Integrating Key Insights of Sociological Risk Theory into the Ecosystem Services Framework

Sophie Peter

doi:10.3390/su12166437

Abstract

Environmental risks give urgency to the need to understand the society–nature relationship. While the ecosystem services (ES) framework allows analysis of interrelationships between biophysical supply and human demand for natural resources, further research is needed to understand what drives societal demand for ES. Here, I explore how incorporation of the key sociological theories of risk (systems theory, ‘world risk society’, and cultural theory of risk) can advance this understanding. By examining these theories, the following key insights were identified: (1) A deeper understanding of societal structures and risk perception helps to understand culturally driven patterns of ES demand; (2) sociological ES research must use inter- and transdisciplinary methods to understand the drivers of ES demand and risk perception. It must also link this understanding to the natural sciences’ knowledge of the drivers of ES supply if it is to identify new instruments of environmental governance; (3) while anthropocentric in character, the ES framework, especially one that is modified by the concept of risk, enables society to reflect on its role as a proactive part of a social–ecological system, rather than a passive victim of nature’s whims. This change in perspective may prove to be a key step in achieving sustainable development.

Highlights

In 1962, Rachel Carson highlighted the destruction of nature and its consequences, and [1] ten years later, the Club of Rome published their influential report on the limits of economic and population growth [2]
I have shown from the perspective of sociological risk theory that these developments are not detached from the ‘Zeitgeist’
As long as 40 years ago, it was recognized that technological developments, over-consumption of material resources, and the neoliberal economic model caused negative side effects on nature

Summary

Introduction

In 1962, Rachel Carson highlighted the destruction of nature and its consequences, and [1] ten years later, the Club of Rome published their influential report on the limits of economic and population growth [2]. In 1986, Ulrich Beck presented the concept of a ‘risk society’ [14] in which human-made but largely unforeseen risks emerge from technological developments with unintended side effects, the nuclear catastrophe of Chernobyl being a case in point He elaborated this idea in his theory of a ‘world risk society’ that has broken away from traditional lifestyles and is enlightened about the negative effects of industrialization. What is termed the second-order observation focuses on how the social perception of risks modifies the first-order observation From this point of view, risks are shaped by “expectations” and “knowledge and experiences of the past” [22] An integration of the ES and sociological risk concepts is presented and discussed, with a focus on how the incorporation of social risk concepts into ES research can improve our understanding of ES risk perception, the drivers of ES demand, and the sustainable management of ES

The Ecosystem Services Framework

Ecosystem Services under the Light of Risks of Loss

Ecosystem Services in a World Risk Society

Context Matters

Discussion and Outlook