Towards Integrating Political Ecology into Resilience-Based Management

Amy Quandt

doi:10.3390/resources5040031

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges faced today is how to sustainably manage social-ecological systems for both ecological conservation and human wellbeing. This paper explores two approaches to understanding such systems: resilience thinking and political ecology. Resilience thinking is a framework that emerged over the last 40 years as a management strategy for social-ecological systems, and a resilient social-ecological system is capable of absorbing disturbances and still retaining its basic function and structure. Political ecology is derived from cultural ecology and political economy and aims to critically examine how human-environment interactions are linked to environmental problems while exploring issues of power. Drawing from debates and theoretical issues both within and between these two theories, this paper proposes three main arguments for integrating political ecology into managing for resilience. First, political ecology could help fill in understanding gaps in resilience with its focus on society and politics, while resilience thinking’s focus on ecology can ensure that political ecology engages with ecology. Second, the multiple lenses of political ecology may help define the system for resilience management. Third, political ecology’s explanatory power may assist in identifying surrogates of resilience for indirectly measuring social-ecological resilience.

Highlights

One of the biggest challenges faced today by both natural resource managers and human development professionals is how to sustainably manage linked social-ecological systems for both ecosystem function and human wellbeing [1,2]
How can we maintain important ecosystem services and natural resources, while allowing people to maintain their livelihoods? This paper explores two theoretical approaches that attempt to answer this question by informing the management of social-ecological systems: resilience thinking and political ecology
Political ecology can highlight these challenges: that some people gain while others lose in the process of resilience building, and that resilience for some people or places could lead to the loss of resilience for other social-ecological systems [8]

Summary

Introduction

One of the biggest challenges faced today by both natural resource managers and human development professionals is how to sustainably manage linked social-ecological systems for both ecosystem function and human wellbeing [1,2]. In a recent series of articles, Turner [7,9] explored connections between these frameworks and suggested that, despite barriers, resilience scholars and political ecologists maybe should work together in some cases [7] They hold congruent positions with respect to ecological responses to human land use, and political ecologists may be some of the best-placed social scientists to cooperate with resilience ecologists in understanding the complex interactions of history, human livelihood practices, and ecological responses [7]. Resources 2016, 5, x FOR PEER REVIEW to provide the theoretical basis for integrating political ecology and resilience thinking into research to provide the theoretical basis for integrating political ecology and resilience thinking into research and resource management

Resilience Thinking

Political Ecology

The Debates

Defining the Social-Ecology System

Measuring Resilience

Conclusions