Sociobiology and Adaptive Capacity: Evolving Adaptive Strategies to Build Environmental Governance

Abstract

Adaptation is a foundational concept in the natural sciences. In the context of biological evolution it refers to the process of change through natural selection whereby those best adapted or most fit out compete others for resources or mates. This general idea has been adopted and variously applied in the social sciences in reference to the persistence of cultures and ability of humans to cope with environmental change. This chapter explores the relationship between evolutionary biology and adaptive capacity that builds environmental governance. The ecological and socio-institutional frames for understanding adaptive capacity are considered and an integrative nature-in-humans perspective is proposed that re-positions evolutionary biology and environmental governance in relation to adaptive capacity for social-ecological systems. To explore this proposed relationship, sociobiology and the theory of reciprocal altruism are summarized and used to explain how and why some individuals, communities and societies undertake adaptive strategies aimed at collaboration, flexibility and learning. This enriched understanding of adaptive capacity is consistent with the unique nature of socio-ecological systems and has implications for fostering behavioural changes as well as long term responses in the realm of governance.