scholarly journals The Social-Ecological Keystone Concept: A Quantifiable Metaphor for Understanding the Structure, Function, and Resilience of a Biocultural System

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawika Winter ◽  
Noa Lincoln ◽  
Fikret Berkes
Keyword(s):  
System Theory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Biocultural Restoration

Social-ecological system theory draws upon concepts established within the discipline of ecology, and applies them to a more holistic view of a human-in-nature system. We incorporated the keystone concept into social-ecological system theory, and used the quantum co-evolution unit (QCU) to quantify biocultural elements as either keystone components or redundant components of social-ecological systems. This is done by identifying specific elements of biocultural diversity, and then determining dominance within biocultural functional groups. The “Hawaiian social-ecological system” was selected as the model of study to test this concept because it has been recognized as a model of human biocomplexity and social-ecological systems. Based on both quantified and qualified assessments, the conclusions of this research support the notion that taro cultivation is a keystone component of the Hawaiian social-ecological system. It further indicates that sweet potato cultivation was a successional social-ecological keystone in regions too arid to sustain large-scale taro cultivation, and thus facilitated the existence of an “alternative regime state” in the same social-ecological system. Such conclusions suggest that these biocultural practices should be a focal point of biocultural restoration efforts in the 21st century, many of which aim to restore cultural landscapes.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF THE INDUSTRIAL CITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 97 (9) ◽  
pp. 803-808
Author(s):  
Yaroslav A. Leshchenko
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Analysis ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Industrial City ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

The assessment of the sustainability of the socio-ecological system of the Siberian industrial city in the period of radical social and economic reforms (period 1990-2012) has been performed by the proposed method. The comprehensive dynamic analysis of the characteristics of the major subsystems (the quality of the urban environment; the reproduction of the population; the medico-demographic status; the socio-economic and medico-social status of the population) showed that during the specified period the habitat and the vital indices of the population was in a state of socio-ecological ill-being. The proposed method, at its core, can be used to establish regularities and features of various types of urban social-ecological systems.

scholarly journals Boom Bust Economy and Social-ecological System Relationship

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Liu ◽  
Michael Ungar ◽  
Jen McRuer ◽  
Daniel Blais ◽  
Linda Theron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

This paper reports on the changing dynamics of a small town’s social-ecological system (SES) concerning oil and gas industry boom-bust economic cycles and both the vulnerability and resilience of the town over the past 30 years. With the goal to understand how resource-based single industry impact social-ecological systems, we developed indicators of human and environmental well-being and assessed them. Seven indicators include labor force distribution, education, oil price, household income, water quality, air quality, and land cover land use. Over this period, Drayton Valley, Canada quadrupled in size, with more than 20% of the population working in the oil and gas sector. Median income rose to 42% above the national average despite the population lagging national benchmarks for educational attainment. There have also been dramatic fluctuations in levels of fluoride, phosphorus, and other chemicals in water quality samples, implying a correlation with fossil fuel extractive activities over this period. Land cover land use change analysis shows a decreased area of water bodies, wetland, and forests, and increased built capital and agricultural land. While economic boom cycles have led to cash inflows, an exclusive focus on the benefits of the oil and gas industry may leave those dependent on the industry vulnerable to social and environmental risk factors during bust cycles that are beyond their control in the everchanging global oil economy. This phenomenon which has been referred to as the “resource curse” suggests the need to anticipate cyclical (or more sustained) periods of low levels of oil and gas production. These results suggest that single boom-bust economies impact every aspect of social-ecological systems. Therefore, a sustainable development plan that comprehensively considers not only economic growth, but also diversification, environment protection, and strategic land use planning is indispensable to ensure the long-term development of communities that depend upon extractive industries.

scholarly journals Ocean recoveries for tomorrow’s Earth: Hitting a moving target

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6425) ◽  
pp. eaav1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt E. Ingeman ◽  
Jameal F. Samhouri ◽  
Adrian C. Stier
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Moving Target ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Definition Of

Growing scientific awareness, strong regulations, and effective management have begun to fulfill the promise of recovery in the ocean. However, many efforts toward ocean recovery remain unsuccessful, in part because marine ecosystems and the human societies that depend upon them are constantly changing. Furthermore, recovery efforts are embedded in marine social-ecological systems where large-scale dynamics can inhibit recovery. We argue that the ways forward are to (i) rethink an inclusive definition of recovery that embraces a diversity of stakeholder perspectives about acceptable recovery goals and ecosystem outcomes; (ii) encourage research that enables anticipation of feasible recovery states and identifies pathways toward resilient ecosystems; and (iii) adopt policies that are sufficiently nimble to keep pace with rapid change and governance that works seamlessly from local to regional scales. Application of these principles can facilitate successful recoveries in a world where environmental conditions and social imperatives are constantly shifting.

The pragmatic holism of social–ecological systems theory: Explaining adaptive capacity in a changing climate

2021 ◽  
pp. 030913252110160
Author(s):  
Sophie Adams
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Adaptive Dynamics ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Human Response ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social

Now ubiquitous in research on adaptation to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change is the aim of cultivating adaptive capacity. With its promise to expand the scope of transformative human response within the adaptive dynamics of the social–ecological system, this approach is built upon the integration of the social and ecological, reflecting the ‘pragmatic holism’ at the heart of the concept of the ecological system. This vision is undercut, however, by an ambivalence about the agency of humans to effect adaptive change. I argue that this threatens to recoup the environmental determinism that characterised mid-20th-century theories of adaptation in geography and cognate disciplines – albeit in a new form defined by an understanding of agency as distributed and emergent that is associated with developments in cybernetics and complexity science. This article charts how the currently dominant discourse centred on adaptive capacity has come about and explores what it might mean for the politics of climate change adaptation, as the scope of human action is circumscribed by the adaptive dynamics of the social–ecological system.

Towards a Process Epistemology for the Analysis of Social-Ecological System

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mancilla Garcia ◽  
Tilman Hertz ◽  
Maja Schlüter
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Radical Empiricism ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Process Perspective

This paper proposes an epistemological approach to analyse social-ecological systems from a process perspective in order to better tackle the co-constitution of the social and the ecological and the dynamism of these systems. It highlights the usefulness of rethinking our conceptual tools taking processes and relations as the main constituents of reality instead of fundamental substances or essences. We introduce the concept of experience as understood in radical empiricism to critically revise our available concepts through focusing on the concept of difference, exploring apparent contradictions and engaging in assemblage thinking.

scholarly journals Implementation of a socio-ecological system navigation approach to human development in Sub-Saharan African communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianni Gilioli ◽  
Anna Maria Caroli ◽  
Getachew Tikubet ◽  
Hans R. Herren ◽  
Johann Baumgärtner
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Malaria Vectors ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Project Objectives ◽  
Cattle Health

This paper presents a framework for the development of socio-eco- logical systems towards enhanced sustainability. Emphasis is given to the dynamic properties of complex, adaptive social-ecological systems, their structure and to the fundamental role of agriculture. The tangible components that meet the needs of specific projects executed in Kenya and Ethiopia encompass project objectives, innovation, facilitation, continuous recording and analyses of monitoring data, that allow adaptive management and system navigation. Two case studies deal with system navigation through the mitigation of key constraints; they aim to improve human health thanks to anopheline malaria vectors control in Nyabondo (Kenya), and to improve cattle health through tsetse control and antitrypanosomal drug administration to cattle in Luke (Ethiopia). The second case deals with a socio-ecological navigation system to enhance sustainability, establishing a periurban diversified enterprise in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and developing a rural sustainable social-ecological system in Luke (Ethiopia). The project procedures are briefly described here and their outcomes are analysed in relation to the stated objectives. The methodology for human and cattle disease vector control were easier to implement than the navigation of social-ecological systems towards sustainability enhancement. The achievements considerably differed between key constraints removal and sustainability enhancement projects. Some recommendations are made to rationalise human and cattle health improvement efforts and to smoothen the road towards enhanced sustainability: i) technology system implementation should be carried out through an innovation system; ii) transparent monitoring information should be continuously acquired and evaluated for assessing the state of the system in relation to stated objectives for (a) improving the insight into the systems behaviour and (b) rationalizing decision support; iii) the different views of all stakeholders should be reconciled in a pragmatic approach to social-ecological system management.

scholarly journals Governing large-scale social-ecological systems: Lessons from five cases

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forrest D Fleischman ◽  
Natalie C. Ban ◽  
Louisa S. Evans ◽  
Graham Epstein ◽  
Gustavo Garcia-Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

scholarly journals A framework for assessing coupling and de-coupling trajectories in river social-ecological systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Quintas-Soriano ◽  
Jodi Brandt ◽  
Colden V. Baxter ◽  
Elena M. Bennett ◽  
Juan Miguel Requena-Mullor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological System ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Degree Of Coupling ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe degree of coupling between the social and ecological components of social-ecological systems is seen as fundamental to understanding their functioning, interactions and trajectories. Yet, there is limited work about how to empirically understand the degree of coupling between social and ecological systems, nor the processes by which the degree of coupling could change over time. Here, we introduce a conceptual framework for characterizing trajectories over time of coupling and de-coupling in social-ecological river systems. We analyze two conceptual scenarios describing coupling and de-coupling trajectories in a social-ecological system and define a series of key concepts for understanding social-ecological system trajectories. We tested these coupling and de-coupling trajectories theory by linking these concepts to empirical case examples of two river social-ecological systems in the western United States. Finally, we propose a quantitative approach with the potential for evaluating the level of social-ecological coupling and de-coupling trajectories in other SES contexts. This paper represents an advancing on the identification of specific actions that explain current SES trajectories and immediate actions to reinforce or shift the trajectory.

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