Author(s)

T. Nguyen, T. Huynh, H. Zhang

Abstract

The nature and practice of sustainable development can be defined as the extremely complex and dynamic integration of economic development, maintenance of the natural environment, as well as the improvement of the social dimension. There are many issues related to an open system that traditional project management models cannot deal with, including non-linear interaction among elements and a high level of dynamic of unforeseen and unpredictable environment changes with no obvious solutions, while the system of systems (SoS) approach is able to address the multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary nature of complexity. The Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve (CBR) sustainability project in Vietnam is used as a case study to illustrate the application of the SoS framework to a sustainable development area. This paper provides an overall CBR picture by analysing five components of the SoS, consisting of constituent systems, external factors, governance body, constraints and feedback processes between the SoS and the governance body. Additionally, systems archetypes mentioned in the system dynamic model, the relationship among constituents, the level of influence of external factors on the SoS and feedback processes are identified. From analysing the system, the root causes that prevent the development of CBR sustainability project are found to be the conflicts between stakeholders’ perspectives and the lack of alternative tools dealing specifically with complex issues. This paper provides a deep understanding of the complex relationship among elements of the project to support local planners in their decision-making processes. This paper also provides a demonstration of applying system concepts of SoS management framework into the field of maintaining the biosphere reserve, together with developing the local economy.

Keywords

Cu Lao Cham Biosphere, sustainable development, system of systems