DPSIR (and its offspring!) in marine and coastal ecosystems:

Lessons from two decades of use

ECSA 55 | 7 September 2015 | London, UK

Joana Patrício, Chris Smith, Nadia Papadopoulou, Krysia Mazik & Mike Elliott

The DPSIR Framework

2

Delphine Digout, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Socio-economic and socio-cultural forces driving human activities, which increase or mitigate pressures on the environment

Responses by society to the environmental situation

Stresses which human activities place directly on the environment

The condition of the environment

The effects resulting from the condition of the environment

DRIVING FORCES PRESSURES

STATE of the ENVIRONMENTRESPONSES

IMPACTS

Source: Global International Water Assessment (GIWA), 2001; European Environmental Agency (EEA)

PSRRapport & Friend, 1979OECD, 1993EPA, 1994UNEP, 1994EUROSTAT, 1999

DPSIR is policy oriented and provides a framework for categorizing a problem domain, along a causal chain.

Type of Publication used as source

3

N=134

Peer-reviewed article

Publication format

Categories considered

4

Reference Date of publication Study site Habitat RegionFramework/

Model typeIssue/problem

Implementation

level

Type of

publication

Fock et al. 2011 2011 German EEZ Marine Europe PSR

Linking marine fisheries to

environmental objectives (seafloor

integrity)

Applied Research paper

Gimpel et al. 2013 2013German waters of the

North SeaMarine Europe DPSI Changes in nursery grounds Applied Research paper

Langmead et al. 2007 2007

Baltic Sea, Black Sea,

Mediterranean Sea and

North-East Atlantic

Marine Europe mDPSIR

Organise information relating to

habitat change, eutrophication,

chemical pollution and fishing

Applied Final project report

Langmead et al. 2009 2009Northwestern Black Sea

shelfMarine Europe DPSIR

Modelling the consequences of

alternative scenarios of human

development

Applied Research paper

Andrulewicz 2005 2005 Baltic Sea Marine Europe DPSIRIndicators for management of human

impact

Conceptual and

AppliedBook chapter

Kelble et al. 2013 2013Florida Keys and Dry

TortugasMarine

North

AmericaEBM-DPSER Inform management decisions

Conceptual and

AppliedResearch paper

Sundblad et al. 2014 2014North and Baltic seas,

SweedenMarine Europe BPSIR

Framework for structuring the social

information that can play an important

role in MSFD implementation (case

studies: phosphorous load, mercury

load and cod fishery)

Conceptual and

AppliedResearch paper

Tett et al. 2013 2013Northwestern part of

the North SeaMarine Europe DPSIR

Framework for understanding marine

ecosystem health

Conceptual and

AppliedReview paper

Atkins et al. 2011a 2011 - Marine - DPSIRGeneral management of the marine

environmentConceptual Research paper

Cooper 2013 2013 - Marine Europe DPSWR

Define the DPSWR framework and

comment on its application to marine

systems

Conceptual Research paper

Curtin and Prellezo 2010 2010 - Marine - DPSIR & PSRHelp management to form

sustainability indicators (EBM)Conceptual Review paper

Elliott 2002 2002 - Marine - DPSIR Offshore wind power Conceptual Journal editorial

Elliott et al. 2006 2006 - Marine Europe DPSIR

Management approach for marine

environment (i.e framework to explain

the causes and consequences of state

change in the marine environment)

Conceptual Technical report

Elliott, 2011 2011 - Marine - DPSIR

Valuable philosophy for tackling and

communicating methods of marine

management

Conceptual Editorial

Fehling 2009 2009 - Marine - DPSIREnvironmental assessment and

monitoring managementConceptual Seminar paper

Kannen and Bukhard 2009 2009 German North Sea Marine Europe DPSIR

Integrated assessment of coastal and

marine changes (e.g. offshore wind

farms)

Conceptual Research paper

Knights et al. 2013 2013 - Marine Europe DPSIR

Build an integrated network that

captures the diverse and complex

range of sector activities that through

pressure pathways impact marine

ecosystems, i.e. methodology

development to support ecosystem-

based management

Conceptual Research paper

Ojeda-Martínez et al. 2009 2009 - Marine - DPSIRManagement of marine protected

areasConceptual Research paper

(…)

1. Studies collected 2. Each reference was categorized by

5

Evolution of the conceptual framework

93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

PSR

PSR/E

DSR

PSIR

DPCERDPSIR mDPSIR

PD

eDPSIR

tetrahedralDPSIR

1692

DPSWR

EBM-DPSER

DPIVR

PSBR

eDPSEEA

BPSIR

PSBR

DAPSI(W)R

IMBER-ADApT

DPSI

??

YEAR

DAPSI(W)R(M)

…. applied, discussed, developed, published…

NOTE: the arrows do not represent the year in which the frameworks were proposed but correspond to the first time the framework is mentioned in the publications considered in this review

6

Studies published per year

No

. of

pu

blic

atio

ns

Frameworks

75%

DPSIR

Implementation level

7

No

. of

pu

blic

atio

ns

- definition/revision of framework- reporting outline

- framework to select indicators/assess biodiversity

N=134

48% 39% 13%

Regions covered

8

No. of publications

No

. of

pu

blic

atio

ns

N=134

Other regions:only 15% APPLIED

Habitats covered

Framework context of use: different purposes

Development and assessment of indicators

Assessment of eutrophication

Assessment of impacts and vulnerabilities

Fisheries and aquaculture management

Integrated coastal management

Management of marine aggregates

Assessment of seagrass decline

Management of water resources

Assessment of wind farming consequences

Framing social information in the MSFD implementation context

e.g.

Pros and Cons of DPSIR

Pros Unifying framework for RA and RM - it allows us to work out where the risks are

coming from (D, P), what they are causing (S, I) and how to manage and minimizethem (R)

DPSIR can be applied to all types of environmental problems It is an anthropocentric action oriented framework, capable of conceptualizing the

ecological and the social system It can be applied in a standard way and be used to involve all the relevant actors at

any level of detail It is largely understood and used by many different organizations

Cons Standard is not so standard…

(Definitions and interpretations vary – within as well as between disciplines)

Pros and Cons of DPSIR and derivatives

Standard is not so standard…Issues in the definitions of DPSI – between users

DOverarching Societal Need

SectorActivity

PressureMechanism

State*State Change*

Impact*/Welfare*

P

SI/W

*Fundamental difference for ‘S’ and ‘I’ between natural and social scientists

Pros and Cons of DPSIR

… but this is where new developments, DPSIR derivativesand refinements are taking us…

DPSIR oversimplifies the problems Problems addressed tend to be one-dimensional (developed in one plane, for one set

of problems/solutions) – not so relevant to a ecosystem-based management approach

Cons Standard is not so standard…

(Definitions and interpretations vary – within as well as between disciplines)

Latest Conceptual Developments

Drivers (societal

basic needs)

Activities (of

society)

Pressures (resulting from

activities)

State change (on

the natural system)

Impacts (on

human Welfare) (changes affecting wealth creation,

quality of life)

Responses (economic, legal, etc)

(Measures)

Refining DPSIR into well defined frameworks

e.g. DAPSI(W)R(M) framework

Wolanski & Elliott 2015

addition of A is a major step forward

Latest Conceptual Developments

Expansion of DPSIR to accommodate multiple pressures towards a

common Response (using Measures) leading to integrated management

Eutrophication Overfishing

Hazardous substances

Litter

adapted from Atkins et al 2011

Latest Conceptual Developments

Nested DPSIR for complex ecosystems (e.g. different parts of a catchment area)

Elliott et al. submitted

Latest Conceptual Developments

Considering multiple activities and drivers that cause common

pressures

adapted from Atkins et al 2011

4

Latest Conceptual Developments

Multiple DPSIRs can also be grouped to investigate multiple pressures

from different activities

Smith et al. 2014

e.g. abrasion from demersal trawling

e.g. marine litter

e.g. shipping

all P stacked into a 3D DPSIR

4

Concluding - DPSIR and its offspring

DPSIR is a fundamental tool for standardised problem solving.

It has been well taken up, within international organisations, particularly within Europe.

It has led to a large amount of thought (more than 15 derivatives) to customize the framework to better fit specific problems or bring better clarity/improvement to the framework.

This review shows the evolution and the latest research developmentsmade towards a better understanding of the processes, mechanismsand types of measures needed to properly frame a problem in thecontext or risk assessment and management.

It is often used as a visualization tool for complex interactions.

Nested DAPSI(W)R(M) appears to overcome many of the criticisms of DPSIR.

www.devotes-project.eu

Grant agreement nº 308392

This project has received funding from theEuropean Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technologicaldevelopment and demonstration under the grant agreement nº 308392

ECSA 55 | 7 September 2015 | London, UK

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