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Separating Adaptive Maintenance (Resilience) and Transformative Capacity of Social-Ecological Systems

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posted on 2024-07-26, 13:53 authored by Samuel WilsonSamuel Wilson, Leonie J. Pearson, Yoshihisa Kashima, Dean LusherDean Lusher, Craig Pearson
Many rural communities are vulnerable social-ecological systems (SES) that must do more than become resilient to future environmental and social shocks: they must transform to achieve sustainability. We aimed first to conceptually explore the proposition that SES characteristics (identity, feedbacks, structure, and functions) necessary for transformation may be distinct from those necessary for adaptive maintenance or resilience, and second, to propose metrics that may be used to assess these two types of system changes. We did this by interrogating literature and by investigating two rural towns in Australia using a combination of quantitative methods and focus groups to interrogate community social networks, capitals (human, natural, built, and social) and future scenarios. Results indicated that (1) it is practicable to carry out a holistic assessment of SES characteristics (identity, feedbacks, structure, and functions), and (2) purposeful, positive transformation is supported by vision, identification with place, unhappiness (with the status quo), high personal contribution to social capital, open social networks, and latent capital(s). We conclude that rural communities possess capacities for adaptive maintenance (resilience) and for system-wide transformation, and that the metrics used to assess each are sometimes discrete, sometimes common.

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ISSN

1708-3087

Journal title

Ecology and Society

Volume

18

Issue

1

Article number

article no. 2

Pagination

10 pp

Publisher

Resilience Alliance Publications

Copyright statement

Copyright © 2013 The authors. The authors grant the publisher non-exclusive rights to publish, distribute, and archive the above-named work in journal form, in digital or electronic media, or in any other form. The published version is reproduced in accordance with this policy.

Language

eng

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