Integrating Economy, Environment and Society for Systemic Sustainability: Dynamics, Thresholds and Power Relations

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development today, much like democracy in political systems, remains the most viable and forward-looking strategy humanity has yet devised. There is simply no better framework for balancing growth, equity, and ecological integrity. Managing this development, however, requires a profound diffusion of understanding across disciplines—a genuine interdisciplinarity that transcends traditional academic boundaries.

This Topic seeks to explore the thresholds, feedback loops, and power relations that determine the resilience and adaptability of complex socio-ecological systems. We invite multidisciplinary contributions addressing a central question: “What defines sufficiency for system sustainability, and which factors are truly decisive?”

Topics of interest include sustainable resource management models, ecological–economic trade-offs, governance and policy integration, the social dimensions of green transitions, and holistic approaches to assessing sustainability.

By integrating perspectives from economics, ecology, environmental science, sociology, and systems theory, this collection aims to identify leverage points for steering society toward equilibrium, justice, and long-term resilience. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and modeling studies that advance the understanding of sustainability as an interconnected, evolving, and shared system—one that demands cooperation among all disciplines to chart sustainable futures.

Prof. Dr. Aleksy Kwilinski
Dr. Maciej Kardas
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Administrative Sciences admsci	3.9	6.6	2011	21.5 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Economies economies	2.3	5.2	2013	23.3 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Energies energies	3.9	8.3	2008	16.7 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Forests forests	3.1	5.4	2010	17.3 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Land land	3.5	6.4	2012	16.4 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	4.1	8.9	2009	16.9 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All Energies Land Sustainability Administrative Sciences Forests Economies

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21 pages, 7902 KB  

Open AccessArticle

An Integrated Spatial Prioritization Framework for Sustainable Watershed Management Using Hydrological, Economic, and Social Indicators: A Case Study of the Taleghan Watershed, Iran

by Vahid Beiranvandi, Roghayeh Jahdi and Saeid Beiranvandi

Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7594; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157594 - 26 Jul 2026

Viewed by 228

Abstract

Effective watershed management requires spatial prioritization frameworks that simultaneously account for hydrological effectiveness, economic feasibility, and social readiness to support sustainable decision-making. However, most existing prioritization approaches rely primarily on biophysical indicators and rarely integrate socio-economic dimensions within a unified decision-making framework. This [...] Read more.

Effective watershed management requires spatial prioritization frameworks that simultaneously account for hydrological effectiveness, economic feasibility, and social readiness to support sustainable decision-making. However, most existing prioritization approaches rely primarily on biophysical indicators and rarely integrate socio-economic dimensions within a unified decision-making framework. This study proposes an integrated spatial prioritization framework for sustainable watershed management and applies it to the Taleghan watershed (341.4 km²) in the central Alborz Mountains, Iran. Hydrological responses were simulated using a calibrated HEC-HMS model, whereas soil erosion was estimated using a locally calibrated RUSLE model. Technical effectiveness was quantified based on reductions in peak discharge and soil erosion. At the same time, economic feasibility was evaluated through probabilistic cost–benefit analysis using Monte Carlo simulation to account for economic uncertainty. Social readiness was assessed using a validated Social Readiness Index (SRI) developed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The Technical Effectiveness Index (TEI), Economic Feasibility Index (EFI), and Social Readiness Index (SRI) were integrated using a hybrid Fuzzy AHP–TOPSIS approach to derive a Composite Priority Index (CPI) for 29 Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). The calibrated HEC-HMS model demonstrated satisfactory performance (NSE = 0.79–0.91), while the calibrated RUSLE model accurately reproduced observed soil erosion (R² = 0.76; RMSE = 4.2 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). TEI, EFI, and SRI values ranged from 0.09–0.94, 0.05–0.91, and 0.28–0.84, respectively, indicating substantial spatial heterogeneity across the watershed. The integrated prioritization classified 7.8% of the watershed as very high priority for intervention, whereas sensitivity analysis showed that approximately 65% of HRUs maintained stable priority rankings under ±20% variations in criterion weights. The findings demonstrate that integrating hydrological, economic, and social dimensions provides a more robust and implementation-oriented basis for watershed planning than conventional single-criterion approaches. Overall, the proposed framework provides a decision-support approach that may be adapted to other semi-arid mountainous watersheds following appropriate local calibration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Integrating Economy, Environment and Society for Systemic Sustainability: Dynamics, Thresholds and Power Relations)

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31 pages, 1306 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Governing Forest Rights Mortgage Loans Through Hybrid Governance: Institutional Innovation and Organizational Mediation in China’s Collective Forest Regions

by Liushan Fan, Wenlan Wang, Yuanzhu Wei, Yongbo Lai and Xingwei Ye

Forests 2026, 17(4), 464; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17040464 - 10 Apr 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 794

Abstract

Forest Rights Mortgage Loans (FRMLs) have grown quickly in China’s collective forest areas, even though the basic conditions for this type of lending remain far from ideal. In many places, forest holdings are small and scattered, property rights are complex and not fully [...] Read more.

Forest Rights Mortgage Loans (FRMLs) have grown quickly in China’s collective forest areas, even though the basic conditions for this type of lending remain far from ideal. In many places, forest holdings are small and scattered, property rights are complex and not fully consolidated, and channels for disposing of collateral are limited. Under these circumstances, the Fulin Loan Model (FLM) in Fujian provides a useful case for understanding how forest-rights lending can still function in practice. Drawing on fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and process tracing, this study explores both how the model was established and how it has been sustained over time. The analysis suggests that the FLM is neither a straightforward market-based lending tool nor merely a top-down policy arrangement. Rather, it relies on a more mixed form of governance in which local government support, banking procedures, and village-level social relations are brought together through specific organizational arrangements. These arrangements help lower the costs of early institutional experimentation, distribute and manage lending risks, and translate locally rooted trust into a form of credit support that formal financial institutions can recognize. As a single-case study, the FLM points to one possible way in which rural finance can be made workable under conditions of incomplete markets and strong social embeddedness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Integrating Economy, Environment and Society for Systemic Sustainability: Dynamics, Thresholds and Power Relations)

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