Socio-ecological context of salmonids in the city

Abstract

While a rich body of evidence provides an understanding about the relationship between the biophysical landscape conditions and salmonid health (preceding and following chapters), scholars increasingly recognize that social and political forces in an urban landscape are an equally significant factor for salmonid conservation efforts. The social and political forces, also considered the socio-ecological context of cities, consist of the decisions that direct urban growth, modify the landscape, and ultimately hinder or foster viable salmonid populations. The socio-ecological context, in this way, includes institutional governance structures, informal and formal educational enterprises, and citizen-led efforts. Together, these forces interact to create land use change at multiple scales, for example, through specific zoning requirements at the parcel scale or through land conservation programs at city or regional scales. Although increasing evidence suggests that urban areas are the solution to, as opposed to the problem of, many environmental challenges, the opportunity to assess these social and political drivers offers an immediate and timely perspective to understand the pressures on and solutions for humans to coexist with salmonids.