Following Sustainable Development in Relation to the North–South Dialogue: Ecosystem Health and Sustainability Indicators

The necessity for policy makers to follow the processes in relation to sustainability demands new tools for management, a major aspect of which is integrated attention to economic and sociocultural influences together with environmental issues. North and South have specific positions and responsibilities with regard to sustainable development, and management tools—such as indicators—should reflect them. Because the North–South dialogue is changing, different approaches to deal with the relationships are needed (e.g., introduction of reciprocity, equity, and participation), while at the same time doing justice to the individual social, economic, and cultural characteristics of a country. Ecosystem health can be defined by requirements such as resilience, vigor, organization, and relations, which may be used for totally different systems as well. Because integration is a crucial aspect of the new tools, it is argued that integrating conceptual tools such as the environment–economy–society triangle, the PSIR-causality chain, and the Daly triangle in addition to other described integration tools is fundamental for decision makers. Crucial issues when dealing with indicators for sustainable development are integration and balance, attention to users, use of system characteristics, and understanding southern perspectives in this context.