Human Dimensions That Drive Soil Degradation - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 169

Short-term
Long-term

Global

Regional

Local

Human wellbeing
and poverty reduction

Indirect drivers of change

Demographic
Economic (e.g., globalization, trade,
market, and policy framework)
Sociopolitical (e.g., governance,
institutional, and legal framework)

Basic material for a good life
Health
Good social relations
Security
Freedom of choice and action

Science and technology

Cultural and religious (e.g., beliefs,
consumption choices)

Ecosystem services Direct drivers of change

Changes in local land use and cover
Species introduction or removal

Provisioning
(e.g., food, water, fiber, and fuel)
Regulating (e.g., climate
regulation, water, and disease)
Cultural
(e.g., spiritual, aesthetic, recreation,
and education)
Supporting
(e.g., primary production, and soil
formation)

Te chnology adaptation and use

External inputs (e.g., fertilizer use,
pest control, and irrigation)

Harvest and resource consumption
Climate change

Natural, physical, and biological
drivers (e.g., evolution, volcanoes)

Life on earth—biodiversity

Strategies and interventions

FIGURE 7.1 Indirect and direct drivers of environmental change. (From Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, Ecosystems and Human Well-Being Synthesis , Washington, DC:
Island Press, 2005, vii.)

Comparing across these three models, two things become clear. First, unpacking a
concept such as “human dimensions” leads to many diverse variables of interest. Many
of these variables have been the subject of considerable study and further unpacking. For
example, the concept of “social capital” has spawned a rich field of inquiry in sociology
and political science. Similarly, “governance” has been examined not only by political
scientists but also by legal, policy, and public administration scholars. Second, there is
considerable overlap among these models in the identified variables of importance for
understanding social-ecological systems. Our aim in this chapter is to focus on these
common themes as they apply to understanding the human dimensions that cause soil
degradation. Our key variables include the proximate causes (or direct drivers) of soil
degradation as well as the precursor factors (or indirect drivers) that affect the proxi-
mate causes. Fig u r e 7.4 shows these variables. To better understand the variables and
their interactions, we start with the end result—soil degradation—and work backward.