Human Ecological Approach Research Articles

From Learning Ecologies to a Social Ecosystem Model for Learning and Skills

The growing relevance of socio-ecological systems (SESs) thinking reflects both the challenges of an anthropogenic poly crisis and attempts to understand the complexities of societal development in an era of globalisation. The article begins by suggesting there are two related variants of SES thinking—relationships between the natural and human worlds (Variant 1) and whole social and human system analysis using metaphorical transfer and theorisation of natural ecological principles (Variant 2). This article elaborates Variant 2 through the development a social ecosystem model (SEM) applied to post-compulsory education and skills development. An exploration of the SEM is conducted through a review of the literatures on ‘Learning Ecologies’ to assess the strengths and limitations of this human ecological approach. Perceived limitations are addressed by the development of the SEM that adds a political economy dimension to the learning ecological model, which is then applied to the field of learning and skills in the English context in support of an inclusive and place-based approach to vocational education and training (VET). The article concludes by suggesting that the SEM can be further expanded by its application to transitioning to more sustainable futures, being developed by scholars of indigenous communities and populations of the Global South, that arguably brings Variant 2 of SESs thinking closer to Variant 1.

Advancing the human ecology approach on productive aging

ABSTRACT As the population ages, older workers represent an increasingly large segment of the labor force which has led to numerous studies investigating productive aging. This exploratory essay focuses on the remunerated work dimension of productive aging. The main purpose is to discuss the application of a human ecology approach to understand the contexts that influence older adults to retire or continue working. This paper is supported by a literature review related to the ecological model proposed by Bronfenbrenner. This model contributes to the understanding of several environments known as microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Each of those environments seems to influence whether older adults continue to work or decide to retire.

Livelihoods and Dwelling Security: The Challenges of Indigenous Karen People

The Indigenous Karen people living in the Kaeng Krachan National Park (KKNP) in Western Thailand were evicted from their traditional village home by armed Thai forces to an allocated area. These operations have led to the enormous change in the traditional way of life. They cannot fully continue with their traditional ways of life. The misunderstanding of the livelihood system of the Karen is the critical problems. This paper aims to examine the challenges of indigenous Banggloy Karen people under regulation of the national park. This study is framed within a phenomenological perspective and draws on specific empirical experience by employing participant observation, interview and focus group. Empirical evidence shows that one of the main obstacles facing the Karen are the political issues that impact on the traditional way of life. The critical problem is the struggle to maintain their way of life in the current settlements; for example, the policies to reclaim the forest and relocate people are also a problem for those inhabiting the forest, who might be evicted. Law and regulation are the obstructions of traditional practice. Land allocation is also a part of the policy that reduces the shifting cultivation. Thus, the state should provide clear guidance within a human right framework and ecological approach and respect for the traditional knowledge and rights of indigenous communities including sustainable livelihoods. Keywords: Indigenous Karen, Dwelling Security, Conflict, Development, Banggloy, Ethnographic Method

Agricultural adaptation to climate change in the trans-Himalaya: a study of Loba Community of Lo-manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal

This paper presents community interference on agricultural ecology against climate change impacts in Lo-manthang, Upper-Mustang, Nepal. The peoples’ response strategies are based on traditional agroecological knowledge. This study applied the human ecological approach (Cause ➔ Effect ➔ Response) to analyze continuity and change in the agricultural practice of the indigenous Loba community of the Trans-Himalaya. Data were generated through anthropological fieldwork using quasi-ethnomethodology. Qualitative data on changing climate was further supported by the analysis of meteorological records of last 40 years from the nearest station. The overall impression of the study is that the Lobas are hardly adapting to the dynamics of socio-environmental factors as climatic, geo-environmental, and politico-institutional changes. The strategy adopted to respond to the impacts of change on the local livelihoods is particularly associated with altering traditional agricultural practices. Indigenous knowledge-based systems of farm, labor, and resource management, accompanied by changes in food preference (food value) and linking agriculture with spiritual practice, are specific adaptation options, further supported by emerging options such as occupational modernization and migration. However, not all of these strategies produced positive outcomes in the local socio-ecological system of Lo-manthang. Therefore, policymakers should recognize Trans-Himalayan environmental uniqueness and its sensitivity to different drivers while designing policy to address them.

Korelasi resipokral ekologi dengan manusia pada novel Aroma Karsa karya Dee Lestari

Human relationships will not be able to escape with the natural ecosystem. Humans and natural ecosystems coexist in a balanced portion so that no gaps occur. A reciprocal relationship between human life and the natural ecosystem occurs. However, the relationship between humans and the natural ecosystem becomes unhealthy because the human being can not keep the natural well. The research aims to find a reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural ecosystem and discover the human role of the natural ecosystem that has helped human life. To solve the problem, this study uses the human ecological approach and uses environmental posityism theory (Vidal de la Blache). The source of this research data is the novel Aroma Karsa by Dee Lestari published in 2018 and uses the novel behind the Curtain Aroma Karsa by Dee Lestari published in 2019 as an additional interpretation of research. Both novels are published by PT Landforms Pustaka. The data collection techniques used are the records. The research data analysis technique uses data presentation, data reduction and withdrawal of conclusions. The results of this research are first, the reciprocal relationship found is that human party can take advantage of nature which is used for livelihood, beauty products, product of scholarship, treatment material, and become the source of life. Secondly, the human role of the ecosystem is to safeguard, nurture, and preserve the natural ecosystem from being extinct and to fulfill human life in the future.

‘It gives you a reason to be in this world’: the interdependency of communities, environments and social justice for quality of life in older people

AbstractResearch regarding quality of life among older people has predominantly focused on functional elements experienced at individual or dyadic level despite the complex interplay of factors that contribute to quality of life. Perspectives which explore interdependencies within communities and the intersecting environments in which older people exercise agency have seen less study. They do, however, play an important role in influencing quality of life as experienced by older people across community settings. Qualitative data from a co-produced study of dimensions influencing quality of life in older people was subjected to secondary analysis using a critical human ecological approach. Findings demonstrate the importance of community interdependencies in supporting individual quality of life, the expression of active agency to foster quality of life within and across communities, and the importance of state infrastructures and service provision within these interdependencies. This article argues for a movement beyond functional conceptualisations of quality of life towards the inclusion of perspectives regarding communal wellbeing, alongside the role differing types of community play in influencing quality of life. Through developing conceptions of quality of life in social relations and community cohesion, in particular how quality of life is influenced by perceptions of solidarity and social justice including across generations, assessing quality of life at community level will assist in driving cultural change in policy making and practice.

A strategic social impact assessment for Predator-Free Rakiura, New Zealand, with a human–ecological approach

Stewart Island/Rakiura, the third largest island in New Zealand, around 30 km off the South Island, provides sanctuaries for endangered species and subsequent work on ecological restoration. The natural environment of Rakiura is nationally significant, with habitats and ecosystems that, physically and ecologically, are highly interdependent and relatively unmodified in comparison with mainland New Zealand. We undertook a strategic social impact assessment of a programme to achieve Predator-Free Rakiura (to remove introduced mammalian predators from the island), using a human–ecological approach whereby a participatory process scoped key issues and effects, described a social baseline and assessed different options for future conservation management. The research found local efforts at predator control could be supported by a clear vision and strategic pathway, along with better information on biological and technical components. The findings include a framework to link better the ecological and societal dimensions of islands in future planning of predator control and conservation management.

Kisgyermeknevelők nyelvi stratégiái a gyermeki kommunikáció támogatásában

Az anyanyelv elsajátításával kapcsolatos kérdéseket régóta vizsgálják a különböző tudományterületek (pl. filozófia, pszichológia, pedagógia, nyelvészet) képviselői. Az utóbbi években számos tanulmány foglalkozott a gyermekek nyelvi fejlődésével, a fejlődés szakaszaival és jellemzőivel, az eltérő nyelvi fejlődés korai felismerésével és terápiájával. A nyelvi fejlődés átfogó analízise és a fejlesztési lehetőségek számbavétele mindezek mellett megkívánja a nyelvi input jelentőségének hangsúlyozását. A humánökológiai megközelítés (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) a környezet jelentőségét hangsúlyozza a gyermek fejlődésében, és együtt kezeli az individuális életkörülményeket, valamint a társadalmi-kulturális hatásokat. Az „input-hipotézis” (Krashen, 1985) szerint a nyelvelsajátítás csak megfelelő mennyiségű és minőségű nyelvi hatás segítségével lehetséges, azaz a gyermeknek megfelelő nyelvi mintát és támogatást kell biztosítani a kora gyermekkorban. A nyelvi input kapcsán jelentősége van az életkornak. A nyelvelsajátításra az agy a szenzitív periódusban a legfogékonyabb, ezen az időszakon túl a fejlődés lassabb, és az eredmény sem tökéletes. A kora gyermekkor kezdetén a nyelvi input tagadhatatlanul az édesanyáktól és a közvetlen családi környezetből érkezik, az intézményesített neveléssel kiszélesednek a nyelvi források és hatások. A jelen vizsgálat azt mutatja be, hogy milyen nyelvelsajátítást befolyásoló stratégiákat (módszereket) alkalmaznak a kisgyermeknevelők a bölcsődei interakciókban, továbbá arra fókuszál, hogy ezek mennyire képesek biztosítani és támogatni a gyermek nyelvi fejlődését az adott életkorban.

Return rates from plant foraging on the Cape south coast: Understanding early human economies

The Cape south coast of South Africa has attracted significant archaeological research because it hosts the earliest evidence of human cultural and material complexity. Furthermore, the now-submerged Palaeo-Agulhas Plain provided habitat and resources for humans during the emergence of modern behavioural traits. Using a human behavioural ecology approach—optimal foraging theory—we sought to understand how this region’s flora may have contributed to the existence of early humans along the Cape south coast. We conducted monthly plant food foraging excursions over a two-year period in the seven main vegetation types that occur within the study area. Two (rarely three) local inhabitants harvested indigenous edible plant parts in 30-min foraging bouts. A total of sixty-eight participants (of Khoe-San descent), with knowledge on edible indigenous flora, contributed to 451 bouts. This study thus provides the largest published actualistic dataset on plant foraging returns. Without any prior knowledge of spatial resource density, the foragers harvested a total of 90 different edible species and obtained an overall mean (±SD) hourly return of 0.66 ± 0.45 kg/h or 141 ± 221 kcal/h. Apart from renosterveld, where winter returns were higher compared to summer, all other vegetation types showed no seasonal difference in return rates. Plants, therefore, most likely played an important role as fall-back or reliable staple food in the Cape south coast. Edible resources were unevenly distributed spatially, with calorific returns ranging from 0 to 2079 kcal/h, with fewer — but productive — high-density areas or “hotspots”. Sand fynbos (246 ± 307 kcal/h) and dune fynbos-thicket mosaic (214 ± 303 kcal/h) yielded significantly higher returns than other vegetation types (except for riparian). Prior knowledge of such hotspots, both within and amongst vegetation types, would have offered a significant foraging advantage. Finally, we provide the first quantified evidence that forager-extracted plant returns are significantly higher—nearly three times higher—in recently burnt sand and limestone fynbos vegetation. This supports Deacon’s hypothesis that hunter-gatherers could have improved their return rates by purposely burning Cape vegetation (i.e. “fire-stick farming”) to give them access to temporally abundant geophyte "hotspots". We also demonstrate the current challenges when comparing plant return rates across different studies and discuss the benefits of using participants that are not full-time hunter gatherers.

The prospects for organic agriculture in Hungary – A human ecological approach

The natural, social, and economic issues and problems of today and the near future pose new challenges for researchers and educators in every disciplines. In this complex situation, human ecology, which synthesizes the knowledge of individual disciplines and focuses on connections and interactions, has a special role to meet this challenge. In the service of practical sustainability, it helps to reveal the complexity of the agricultural sector and to prepare public policy decisions, taking the special features and capabilities of the particular environments into account. In the complex understanding of the operation of highly complex living systems, in mitigating the effects of climate change, in conserving biodiversity, in assessing the effects of biogeochemical processes and in solving many other problems at local and global level, the holistic system-approach is needed for putting them in contexts. In this study, we highlight the reasonableness and the vital role of human ecology in organic farming as well as outline its future challenges and possibilities.

Taming requirements in the domestication process of donkeys: The methods and concepts of the training among the Afar pastoralists in Ethiopia

To clarify the system involved in the initial domestication of asses, this study explores breaking and the consequent establishment of tameness through focusing on a human ecological approach based on reports of the epigenetic inheritance of human-induced stress in animals. The research subjects are Afar pastoralists who use donkeys for packing loads in two areas (A and B) in the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia; both areas are home to an endangered species of wild ass. Interviews were conducted on the methods of wild ass capture that caused initial human-induced stress. Next, the method currently adopted for breaking donkeys for packing which the Afar pastoralists considered to promote tameness was investigated. The number of informants from Community (A) who answered in the negative to the possibility of capturing wild asses for domestication was significantly greater than those who replied in the positive. However, four suggestions were made for capturing wild asses for domestication. In both areas, the target age for breaking the donkeys for packing was 1 to 3 years inclusively. Differences, however, were seen between Afar communities with regard to whether training for packing should happen in a series of processes and with regard to the number of days needed for the process. The training methods characteristically used in both areas includes forelimbs tying, jaw tying, and ears tying. A combination of these methods was observed to be a neuro-physiologically effective approach, promoting obedience while controlling stress; stress caused by jaw and forelimbs tying was nullified by ears tying, which produced an analgesic effect. Therefore, for domestication during the ancient period and maintaining the tame status of donkeys, the age for training for packing and controlling stress by tying the forelimbs, jaws, and ears might have been the effective techniques in taming the animal through epigenetic mutations.

A Human Ecology Approach to Environmental Inequality: A County-Level Analysis of Natural Disasters and the Distribution of Landfills in the Southeastern United States

Author(s): McKinney, L; Kick, E; Cannon, C | Abstract: One underexplored area of great concern is the relationship between disasters and disposition of the waste they generate, which often amounts to the equivalent of 5 to 15 years of garbage that the same community would create under normal conditions. This paper develops a theoretical framework to analyze the factors that influence the distribution of landfills by integrating insights gained from the environmental inequality and human ecology traditions. The synthesis informs the quantitative analysis of the distribution of landfills across counties in the southeastern region of the United States by examining crucial associated variables, disasters, and other relevant factors gleaned from prior research. Findings suggest that natural disasters have indirect relationships with other communities that process waste. Results also point to the disproportionate concentration of landfills in counties with greater minority populations. The conclusions and implications of the findings are discussed in addition to a range of potential applications for future research.

Human Ecology and Village Settlements in Northern Central Plateau of Iran

Human- environment interaction are among the subject matters explored by human ecology with the help of natural sciences based on anthropological and archaeological perspectives in an eclectic fashion. In the present paper offer exploring the framework and concepts used in ecology, the terminology pertaining to and geographical boundaries of Central Plateau of Iran and its northern part will be discussed. After reviewing the ecological features of the region, variables determining the adaptive process of the settlements with the natural environment in ancient and recent time - especially the village period- will be assessed. Identifying adaptive strategies and behaviors and technologies involved therein form the base of the human ecological approach and its subject matter. This approach has previously been applied in especially in western Iran. But in other parts of the country, archaeological research has barely progressed beyond description of sites, introduction of finds and rudimentary explanation of cultural change. The distinct ecological features of the Central Plateau of Iran and its internal variation on one hand, and a series of recent archaeological field projects in the region on the other, demands a fresh look of the region from ecological point of view and utilizing new finds in assessing enduring archaeological questions.

Locating Pawai in the Social Hierarchy of the Khasa: a Preliminary Note on Jumli Caste Structure

Until very recently, Jumla’s Pawai, or the Matawali Chhetri, have remained one of the very least understood caste groups in Nepal. In many sense Pawai can be considered as an unusual caste group and possess some unique yet paradoxical socio-cultural traits and claims. Overall, they represent Chhetri sub-caste, but in the Jumli caste hierarchy they are placed lower than Chhetri. They do not wear sacred thread called “janai,” do mostly worship masto, and in Bota village, some of them even offer liquor to their Hindu diety. This article attempts to explain the distinctive characteristics of Pawai in light of the Jumli caste hierarchy, and differs from some of the simplistic explanations of human ecological approach to argue that Pawai are simply the by-product of their cultural interface with the local ecology, or the reductionist arguments of identity politics that it is the ethnicity and not the class that differentiates society and forms different identity of the culturally marginalised one. This article first sheds lights on the social construction of Pawai as the kamsel caste group, takes into account the uniqueness of paddy cultivation in Jumla and its caste implications in the local political economy, and then compares and contracts the Pawai vis-a-vis the Jyulel to make an argument that the uniqueness of Pawai can only be meaningfully understood by placing them in their dynamic relationship with Jyulel. This relationship essentially entails a relationship of privilege and deprivation in terms of access to and ownership of jyula (as productive low lands). By implication, it is differential access to assets and resources that brings diversity and inequality in society and not the vice-versa. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v7i0.10436 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 7, 2013; 31-50

English

This paper critically reviewed the gender equality and women’s empowerment endeavors in least developed countries (LDCs) and proposed policy and strategy measures for achieving millennium development goals (MDGs) in Ethiopia. Ethiopian women are economically, socially, culturally and politically disadvantaged in the enjoyment of equal rights, in accessing opportunities, decision-making processes, and basic resources. In other words, although a number of policies are emerging that support and encourage women’s participation in development, women’s access to and control of productive resources, information, training and education, employment and in decision-making are limited. The general objective of this paper is to assess the quest for gender equality and women’s empowerment in least developed countries to achieve MDGs and identify policy and strategy implications for Ethiopia. This paper adapts a human ecological approach and a comprehensive review and analysis of the existing literature was made in order to obtain both theoretical insights and secondary data on the review themes. The collected secondary data and information were qualitatively analyzed through narration and description and presented under relevant themes. The findings of the study reveal that promising efforts are being made by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to address gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in the process of achieving millennium development goals. Nevertheless, a lot has to be done for more effective gender equality and women’s empowerment thereby the millennium development goals (MDGs) and sustainable development objectives will be achieved in Ethiopia. Adaptation of the good practices of gender equality and women’s empowerment from different successful countries, proper implementation of the ratified international conventions on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and development and implementation of appropriate national gender policy will improve the condition of Ethiopian women in the years to come.      Key words: Development, empowerment, equality, ethiopia, gender, women.

Food intake and nutrition in children 1–4 years of age in Yucatan, Mexico

Background: The National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANUT in Spanish) reported high rates of under-nutrition in children of Yucatan. Is food intake the main cause of under-nutrition in children of the state of Yucatan, Mexico?Aim: Identify the primary causes of under-nutrition in pre-school children in Yucatan.Subjects: A sample of 111 children (59 girls and 52 boys) aged 1–4 years representing Yucatan was taken from a database of ENSANUT 2006 and another national survey, a federal poverty mitigation programme for the state of Yucatan, Mexico entitled “Oportunidades”.Methods: A human ecology approach together with life history theory was used to analyse anthropometric indices and food intake data from the ENSANUT 2006 and “Oportunidades”.Results: Height and weight were significantly correlated to age and total food intake. No correlations were found between age and anthropometric indices or food intake rates. The children in the sample had adequate protein intake but deficient energy intake. No correlation was identified between nutritional status and food intake rates. Pre-schoolers with higher weight-for-height values achieved greater height-for-age. These relationships can be explained by life history theory in that energy intake was used either for maintenance (combating and recovering from infections) or growth.Conclusion: The poor relationship between food intake rates and nutritional status is probably explained by the interaction between high disease incidence and insufficient energy intake. These conditions are endemic in Yucatan due to widespread poor housing, water and sanitation conditions.

Human Footprint on the Global Environment: Threats to Sustainability

State-of-the-art assessments of current research into the human dimensions of global environmental change and promising directions for future advancements. The colossal human ecological footprint now threatens the sustainability of the entire planet. Scientists, policymakers, and other close observers know that any understanding of the causes of global environmental change is a function of understanding its human dimension-the range of human choices and actions that affect the environment. This book offers a state-of-the-art assessment of research on the human dimensions of global environmental change, describing how global threats to sustainability have come about, providing an interpretive framework for understanding environmental change, reviewing recent work in the social and ecological sciences, and discussing which paths for future advances in our knowledge may prove most promising. The chapters, by prominent North American and European authors, offer perspectives on population, consumption, land cover and use, institutional actions, and culture. They discuss such topics as risk, the new Structural Human Ecology approach to analyzing anthropogenic drivers of global environmental change, recent progress in understanding land use change, international environmental regimes, the concept of the commons, and the comparative vulnerability of societies around the world. Contributors Ulrich Beck, Thomas Dietz, Carlo C. Jaeger, Svein Jentoft, Jeanne X. Kasperson, Roger E. Kasperson, Bonnie J. McCay, Emilio F. Moran, Eugene A. Rosa, B. L. Turner II, Richard York, Oran R. Young

The Evolution of Chicago

In this issue, Marion Blute discusses questions related to the evolution of anisogamy (sexual reproduction by the fusion of gametes that are dissimilar in size or form), a topic that is thought to be the foundation of the theory of gender differences and relations. Current attempts to bridge between geometric morphometrics (GMM) and finite element analyses (FEA) of CT-derived data from bones of living animals and fossils appear to lack a sound biotheoretical foundation. Fred Bookstein appeals to ‘‘a new rhetoric of quantitative inference’’ across the GMM–FEA bridge, linking form to function. Pondering the origins of life, Isaac Salazar-Ciudad argues that evolution can happen without anything being copied and that, in fact, RNA copying is too complex to arise spontaneously as the first pre-biotic system. He suggests how RNA replication could have arisen after evolvable systems had come into being, and how this crucial innovation could have spread over existing evolutionary systems to become a major driver of subsequent evolution. Sober has objected that Felsenstein’s method of independent contrasts (FIC), one of the most widely used approaches to the study of correlated evolution, is methodologically flawed as it seemingly rests on the assumption that the traits it studies evolved by drift, ruling out selective hypotheses from the start. Armin Schulz shows that the assumptions behind the FIC do not in fact preclude it from investigating selective hypotheses. Michael Trestman argues that behavior played a crucial role in driving at least some of the major transitions in evolution. Because behavioral interactions can become stably organized in novel ways on time scales faster than the lifetime of an organism, behavior can lead the way into a transition—becoming organized at the new level prior to inheritance and development. Moreover, he shows that novel forms of behavioral organization (distributed or hierarchical control that produces functional coherence) can emerge, binding the evolutionary fates of a group of previously independent organisms, and leading the way to an aggregative or ‘‘higher-level’’ mode of reproduction. The issue also contains two historical essays. The first one, by Frederic Tremblay, documents how tenets of Nicolai Hartmann’s ontology—including ‘‘what is real is what is temporal,’’ and ‘‘the criterion of individuality is to have duration’’—influenced the entomologist Willi Hennig when he was developing his phylogenetic systematics. In his Grundzuge einer Theorie der phylogenetischen Systematik, Hennig argued as far back as 1950 that biological species are best construed as individuals. In a short paper on ‘‘Science and Language,’’ David Hull recalled that a reviewer of a book that reached conclusions similar to Hennig’s, Rolf Lother’s Die Beherrschung der Mannigfaltigkeit (1972), had remarked that logicians ‘‘should take note’’ of Lother’s conclusion that ‘‘in the light of the Darwinian theory all taxa must be considered individuals, and all taxa names proper names.’’ Hull, who together with Michael Ghiselin introduced the thesis that species are individuals in the Anglo-American biological world in the mid-1970s, comments: ‘‘I for one look back at this literature with considerable frustration. Why did I have to start from scratch? Why did Ghiselin and I have to rediscover the wheel?’’ (Hull 2010, p. 36; see also Ghiselin 2010). ‘‘One answer is that so few English-speaking systematists are fluent in German.’’ The second historical essay in this issue discusses Robert E. Park’s contribution to Darwinian thinking in early American sociology. As the leading figure of the Human Ecology Approach established in the 1920s and W. Callebaut (&) Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Altenberg, Austria e-mail: werner.callebaut@kli.ac.at

Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods in Ghana: Case Study of Communities around Sui Forest Reserve

The link between climate change, ecosystem services and livelihood in developing countries has been well established. Tropical forest ecosystems are particularly of great importance to the livelihood of millions of people. Recent decades of escalating climate change impacts on ecological systems and livelihoods worldwide and the vulnerability of forest dependent communities raise concerns about the consequences of ecosystem changes for human well-being. Applying the human ecological approach, this paper examines climate change impacts on ecosystem services and livelihoods of the communities around the Sui River Forest Reserve (SRFR) in the Sefwi Wiawso District in the Western Region of Ghana, the main drivers of the change, the vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies being used by the communities. The results of the study indicate that climate change impacts are decreasing the capability of the SRFR ecosystem to provide essential services to the communities. The principal livelihood sources affected by the climate change impacts are agriculture, forest resources and water resources. To minimize the impacts of climate change, the communities around the reserve have adopted various adaptation and coping strategies to improve agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and water resources management. The paper also suggests strategies that will enable policy-makers to effectively improve ecosystem services and climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana.

Re-Reading Robert E. Park on Social Evolution: An Early Darwinian Conception of Society

Although Darwinian concepts have largely been banned from the social sciences of the last century, they have recently seen a revival in several disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, or economics. Most of the current proponents of evolutionary theorizing in the social sciences avoid references to the older literature on social evolution. On that background, this article presents a contribution to Darwinist thinking in early American sociology that has mainly been overlooked in the literature. As the leading figure of the Human Ecology Approach, which was established during the 1920s and 1930s, Robert Ezra Park drew heavily on evolutionary concepts to explain human evolution. A systematic presentation of these concepts in the light of the modern discussion on sociocultural evolution is given, followed by a conclusion about what can be learned from Park today.