Week 4: Social Ecological Systems Pt. 1 - Post 2

Social Ecological Systems Pt. 1

          As society enters the Anthropocene, the connection between humanity and nature is increasingly more important. Social ecological systems connect people to the systems of the Earth. At this time humans are shaping the planet, but are also fundamentally dependent on the capacity of Earth to supply us with the basics of food, water and ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are a necessity to humans. The recycling of basic nutrients and mineral salts that humans need, or the ocean absorbing vast amounts of carbon are examples of ecosystem services. Social ecological systems are what are created when humans intertwine with ecosystems. An example is the lush vegetation that is vital for many species in Madagascar being protected by the native people's traditions and beliefs. An example of a social ecological problem is the lobster trade in the American North East. Over the history of lobster fishing, fisheries have taken precautions to preserve them. Lobster has never been an over-fished population. Yet, lobsters are dying anyway. This is because of the monoculture the fisheries created. Monoculture is the cultivation of a single crop in a given area. The lobsters were never over-fished, but all the lobster's predators were. The fisheries created a simplified ecosystem which left the lobsters highly susceptible to shocks like disease. Society took away the lobsters resilience and now they are incredibly vulnerable to change. As a collective group humanity needs to build resilience itself.  As part of the Anthropocene the environment is and will continue to go through regime shifts, and people need to be ready to deal with those changes. Regime shifts are when ecosystem services or social ecological systems go through changes. An example of a regime shift in an ecosystem service is Newfoundland cod, where the cod is overfished, the fishery shuts down, and the cod no longer provides the protein, money, and jobs that it did before. It is important to remember that regime shifts are not linear, they are most often never expected. They happen at the local scale and they happen at the global scale. Sometimes we are sure they have happened, but most of the time these shifts are ambiguous. Finally, regime shifts are irreversible. Unlike ecological changes, ecosystem services and social ecological systems that go through regime shifts do not restore their original functions. When a hurricane hits, fish populations will move temporarily. When a regime shift is in effect the system, like a dried up lake, will never return to its original capacity. The two main ways regime shifts happen are through shocks to the system, and a reduction of a system's resilience. In the end there are four key strategies to dealing with social ecological regime shifts. Building resilience, meaning growing capacity to handle change. Reducing shock, like disease and simplified systems. Global change, like converting to sustainable paths of growth. And finally, designing novel regimes. New shifts that are beneficial to humanity and the environment. In order to understand and cope with regime shifts, understanding ecological surprises is vital. Ecological and Social Ecological surprises also happen at the local and environmental levels. An example of the importance of these surprises is the increase in coupling of the worlds oil and food markets. After relative stability in global food prices, food and oil prices spiked causing great turbulence and some argue contributed to things like the Arab Spring, where there are these big changes in what people can afford in their daily life. By looking at the ecological and social ecological surprises all over, humanity can start to understand what can happen when environmental shifts occur. It can be discovered what variables, if changed, can be expected to transmit surprises around the world. People and nature are connected like never before. Ecosystems all over the Earth are intertwined with people, and whether it is positive or negative for these systems, it is vital that humanity is prepared for change going forward. 

          Resilience is the capacity to be able to deal with change, not only incremental and sudden change, but also shocks and crisis, to turn crisis into opportunity. Through studying places on the planet where a group of people undergoes change and thrives, scientists have determined that these people often go through a cycle of three phases. First they start to build resilience, they understand their current path is unsustainable. Then they attempt to leave that path but they cannot due to laws, social norms, government policies, or business activities. Finally the forces align and there is a window of opportunity. The society shifts in an entirely new direction that requires skillful leadership to keep on this new sustainable path. This transformation is described in the popular ball-and-cup model. Humanity is in the Anthropocene, and in order to find a window of opportunity it is vital to think about people and nature as totally intertwined. Understanding social ecological systems and how they affect the environment and people is the key to how humanity will thrive in the Anthropocene.