The role of ecological wisdom in managing for sustainable interdependent urban and natural ecosystems

Abstract

This conceptual paper has two goals. First it reviews aspects of sustainability and resilience and their relationship to management of coupled, interdependent urban and natural ecosystems where the natural ecosystem supplies goods and services to help maintain urban sustainability. Second, it explores whether urban ecosystems and natural ecosystems that help sustain the urban ecosystem can both be sustainable, and whether ecological wisdom could be an overarching tool guiding how these two systems are managed to maintain sustainability of both. In doing this, the concept of ecological wisdom is expanded from a philosophical context to a practical context applicable to 21st century ecosystem management. Using several cases of interrelationships between urban and natural ecosystems, ecological wisdom is conceptually shown to be a preferred management process. The cases also demonstrate that, regardless of management approaches to create sustainable functioning riverine ecosystems modified to supply clean water as goods and services to urban areas for urban sustainability; it is unlikely that these riverine ecosystems will ever be fully functional. As a comprehensive management approach, ecological wisdom conceptually may come closest to creating both sustainable urban ecosystems and sustainable functional riverine ecosystems.