Social-Ecological Innovation and Transformation

Abstract

Humanity has entered the anthroposcene era; human activity has become a major driving force in the history of the planet. It is critical to find ways to increase our ability to understand and guide human-environment interactions. Our point of departure in this chapter is the contention that human and biophysical systems are closely inter-connected. Yet not only have scientists and practitioners largely failed to recognize the tight coupling between these systems, the stakes of failing to harness the dynamic behaviour of social-ecological systems are getting higher (Gunderson and Holling, 2002; Rockström et al., 2009). Consequences of such failure include the loss of vital ecosystem services1 at a global scale (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005) and the extensive societal challenges posed by global environmental change (Steffen et al., 2004).