Departing from the comprehensive reviews carried out in the field, we identify the key challenges that agent-based methodology faces when modeling coupled socio-ecological systems. Focusing primarily on the papers presented in this thematic issue, we review progress in spatial agent-based models along the lines of four methodological challenges: (1) design and parameterizing of agent decision m...

The recently derived Dutch Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for water, soil, and sediment for approximately 170 substances have been evaluated. Three methods have been used to derive the Dutch EQS. Independent of how the EQS were derived, they are given equal weight in Dutch environmental policy. Scientifically, the three methods may deserve different weights. For example, for soil and sed...

Food and nutrition security are intimately interconnected, since only a food based approach can help in overcoming malnutrition in an economically and socially sustainable manner. Food production provides the base for food security as it is a key determinant of food availability. This paper deals with different aspects of ensuring high productivity and production without associated ecological h...

Is it better to have a heart attack in the United States or Canada? Ecological studies are epidemiological evaluations in which the unit of analysis is populations, or groups of people, rather than individuals.1 They can answer important questions such as the question posed above that cannot easily be answered using any other form of study design. Ecological studies are conducted by researchers...

Scientific and policy interest in the biological diversity of agriculture (agrobiodiversity) is expanding amid global socioeconomic and environmental changes and sustainability interests. The majority of global agrobiodiversity is produced in smallholder food-growing. We use meta-analyses in an integrated framework to examine the interactions of smallholder agrobiodiversity with: (1) livelihood...

Economists currently use the term invasive species to denote species that arrive in a new ecological setting and spread, creating ecological and economic damages. The problem facing invasive policy managers is to select strategies that minimize the overall invasive species-related costs over time, including prevention and control expenditures and damages. This article aims to highlight the conn...