05
MULTI-SCALE INTERLINKAGES FOR TRANSFORMATION TO SUSTAINABILITY
Mahmood Yekeh Yazdandoost
Advisor, Biodiversity & Wildlife Bureau,
Natural Environment & Department of Environment, Tehran, IranEmail: yazdandoost3000@gmail.com

How to cite this paper:
Yazdandoost,
Mahmood
Yekeh (2021) Multi-Scale
Interlinkages
forTransformationtoSustainability, Journal of
Global Resources, Vol. 07
(02)
DOI:

Abstract: For balancing the 3 pillars of sustainable
development and providing policy actions, SDGs have been
considered as unified goals and interlinked targets into
nexus. Since the multi-scale interlinkages promote policy
coherence for proper transformation to sustainability, thenexus looked into interdependencies and interconnections
among components which build up our environment,
including nature’s contributions to people and a good qualityof life. The paper identified challenges and opportunities andassessed the possible synergies among the diverse aspectsof the nexus.

10.46587/JGR.2021.v07i02.005

Keywords: Sustainable Development, Policy Action,
Nexus, Multi-Scale Interlinkages.
Received: 21 March 2021
Reviewed: 10 April 2021
Revised: 27 May 2021
Final Accepted: 30 May 2021

Freely available Online
www.isdesr.org

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Introduction
The global sustainability challenges are closely interlinked. Nexus approach to integratevarious components of social-ecological systems along with economical dimension isnecessary to overcome the challenges towards sustainability. The nexus framework throughsystem integration recognizes the interdependencies among components and with connecting
them, addressing them together. It persuades policymakers to practice on the reciprocal
actions and influence between single SDGs in arrangement to receive co-advantage anddiminish the venture of trade-offs (Boas et al. 2016; Liu et al. 2018). The SDGs Nexus refers
to the interconnectivity, interdependencies and linkages among SDGs goals and targets. The
approach is based on the development of the key interactions between human and natural
systems and pursues through integrated holistic approaches across targets interconnectivity.
The purpose of developing nexus approach is to promote system efficiencies and transforming
planning practices though space and time by mainstreaming the natural and human resource
management processes. The approach is based on the untapped inter-dependencies between
the components of the system.
However, interactions among the SDGs targets indicate some are bolstering andinterdependent, showing capacity to develop synergies, some are independent or deconnected, and others impose limitations or constraints, showing trade-offs. The ratings ofsynergy, independent and trade-offs among the SDGs targets depend upon the geographicalsituation, resources availability and the developmental phase of the accepted policy action(Vehmas, J. et al. 2007). Systems integration has been applied successfully to multiple
dimensions of natural resources management, like; Integrated Coastal Zone Management(Portman M. E. et al.), Marine Spatial Planning (White C. et al.) and Ecosystem-BasedManagement (Szaro R. C. et al.).
In order to provide viable policy options to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
this article was prepared in response to the interlinkages among biodiversity (SDGs 14 & 15),
no poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), good health (SDG 3), water (SDG 6), energy (SDG
7), climate action (SDG 13), peace and partnerships (SDGs 16 & 17) as coherent
transformations to sustainability. Strong interlinkages exist among the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), that’s why the SDGs are regarded as integrated and indivisible
goals for sustainability. With increasing global population, global challenges are profoundlyinterconnected (Liu, J. et al.). Global population is expected to reside by two-thirds in urban
areas by 2050 (Ritchie, H. & Roser, M. 2018). In addition, the increased urbanisation would
lead to more ecosystem degradation in bad managed development. Since livelihood is the key
to sustainability, livelihood security would be a big challenge to the governance system. The
livelihood security would create community cohesiveness and provide a means for poverty
reduction and security. Environmental livelihood security (ELS) considers the challenges ofsustaining global food, freshwater and energy security and identifying sustainable solutions tofuture development processes (Biggs, E.M. et al. 2014).
Currently the diverse ecosystems of our planet are under severe pressures by humanactivities and become unsustainable to support global populations (Allsopp, M. et al. 2009;
Steffen, W. et al. 2015; Nash, K.L. et al. 2017; IPBES, 2019; GEO–6, 2019). Ecosystemdegradation undermines ecosystem productivity and well-being. Though the Zoonotic
diseases are significant threats to humans, the nature consider as the source of natural
medicines as by today 4 billion people rely on natural medicines for their health care and wellbeing. As a result, through inter-relatedness and interdependencies of ecosystems andhumans, the functioning, productivity and management of this complex social environmental
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system is taken into consideration. SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7and 13 depends on SDGs 14 and 15
which impact SDGs 16 and 17 globally. Also, nexus approaches interact across multi sectors
and organizations and are at the centre of the SDGs.
Biodiversity, food, water and energy nexus are essential for eradicating poverty, good
health, climate action, peace and partnerships. Therefore, the environmental resources’interconnections and interdependencies are fundamental solution to sustainable development(Hoff, H. 2011). For nature-based solutions, nexus is highly effective in managing resources
and supporting human environment (Rasul, G. and Sharma, B. 2016; Krchnak, K.M. et al.
2011; IUCN, 2020). The impacts of climate change already have been seen in various sectors
like; agriculture, forestry, livestock, health and livelihood. Moreover, climate change impact
biodiversity and the biodiversity consider being an important component of nexus. Climate,water, energy and biodiversity systems are highly connected and in diverse ecological systembiodiversity provide various ecosystem goods and services. Biodiversity is a crucial component
for ecosystem functionality and operability (Krchnak, K.M. et al. 2011). A safe and soundecosystem provides clean and adequate water to grow crops and produce energy. Climate,water and biodiversity are firmly dependent upon each other, and biodiversity connects andenergizes the system. Biodiversity also underlie water, energy, climate and the food security.
Any disturbance on any of these components would jeopardize the availability of others.
Nexus approach accelerates sustainability pathways by identifying synergistic effects
and co-benefits, and enhancing resource use efficiency (Biswas, A. K. 2008), pollution
reduction (Li, X. et al. 2012 and Amon, R. et al. 2015) and providing linked and consistentpolicy to the system (UN, 2016). Nexus investigation main objective is to uncover nexus cobenefits (Bartos, M. D. & Chester, M. V. 2014) and synergies (Rasul, G. 2014) for resource
use and production optimization and security (Water Security, 2012; De Laurentiis, V. et al.
2016; Mukuve, F. M. & Fenner, R. A. 2015; Tilman, D. & Clark, M. 2014; Hussey, K. & Pittock,
J. 2012). Hence, sustainable management of resources provides means for sustainable
development.
The Social dimension of sustainable development embraces significance of equity,equality, empowerment, participation and cultural recognition. Therefore, social sustainability
creates nexus to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger, promote health, conserve biodiversity anddevelop stable partnerships for peace and stability. An integrated ecosystem with high carrying
capacity provides productive and resilient condition to support life. The current rate ofbiodiversity decline is enormously high. One of the reasons is the climate change. Climatechange destabilizes the environment and reduces the resiliency of the natural conditions. Also,
shifts the boundaries of global biomes and creates mass migration for animals. We can’t plan
health without considering biodiversity, climate, water, energy, poverty, hunger, and peace andpartnership issues. These factors are highly interlinked. Anyone of them needs the rest of it tobe considered in nexus. Nexus-based approaches would incorporate reciprocal actions among
sectors and stakeholders to promote collaboration and speed up the transformation towards
sustainable development. As a result, instead of looking at individual components ofsustainability in isolation, through nexus approach the functionality, productivity andmanagement of the complex system would be considered. This approach would assist theconsistent development of the sustainability principles of actions. With above explanation, theobjective of this paper is to identify how nexus approach promotes policy actions forsustainable development in Iran.

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Method
With the focus on higher order interactions, the interlinkages between the transformativechange and the nexus assessment among biodiversity, no poverty, zero hunger, good health,water, energy, climate action, and the systems pertaining to peace and partnerships has beentaken into account. The nexus assessment extract information from various knowledge
systems to explore the interconnection between ecosystem and ecosystem services to society
for the good quality of life and well-being. The methodology considered here, comprises thecollection of integrated cross-sectoral information for various ecosystem connectivity topromote systemic approach towards environmental policy actions.
Results and Discussion
The result indicates, the policy and structural options to accelerate transformative changes infacilitating the transition to a sustainable future within the context of the nexus issues needs
the potential of cross-sectoral planning and management, and innovative policy interventions.
Realizing the nexus among targets of SDGs would assist the integration of sectoral programs
and cross-sectoral coherence policy to detect synergies. We need to institutionalize nexus toachieve sustainable development goals (Keairns, D.L. et al. 2016). Nexus approach is asystem thinking approach that considers every possible components of the system forbalancing the functionality of the system. Thus, monitoring the nexus across sectors is a key
challenge to sustainable development achievement (Smajgl, A. et al. 2016). Through policy
coherence and integrated governance system should create opportunities and benefit all.
In healthy environment with sufficient water availability, the biodiversity in agriculture
produces enough food, year-round for the growing human population and bringing health tosociety. Nature-based solutions through nexus approach are also effective in adaptation toclimate change (Rasul, G.and Sharma, B. 2016). The Nexus approach also would maintainecosystems well-being by delivering ecosystems services more efficiently and enhancing
resiliency to the environment. Generally, the expense of nexus scheme is much higher thanthose traditional silo approaches. The Nexus scheme not only requires expertise andexperience in all relevant sectors but also coordination among experts in different sectors,
which brings about additional charges. Developing nexus frameworks is the base for theunderstanding of multiple relationships and synergy among sectors to provide further thoroughanalysis to achieve policy objectives. By doing this, the nexus would become a system ofinterconnected components that sustain life on the planet earth.
The key to the nexus approach is to recognize the points of interactions among theresource systems for the exchange of the information and to identify, how the output from one
component would become the input for other linked components. Because of theseinteractions from the interdependencies and interconnections among components of thesystem, the policy-makers and decision makers from multi sectors and scales would tackle thecomplex challenges in the nexus approach (Leck, H.et al. 2015). Although, the SDGs nexus
presents opportunities for policy makers, investors and public at large to address theinterdependent global security concerns; the lack of appropriate data and knowledge gaps to
apply for the nexus-based solutions to global problem is a great global challenge. When weconvert land for the expansion of urban areas, the ecosystems connectivity gets immenselytransformed, impacting hydrological cycles and precipitation, ecosystem productivity and local
climatic conditions (Alberti, M. 2005). In this way, landscape disturbance creates greatchallenges for the delivering ecosystems goods and services to a growing population. Also,
we should be concerned about the climate change impacts, natural ecosystem disruption and

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multi challenges in our urban areas system that threaten our safety and security for now andfuture.
For acquiring global resource needs and environmental sustainability, the nexus
framework should expand towards terrestrial and freshwater systems as well as marine andcoastal systems. As a result, nexus approach would adapt the socio-economic, health,environment and development-oriented targets within and across the SDGs (Giupponi, C. &Gain, A. K. 2016). Also, economic activities’ impacts on sustainability issues should beconcerned in an integrated way, that enhances co-advantages and reduces trade-offs (Allenet al. 2019). Although countries supportively admit the SDGs, there are several gaps in their
responsibilities with the SDGs to avoid environmental degradation (van Zanten JA. & vanTulder R. 2018). The SDGs concerned with the environment usually suffers from economic
activities. Industries should improve their environmental footprint by contributing positively tothe ecological systems and reducing negative externalities.
Through Circular Economy we can balance our economic development with increasing
efficient use of natural resources through recycling, sustainable harvesting and protecting
ecosystem connectivity. The Circular Economy aims in reducing energy consumption,
reducing pollutants emission and increasing cleaner production in industries, agricultural fields
and urban areas (UNEP, 2013). For the long-term sustainability to development, we must
understand that our natural resources are finite. For this regard, insufficient initiatives acrosssectors led to incoherence policies for sustainable development. As a result, the sustainability
challenges and turbulence we are confronting today and the way multiple economic activities
contribute to them, definitely directing us to synthesize nexus-based approach to earncomprehensive solutions.
Besides the economic relations, educational and cultural relationships tie the nation’s
together (Kaplan, B. 1993; Moore, M. 1993). Hence, communication would pave the current
global development pattern and significance for sustainable development. With the current
global relations, sustainable development considers the center of global policy agenda fordevelopment. It provides a mechanism for promoting living conditions, ecosystem well-being
and a safe habitable planet for all the creatures. As a result, the nexus-based approach would
give better clue, while we intend to provide stronger evidence-based solution to decisionmakers, to ensure sustainable maintenance of ecological system with all its relevant
components, including the health and communication.
Recommendation• The interlinking health system with no poverty, zero hunger, water, energy, climate
action and biodiversity nexus are essential to achieve a healthy resilient society.
• Nexus approach through accelerating integrated planning and management can
reduce global challenges.
• Through nexus framework enhance and accelerate coordination, cooperation andpolicy cohesion at national level.
• Promote resilient environment through innovation and sustainable production.
• Promote environmental integrity through biodiversity conservation and climate change
mitigation.
• Promote solidarity and societal cohesiveness for sustainability.
• Advocate development strategies that protect our environment and promote people’s
health.

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Conclusion
Nowadays, the sustainability issues from public are receiving major attention. It is highly
recognized that human activities create devastating ecological footprint with irreversible lossof species. Threat to biodiversity, climate and ecosystem goods and services is compounding
major challenges, which needs through integrated approach to get resolved. The dynamic
connection among biodiversity, food, water and energy ensures eradicating poverty, good
health, peace and partnerships and resiliency to climate change. Higher synergy values occur,when the programs and policies embedded into cross-sectoral targets. Achieving the SDGs
requires good governance to manage the synergies among targets. The nexus approach gains
advantages from the multi-sector and multi-scale perspectives to solve sustainability
challenges. Nexus framework would bring inter and intra sectoral cooperation to promotecohesive long-term planning and helps policy makers to efficiently use the natural and humanresources through good governance practices.
The integrated-nexus-based-governance for the SDGs will benefit economic activities
and social cohesiveness without harming the environment. Industries should make valuable
contributions towards sustainable development by ensuring that positive interactions appear
bolder and negative interactions gradually disappear from the surface of earth. The global
transformation to sustainability requires assurance alignment among the three pillars ofsustainable development in terms of the regenerative capacity of the planet’s life-supporting
ecosystems. This dynamic equilibrium may create sustainability to economy, society andenvironment in a true sense. Sustainable development should not be considered in isolation.
Integrated efforts through nexus approach would pave the sustainability goals more effectively.
Hence, achieving sustainable development is not an easy task. It highly relies on ecosystem
integrity and biodiversity conservation, green production and consumption pattern, health andmoral well-being, natural resources management and renewable energy production, policy
coherence and community participation. Participation with reference to policy approach,involves social groups in decision-making processes. This approach enhances social cohesion
and social sustainability.
The sustainability issues are not inseparable and indivisible issues, but the global crisisof social-economical-ecological systems require mainstreaming approach and integrated
response. Overcoming knowledge gaps by integrating knowledge production provide holistic
response to socio-economic and environmental crisis. However, the Nexus approach requires
collaborative effort and coordination attempt across sectors, scales and organizations fortransparent decision-making. Since, the SDGs are considered to be cross-cutting andimplemented together; it is very hard to imagine solution for any issues of sustainability inisolation. As a result, the nexus-based approach not only horizontally should have capability
to be replicated in other geographic areas but also vertically to get institutionalized at different
capacity building levels. Thus, synergies across sectors would create coherent policies toboost opportunities for further adaptive development.
In addition, our environmental planning and management approach still happening
along sectoral lines, that is in silos condition, rather than as an integrated and unified
processes, unable to utilize the cross sectoral synergistic capacity to mainstream resource
management. Thus, we should allow the ecosystems connectivity, which deliver essential
ecosystem goods and services necessary to support the survival of future generations tocontinue its function. Exploitation should be within ecosystem carrying capacities. That’s how
the development would be meaningful and sustainable.

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Acknowledgement: All the scientific literatures released by academia, UN and other agencies
including Department of Environment that have been used in this research article are highly
appreciated.
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