Linking ecological and socio-economic system analysis : a methodological approach based on ecological risk

The presented study applies the DPSIR approach to the analysis of two environmental issues in the North Sea. The first case-study is eutrophication of coastal waters associated with anthropogenic nutrient emissions in the North Sea catchment area. The second (emerging) issue is offshore wind power generation, driven by the need of mitigating climate change (by cutting greenhouse gases emissions) and reduce energy dependence on third countries. The presented integrated analysis focuses on methodological aspects related to the application of the DPSIR scoping framework and evaluation of its suitability as decision support system (DSS) in coastal management. Moreover, in the context of decision-making under uncertainty, the issue of assessing potential massive changes in ecosystem functioning is approached through the development of the ecological risk concept. The results are discussed under two perspectives: (1) in terms of management possibilities for the single case-studies as well as (2) for evaluating the deployed methodology.