Interdisciplinary progress in approaches to address social-ecological and ecocultural systems

TLDR

Human cultures have shaped ecosystems and, in turn, have been reshaped by them, yet intensive environmental modification has led to global declines in natural and cultural capital, increasing vulnerability of social‑ecological systems. The paper reviews emerging environmental sub‑disciplines that aim to conserve and maintain resilience in social‑ecological systems. The authors synthesize and compare these sub‑disciplines, highlighting their theoretical frameworks and practical applications. The review finds that engaging local and traditional knowledge within context is central, and that revitalization projects integrating such knowledge can redesign systems for optimal outcomes for both nature and culture.

Abstract

SUMMARY The emergent human cultures have shaped, and in turn been shaped by, local ecosystems. Yet humanity's intense modification of the environment has resulted in dramatic worldwide declines in natural and cultural capital. Social-ecological systems are becoming more vulnerable through the disruption of livelihoods, governance, institutions, resources and cultural traditions. This paper reviews the environmental sub-disciplines that have emerged to seek solutions for conservation and maintenance of the resilience of social-ecological systems. It shows that a central component is engagement with the knowledges of people within their contexts. Local knowledges of nature (traditional, indigenous, local ecological knowledge and ecoliteracy) are used by place-based cultures to guide actions towards nature. The importance of new engagements between different knowledges is now becoming more widely recognized by scientific institutions. Yet there still exist many false dualisms (for example local knowledge versus science) which tend to emphasize a superiority of one over the other. Ecocultures retain or strive to regain their connections with the environment, and thus improve their own resilience. Revitalization projects offer ways to connect knowledge with action to produce optimal outcomes for both nature and culture, suggesting that systems can be redesigned by emphasis on incorporation of local and traditional knowledge systems.