Disturbances as opportunities: Learning from disturbance‐response parallels in social and ecological systems to better adapt to climate change

Abstract

Disturbances (e.g. fires, floods, windstorms, landslides and tsunamis) are ubiquitous throughout the world. Many social and ecological systems have resilience mechanisms to accommodate and recover from such events. Yet, in an era of directional climate change, adaptation (rather than recovery to the same state) may be the most logical path. In such cases, disturbances, while often unwelcome, may function as opportunities for change. We synthesize the literature on disturbances and adaptation to climate change for both ecological and social systems, attempting to find commonalities and situations where disturbances present adaptation opportunities. We also identify three major characteristics of systems that may drive differential potential for success going forward: their overall richness of actors, their functional overlap in diversity, and their temporal rate of change. Social systems are better positioned to successfully take advantage of disturbance‐generated opportunities to adapt when they support collaboration of diverse interests and engage in pre‐disturbance response planning to seize opportunities when they arise. Ecological systems are well‐positioned for adaptation when they are diverse, populated with species that are tolerant of post‐disturbance environments, and when life‐history traits are well‐matched with the temporal and spatial distribution of those disturbances. Social systems with a lack of planning and inclusive participation and where powerful actors are resistant to change are less able to take advantage of disturbances as adaptational opportunities; ecological systems that are less diverse (spatially and in regards to species composition), especially those dominated by late successional species, are similarly constrained. Overall, we find that disturbances can create opportunities for adaptation when the ecology and social systems are aligned but there are also many situations where this is not true, depending on initial conditions, temporal pace of disturbance and system characteristics. Policy implications. Disturbances, while damaging and often catastrophic in the short term, present climate adaptation opportunities because they can spur reorganization towards climatically suitable systems. Policy makers and advocates should carefully consider current social and ecological conditions, specifically how they will reorganize post‐disturbance, and explore the options available to prepare and take advantage of (inevitable) future disturbances.

Rapid assessment of the biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires to guide urgent management intervention and recovery and lessons for other regions

“…We know that ecological crises will recur with increasing frequency, and we need to plan for this new future. Massive ecological disturbances, like megafires, also disrupt prevailing social and professional practices and norms and can be an opportunity for significant change (Buma & Schultz, 2020). The 2019–2020 fires should trigger a state shift in strategic planning and preparedness, creative adaptation, and new models of collaboration.…”

Direct and indirect disturbance impacts on forest biodiversity

“…Interactions and feedbacks between global disturbance patterns are a major threat to the integrity and function of ecosystems and can result in unprecedented ecological impacts (Burton et al 2020). While this topic has received interest worldwide (C ôté et al 2016, Barnes et al 2017, Buma and Schultz 2020, research on the interactive nature of biodiversity responses to disturbances is limited, but critical for the conservation of ecosystems in a period of rapid, global, environmental change. Based on data from a decade of extensive empirical, multifaceted research, we have demonstrated that the number of standreplacing disturbances and stand age can impact forest structural elements and biodiversity, both directly and indirectly through ecological interactions.…”

Desirable Effects from Disturbance Ecology—A Paradox within Conservation Management

“…Identified obstacles for future natural disturbances could in a long-term perspective generate new types of negative aspects for the national parks. According to Buma, Schultz and Leverkus [4] natural disturbances have the potential to create opportunities for adaptation towards climate change within social and ecological systems. After a natural disturbance such as fire, the environmental area will develop according to new premises, such as increased temperatures.…”

“…For instance, fire has the ability to increase the diversity of both flora and fauna species due to mixed-severity regimes in both temporal and spatial variability [3]. Another example is that disturbances could contribute to national parks' adaptation to climate change and increased temperatures [4]. The importance of natural disturbances for biodiversity is well-documented in the disturbance ecology literature [5][6][7][8], often with a more specific demarcation such as the contribution of fire to forest development [3,[9][10][11][12].…”