A Conceptual Framework for Heuristic Progress in Exploring Management Regime Shifts in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation of Coastal Areas

Raphaël Mathevet,Laurence Nicolas,Veronica Mitroi,Aurélien Allouche,Chloé Guerbois,Christo Fabricius,John Anderies

doi:10.3390/su10114171

Abstract

Social conflicts related to biodiversity conservation and adaptation policy to climate change in coastal areas illustrate the need to reinforce understanding of the “matters of concern” as well as the “matters of fact”. In this paper, we argue that we must rethink adaptation from a new perspective, considering that humans together function as both ecological actors and social actors. Using international examples from the UNESCO world biosphere reserve network, we show that an ontological perspective may provide a simple and compact way to think about coupled infrastructure systems and systematic formalism, allowing for understanding of the relational matrix between actors, institutions and ecosystems. We contend that our formalism responds to three challenges. First, it encompasses the different regional contexts and policies that rely on the same ontology. Second, it provides a method to relate any local adaptation plan to the conservation paradigms that originate from the ecological modernization of policies. Third, it facilitates the discovery of drivers and processes involved in adaptation and management regime shifts by highlighting the way contextual factors configure, determine the structure of the action situation of the Institutional Analysis and Development framework (IAD) (Ostrom 2005), and how it operates.

Highlights

A range of policies addressing global change adaptation exists, depending on the geographical context and local historical features of coastal areas [1]
We illustrate this process of management regime shifts and re-combinations in three case studies of the Camargue Biosphere Reserve on the Rhone River delta in southern France, the Danube Biosphere Reserve on the Danube River delta in Romania and the Garden Route National Park and Biosphere Reserve in South Africa
Management Regime Shifts in the Camargue Biosphere Reserve in Southern France. This example illustrates the progression from a social–ecological system (SES) dominated by A N M ontology with specific areas where human activities and management where determined by nature to a balance of high diversity of ontologies, contributing to move from a land sparing to a land sharing approach in both the understanding and management of the SES

Summary

Introduction

A range of policies addressing global change adaptation exists, depending on the geographical context and local historical features of coastal areas [1]. We propose to rethink stakeholders’ management of and adaptation to global change by using a social–ecological ontology describing the relationships among natural and man-made objects and/or humans, and integrating the social and natural interdependence influencing decision making. This conceptual perspective is rooted in sustainability sciences, ecology, sociology and environmental philosophy. We discuss the applicability and value of the proposed ontology and suggest future directions for both research and policy

A Social–Ecological Ontology to Question Matters of Concern

Management Regime Shifts in the Camargue Biosphere Reserve in Southern France

Management Regime Shifts in the Danube Biosphere Reserve in Romania

Findings

Looking Forward