Productive Diversification and Sustainable Use of Complex Social-Ecological Systems: A Comparative Study of Indigenous and Settler Communities in the Bolivian Amazon

Ecological footprint analyses demonstrate that the world’s more than 7.5 billion people consume multiple planets’ worth of resources. To incite and evaluate societal changes for the sustainable use of the environment and its natural resources, the ecosystem service (ES) concept was developed more than 20 years ago. To ensure the sustainable provision of indispensable ES, the concept has been refined and enhanced, enabling its application across various temporal and spatial scales. However, evidence-based strategies and policies are needed to preserve biodiversity and natural capital in our changing world. This Special Issue comprises studies advancing the frameworks, concepts, and applications related to ES assessment, with a particular focus on social–ecological systems. To broadly apply the ES concept in different social–ecological systems, several key issues emerged: (1) ES-related definitions and procedures should be improved and standardized; (2) the complexity of the interactions in a social–ecological system must be recognized, and knowledge about spatial and temporal dynamics and interactions among multiple ESs must be deepened; and (3) communication about ES, considering cultural and stakeholder differences, must be increased.

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Cooperation in the face of thresholds, risk, and uncertainty: Experimental evidence in fisher communities from Colombia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0242363 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0242363

Author(s):

Juan C. Rocha ◽

Caroline Schill ◽

Lina M. Saavedra-Díaz ◽

Rocío del Pilar Moreno ◽

Jorge Higinio Maldonado

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Use ◽

Dynamic Game ◽

Fishing Effort ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Necessary Condition ◽

Tipping Points ◽

Risk And Uncertainty ◽

Social Ecological Systems ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Face

Cooperation is thought to be a necessary condition to solve collective action dilemmas such as climate change or the sustainable use of common pool resources. Yet, it is poorly understood how situations pervaded by thresholds shape the behaviour of people facing collective dilemmas. Here we provide empirical evidence that resource users facing thresholds maintain on average cooperative behaviours in the sense of maximising their individual earnings while ensuring future group opportunities. A framed field experiment in the form of a dynamic game with 256 Colombian fishers helped us investigate individual behavioural responses to the existence of thresholds, risk and uncertainty. Thresholds made fishers extract less fish compared to situation without thresholds, but risk had a stronger effect on reducing individual fishing effort. Contrary to previous expectations, cooperation did not break down. If cooperation can be maintained in the face of thresholds, then communicating uncertainty is more policy-relevant than estimating precisely where tipping points lay in social-ecological systems.

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Eight river principles for navigating the science–policy interface

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf15336 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 401 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Melissa Parsons ◽

Martin C. Thoms ◽

Joseph E. Flotemersch

Keyword(s):

Policy Development ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

River Ecosystems ◽

Social Ecological Systems ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Murray Darling Basin ◽

Science Policy Interface ◽

Support Policy ◽

Key Aspects

Scientists and policymakers often work together to develop policy about the sustainable use of river ecosystems. River science plays an important role in developing river policy but how can key aspects of river science be conveyed as a heuristic to navigate the interface between river science and river policy? This paper introduces eight principles that encapsulate the key properties of rivers to consider during the development of river policy: (1) rivers are social–ecological systems; (2) river ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services; (3) tools should support policy development; (4) knowledge of river ecosystems will always be incomplete; (5) social–ecological systems require interdisciplinary perspectives; (6) science is one of many inputs to be considered; (7) heterogeneity and variability are characteristic of river ecosystems; and (8) scale awareness is essential in river ecosystems. Whereas policy challenges are associated with each principle, consideration of principles in the context of the issue at hand may increase the robustness of river policy and enhance the sustainability of river ecosystems. The eight principles are evaluated in relation to the Water Act 2007 and the draft Murray–Darling Basin Plan to demonstrate how the principles can enhance policy development in the area of water allocation.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Marine reserves as linked social-ecological systems.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.2998960.2676058 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Ferdinando Boero ◽

Joachim Claudet

Keyword(s):

Marine Reserves ◽

Ecological Systems ◽

Social Ecological Systems ◽

Social Ecological

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Systems theories

10.1093/oso/9780198793182.003.0008 ◽

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.

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