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Are you the bird guy? Exploring Outer Hebridean machair as a common socio-ecological system for operationalising adaptation measures

Kandadi, Abhishek Reddy LU (2025) In Master Thesis in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20251
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Climate change, changing weather patterns, and coastal erosion pose significant risks to the Hebridean isles, which are home to a unique habitat and a cultural landscape known as ‘’machair’. The machair is a coastal landform located exclusively in Scotland, with its majority of existence restricted to the western shore of the Outer Hebrides. This unique habitat, shaped by northern Atlantic winds and widespread cultivation by the island communities, is severely threatened. In order to operationalise adaptation measures for the machair, it is necessary to consider the socio-ecological dynamics that continue to shape this ecosystem today. Consequently,a systems thinking approach and Ostrom’s SESF were adapted to investigate the machair. Fuzzy... (More)
Climate change, changing weather patterns, and coastal erosion pose significant risks to the Hebridean isles, which are home to a unique habitat and a cultural landscape known as ‘’machair’. The machair is a coastal landform located exclusively in Scotland, with its majority of existence restricted to the western shore of the Outer Hebrides. This unique habitat, shaped by northern Atlantic winds and widespread cultivation by the island communities, is severely threatened. In order to operationalise adaptation measures for the machair, it is necessary to consider the socio-ecological dynamics that continue to shape this ecosystem today. Consequently,a systems thinking approach and Ostrom’s SESF were adapted to investigate the machair. Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) workshops were conducted on the island of South Uist to better understand stakeholder groups’ perceptions and recognise underlying causal relationships in the machair system. (Less)
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author
Kandadi, Abhishek Reddy LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
South Uist, Crofting Legislation, Machair, Local Stakeholder Groups, Coastal Adaptation, Sustainability Science
publication/series
Master Thesis in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2025:018
language
English
id
9195867
date added to LUP
2025-06-12 15:21:40
date last changed
2025-06-18 09:03:09
@misc{9195867,
  abstract     = {{Climate change, changing weather patterns, and coastal erosion pose significant risks to the Hebridean isles, which are home to a unique habitat and a cultural landscape known as ‘’machair’. The machair is a coastal landform located exclusively in Scotland, with its majority of existence restricted to the western shore of the Outer Hebrides. This unique habitat, shaped by northern Atlantic winds and widespread cultivation by the island communities, is severely threatened. In order to operationalise adaptation measures for the machair, it is necessary to consider the socio-ecological dynamics that continue to shape this ecosystem today. Consequently,a systems thinking approach and Ostrom’s SESF were adapted to investigate the machair. Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) workshops were conducted on the island of South Uist to better understand stakeholder groups’ perceptions and recognise underlying causal relationships in the machair system.}},
  author       = {{Kandadi, Abhishek Reddy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Are you the bird guy? Exploring Outer Hebridean machair as a common socio-ecological system for operationalising adaptation measures}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}