For every solution there are many problems: the role and study of technical systems in socio-environmental coevolution

Leeuw, Sander van der

doi:10.1080/00167223.2012.741887

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…However, a solution to one problem can create other problems (van der Leeuw ), and on Ofu, increased terrestrial production and selective pressures brought about by relocation did, indeed, pose a new set of challenges. The impact of cyclones on a population heavily or even partially reliant on terrestrial production was the development of variation in food production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

Quintus

Clark

2016

Archaeology in Oceania

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Case studies offer an opportunity to examine and highlight relationships among variables in a way that cannot be done through broad comparison. Ofu Island has served as one such case study for understanding human–environment relationships. Here, we use three decades of archaeological investigations – past work of others as well as our own recent research – to formulate a revised model of the historical ecology of the island. We argue that Ofu still holds important clues to understanding the complexity of human–environment relationships, chiefly serving to illustrate the structuring effects of environmental history.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

Quintus

Clark

2016

Archaeology in Oceania

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“…Those unintended consequences are critical. Because of the difference in dimensionality between human perception and human action (in which perception concerns only a limited and biased set of dimensions and action confronts that limited perception with the unlimited dimensionality of the environment's dynamics), all human actions will always generate unanticipated consequences (van der Leeuw, 2012).…”

Section: The Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many authors are devoting attention to future role of ICT in this context (e.g., TWI2050, 2019). Little attention is paid in our ‘progress’ culture to the negative effects of technology (Hüsemann & Hüsemann, 2011) and to the fact that solutions always create unanticipated problems (van der Leeuw, 2012). Often, solutions focus on the shorter term, while the problems they cause show themselves much later.…”

Section: How About the Future?mentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and the role of information processing

Leeuw

2020

Glob. Sustain.

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The various crises that have emerged since 2000 are driven by an increasing maladaptation of our societies’ information processing capabilities to the dynamics in which our societies find themselves. These capabilities have been built up path dependently over centuries, and to understand them we need to look closely at their history. Changes in technology, demography and resource use and environmental change are all part of a co-evolution in which societies’ information processing capacities play a central role. The information and communications technology revolution has accelerated developments in all of these domains and has weakened some fundamental institutions. This paper discusses how these processes might affect the long-term future of our societies.

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“…As cash to purchase additional feed is rarely available (Benin and Pender, 2006), the remainder of the feed is covered through grazing. Due to the increasing human population density in the highlands, an increasing share of the land is used for cropping, thus decreasing the land available for grazing (Tilahun and Schmidt, 2013). The available communal pastures tend to be overgrazed, often leading to soil erosion (Pender and Ehui, 2006).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing social-ecological resilience through social learning: A case study of communal pasture management in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Aregu¹,

Darnhofer²

2015

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

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Social learning processes can play an important role in enabling communities to sustainably manage the natural resources they depend upon. We examine how a community in the highlands of Ethiopia has succeeded to manage its communal pasture sustainably over the past decades. We identified three processes that played a key role in enabling the community to take the window of opportunity offered by a radical policy change to transform their management approach. Firstly, traditional leaders recognized the window of opportunity and mobilized the community. Secondly, a participatory process led to an informal institution that has governed the access and use of the communal pasture. Thirdly, the community was able to effectively interact with various government agencies to safeguard its autonomy. The study thus indicates that, in face of the complexity and uncertainty associated with pervasive change, social-ecological resilience relies on social learning and the ability to engage in open-ended processes. It also emphasizes that rather than promoting technical 'packages' that focus on the biophysical productivity of a natural resource, it may be more effective to facilitate integrative social processes, thereby enabling communities to identify and implement locally adapted management approaches.

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For every solution there are many problems: the role and study of technical systems in socio-environmental coevolution

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

COVID-19 and the role of information processing

Enhancing social-ecological resilience through social learning: A case study of communal pasture management in the Highlands of Ethiopia

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