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The sustainability performances of campuses are of importance as it could model the effective sustainable initiatives that could be then applied to campuses by decision-makers and designers. Studies have been conducted on the environmental and economic assessment of campuses in specification with the identification of their carbon footprint and cost analysis, respectively. The studies have lacked a showcase of an ideal sustainable campus along with its urban and architectural features, facilities, and services through analyzing their social aspects as well. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of the Abdullah Gul University Sumer Campus to model a sustainable campus integrating the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment(E-LCA), the Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and the Social Life Cycle Assessment using life cycle sustainability assessment approaches for the use-phase analysis of the campus. E-LCA was applied to quantify the global warming potential and cumulative energy demand based on International Organization for Standardization 14,040 and 14,044 by considering the gate-to-gate approach. The environmental assessment results showed that the global warming potential of the campus was 2.92 tCO2 eq./person, and the cumulative energy demand was found as 15.4 GJ/person. In LCC, the total cost of the campus was calculated as 200 US Dollars/person, and the energy cost is found as a major contributor with 86% of the total cost for the year of 2019. In the social performance assessment, it is found that the university has a weak social performance for the local community, the consumer, the worker, and the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To favor transition towards sustainable agricultural systems, the agricultural sector needs to reduce its dependence on external inputs. From an ecological economics perspective, this requires the simultaneous fulfillment of a gross energy surplus on the farm (production condition), and a greater recirculation of the production extracted from the agroecosystem (reproduction condition). Using eight smallholder farms, this study focuses on the processes of recirculation and externalization of biomass, materials and energy flows in the agroecosystem. This is carried out through analyzing the MEFA (Material and Energy Flow Analysis) matrix by means of energy return on the investment indexes of inputs or externalizations (EFEROI), recirculations (IFEROI), joint efficiency (NPPact EROI) and labour efficiency (W EROI), all of which impact upon farm-scale decision-making related to yield and cost-benefit situations. Agrarian fossilization indices are applied to include an assessment of farm non-renewable energy profiles. The results indicate a restriction of inputs in conventional farm-operators and a troubling use of indirect fossil-fuel in organic operators, together with a weakening of the agroecosystem reproductive processes by means of external inputs for both systems. To guide the agrarian transition, farming strategies need to focus on reducing indirect fossil-fuel energy consumption, rather than relying on technological substitutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, following the amendment to the European renewable energy directive (RED), there is an increasing interest to exploit Crude Tall Oil (CTO) for energetic purposes. This study conducted an integrated assessment to quantify the environmental, economic and social impact of these two competing material and energetic routes that consume CTO as a feedstock. The integrated assessment follows a cradle-to-grave approach to compare the impact on climate change from the production of bio-chemicals to that generated from the production of renewable diesel from CTO. In addition, the economic and social impact assessment estimates the total economic added value as well as the total number of direct, indirect and induced jobs generated by the two respective routes utilising CTO. The environmental assessment showed that the application of CTO for bio-chemicals has 23% lower greenhouse gas emissions than its application for renewable diesel. The economic assessment showed that the European pine chemicals industry generated at least 4 times higher added value than that generated from renewable diesel. Finally, when analysing the social impact, the utilisation of 650,000 of CTO to produce bio-chemicals generated around 9100 jobs. On the other hand, the renewable diesel production route was estimated to generate only 400 jobs. Therefore, the integrated assessment concludes that, diverting and utilising CTO to produce biofuels does not present a sustainable case when compared to its established use in the production of bio-chemicals. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demands on forest bioenergy feedstock are expected to increase in many countries due to climate change mitigation. However, sustainable use of forest biomass resources can be ensured only if local and landscape conditions are taken into account, linking energy use to its resource base. The aim of this study was to analyse the forest biomass potential for Lithuania's energy pathways, while comparing the projected demand of forest bioenergy feedstock with resource projections. This was performed using the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) tool and the energy model MESSAGE. Biomass demand can be met up to 2050, after which demands under a Biomass Low pathway can still be met by the domestic forest resource if other wood uses are reduced, while Biomass High leads to a biomass deficit regarding domestic forest resources. Information exchange between the energy model and the LEcA tool enables an integrated sustainability assessment, and may contribute to a sustainable and efficient use of forest as a bioenergy feedstock resource. • The LEcA tool simulates forest growth and management and assesses the resource use • Energy pathways for Lithuania were analysed and compared with forest biomass supply • Projected use could be met with the Biomass Low pathway, however uncertain after 2050 • The Biomass High pathway would lead to a shortage of forest biomass after 2050 • Linking the energy model and LEcA tool enabled integrated sustainability assessment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, advanced treatment units are widely suggested for industrial wastewater reuse as a non-conventional water resource in the developing countries positioned in arid/semi-arid areas. However, the sustainability of these units still remains blur due to the lack of a proper framework and availability of the collected data or experiences. The present study aimed to propose a framework for assessing the sustainability of advanced hybrid treatment systems through three major steps: (1) describing feasible alternatives and defining evaluation procedure (modified analytical hierarchy process); (2) elaborating the decision making process including 32 proposed integrated indices (8 sub-criteria and 4 criteria) and defining five possible scenarios and finally (3) prioritizing the alternatives, finding the best answer and making a sensitive analysis. The framework was proposed by recommending 8 alternatives for industrial parks in Iran as the case study. The results indicated that the weights of the economic and technological criteria could play a significant role when these systems were experienced as a new practice in difficult or poor situations. However, by improving the situation from “Transition” to “Ideal”, other aspects such as environmental and social criteria were regarded as major concerns. In addition, alternative 5 and 6 as two hybrid system were determined as high rank for five relevant defined scenarios. Alternative 6 was regarded as the best answer with the highest average score by regarding all of the scenarios. Finally, based on sensitivity, the best answer relies on the variation in the criteria weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests provide a multitude of ecosystem services. In Sweden, the goal to replace fossil fuels could induce substantial changes in the current management and use of forests. Therefore, methods and tools are needed to assess synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services for policy and planning alternatives. The aim of this study was to develop methods for integrated sustainability assessment of forest management strategies for long-term provisioning of various ecosystem services. For this purpose, the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) tool was developed to analyse synergies and trade-offs among five ecosystem services: bioenergy feedstock and industrial wood production, forest carbon storage, recreation areas and habitat networks. Forest growth and management were simulated for two scenarios; the EAF-tot scenario dominated by even-aged forestry (EAF), and the CCF-int scenario with a combination of continuous-cover forestry (CCF) and intensified EAF. The results showed trade-offs between industrial wood and bioenergy production on one side and habitat, recreation and carbon storage on the other side. The LEcA tool showed great potential for evaluation of impacts of alternative policies for land zoning and forest management on forest ecosystem services. It can be used to assess the consequences of forest management strategies related to renewable energy and conservation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently adopted global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intended to catalyse implementation of sustainable development. Their success or failure will rely heavily upon national implementation. However, the SDGs represent a broad, integrated and complex agenda that will be very challenging for countries to implement. Over the past decade, scenario analysis has emerged as a method that is particularly well suited to sustainable development and has seen a rapid expansion in national development planning practice. It will be an invaluable tool for governments in formulating their national SDG strategies. However, despite its increased application, there is limited guidance available on the use of scenario modelling in national development planning. By undertaking a review of the recent best practice literature as well as 22 contemporary scenario modelling case studies, this paper draws out lessons learned and proposes an iterative framework for ex ante scenario modelling to support national SDG planning. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to propose a multi-attribute hierarchical evaluation model for the evaluation of the aggregate sustainability of livestock farms integrating the economic, environmental, and social aspects. This approach uses an aggregation criterion based on the geometric mean to assess a farm’s current level of sustainability. Sustainability was measured through the use of indicators including carbon footprint, farm income, and animal welfare. Secondly, based on the relationships between the sustainability aspects, the effects of improvement measures on all the indicators were estimated. This paper presents eight livestock case studies from Italy, analyzed in 2014. The results show intermediate values for the aggregate index of sustainability for most of the farms. The index mainly depends on the estimated values of the sustainability indicators related to the economic and environmental aspects. Lower values of animal welfare sustainability are quantified. The introduction of improvement measures in relation to the preparation of the soil had positive effects, both in terms of emissions and animal welfare. The increase of available space per Livestock Unit (LU) resulted in the greatest positive effect on animal welfare, among all the other actions analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belgian fishing sector is under pressure to demonstrate the sustainability of its fishing methods. First, the beam trawl (which accounts for 80% of the landings) is contested due to its low selectivity and significant disturbance of the sea bed. Second, the Belgian retail market has committed to sourcing sustainable seafood. However, converting to sustainable methods is costly and may not be feasible for the majority of fishers who have suffered economic losses in the wake of the 2008 fuel crisis. Instead of a full-scale transition to sustainable fishing, fishers have developed modifications to the beam trawl that reduce environmental impact and save fuel. We propose an indicator-based sustainability assessment tool (VALDUVIS) that recognizes these efforts and offers incentives for fishers to adopt more sustainable fishing practices. In this article, we describe the development of the tool and its potential applications. Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA) was used as a framework to develop the tool and to initiate the transition towards sustainability in the Belgian fishery. VALDUVIS offers a promising new method to assess sustainability in fisheries. The approach is innovative in several ways. First, indicator scores are calculated using official data flows (e.g., the electronic logbook), which enhances traceability and provides the possibility of communicating sustainability data soon after landing the fish. Second, indicators are scored on a fine scale (e.g., per fishing trip). Third, stakeholder participation was essential in the development of the tool. This enhanced the support of the wider fishing sector and assured the relevance of the indicators and the users’ understanding of the tool. Fourth, the delivered tool is multi-purpose and can be easily adapted to the needs of a range of end users (wholesalers, retailers, authorities, researchers, etc.). The VALDUVIS tool offers a cost-effective alternative to known certification schemes that could be applied to any type of fishery. The Belgian fishing sector considers VALDUVIS to be suitable for monitoring the progress towards sustainability as well as for providing incentives for fishers to adopt better practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper clarifies the social and value dimensions for integrated sustainability assessments of lignocellulosic biofuels. We develop a responsible innovation approach, looking at technology impacts and implementation challenges, assumptions and value conflicts influencing how impacts are identified and assessed, and different visions for future development. We identify three distinct value-based visions. From a techno-economic perspective, lignocellulosic biofuels can contribute to energy security with improved GHG implications and fewer sustainability problems than fossil fuels and first-generation biofuels, especially when biomass is domestically sourced. From socio-economic and cultural-economic perspectives, there are concerns about the capacity to support UK-sourced feedstocks in a global agri-economy, difficulties monitoring large-scale supply chains and their potential for distributing impacts unfairly, and tensions between domestic sourcing and established legacies of farming. To respond to these concerns, we identify the potential for moving away from a one-size-fits-all biofuel/biorefinery model to regionally-tailored bioenergy configurations that might lower large-scale uses of land for meat, reduce monocultures and fossil-energy needs of farming and diversify business models. These configurations could explore ways of reconciling some conflicts between food, fuel and feed (by mixing feed crops with lignocellulosic material for fuel, combining livestock grazing with energy crops, or using crops such as miscanthus to manage land that is no longer arable); different bioenergy applications (with on-farm use of feedstocks for heat and power and for commercial biofuel production); and climate change objectives and pressures on farming. Findings are based on stakeholder interviews, literature synthesis and discussions with an expert advisory group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many technical and modelling tools are available to support the strategic assessment of land-use and infrastructure policy proposals in local government. However, there remains a lack of guidance and general confusion as to how modelling may be integrated into the policy- and decision-making process or how to practically set up participatory model-building with practitioners. Although major advances have been made in modelling over recent decades, several unresolved implementation issues remain in practice. This paper provides the results of a panel survey, which explored what planners and modellers believe to be key modelling implementation issues, their perceived importance and a set of modelling requirements. The results suggest that planners generally feel that they do not understand models and the modelling process, and modellers, in turn, feel that they do not always understand policy development and decision-making. Problems regarding data preparation were viewed as the most important challenge. Ensuring leadership and management support and initiatives aimed at improving the communication and confidence of participants were perceived as key requirements. Limited resources, leadership support and a lack of education are some of the challenges that are perceived as important before planners and other government officers can take advantage of modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Multiple criteria decision analysis is a valuable and increasingly widely-used tool to support decision-making processes where there is a choice to be made between different options. This approach is particularly useful in the context of sustainability assessment where a complex and interconnected range of environmental, social and economic issues must be taken into consideration and where objectives are often competing. It has been generally agreed that when dealing with sustainability issues, neither an economic reductionism nor an ecological one is possible. Because in general, economic sustainability has an ecological cost, and because ecological sustainability has an economic cost, an integrative framework such as multicriteria evaluation is needed for tackling sustainability issues properly. In this sense, the analysis of the possible interactions among the elements is of particular importance for assessing the sustainability of a certain transformation. Within this context, a very important role is played by the 'non-additive measurement theory', that makes use of the Choquet integral. This last represents the generalization of the weighted average method and provides a computational structure for aggregating information, taking into account interactivity between criteria. The present paper proposes a multicriteria approach that is able to support decision makers in the choice of the best solution for the reuse of an abandoned open-pit quarry. Five alternative options have been compared based on different indicators that have been aggregated using the Choquet integral in order to obtain the global sustainability level of each solution and to better highlight the trade-offs between the aspects involved in the decision. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new decision-support methodology and software tool for sustainable management of urban pollution. A number of different methods and tools are integrated within the same platform, including GIS, LCA, fate and transport modelling, health impact assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis. The application of the framework is illustrated on a case study which investigates the environmental and health impacts of pollution arising from different industrial, domestic and transport sources in a city. The example city chosen for the study is Sheffield, UK, and the main pollutants considered are NOx, SO2 and PM10. The results suggest that the absence of the current large industrial sources in the city would lead to a 90% reduction of the SO2 and 70% of the NO2 ground concentrations, consequently preventing 27 deaths and 18 respiratory hospital admissions per annum for a population of 500,000. Based on the total annual mortality and hospital admissions in Sheffield for the year of the assessment, this means that 0.53% of premature deaths and 0.49% of respiratory hospital admissions would be prevented by the estimated reduction in air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving formulation and implementation of sustainable strategies is increasingly dependent upon more integrated and participatory decision-making processes. This paper explores the use of qualitative system dynamics tools and a participatory modelling approach to support scoping stages of an integrated sustainability assessment (ISA) process. To facilitate mapping of maritime sustainability issues in Portugal, a series of preparatory interviews allowed eliciting stakeholders' perceptions and their alignment with current public policies. In the subsequent participatory modelling workshop, stakeholders deliberated on maritime problems and constructed causal loop diagrams, identifying feedback structures and voting on leverage points to intervene in the system. Overall results show that the process generated positive outcomes at individual and group levels, stimulating basic systems thinking knowledge and skills. Although further time for model iteration was suggested, the proposed approach promoted learning and a transition toward a shared and more holistic view of maritime problems and its underlying causal interrelationships. This is a promising result for the use of participatory modelling approaches as platforms supporting emerging ISA frameworks. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated sustainability assessment (ISA) models can trigger change towards sustainable agriculture. This paper reports the implementation of an existing ISA model in Flanders, MOTIFS (Monitoring Tool for Integrated Farm Sustainability), in two cases in dairy farming selected from private/public accountancy/consultancy networks. Interactive learning between model developers (scientists) and model users (farmers and advisers) is examined with two objectives: first, to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for implementation; and Second, to suggest improvements for MOTIFS or ways to use MOTIFS. Through a qualitative research methodology, based on open coding of data collected in farmer discussion groups, 10 CSFs are derived that are linked to the various implementation steps. Sufficient attention should be paid to attitude of model users, compatibility, data availability and user-friendliness, particularly when an ISA model is used in existing networks. Improvements in the ISA model and its use are suggested, such as more focus on the organization of the discussion sessions. Training of advisers, enhancement of their facilitation skills, involvement of experts and a thorough planning of sessions are suggested for MOTIFS to become more effective in supporting learning and sustainable farm management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for integrated methodological framework for sustainability assessment has been widely discussed and is urgent due to increasingly complex environmental system problems. These problems have impacts on ecosystems and human well-being which represent a threat to economic performance of countries and corporations. Integrated assessment crosses issues; spans spatial and temporal scales; looks forward and backward; and incorporates multi-stakeholder inputs. This study aims to develop an integrated methodology by capitalizing the complementary strengths of different methods used by industrial ecologists and biophysical economists. The computational methodology proposed here is systems perspective, integrative, and holistic approach for sustainability assessment which attempts to link basic science and technology to policy formulation. The framework adopts life cycle thinking methods—LCA, LCC, and SLCA; stakeholders analysis supported by multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA); and dynamic system modelling. Following Pareto principle, the critical sustainability criteria, indicators and metrics (i.e., hotspots) can be identified and further modelled using system dynamics or agent based modelling and improved by data envelopment analysis (DEA) and sustainability network theory (SNT). The framework is being applied to development of biofuel supply chain networks. The framework can provide new ways of integrating knowledge across the divides between social and natural sciences as well as between critical and problem-solving research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several authors have described the usefulness of participatory system dynamics approaches in environmental decision-making processes, particularly in supporting problem scoping and policy analysis. This paper explores how these approaches may be expanded to provide a coherent, deliberative platform, which structures Integrated Sustainability Assessments (ISA) of policy proposals. The proposed ISA framework forms a five-stage feedback and learning process including scoping, visioning, model building, simulation/assessment and monitoring. We discuss these elements considering a set of best practice principles for participation in environmental assessment and decision making. Subsequently, we lay out a roadmap for implementing and testing the framework. We conclude that participatory modelling has a strong potential for supporting ISA processes. It allows stakeholders to build alternative policies, to reflect on their long-term dynamics, and to gain insights on the interrelationships underlying persistent sustainability problems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite geopolitics play a pivotal role in the energy sector, geopolitical aspects are often not considered in the quantitative assessment models aimed at supporting the energy investment decision-making process. To address this issue, this work proposes an Extended Multi-regional Input-Output model (EMRIO) that incorporates import dependence and governance along the value chain. As case study, two alternative energy investments in Mexico – a Natural Gas Power plant (NG) and a Concentrated Solar Power plant (CSP) – are assessed. The method quantifies the geographical diversification of suppliers and the quality of governance. The assessment of the case study shows that the supply chain of the CSP plant includes more countries and with better governance levels than the supply chain of the NG power plant. That means, a priori, that the supply risks of investing in CSP power plants will be lower, as will suppliers' endogenous geopolitical risk. However, a sensitivity analysis considering different providers of the solar plant components reveals that CSP plant value chain could also entail similar or even higher governance risks levels as the NG plant. The scenario where China provides some of the components entails a much higher governance risks, even higher than the NG base case. In consequence, we have proved that the method proposed allows the identification of hidden geopolitical risks that would otherwise go unnoticed. This paper enlarges the existing knowledge on assessment methodologies for energy policy decision-support by measuring diversification and imports dependence from countries with different levels of governance along the whole value chain. • Extended Multi-regional Input-Output model (EMRIO) is combined with two dependence metrics and six governance indicators. • Value chain risk analysis improves the sustainability assessment for decision-makers. • The CSP supply chain is more diversified and has better governance levels than NG. • Value chain governance indicators significantly worsen when China becomes component supplier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition models explain long-term and large-scale processes fundamentally changing the structure of a societal system. Our concern is that most transition models are too static. Although they capture a move of focus from static equilibria to transitions between dynamic equilibria, they are still rooted in an “equilibriumist” approach. Improvement is possible with agent-based models that give attention to endogenous system processes called “transformation processes”. These models can render far more dynamic pictures of societal systems in transition, and are no longer remote from descriptions in the emerging transition literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy-makers face the challenge of assessing and implementing sustainability measures, while also dealing with parallel and sometimes conflicting policy agendas, long-term policy impacts, and contested interpretations of sustainability. To support evidence-based decision-making in this context, this paper presents the results from an integrated assessment of sustainability goal interactions. Links between the bio-based economy, the 2030 Agenda, and the so-called strong sustainability paradigm were explored in a regional-scale case. The analysis focused primarily on developments in the forestry and energy sectors. Direct trade-offs and synergies as well as broader systemic impacts were identified. The results show how goals from the bio-based economy, 2030 Agenda and strong sustainability paradigm are mutually interacting. Positive interactions were found within two clusters of goals, offering coherent and synergetic transition pathways within these. The first cluster encompasses developments toward intensified forestry, renewable energy, and closed-loop production systems. The second pathway supports diversified forestry and protection of critical natural capital. However, while internally coherent, trade-offs were identified between these goal clusters, demonstrating the difficulty in simultaneously making progress on goals belonging to different sustainability agendas. The results also stress the need for disaggregation and long-term assessments to identify trade-offs and synergies. Finally, the analysis highlights the theoretical potential but practical challenges of implementing the bio-based economy and 2030 Agenda in a way that adheres to strong sustainability. The analytical framework used in the present study may be adapted and applied to other decision-making contexts. It is particularly useful in settings characterized by uncertainty and unstructured problem spaces. • Integrated analysis of the bio-based economy, 2030 Agenda and strong sustainability. • Findings show how the goals of these sustainability agendas are mutually interacting. • Both direct and indirect trade-offs and synergies are identified. • An analytical framework to support policy coherence and prioritization is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stump harvesting is predicted to increase with future increasing demands for renewable energy. This may affect deadwood affiliate biodiversity negatively, given that stumps constitute a large proportion of the coarse deadwood in young managed forests. Spatial decision support for evaluating the integrated effects on biodiversity and production of stump harvesting is needed. We developed a spatially explicit decision support system (called MapStump-DSS), for assessment of tree stump harvesting using biodiversity and economic criteria together with different scenarios for biodiversity conservation and bioenergy market prices. Two novel key aspects of the MAPStump-DSS is that it (1) merges and utilizes georeferenced stump-level data (e.g., tree species and diameter) directly from the harvester with stand data that are increasingly available to forest managers and (2) is flexible toward incorporating both quantitative and qualitative criteria based on emerging knowledge (here biodiversity criteria) or underlying societal drivers and end-user preferences. We tested the MAPStump-DSS on a 45 ha study forest, utilizing harvester data on characteristics and geographical positions for >26,000 stumps. The MAPStump-DSS produced relevant spatially explicit information on the biodiversity and economic values of individual stumps, where amounts of "conflict stumps" (with both high biodiversity and economical value) increased with bioenergy price levels and strengthened biodiversity conservation measures. The MAPStump-DSS can be applied in practice for any forest site, allowing the user to examine the spatial distribution of stumps and to obtain summaries for whole forest stands. Information depicted by the MAPStump-DSS includes amounts, characteristics, biodiversity values and costs of stumps in relation to different scenarios, which also allow the user to explore and optimize biodiversity and economy trade-offs prior to stump harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of indicator-based methods have been developed for the sustainability assessment of farming systems (FSs). However, many of them lack holisticity, focus on a specific agricultural sector/product, and do not provide aggregated results to better support decision-making process. The goal of this study was, for the first time, to assess, in a holistic manner, the sustainability performance of different FSs in southeastern Cyprus. The methodological framework involved three major steps. First, the sustainability context was set, and a list of 41 environmental, social, and economic indicators was created. The indicators were then calculated using data from 324 farms. Second, six FSs were identified using multivariate analysis. Finally, the sustainability of FSs was assessed by combining numerical (construction of four composite sustainability indices) and visual (presentation of indicator scores and values with graphs and tables) integration approaches. While the indices provided the "big picture", visual integration revealed the areas where policy interventions are needed. The analysis showed that sustainable agricultural practices are already used by some farmers in the area. The results could be used for benchmarking purposes and to aid decision-making process in Cyprus but might also be useful for other Mediterranean regions with similar agro-ecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]