Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies
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Green Office Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies Vol. 3 July 2017 Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies 2017 Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies Volume 3, July 2017 Selection Process: 12 papers were submitted, 6 passed the initial review and 3 papers from 2015 selection were included, 8 were selected for the final publication. Editorial Board: ñ Dr. Marc van Wegberg SBE ñ Dr. Yvonne van der Meer FHS ñ Prof. Dr. Gerjo Kok FPN ñ Dr. Taotao Yue FdR ñ Martina Kuhmer PhD Candidate, FASoS ñ Alex Baker-Shelley PhD Candidate, ICIS ñ Stefania Barzeva Student FPN, UMGO Research Coordinator ñ Mercedes Quammie Student FPN, UMGO Assessment & Reporting ñ Camilo Straatsma Student UCM, UMGO Education Coordinator ñ Meeri Heinonen Student FASoS ñ Nabilah Noordin Student FASoS ñ Shelly Tsui Student FASoS ñ Amy Hitchenes Student FHML ñ Caterina Gentili Student FPN ñ Sophia von Stockert Student FPN ñ Sarah Heller Student FdR ñ Nguyen Thi Nhan Student FHS ñ Katharina Runge Student MSP ñ Sofia Vazquez Alferez Student UCM Nur code: 907 ISBN: 978 905 681 4182 UMGO: Maastricht University Green Office UCM: University College Maastricht FASoS: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences MSP: Maastricht Science Program SBE: School of Business & Economics FdR: Faculty of Law FPN: Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience FHS: Faculty of Humanities & Sciences FHML: Faculty of Health, Medicine, & Life Sciences ICIS: International Center for Integrated assessment & Sustainable development i Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies 2017 Table of Contents Editorial Board ...................................................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................................. ii Resilience Assessment of Maastricht as a Social-Ecological System .......................................................................... 1 Elise Drost The Road Towards Community Based Ecotourism...................................................................................................... 17 Freya Tilleman & Manon Marcharis The Essence of Free MarKet Environmentalism: Protection Through Private Property ........................................ 31 Bill Wirtz NAFTA and TPP: Comparing Imaginaries of Sustainability ..................................................................................... 46 David Maull Urgenda and Beyond: The Past, Present and Future of Climate Change Public Interest Litigation ................... 56 Olivier van Geel How Good Products MaKe you Feel: The Underlying Emotions of Ethical Consumerism .................................. 73 Margit Hain Navigating Healthcare Systems: Is there a Solution to Healthy Ageing? ................................................................ 82 Freya Tilleman Renewable Energy Transition Australia 20140 ............................................................................................................. 94 Yağmur Masmas ii Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies 2017 Resilience assessment of Maastricht as a social-ecological system Elise Droste University College Maastricht, Maastricht University [email protected] Abstract The aim of this report is to assess the resilience of Maastricht as a multi-level, dynamic, social- ecological system by following the ‘Workbook for Practitioners’ by the Resilience Alliance (2010). A description of the system outlines historical events that had impacts on the landscape, such as urban expansion and the mining of limestone. The evaluation concludes that Maastricht finds itself at a point in a dynamic adaptive cycle of events where citizens’ awareness of nature and global environmental issues led to reconsiderations of ecological values and the reorganisation of the city according to these values. The assessment applauds the adaptive governance approach of the city and the current implementation of various ‘greening projects’. However, issues regarding possible lack of system resilience are criticised. Among others, recommendations are given related to increasing species diversity within and surrounding the urban area of Maastricht. This report aims to assess the resilience of which interact with each other and the the urban area of Maastricht as a social- focal scale, resulting in changes in the ecological system. The resilience is defined landscape. This report adopts a ‘resilience as the capacity of a system to maintain or thinking’ approach. Additional attention return to its identity, including its function, will be drawn to the St. Pietersberg area feedbacks, and structure, after a major within the urban landscape and assess the disturbance (Walker & Salt, 2012). impacts of changes within this area on the Maastricht’s general resilience to whole system’s resilience. It will further disturbances will be looked at, as well as identify and describe the system’s some elaboration on its resilience towards dynamics, interactions between different biodiversity threats. Maastricht’s social- scales, assess the governance, and finally ecological system involves multiple scales, 1 Maastricht University Journal of Sustainability Studies 2017 suggest actions to improve the resilience of which connects the Maas to the Albert Maastricht’s urban landscape. Canal, the proximity of the Belgian border, and the excess of agricultural area around the city. The municipality of Maastricht is I. Methods currently implementing a number of projects with the intention of drawing This resilience assessment closely follows green spaces into the city and thereby the ‘Workbook for Practitioners’ by the increasing the connectivity between these Resilience Alliance (2010). It observes areas. They realised that, because the land Maastricht as a dynamic, self-organising around Maastricht is mostly devoted to system with emergent behaviour and agriculture, the city and its trees are affected by cross-scale interactions. Its becoming a refuge for certain species. Due general resilience to cope with various to the scope of this report, some focus shall future social and ecological change and go to the St. Pietersberg area and will later disturbances, such as temperature change, be related to the ‘Groene Loper’. These two floods, or urban expansion, depends on its areas are part of two major greening diversity, social capital, and openness projects within the city that are currently in (Walker & Salt, 2012). Identified motion. interactions between different scales, thresholds, and adaptive governance will be used to evaluate social and ecological III. The St. Pietersberg Area resilience. The St. Pietersberg area comprises a total area of 350 ha in the south of Maastricht II. Area between the Maas and the Jeker, including a limestone quarry of 125 ha (Gemeente Maastricht is the capital city of the Maastricht, 2014). The St. Pieters province of Limburg in The Netherlands. ‘mountain’ itself has been protected since As the focal scale, it covers a total area of 1974 and has been established as a Natura- 6007 ha (Gemeente in Cijfers, 2014). The 2000 area (Gemeente Maastricht, 2014). city itself is home to about 122 000 Natura-2000 is a policy set up by the inhabitants (Gemeente in Cijfers, 2014). European Union to protect significant Even though the city experienced some areas to Europe’s biodiversity (European significant urban expansions within the Commission, 2014). Due to the limestone last 200 years, it is only increasing at a formation, unique limestone grassland slight rate (Gemeente in Cijfers, 2014). species occur in this area that are normally Important features of the landscape found in Southern Europe (Gemeente include the river Maas, which runs directly Maastricht, 2012; Stichting Ontwikkelings- through Maastricht, the side-river Jeker, maatschappij ENCI-Gebied, 2014, a). 2 Miners started using the limestone in the extent where conservation policies need to 12th Century to build houses, creating an be strictly implemented to avoid intricate tunnel system that is now a extinction. For example, the Buba Buba touristic attraction (Peters & van Winden, owl, which is the largest owl in Europe 2002). The ENCI (“Eerste Nederlandse and has its habitat in limestone grasslands, Cement Industrie” – First Dutch Cement is nearing extinction in this area. By Industry) got permission to extract increasing its habitat by enhancing green limestone for cement production since areas and hunting grounds, their numbers 1926 (Groen Maastricht, 2014, a). They are might grow. The costs include the now part of the ‘Transformation Plan’, termination of the ENCI in the quarry and established in 2009, in which the decision costs involved in executing greening was made to convert the quarry into a projects, such as the ‘Groene Loper’, of nature reserve for biodiversity and which the contract budget amounts up to recreational purposes (Groen Maastricht, €515 million (Projectbureau A2 Maastricht, 2014, a). Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch 2009, b). nature conservation organization, will manage the area from 2018 onwards Description of the System (Peters & van Winden, 2002). The Maastricht’s urban history goes back to the ‘Oehoevallei’, which is the area of the time before the Roman occupation around quarry furthest away from the factory and Christ. Due to its strategic location, closest to the city,