Adaptive capacity and social-ecological resilience of coastal areas: A systematic review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look at the potential synergies between tourism and landscapes and examine the potential contribution of tourism to build social-ecological resilience in the Dutch Wadden. Design/methodology/approach The authors reveal how a social-ecological systems perspective can be used to conceptualize the Wadden as a coupled and dynamic system. This paper is a conceptual analysis that applies this approach to the Dutch Wadden. The data used for the inquiry primarily comes from a literature review. Findings The authors argue that the social-ecological systems perspective is a useful approach and could be used to improve the governance of multi-functional socio-ecological systems in coastal areas. Opportunities for synergies between tourism and landscapes have been overlooked. The authors consider that tourism and nature protection are potentially compatible and that the synergies should be identified. Research limitations/implications This paper is only a conceptual application rather than an empirical case study. Further research to actually apply the methodology is needed. Practical implications Managers of protected areas should consider applying a social-ecological systems approach. Social implications The views of a wide variety of stakeholders should be considered in landscape planning. Originality/value The value of this paper lies in the articulation of the social-ecological systems perspective as a way to identify and understand the complex interactions between tourism and landscape, and the potential synergies between them.

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Operationalization and Measurement of Social-Ecological Resilience: A Systematic Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11216073 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (21) ◽

pp. 6073

Author(s):

Cristina González-Quintero ◽

V. Sophie Avila-Foucat

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Ecological Resilience ◽

Human Dimension ◽

Causal Relationships ◽

Dominant Focus ◽

Coastal Regions ◽

Social Ecological

Academics and practitioners have become more interested in the operationalization and measurement of social-ecological resilience. An analysis of how social-ecological resilience has been operationalized and measured is crucial to understanding systems complexity and dynamics and for clarifying empirical cases of monitoring programmes in ways that enrich their utility and explanatory power. The literature shows that social-ecological resilience has been operationalized using the concepts of adaptability and absorption of disturbance. In addition, diversity and connectivity are principles that have been studied. Climate change in rural coastal regions is the most common stressor that has been studied, and the human dimension of such systems is the dominant focus. Systems interactions, feedbacks and thresholds are rarely identified or assessed. In addition, attributes of the system primarily using indicators are preferred over analysing causal relationships with models. Answering the question of what this resilience is for is a very important aspect of defining the system and the method for assessing resilience.

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