed for SSD practitioners wishing to assess the level of social capital in the systems in which they operate and take strategic steps to increase it. These same recommendations, guidelines and tools should also be helpful for Art of Hosting practitioners working to address complex societal challenges in general. Overall, the authors of this thesis believe that these results hold particular significance for any collaborative or multi-stakeholder effort to build support for adoption, and ensure the successful implementation, of sustainability goals and programs. This could include Eco-Municipalities, Transition Towns, Agenda 21 Communities, Smart Cities, and large complex organizations such as multi-national corporations or universities, to mention but a few. / <p>daly.elaine2013@gmail.com</p>

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