Biophysical Methods

According to Gasparatos et al. (2007:6), the aim of biophysical models is to “quantify aspects of sustainable development through a natural science perspective”. These quantifications do not depend on human preference, but on “biophysical parameters that can be precisely measured” (Gasparatos et al. 2007:7), which cannot quantify effects that have occurred on a festival site, for example transport or travel emissions. Additionally, the biophysical method cannot “account for the indirect impacts associated with resource consumption” (Collins & Cooper 2017:150), for instance the energy used.

Moreover, biophysical methods consider the amount of energy that has been spent to produce a product or service. Sulser et al. (2000:114), define the biophysical assessment as “well-established, technical, and instrument- or laboratory-based methods in environmental, soil, and water quality assays”, which are usually assessed on long-term.

References

Bellocchi, G., Rivington, M., and Matthews, K. (2009) ‘Validation of biophysical models: Issues and methodologies, in: Sustainable Agriculture’. Springer Netherlands [online] pp. 577–603. available from: <doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0394-0_26> [3 March 2019]

Collins, A. and & Cooper, C. (2017) ‘Measuring and managing the environmental impact of festivals: the contribution of the Ecological Footprint.’ Journal of Sustainable Tourism [online] 25:1, 148-162. available from: <DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2016.1189922> [7 March 2019]

Gasparatos, A., El-Haram, M., Horner, M. (2009) ‘The argument against a reductionist approach for measuring sustainable development performance and the need for methodological pluralism’. Accounting Forum  [online] 33, 245–256. available from: <doi:10.1016/j.accfor.2008.07.006> [4 March 2019]

Sulser, T.B., Duryea, M.L., and Guevara-Cuaspud, E. (2001) ‘A field practical approach for assessing biophysical sustainability of alternative agricultural systems.’ Agricultural Systems [online] 68, 113–135. available from: <doi:10.1016/S0308-521X(01)00003-8> [7 March 2019]