scholarly journals Evolution and effects of the social-ecological system over a millennium in China’s Loess Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (41) ◽  
pp. eabc0276
Author(s):  
Xutong Wu ◽  
Yongping Wei ◽  
Bojie Fu ◽  
Shuai Wang ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Slow Expansion ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Ecological Conservation

Understanding the regime shifts of social-ecological systems (SES) and their local and spillover effects over a long time frame is important for future sustainability. We provide a perspective of processes unfolding over time to identify the regime shifts of a SES based on changes in the relationships between SES components while also addressing their drivers and local and spillover effects. The applicability of this approach has been demonstrated by analyzing the evolution over the past 1000 years of the SES in China’s Loess Plateau (LP). Five evolutionary phases were identified: “fast expansion of cultivation,” “slow expansion of cultivation,” “landscape engineering for higher production,” “transition from cultivation to ecological conservation,” and “revegetation for environment.” Our study establishes empirical links between the state (phase) of a SES to its drivers and effects. Lessons of single-goal driven and locally focused SES management in the LP, which did not consider these links, have important implications to long-term planning and policy formulation of SES.

scholarly journals Dynamics and sustainability of social-ecological systems in the Loess Plateau

资源科学 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-103
Author(s):  
Shuai WANG ◽  
Bojie FU ◽  
Xutong WU ◽  
Yaping WANG ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

scholarly journals THE REGIME SHIFTS DATABASE: A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING REGIME SHIFTS IN SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinette Oonsie Biggs ◽  
Garry D Peterson ◽  
Juan Carlos Carlos Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Open Access Database ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Ecological Feedbacks ◽  
Available Information

This paper presents the Regime Shifts Database (RSDB), a new online, open-access database that uses a novel consistent framework to systematically analyze regime shifts based on their impacts, key drivers, underlying feedbacks, and management options. The database currently contains 27 generic types of regime shifts, and over 300 specific case studies of a variety of regime shifts. These regime shifts occur across diverse types of systems and are driven by many different types of processes. Besides impacting provisioning and regulating services, our work shows that regime shifts substantially impact cultural and aesthetic ecosystem services. We found that social-ecological feedbacks are difficult to characterize and more work is needed to develop new tools and approaches to better understand social-ecological regime shifts. We hope that the database will stimulate further research on regime shifts and make available information that can be used in management, planning and assessment.

scholarly journals Long-term transients help explain regime shifts in consumer-renewable resource systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten B. Eppinga ◽  
Koen Siteur ◽  
Mara Baudena ◽  
Martin O. Reader ◽  
Hanneke van ’t Veen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Renewable Resource ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Transient Dynamics ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Island State ◽  
Transient System

AbstractAs planetary boundaries loom, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable equilibriums between societies and the resources they consume, thereby avoiding regime shifts to undesired states. Transient system trajectories to a stable state may differ substantially, posing significant challenges to distinguishing sustainable from unsustainable trajectories. We use stylized models to show how feedbacks between anthropogenic harvest regimes and resource availability drive transient dynamics. We show how substantial time lags may occur between interventions and social-ecological outcomes, and that sudden system collapses need not be linked to recent environmental changes. Historical reconstructions of island state populations show a variety of transient dynamics that closely corresponds to model expectations based on island differences in productivity and harvesting regime. We conclude that vulnerable social-ecological systems may persist when the population:resource ratio remains within a viable range of intermediate (rather than small) values, which implies that averting environmental crises may require counter-intuitive measures.

scholarly journals A Systemic-Relational Ethical Framework for Aquatic Ecosystem Health Research and Management in Social–Ecological Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5261
Author(s):  
Oghenekaro Nelson Odume ◽  
Chris de Wet
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Essential Contribution

This paper argues that if the goal of slowing global ecological degradation, and of sustained improvement in aquatic ecosystem health is to be achieved, then a departure is required from the traditional, discipline-focused approach to aquatic ecosystem health research and management. It argues that a shift needs to be made towards systemic, integrative, and holistic approaches, drawing on diverse disciplines, with values and ethics as fundamental to such approaches. The paper proposes the systemic-relational (SR) ethical framework to aquatic ecosystem health research and management as an essential contribution to addressing the potential intractability of the continuing deterioration of aquatic ecosystem health. The framework recognises the centrality of values in aquatic ecosystem health management, and the role of ethics in negotiating, and constructively balancing, conflicting values to realise healthy ecosystems in social–ecological systems (SES). The implications of the framework in terms of the research-practice interface, decision making, policy formulation, and communication are discussed.

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.

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