Finding Ourselves in the Messy Entanglement of Complexity: An Introduction to the Challenges and Opportunities in Social Ecological Systems

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Andrea Rawluk ◽  
Ruth Beilin ◽  
Helena Bender ◽  
Rebecca Ford
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

scholarly journals Navigating challenges and opportunities of land degradation and sustainable livelihood development in dryland social–ecological systems: a case study from Mexico

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1606) ◽  
pp. 3158-3177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald ◽  
Mónica Ribeiro Palacios ◽  
José Tulio Arredondo Moreno ◽  
Marco Braasch ◽  
Ruth Magnolia Martínez Peña ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Drylands are one of the most diverse yet highly vulnerable social–ecological systems on Earth. Water scarcity has contributed to high levels of heterogeneity, variability and unpredictability, which together have shaped the long coadaptative process of coupling humans and nature. Land degradation and desertification in drylands are some of the largest and most far-reaching global environmental and social change problems, and thus are a daunting challenge for science and society. In this study, we merged the Drylands Development Paradigm, Holling's adaptive cycle metaphor and resilience theory to assess the challenges and opportunities for livelihood development in the Amapola dryland social–ecological system (DSES), a small isolated village in the semi-arid region of Mexico. After 450 years of local social–ecological evolution, external drivers (neoliberal policies, change in land reform legislation) have become the most dominant force in livelihood development, at the cost of loss of natural and cultural capital and an increasingly dysfunctional landscape. Local DSESs have become increasingly coupled to dynamic larger-scale drivers. Hence, cross-scale connectedness feeds back on and transforms local self-sustaining subsistence farming conditions, causing loss of livelihood resilience and diversification in a globally changing world. Effective efforts to combat desertification and improve livelihood security in DSESs need to consider their cyclical rhythms. Hence, we advocate novel dryland stewardship strategies, which foster adaptive capacity, and continuous evaluation and social learning at all levels. Finally, we call for an effective, flexible and viable policy framework that enhances local biotic and cultural diversity of drylands to transform global drylands into a resilient biome in the context of global environmental and social change.

Systems theories

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc J. Stern
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Real World ◽  
Common Pool Resources ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Effective Governance ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Real World Problem

This chapter covers systems theories relevant to understanding and working to enhance the resilience of social-ecological systems. Social-ecological systems contain natural resources, users of those resources, and the interactions between each. The theories in the chapter share lessons about how to build effective governance structures for common pool resources, how to facilitate the spread of worthwhile ideas across social networks, and how to promote collaboration for greater collective impacts than any one organization alone could achieve. Each theory is summarized succinctly and followed by guidance on how to apply it to real world problem solving.

scholarly journals Invasion landscapes as social‐ecological systems: Role of social factors in invasive plant species control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Yletyinen ◽  
George L. W. Perry ◽  
Olivia R. Burge ◽  
Norman W. H. Mason ◽  
Philip Stahlmann‐Brown
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Invasive Plant Species ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

scholarly journals The extended concept of littoral active zone considering soft sediment shores as social-ecological systems, and an application to Brittany (North-Western France)

2021 ◽  
Vol 250 ◽  
pp. 107148
Author(s):  
Lucia Fanini ◽  
Christophe Piscart ◽  
Enzo Pranzini ◽  
Christian Kerbiriou ◽  
Isabelle Le Viol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Zone ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Soft Sediment ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
North Western

scholarly journals Scale Mismatches in Social-Ecological Systems: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme S. Cumming ◽  
David H. M. Cumming ◽  
Charles L. Redman
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological
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