Ecology and Society最新文献

{"title":"Transformative capacity of social-ecological systems.","authors":"Theo K Michaels, Ahjond Garmestani, Lance Gunderson, David G Angeler, Daniel R Uden, Gwendŵr R Meredith, Craig R Allen","doi":"10.5751/ES-16701-310110","DOIUrl":"10.5751/ES-16701-310110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>From the local to the global scale, the world is rapidly changing in non-linear ways that are only partly predictable and knowable. Currently, human decision making and ingenuity in response to change focuses on mitigating the drivers and effects of change and adapting to those changes. However, the Anthropocene poses unique challenges, and there are instances where maintaining the current system is no longer possible and transformation becomes necessary. The process of intentionally transforming a social-ecological system (SES) to a more desirable, novel, self-organizing dynamic state, is risky and unpredictable. Transformation is predicated on transformative capacity, that is the potential for a SES to be intentionally shifted to a new, self-organizing, more desirable state of the system. Identifying transformative capacity can help to influence the range of possibilities of future desired SES configurations, navigate uncertainty, and potentially reduce the element of unforeseen, negative surprise. Despite its importance, transformative capacity remains a nebulous concept, which limits the ability to imagine and actualize change. Here, we define transformative capacity as it specifically relates to SESs. As part of this definition, we highlight three core attributes of transformative capacity-memory, diversity, and novelty-and provide examples of their working dynamics. We then discuss the complexity of these attributes in terms of their behavior, cross-scale interactions, and importantly, their relationship to risk and power. Although transformative capacity is not prescriptive, defining this term and its core attributes is an important step in operationalizing transformative capacity, to steward SESs toward desirable futures.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"31 1","pages":"10"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12973285/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147436922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Data sonification offers a novel approach for communicating Earth's tipping points.","authors":"David G Angeler, Tarsha Eason, Ahjond Garmestani, Craig R Allen","doi":"10.5751/ES-16778-310128","DOIUrl":"10.5751/ES-16778-310128","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rapid social-ecological change has placed Planet Earth on a trajectory characterized by regime shifts that can inflict substantial costs on economies and human well-being. Current attempts to communicate these changes and their consequences have often failed to resonate; hence, more effective approaches are needed to increase public awareness of these potentially catastrophic events. This paper explores data sonification, a tool that transforms data into sound, as a means of conveying ecological regime shifts through music. In this study, prior assessments of a 7000-year paleo-sequence of diatoms in Foy Lake (Montana, USA) were converted into \"The Regime Shift Solo\" (based on Fisher Information analysis) and \"The Regime Shift Symphony\" (based on canonical ordination analysis). Structured focus groups (n = 12) evaluated how these compositions were perceived. Results showed that the solo was consistently valued for clarity and accessibility, whereas the symphony was judged to be more realistic, complex, and emotionally resonant, often eliciting feelings of unease, awe, or urgency. Compared to graphs, sonification was seen as complementary: graphs provided analytical clarity, whereas music offered immediacy and affective depth. By combining these modes, sonification can foster both cognitive and emotional engagement with ecological tipping points. Such dual engagement may enhance science communication and contribute to initiatives that help societies navigate social-ecological uncertainties in the Anthropocene.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"31 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13266585/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148266885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disastrous consequences: shortcomings of resiliency strategies for coping with accelerating environmental change.","authors":"Craig R Allen, Ahjond Garmestani, Tarsha Eason, David G Angeler, Wen-Ching Chuang, Jorge H Garcia, Lance Gunderson, Carl Folke","doi":"10.5751/ES-16668-300421","DOIUrl":"10.5751/ES-16668-300421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural disasters driven by climate change have increased in frequency, intensity, and scale. The consequences of these disasters include the loss of human lives, property damage, increased economic costs, and decreased ability to respond effectively to both abrupt and more gradual disasters. Government responses to such disasters are often based on a desire to rapidly recover to normal, which is understandable, but is difficult in the Anthropocene because of rapidly changing social-ecological baselines that exceed the limits of adaptation and mitigation. Here we identify pitfalls of a narrow and singular focus on resiliency. Resiliency focuses on efficient and rapid recovery, which is laudable, but assumes linear responses, absence of tipping points, a single scale of cause and effect, and an implicit assumption of stationarity. In contrast, we highlight the importance of social-ecological resilience, which includes resiliency but also accounts for multiple spatial and temporal scales, cross-scale effects, and most importantly, the possibility of alternative system configurations (or regimes) separated by tipping points. Social-ecological resilience provides a more comprehensive and realistic framing, and therefore the ability to persist with change, prepare for, and perform adaptation and transformation of social-ecological systems. Accounting for social-ecological resilience is essential for governance of coupled systems of humans and nature as we collectively face a future in the Anthropocene that will contain more surprising and unpredictable events propelled by global change including climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"30 4","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12973177/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147437449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cultural Wisdom in Environmental Stewardship: Kashmir’s Traditional Practices","authors":"Soha ul Islam, Tabina Manzoor, Mohd Sharjeel Sofi, Sami Ullah Bhat","doi":"10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_10","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"1 1","pages":"191-204"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147903539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cryosphere Response to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Arid Northwestern Ladakh Himalaya","authors":"Jyotsna Dubey, Dhruv Sen Singh, Sarswati Prakash Sati","doi":"10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"1 1","pages":"3-27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147882203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Computing Payment of Water as an Ecosystem Service: Valuation and Management Practices in Western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India","authors":"Subhasis Mahato, Dharmveer Kaintura, Atif Hussain, Kaiser Iqbal, Rahul Kumar Singh","doi":"10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-2007-7_15","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"1 1","pages":"287-301"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147911958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incorporating climate change into restoration decisions: perspectives from dam removal practitioners","authors":"Katherine M. Abbott, Allison H. Roy, Francis J. Magilligan, Keith H. Nislow, Rebecca M. Quiñones","doi":"10.5751/es-15182-290321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5751/es-15182-290321","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Incorporating climate change into conservation and restoration decisions is increasingly important for natural resource managers and restoration practitioners to effectively address the underlying drivers of ecosystem change. Small dam removal is an example of a restoration tool that may offer multiple socioeconomic and ecological benefits in streams, including promoting climate resilience. With the pace of dam removals increasing, practitioners and researchers are well-poised to incorporate climate change into future dam removal decisions. Therefore, we surveyed dam removal practitioners across 14 states in the eastern United States to understand current practices of small dam removals, factors driving restoration decisions, and how climate change knowledge is incorporated into these decisions. We also aimed to identify barriers to and opportunities for knowledge exchange between practitioners and researchers. Of the 100 respondents, most (79%) consider climate change in their dam removal decisions to some extent. Despite this, many reported a lack of clear, relevant, and accessible data linking small dam removal to climate resilience benefits. Dam removal practitioners also indicated that they most often rely on climate change information garnered from conversations with colleagues, rather than from scientific research products. These results suggest that the co-production of relevant, salient research questions and readily accessible and interpretable research products (e.g., technical summaries, open access articles) may encourage practitioners to incorporate climate change science more consistently and efficiently into dam removal decisions. These findings may also translate to other stream restoration efforts to inform knowledge exchange and improve restoration outcomes in a changing climate.</p>\u0000<p>The post Incorporating climate change into restoration decisions: perspectives from dam removal practitioners first appeared on Ecology & Society.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142177147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“I’ll be back”: the emergence of recentralized forest devolution in the southern provinces of China","authors":"Wenyuan Liang, Bas Arts, Jiayun Dong, Lingchao Li, Jinlong Liu","doi":"10.5751/es-15321-290319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5751/es-15321-290319","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although forest devolution, as a type of decentralization, is a high priority in the policy agendas of developing countries, recentralization has also occurred. In this paper, we focus on emerging recentralization within the devolution process of Collective Forest Tenure Reform (CFTR) in China&#8217;s southern provinces and conceptualize this process as &#8220;recentralized forest devolution.&#8221; In this paper, we update a key framework for analyzing decentralization and recentralization in governance processes based on the &#8220;policy arrangement approach.&#8221; Case studies were conducted in four counties of the Fujian and Yunnan provinces by tracing governance dynamics from 2001 to 2019. Our study found that the central government has tightened upward accountability and recentralized power for environmental conservation since 2012 under the discourse of &#8220;Ecological Civilization.&#8221; At the local level, recentralized forest devolution was expressed in terms of the restricted timber harvest levels for the purposes of environmental conservation. Therefore, forest devolution could be more vulnerable than expected by researchers and potentially interwoven with recentralization processes. Discourses, actors, property rights, and power are, therefore, considered to be interwoven in the complex dynamics of decentralization and recentralization.</p>\u0000<p>The post &#8220;I&#8217;ll be back&#8221;: the emergence of recentralized forest devolution in the southern provinces of China first appeared on Ecology & Society.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142223485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating a “One Well-being” approach in elephant conservation: evaluating consequences of management interventions","authors":"Antoinette Van de Water, Marion E. Garaï, Matthew M. Burnett, Michelle D. Henley, Enrico Di Minin, Jarryd P. Streicher, Lucy A. Bates, Rob Slotow","doi":"10.5751/es-15193-290315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5751/es-15193-290315","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Innovative conservation approaches are urgently needed to balance biodiversity conservation with human development. Safeguarding elephant populations often involves active management, leading to direct intentional, direct unintentional, and indirect consequences for animals, people, and ecosystems. Drawing from One Health and One Welfare principles, our study introduces a multicriteria framework for developing conservation strategies that enhance well-being across dimensions. This approach establishes priorities, acceptability zones, and One Well-being scores that guide decision making toward optimal outcomes. We applied our One Well-being framework to evaluate 12 elephant management interventions currently or historically used in South Africa. Examining data from 3306 instances of these interventions, including on-the-ground data, we assessed their relative impact on environmental, human, and animal well-being. Our analysis identified 250 consequences of these interventions, categorized as 58 direct intentional, 127 direct unintentional, and 65 indirect. Although most direct intentional consequences were beneficial (93.4%), the direct unintentional and indirect consequences were predominantly harmful (96.9% and 75.4%, respectively). Although most interventions improved environmental well-being, their consequences for animal and human well-being were less positive. This highlights a conflict among the three well-being dimensions, underscoring the importance of incorporating human and animal well-being into elephant management strategies. Recognizing the interconnected nature of these dimensions and aiming for multiple, mutually reinforcing gains is imperative. This iterative process helps address social-ecological vulnerabilities and risks while advocating for ethical conservation practices, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, and garnering broader support for conservation efforts. Our approach aligns with global goals for sustainable and equitable wildlife management outcomes.</p>\u0000<p>The post Integrating a “One Well-being” approach in elephant conservation: evaluating consequences of management interventions first appeared on Ecology & Society.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"159 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141885527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring perceptions to improve the outcomes of a marine protected area","authors":"João Garcia Rodrigues, Sebastian Villasante, Isabel Sousa-Pinto","doi":"10.5751/es-15159-290318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5751/es-15159-290318","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely promoted as effective tools for conserving biodiversity and safeguarding ecosystem services. However, MPA success can be hindered by a lack of legitimacy and low social support because of perceived negative effects on ecosystem services and human well-being. Despite these social challenges, the social dimensions of marine conservation, such as the effects of MPAs on coastal livelihoods and local communities’ perceptions of these effects, are often overlooked in conservation initiatives. In this study, we use a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative network analysis derived from interviews and focus group discussions, to examine the perceptions of key stakeholder groups about the Litoral Norte MPA in Portugal. Our findings reveal that most stakeholder groups hold more negative than positive views about the governance and management of the MPA. Key concerns include unsatisfactory participation in MPA decisions and perceptions that the MPA fails to deliver positive social and ecological outcomes, such as increased community involvement, fair income distribution, and enhanced fish abundance. Policy makers and managers need to address these negative perceptions to improve conservation governance and management. By considering the stakeholder feedback presented in this study, such as fostering better engagement with the local community and transforming conflicts into opportunities for co-developing new conservation actions with local resource users, policy makers and managers can increase support for Litoral Norte and enhance the social and ecological outcomes of the MPA.</p>\u0000<p>The post Exploring perceptions to improve the outcomes of a marine protected area first appeared on Ecology & Society.</p>","PeriodicalId":51028,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Society","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142177148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}