Ecological resilience in the face of catastrophic damage: The case of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. e12149
Author(s):  
John Vandermeer
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
The Face ◽  
Catastrophic Damage

Critical Lines of Action for Vulnerability and Resilience Research and Practice: Lessons from the 2017 Hurricane Season

2018 ◽  
Vol 05 (02n03) ◽  
pp. 1850015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hallie Eakin ◽  
Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson ◽  
Maria Carmen Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Information Access ◽  
The United States ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Economic Disparities ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Hurricane Season ◽  
The Face ◽  
Critical Lines

The unprecedented number of devastating disasters recently experienced in the United States is a clarion call to revisit how we understand our vulnerability in the face of global change, and what we are prepared to do about it. We focus on the case of Hurricane María’s impact in Puerto Rico to underscore five critical concerns in addressing vulnerability and adaptation planning: (i) vulnerability as a product of flows; (ii) how our beliefs about the capacities of ourselves and others affect local vulnerability; (iii) the role uncertainty, politics, and information access play in amplifying vulnerability and complicating adaptation; (iv) the need for a better distribution of risk and responsibility in adaptation; (v) and the challenge of seizing the opportunity of disasters for transformative change. These five issues of concern were particularly evident in the case of Puerto Rico where Hurricane María’s 155 mph winds exposed existing infrastructural vulnerabilities, institutional incapacities, and socio-economic disparities. We argue that addressing these issues requires fundamental shifts in how we prepare for environmental change and disasters in the 21st century. We discuss promising approaches that may assist researchers and practitioners in addressing some of the underlying drivers of vulnerability, stemming from cross-scalar dynamics, systemic interdependencies, and the politics and social relations associated with knowledge, decision-making and action. We argue that society needs to broach the difficult topic of the equity in the distribution of risk in society and the burden of adaptation. Addressing these challenges and response imperatives is a central task of this century; the time to act is now.

scholarly journals Enabling Socio-Ecological Resilience in the Global South: Insights from Chennai, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10522
Author(s):  
Nilofer Tajuddin ◽  
Marcin Dąbrowski
Keyword(s):  
Water System ◽  
Global South ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
The Face ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Informal Development ◽  
Level 2

Addressing climate change adaptation in the cities of the Global South is crucial as they are the most at risk and, arguably, the least capable of coping with it due to their rapid expansion, informal development, and limited institutional capacity. This paper explores this challenge in the case of Chennai, India, a city which, in recent years, has faced several climate related disasters, including floods. Building on an innovative combination of research methods (policy documents analysis, stakeholder interviews, and a community workshop), the study analyses the barriers and explores potentials for operationalising socio-ecological resilience in Chennai in the face of an ongoing conflict between rapid urbanisation and the natural water system, compromising the region’s hydrological capacity and resilience to flooding. In particular, drawing on the notion of evolutionary resilience and multi-level approach, the paper investigates (1) the scope for developing an integrated vision for resilience of the Chennai region (macro level); (2) the presence and the capacity of institutions to connect the different stakeholders and mediate their interests (meso level); and (3) the barriers and potentials developing local adaptation strategies in a bottom-up manner (micro level). The study sheds light on the under-researched issue of socio-ecological resilience in Chennai, while identifying potentials for implementing it through a combination of top down and bottom-up approaches, which in turn provides useful lessons for planning for resilience in other cities in the Global South.

scholarly journals Living shorelines achieve functional equivalence to natural fringe marshes across multiple ecological metrics

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11815
Author(s):  
Robert E. Isdell ◽  
Donna Marie Bilkovic ◽  
Amanda G. Guthrie ◽  
Molly M. Mitchell ◽  
Randolph M. Chambers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Private Property ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Diamondback Terrapin ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Living Shorelines ◽  
Coastal Adaptation ◽  
Shoreline Protection ◽  
The Face

Nature-based shoreline protection provides a welcome class of adaptations to promote ecological resilience in the face of climate change. Along coastlines, living shorelines are among the preferred adaptation strategies to both reduce erosion and provide ecological functions. As an alternative to shoreline armoring, living shorelines are viewed favorably among coastal managers and some private property owners, but they have yet to undergo a thorough examination of how their levels of ecosystem functions compare to their closest natural counterpart: fringing marshes. Here, we provide a synthesis of results from a multi-year, large-spatial-scale study in which we compared numerous ecological metrics (including habitat provision for fish, invertebrates, diamondback terrapin, and birds, nutrient and carbon storage, and plant productivity) measured in thirteen pairs of living shorelines and natural fringing marshes throughout coastal Virginia, USA. Living shorelines were composed of marshes created by bank grading, placement of sand fill for proper elevations, and planting of S. alterniflora and S. patens, as well as placement of a stone sill seaward and parallel to the marsh to serve as a wave break. Overall, we found that living shorelines were functionally equivalent to natural marshes in nearly all measured aspects, except for a lag in soil composition due to construction of living shoreline marshes with clean, low-organic sands. These data support the prioritization of living shorelines as a coastal adaptation strategy.

scholarly journals Anthropological futures for the study of cultural resilience of ‘Western’ societies in the face of climate change

COMPASS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Megan Paranich
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
The Political ◽  
Cultural Resilience ◽  
Canadian Society ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Research Focus ◽  
The Face ◽  
Why Questions ◽  
Cultural Resiliency

Climate change, as a scientifically defined global phenomenon, threatens the cultural resiliency of societies the world over. Anthropology has accrued a rich body of ethnographic research that has illuminated the potential of cultural resiliency for indigenous and non-Western societies. This information is vital for understanding the political, social, and economic movement of these societies. However, the same research focus and academic rigor has not been applied to non-indigenous, Western societies. These societies have been examined for economic and ecological resilience, but there is a detrimental vacuum of ethnographic understanding. Research relevant to climate change is restricted to etic, survey analysis. This research is invaluable but cannot resolve deeper “why” questions regarding political, social, and economic movements in the West. Furthermore, the survey data from within Canada is severely limited, making any analysis of non-indigenous Canadian society vague and riddled with caveats. This paper discusses the academic neglect regarding the cultural resiliency of non-indigenous, Western societies. From existing literature, the author constructs a research framework for Alberta, Canada—the province placed at the crux of the national climate change debate. Anthropological institutions must ask themselves why this demographic is excluded from the same critical analysis applied to indigenous and non-Western societies and move to correct this discrepancy.

Landscape Effects on Ecosystem Structure and Function

2019 ◽  
pp. 512-546
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. With
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Landscape Context ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Function ◽  
Ecosystem Structure And Function

Landscape ecosystem ecology is concerned with the study of how landscape structure affects ecosystem structure and function, and how landscape heterogeneity in turn is generated or sustained by the redistribution of nutrients or organisms within and among ecosystems. This chapter begins with an overview of how landscape context influences ecosystem processes, including the effects of land management and land-cover change on nutrient dynamics and productivity. Next, the chapter considers the linkages among systems (metaecosystems) and how spatial subsidies are important for understanding ecosystem function in a landscape context. The chapter then explores under what conditions landscape function becomes disrupted, possibly precipitating irreversible system state changes, before concluding with a clarion call for landscape sustainability; that is, landscape management that preserves the productivity, multifunctionality, and ecological resilience of landscapes in the face of future societal demands, intensifying land use, and rapid climate change.

Seismic Monitoring during Crises at the NEIC in Support of the ANSS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Earle ◽  
Harley M. Benz ◽  
William L. Yeck ◽  
Gavin P. Hayes ◽  
Michelle R. Guy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
The United States ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
Volcano Observatory ◽  
The Face ◽  
Seismic Networks

Abstract Over the past two decades, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) has overcome many operational challenges. These range from minor disruptions, such as power outages, to significant operational changes, including system reconfiguration to handle unique earthquake sequences and the need to handle distributed work during a pandemic. Our ability to overcome crises is built on the development and implementation of a continuity of operations plan, well-designed infrastructure, adaptive software systems, experienced staff, and extensive collaboration. The NEIC does not operate in a vacuum but benefits from contributions of United States and international seismic networks. Similarly, the overall resilience of earthquake monitoring in the United States and around the globe benefits from the NEIC’s role as the national center for the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). Here, we highlight significant adaptations the NEIC has made in the face of crises. We discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, which represents the most significant operational crisis to impact the NEIC. The NEIC has maintained continuous operations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by shifting from a fully onsite operations center to a distributed hybrid of onsite and telework staffing. We then discuss cases in which the NEIC has supported regional monitoring in the face of significant crises. In 2018, the NEIC assisted the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory with the Kīlauea volcano eruption by responding to large events, implementing contingency monitoring procedures, and calculating moment magnitudes for the low-frequency caldera collapses. Impacts of a crisis extend beyond the immediate response and often require a significant postevent assessment and a rebuilding phase. After the 2017 Hurricane Maria, the NEIC, the USGS National Strong-Motion Program, and the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory worked with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network and the Puerto Rico Strong-Motion program to assess, plan, and implement upgrades at sites that experienced storm damage.

Evidence of effectiveness in the Cohesive Strategy: measuring and improving wildfire response

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toddi Steelman ◽  
Branda Nowell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Wildfire Management ◽  
The Face ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Wildfire Season

The United States’ National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy aims to achieve greater social and ecological resilience to wildfire. It also raises the question: cohesive for whom and for what purpose? In this article, we address the wildfire response goal and what a cohesive response means. Namely, we define a cohesive response as the ability to co-manage across scales for a more effective wildfire response. Our approach is grounded in the reality of the growing complexity of wildfire – both biophysically and socio-politically. We suggest that suppression and fire operations are necessary, but insufficient in the face of this growing complexity as we seek safer and effective wildfire response. Using network-based concepts and drawing from the literature on socio-ecological resilience, we consider how scales can be matched, what can and should be communicated across scales, and what this means for creating more adaptable institutions for more effective wildfire response. Survey results from 21 fires during the 2013 wildfire season are presented to illustrate relative areas of strength and weakness related to wildfire response and how these measurements can feed into processes to facilitate social learning, adaptation and ultimately more resilient socio-ecological wildfire response institutions.

Ecological resilience and vegetation transition in the face of two successive large wildfires

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary L. Steel ◽  
Daniel Foster ◽  
Michelle Coppoletta ◽  
Jamie M. Lydersen ◽  
Scott L. Stephens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
The Face ◽  
Vegetation Transition

scholarly journals Resilience Theory and Praxis: a Critical Framework for Architecture

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Laboy ◽  
David Fannon
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Normal Function ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Face ◽  
Poetic Expression ◽  
Rapid Restoration ◽  
Functionalist Approach

The growing use of resilience as a goal of architectural practice presents a new challenge in architects’ responsibility for health, safety, welfare and poetic expression of human-building interaction. With roots in disaster response, resilience in the building industry emphasizes the preservation and rapid restoration of the physical environment’s normal function in the face of shocks and disturbances of limited duration. The focus on maintaining function, and/or rapidly returning to the status quo ante necessarily affords a narrow understanding of architecture and a limited view of the concept of resilience. While useful at certain scales of time and inquiry, this so-called engineering resilience approach is only one among many within the broad discourse across diverse disciplines such as psychology, economics, and ecology.  Drawing on the academic and professional literature of resilience outside the discipline, this paper explores the multiple competing frameworks represented; considers their influences and implications for architecture and the built environment at multiple scales; and examines the overlaps with existing discourse on change, architecture and time. The analysis of alternative concepts enables a critical perspective to move beyond the circumscribed, functionalist approach afforded by engineering resilience currently guiding architecture practice, towards a framework of social- ecological resilience that can fully embrace the richness of architecture, and results in a necessary and clear theoretical basis for the resilience of architecture over time in a climate of increasing uncertainty.

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