The effectiveness of land sharing and land sparing (LS/LS) approaches to conservation in the face of rising agricultural demands has been widely debated. While numerous studies have investigated the LS/LS framework from an ecological lens (yield-biodiversity relationship) the relevance of the framework to real life depends on broader considerations. Some of the key caveats include: i) limited knowledge regarding the feasibility of interventions given diverse stakeholders’ interests, ii) the social acceptability (uptake) of these contrasting strategies to direct land users, and iii) limited knowledge regarding their impacts on individuals’ livelihoods and food security. Without considering these social science dimensions proponents of the framework risk an incomplete picture that is not grounded in local realities and can paradoxically force into opposition the very conservation and development interests they seek to reconcile. Using a Companion Modelling approach, which comprises the development of a role-playing game (RPG) and an agent-based model (ABM), this thesis addressed these caveats. The research was based in the Nilgiris of Western Ghats India, a tropical agricultural system at the forest frontier. The main findings show that through engaging local stakeholders in a participatory process, plausible land use strategies that align with their objectives could be identified. Stakeholders proposed three land use interventions. Two of them resemble a form of land sparing (‘monofunctional’ landscapes) on the farms: sparing land for Wildflower Meadows or Tree Plantations while increasing yield on the remaining land. The third intervention asks farmers to accept yield penalties for Intercropping more trees on their farms, a form of land sharing (‘integrated’ landscapes). In terms of decision-making regarding the adoption of these three interventions by direct land users, the study reveals several findings. Firstly there are three main types of motivations that influence farmers’ decision to adopt interventions, in order of importance: monetary benefits, pro-environmental motivations and social norms. Secondly, land use, the type of management preferred on the farm and whether land users accept trees on the farm or not are factors that influence what type of interventions is socially acceptable on individual farms. These factors have been detected in the in-depth household survey and also validated by the RPG. When assessing the adoption of the three interventions, ex ante their implementation, using an ABM, there are some important differences observed between the interventions. Wildflower Meadows is the intervention adopted by the largest number of households, whereas Intercropping is adopted across the largest area of land. Forest Plantations is significantly more unpopular than the other two interventions. The third line of investigation, about the outcomes of adoption, has important policy implications. Adding a socioeconomic dimension to the ecological one adds a level of complexity and creates a less straightforward choice between the LS/LS strategies. None of the three interventions can provide optimal outcomes for production, aspects of biodiversity conservation, livelihoods and food security. Each intervention has indicators that score better compared to the other two interventions. The findings demonstrate that the ecological focus of the LS/LS framework is insufficient to deal with real-world complexities and lends itself to overly simplistic policy prescriptions. More meaningful policies could be achieved when bridging natural and social sciences to better understand the merits and limitations of the LS/LS approaches.

Stormwater Management (SWM) or Best management practices (BMPs) treat the stormwater runoff that carries pollutants. Pollutants in the waters and in the stormwater, negatively impact the environment, the ecology, and natural resources. Stormwater Control Measures (SCM) are used in different projects to improve water quality and quantity. This thesis aims to understand the connection between SWMs, the economy, and environmental sustainability. This thesis evaluates the cost-effectiveness of SWMs in Mediterranean climates. The research aims to guide the next project managers to choose better SWMs based on cost-effectiveness, socio-economic, and environmental implications. Various studies suggest that the terms SWM, SWM, and SCM are used interchangeably. The research methodology uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative data analysis The research was conducted in Los Angeles at the request of UCLA. Therefore, it focused on water quality improvement projects in Los Angeles. The costs for the projects, areas, and whatSWMs are used will be acquired through data gathering and personal communication with experts. This thesis compares several projects which include different SWMs. It calculates the cost-effectiveness with two different methods, firstly, the cost per drainage area, and secondly, the cost per pollutant removed. Data is gathered from the city of LA and other secondary data sources to calculate the cost-effectiveness. The calculation results showed that the Glenoaksproject and the Machado lake project were the most cost-effective. Glenoaks utilizes infiltration wells and grass swales, and the Machado lake is a large wetland. Based upon these facts, generally, wetlands and grass swales can be recommended for Mediterranean climates. The expensive total costs of SWMs or their inability to remove pollutants can strongly affect the cost-effectiveness of some projects, and produce a negative impact on the economy. Quantitative assessment of study investigates cost-effectiveness of SWMs and for highlighting its economic impact. For qualitative assessment thematic analysis of 14 sample studies related to stormwater management (SWM) was carried out. Findings reveal that 78% of sample studies reflect the themes associated with the positive economic impact of SWMs. Additionally, the sample studies confirm a 76% positive impact of SWMs on the environment and ecology of the region. Further research with better data and more accurate calculations are needed. It would be beneficial if other factors such as recreation and unquantifiable factors such as the aesthetic improvements and community benefits were incorporated into or considered together with the cost-effectiveness for future projects.

À l’extrémité Est des Caraïbes, la Barbade importe quelques 90% de ses aliments. Les menaces croissantes liées aux changements climatiques, aux maladies non-transmissibles, à la réduction des mobilités due à la pandémie de COVID-19 et aux prix éternellement en hausse ont remis en évidence la vulnérabilité de ce territoire insulaire exigu et l’importance de la souveraineté alimentaire. L’autosuffisance alimentaire est toutefois un projet ambitieux à la Barbade vu la petite taille de l'île, ses sols et sa biodiversité appauvris par trois siècles de monoculture de canne à sucre, et une pression déjà lourde sur ses ressources limitées en eau douce. En plus des contraintes environnementales de l'île, des enjeux sociaux et économiques freinent également la transition vers un système alimentaire autonome. Par exemple, le travail agricole, stigmatisé par l'histoire coloniale, l’esclavage et la mondialisation, est souvent peu attractif pour de nombreux habitants. Puis, l’économie barbadienne, toujours basée sur le tourisme, les imports et une agriculture destinée aux exports, présente des barrières structurelles importantes empêchant son indépendance vis-à-vis du marché global. Cette étude cherche à comprendre les défis socio-environnementaux qui freinent les changements positifs dans le système alimentaire de la Barbade et à stimuler la discussion dans la communauté pour identifier des pistes de solutions assurant à la fois la réalisation de la sécurité alimentaire, soit l’accès aux aliments, et de la souveraineté alimentaire, soit le droit du peuple à définir ses propres politiques agricoles et alimentaires. Cette recherche a deux buts principaux : d’abord, d’offrir une réflexion critique sur l’héritage colonial de la Barbade et ses implications en agriculture; puis, d’identifier des avenues agraires qui respectent les limites socio-environnementales de l’île, à travers l’évaluation de modèles utilisés localement et dans des environnements semblables dans le monde. L’étude de 26 entretiens semi-dirigés et de l’observation participante effectués dans les champs, marchés et cuisines de la Barbade d’août 2021 à avril 2022 met en lumière les habitudes, perceptions et ambitions des Barbadiens et Barbadiennes en termes d’alimentation, d’agriculture et de système alimentaire. En plus d’observations plus larges sur les phénomènes sociaux et politiques barbadiens, permises par une longue immersion sur l’île débutant en 2020, ces méthodes identifient les causes sous-jacentes et les processus persistants qui maintiennent le système alimentaire barbadien dans la vulnérabilité. À travers un partenariat avec des organismes agro-alimentaires locaux et la réalisation d’un film documentaire et de contenu vidéo pour les médias sociaux, ce projet célèbre les solutions au niveau local et régional et offre l’opportunités d’amener plus loin la discussion entre les différents acteurs à la Barbade, mais aussi avec d’autres communautés confrontées à des défis similaires. / It is estimated that Barbados imports nearly 90% of its food. Growing threats of climate change, non-communicable diseases, reduced mobilities due to COVID-19 and the ever-rising prices highlighted the vulnerability of the island and the importance of food sovereignty. However, aiming towards food self-sufficiency is an ambitious project in Barbados, considering the island’s small size, an already heavily used limited freshwater resource, and impoverished soils and biodiversity due to three centuries of sugar cane monoculture. In addition to those environmental constraints, social and economic issues also hinder change. For example, agricultural work, stigmatized by colonial history, slavery and globalization, is often unattractive to the locals. Furthermore, the Barbadian tourism-based economy and export-oriented agriculture present significant structural barriers to building independence from the global market. This research project seeks to build an understanding of and stimulate the discussion on the socio-environmental challenges that prevent positive changes in Barbados’ food system to overcome them, to ensure that both food security, or access to food, and food sovereignty, or the right of the people to define their own agricultural and food policies, are fulfilled. The project has two main goals. First, to bring a critical perspective on the colonial heritage of Barbados and its implications in agriculture. Second, to identify agrarian avenues that respect the socio-environmental limits by evaluating the models used locally and in similar environments around the world. A study of 26 semi-directed interviews and participant observation in the fields, markets and kitchens of Barbados from August 2021 to April 2022 provides insights into the habits, perceptions and aspirations of Barbadians in terms of food, agriculture and the food system. Together with wider observations of the Barbadian society and politics, allowed by a long-term immersion on the island starting in 2020, these methods identify some of the underlying causes and perpetuating processes at play in the unsustainable food system. Through a partnership with local agri-food organizations and the production of a documentary film and video content for social media, this research project celebrates the solutions found at the local and regional level and offers opportunities for further discussion with stakeholders in Barbados, but also in other communities facing similar challenges.

Socio-ekologisk resiliens är ett begrepp som bör integreras i en större omfattning i dagens stadsplanering då extremväder till följd av klimatförändringar, samt Covid-19 pandemin har förändrat behoven i stadens offentliga rum. Ett sätt att bemöta de nya behoven är att öka andelen grönområden. Denna studie fokuserar på Stockholms mest centrala delar, Vasastan, Norrmalm och Östermalm som har ett väldigt begränsat utbud av grönområden, sett till hur många som bor där. Stockholms stads rekommendation är att boende ska ha maximalt 200 meter till närmsta grönområde, vilket studiens fokusområden inte uppfyller idag. Dessutom är dessa områden utsatta för värmeöar och översvämningsrisker, vilket var ytterligare en orsak till varför studieområdet valdes.  Att få loss mark och implementera nya grönområden i ett redan högt exploaterat område är en utmaning. Denna studie syftar därför till att undersöka var urbana grönområden såsom mikroparker kan införas i syfte att öka den socio-ekologiska resiliensen, men även att undersöka hur Stockholms stad arbetar med resiliensstrategier idag samt hur dessa kan förbättras. Vidare undersöktes vilka faktorer som ett urbant grönområde ska ha för att bidra till resiliens. Med resultatet av intervjuer och spatiala analyser som underlag, kan denna studie konstatera att Stockholms stads arbete med socio-ekologisk resiliens har förbättringsmöjligheter, och att det finns flertalet spillytor att anlägga mikroparker på. Dessutom har de viktigaste framgångsfaktorerna när det kommer till grönområden, ur ett socio- ekologiskt perspektiv, presenterats vilket framför allt handlar om mångfunktionalitet. Dock visar studien på att man behöver ta vissa bilvägar i anspråk för att säkerställa ekologisk resiliens. / Socio-ecological resilience is a concept that should be integrated to a greater extent in today's urban planning since extreme weather as a result of climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic have changed the needs of the city's public spaces. One way to meet the new needs is to increase the proportion of green areas. This study focuses on Stockholm's most central parts, ON, Norrmalm and Östermalm, which have a very limited range of green areas, in comparison to how many people live there. The City of Stockholm's recommendation is that residents should have a maximum of 200 meters to the nearest green area, which the study's focus areas do not meet today. In addition, these areas are exposed to heat islands and flood risks, which was another reason why the study area was chosen.  To implement new green areas in an already highly developed area is a challenge. Therefore, this study aims to investigate where urban green areas, such as micro parks, can be introduced to increase social-ecological resilience. It also aims to investigate how the City of Stockholm works with resilience strategies today and how these can be improved. Furthermore, it was investigated what factors an urban green area should have to contribute to resilience. With the results of interviews and spatial analysis as a basis, this study can point out that the City of Stockholm's work with socio-ecological resilience has room for improvement, and that there are several available areas to build micro parks on. In addition, the most important success factors when it comes to green areas, from a socio-ecological perspective, have been presented, which is primarily about multifunctionality. However, the study shows that it is necessary to develop some car roads into greener areas, to ensure socio-ecological resilience.

L’agroécologie implique la conception de systèmes agricoles intégrant autant que possible les services écosystémiques. Aux produits chimiques souvent employés contre les ravageurs de cultures peut être privilégié la régulation par leurs ennemis naturels. Des résultats en écologie indiquent que des paysages agricoles dont la composition est riche en habitats semi-naturels (bois, forets, prairies, etc) les favorisent en leur fournissant abris, sites de pontes et nourriture. Il serait donc possible de mettre en place une Gestion Paysagère des Ravageurs (GPR), c’est-à-dire de concevoir et d’aménager des paysages agricoles en faveur de ces habitats afin de favoriser les ennemis naturels et le contrôle biologique. Toutefois, l’implémentation d’une telle innovation potentielle par les acteurs de ces paysages reste largement à explorer. Dans cette thèse, dans un esprit de recherche-action, nous avons pris le parti d’explorer la conception de tels paysages régulateurs de ravageurs en s’impliquant avec des acteurs locaux et scientifiques. Nous avons initié une démarche de recherche participative avec des acteurs agricoles d’une région du Tarn-et-Garonne spécialisée dans l’arboriculture fruitière, intensive en traitements chimiques. A partir de leurs représentations et de leurs connaissances nous avons cherché à déterminer quels étaient les facteurs favorables ou non à la GPR. En particulier, nous avons qualifié les conditions dans lesquelles le paysage et les ennemis naturels étaient construit socialement par ces acteurs comme des ressources pourvoyeuses de services écosystémiques de régulation. Nous avons cherché également à identifier si ces acteurs étaient liés entre eux par des dépendances pouvant nécessiter une gestion coordonnée du paysage. Nous avons exploré la possibilité de la gestion paysagère par plusieurs cycles de modélisations participatives. La thèse a ainsi : mis à jour et qualifié la diversité des modèles mentaux des acteurs locaux sur leurs stratégies de gestion des ravageurs, co-construit des modèles Bayésien participatifs afin d’explorer via des scénarios les incertitudes autour de la question de la régulation biologique des ravageurs et, enfin, réalisé la coconstruction d’un modèle multi-agents autour de le la dynamique de population du ravageur invasif Drosophila suzukii et de sa potentielle gestion paysagère. Nous avons pu ainsi déterminer qu’en l’état actuel des représentations des acteurs, qu’ils soient scientifiques ou locaux, la composition du paysage en éléments semi-naturels leur apparaît comme faiblement reliée à un service écosystémique de régulation des ravageurs, quand bien même ce paysage est souvent favorable à la biodiversité fonctionnelle. Actuellement, faute de bénéfices agricoles clairement identifiés, les acteurs impliqués sont en conséquence peu dépendants entre eux et le besoin de se coordonner pour mettre en place une GPR est faible. La plupart des agriculteurs indiquent plutôt une nette préférence pour les solutions individuelles vis-à-vis des ravageurs, par l’utilisation de pesticides et de filets protecteurs entourant les cultures. Ce focus individuel suggère qu’innover dans l’intégration de l’activité des ennemis naturels pourrait être plus aisé au niveau de la végétation naturelle des exploitations individuelles, comme peut l’être l’inter-rang des vergers. Par ailleurs, ces résultats font apparaître le besoin d’études scientifiques liant écologie et économie qui chercheraient à mesurer explicitement les bénéfices obtenus par les acteurs agricoles par le biais de paysages favorables aux ennemis naturels. Des résultats positifs de telles études seraient mobilisateurs pour de futures recherches participatives dans ce domaine. Enfin, cette thèse participative et exploratoire nous a permis également d’identifier de nouveaux terrains et questions de recherches dans le domaine de la GPR qui pourront être poursuivis. / Agroecology requires the design of farming system integrating as much as possible ecosystem services. Biological control by natural enemies may substitute commonly used pesticides. Ecology findings demonstrate that farming landscapes with a high proportion of natural habitats (woods, forests meadows, etc) favor natural enemies by providing them shelter, nesting sites and food. Landscape Pest Control (LPC), i.e. the design of farming landscapes in favor of these habitats, may be implemented to foster natural enemies and biological pest control. However, how stakeholders may design such landscapes remains unexplored. In this PhD, we followed an action-research approach and explored the design of such pest regulating landscapes together with local and scientific stakeholders. We initiated a participatory approach with agricultural stakeholders in a part of the Tarn-et-Garonne region specialized in fruit production. Our research seeks to identify the factors in favor of a LPC according to stakeholders’ representations and knowledge. In particular, we qualified the conditions under which natural enemies and the landscape are socially constructed resources providing ecosystem services. We also seek to identify if these stakeholders were linked through dependencies which may necessitate a coordinated management of the landscape. We explored the possibility of a LPC through several cycle of participatory modelling. This PhD successively established mental models of local stakeholders about their pest control strategies, co-constructed participatory Bayesian models in order to explore uncertainties surrounding LPC, and finally we co-constructed an agent-based model about the population dynamic of the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii and its potential landscape management. Our results show that, according to scientific and local stakeholder’s actual representations, the composition of the landscape in natural habitats is weakly related with pest regulation ecosystem services, even though the landscape is related with higher functional biodiversity. Nowadays, as stakeholders see little benefit, they don’t consider to be dependent to benefit from an enhanced biological control through a LPC strategy. Farmers rather mention their preference towards individual solutions such as pesticides or exclusion nets surrounding their orchards. This individual focus suggests that designing innovation favorable to natural enemies might be more relevant within farms, like focusing on the vegetation between rows of fruit trees. Besides, these results show the need for scientific studies relating economics and ecology to explicitly measure the benefits farmers could obtain from a landscape favorable to natural enemies. Positive results of such study would enhance further participatory research around LPC strategies. Finally, this participatory and exploratory research identified new sites for investigation and raised questions about the LPC which could be further looked into.

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