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Operationalizing the “Social” in Mountain Social–Ecological Systems: A Proposed Framework and Indicator Set

2026Artigo científico Acesso aberto
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datacite.subject.fosCiências Naturais::Ciências da Terra e do Ambiente
datacite.subject.fosEngenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia do Ambiente
datacite.subject.sdg04:Educação de Qualidade
datacite.subject.sdg11:Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis
datacite.subject.sdg16:Paz, Justiça e Instituições Eficazes
dc.contributor.authorSantos, José M.R.C.A.
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-30T16:01:23Z
dc.date.available2026-06-30T16:01:23Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.description.abstractMountain Social–Ecological Systems (MtSES) are global assets, providing essential ecosystem services to nearly half of humanity, yet they are disproportionately vulnerable to global change, experiencing “polytraps” of depopulation, poverty, and environmental degradation. Despite the inherent human dimension in sustainability, the social pillar remains conceptually chaotic, forming a highly fragmented “publication labyrinth”, and is often neglected in favor of more easily quantifiable environmental and economic metrics. These oversights leave mountain communities in a precarious state, underscoring an urgent need for robust, context-specific assessment tools. This paper addresses this critical gap by employing a two-step methodology: first, a literature review identifies prevailing social sustainability issues in mountain contexts; second, a comparative analysis evaluates prominent frameworks and indicator-based tools against these themes, using Ostrom’s multi-tier Social–Ecological Systems (SES) framework as the theoretical lens. Our findings reveal a persistent environmental bias in MtSES research and highlight the necessity for frameworks that integrate local knowledge, address power imbalances, and support bottom-up governance. A tool is proposed with indicators specifically for mountainous contexts. This study contributes to theory by offering a structured approach to unpack the elusive “social” in SES and to practice by providing a model and tool for developing actionable, context-sensitive social sustainability assessments, thereby fostering resilience and equitable development in vulnerable mountain regions. Ultimately, by operationalizing these social dimensions, this research provides a direct roadmap for achieving key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in marginalized high-altitude contexts, particularly focusing on No Poverty (SDG 1), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Communities (SDG 11), and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).eng
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC): CIMO, UIDB/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00690/2020) and UIDP/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/00690/2020); and SusTEC, LA/P/0007/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0007/2020).
dc.identifier.citationSantos, Jose M. R. C. A. (2026). Operationalizing the “Social” in Mountain Social–Ecological Systems: A Proposed Framework and Indicator Set. Sustainability. ISSN 2071-1050. 18:7, p. 1-23
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/su18073248
dc.identifier.issn2071-1050
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/36962
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relationMountain Research Center - UIDP/00690/2020
dc.relationMountain Research Center - UIDB/00690/2020
dc.relationAssociate Laboratory for Sustainability and Tecnology in Mountain Regions - LA/P/0007/2020
dc.relation.ispartofSustainability
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectIndicators
dc.subjectMountains
dc.subjectSocial sustainability
dc.subjectSocial–ecological systems
dc.titleOperationalizing the “Social” in Mountain Social–Ecological Systems: A Proposed Framework and Indicator Seteng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardNumberUIDP/00690/2020
oaire.awardNumberUIDB/00690/2020
oaire.awardNumberLA/P/0007/2020
oaire.awardTitleMountain Research Center - UIDP/00690/2020
oaire.awardTitleMountain Research Center - UIDB/00690/2020
oaire.awardTitleAssociate Laboratory for Sustainability and Tecnology in Mountain Regions - LA/P/0007/2020
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F00690%2F2020/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F00690%2F2020/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/LA%2FP%2F0007%2F2020/PT
oaire.citation.endPage23
oaire.citation.issue7
oaire.citation.startPage1
oaire.citation.titleSustainability
oaire.citation.volume18
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameSantos
person.givenNameJosé M.R.C.A.
person.identifierC-6356-2014
person.identifier.ciencia-id6D15-D5FA-4CCE
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-2103-4085
person.identifier.scopus-author-id24802593600
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryb37a5b04-3c3d-48d7-84c2-ae90ac708167
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