Assessing biophysical limits to the economic development of remote islands : the case of Isabela in the Galapagos Archipelago
Martínez Iglesias, Camilo (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Sorman, Alevgul H (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Giampietro, Mario (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Ramos Martín, Jesús (Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales (Quito, Equador))

Imprint:	Quito Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales 2014
Description:	29 pag.
Abstract:	In assessing the sustainability of island tourism, the resident population size and yearly number of visitors are key factors. However, to assess the overall resource requirement and environmental impact on local ecosystems, we must also consider the metabolic rates and density of energy and material flows related to the activity of residents and tourists. We present here an innovative approach, the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM), with the aim of providing an integrated characterization of the metabolic pattern of island tourism. We use the tourism model implemented in the island Isabela in the Galapagos Archipelago as a case study. We show how MuSIASEM allows us to assess the overall requirement of resources and environmental services and the environmental impact for a given model of tourism. MuSIASEM employs a multi-level matrix to represent these characteristics in an integrated way, thus emphasizing the nexus between different biophysical factors.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2009/SGR-0594
Note:	Altres ajuts: National Scholarship Program of the National Secretary of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT) of Ecuador
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Series:	Documentos de Trabajo CEPROEC ; 2014_01
Document:	Working paper
Subject:	Isabela ; Galapagos ; Tourism Development ; Societal Metabolism ; MuSIASEM ; Nexus

31 p, 277.5 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Research literature > Working papers