Social-Ecological Thresholds in a Changing Boreal Landscape: Insights from Cree Knowledge of the Lesser Slave Lake Region of Alberta, Canada

Parlee, Brenda; Geertsema, K.E.; Willier, Allen

doi:10.5751/es-04410-170220

Cited by 49 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Our research emphasized the relevance of drawing on local resource users' perspectives on changes in system identity and reaffirmed that the ways that fishers perceive social and ecological changes depend on how they are personally affected (consistent with O'Brien and Wolf 2010, Parlee et al 2012). Our approach enabled useful discussion with resource users that at times revealed opposing viewpoints, but also qualitatively demonstrated the relevance of drawing on fishers' perceptions of system identity to characterize transformation processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Crossing a threshold can occur through a single event (sharp and abrupt) or manifest through a series of small, incremental changes (slow and gradual). Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of investigating socially defined thresholds through the desirability of alternative system configurations or identities (e.g., Béné et al 2011, Biggs et al 2011, Parlee et al 2012. The concept of "thresholds of potential concern" has been applied as a means of exploring the relationship between real biophysical thresholds, social construction, and preferences (Biggs et al 2011).…”

Section: A Framework To Assess Transformations Through System Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding social-ecological change and transformation through community perceptions of system identity

Andrachuk¹,

Armitage²

2015

E&S

188

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ABSTRACT. We developed an empirical approach to consider social-ecological system change and transformation by drawing on resource users' knowledge and perceptions. We applied this approach in the Cau Hai lagoon, a coastal area dominated by small-scale fisheries in central Vietnam. Nine focus groups with more than 70 fishers were used to gather information about key social-ecological system elements and interactions, historical social-ecological dynamics, and possible thresholds between distinct social-ecological system identities. The patterns of change in livelihoods and resource exploitation in the Cau Hai lagoon are similar to those seen in other coastal lagoon and small-scale fishery contexts. Our findings show some promise for the use of local knowledge and the perceptions of resource user communities to understand and characterize social-ecological transformations. Importantly, however, we also demonstrate how social-ecological transformations are complicated processes driven by many factors beyond the control of any singular individual or group. We argue that (1) the occurrence of social-ecological transformations can result in either positive or negative outcomes and (2) that we need to direct our thinking away from drawing tidy conclusions about if and when social-ecological transformations take place. Our research also encourages scholars to carefully consider how we frame the benefits of participatory, community-based governance initiatives. Importantly, we need to examine the ways that governance initiatives will be beneficial for some people and detrimental for others, and we need to be fully aware of locally contested interests and acknowledge competing priorities for fisheries management and human well-being. Community-oriented assessments informed by resilience thinking can help to open up questions about economic, political, cultural, and environmental aspects of undesirable path dependencies and traps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: A Framework To Assess Transformations Through System Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding social-ecological change and transformation through community perceptions of system identity

Andrachuk¹,

Armitage²

2015

E&S

188

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“…Ecological changes in Olympic National Park will also impact socioeconomic systems, particularly in the case of salmon fisheries. Here we agree with Parlee et al (2012): "ecological and social systems are linked -the crossing of an ecological threshold will necessarily leave a socioeconomic footprint." In turn, this case study also illustrates how social factors impact ecosystems and raises the question: what kind of social thresholds must be crossed in order to be able to avoid or adapt to ecological thresholds?…”

Section: Conclusion: From Ecological To Social Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…In turn, this case study also illustrates how social factors impact ecosystems and raises the question: what kind of social thresholds must be crossed in order to be able to avoid or adapt to ecological thresholds? Parlee et al (2012) identify social drivers of ecological thresholds at local and regional scales, but we also need to consider social drivers at global scales such as those influencing climate change. Navigating ecological thresholds will require larger-scale (national and global) policy changes.…”

Section: Conclusion: From Ecological To Social Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Critical Thresholds in Natural Resource Management: A Case Study of Olympic National Park

Petersen

Stuart

2017

J. of Extr. Even.

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As global climate change brings an increasing number of ecosystems closer to critical thresholds, land managers face new challenges regarding how to avoid and/or adapt to these dramatic changes. This paper focuses on park management for wildlife species in Olympic National Park, United States. The Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) and anadromous fish species are of specific concern, as ecosystems near thresholds due to warming temperatures, change in species interactions, and the loss or degradation of critical habitat. Interviews with 30 park managers and government agency staff indicate that there are many barriers to successfully navigating ecological thresholds. Park managers have limited resources for monitoring and priorities still focus on current conditions rather than anticipating future ecosystem change. In addition, many drivers of ecological change take place outside of park boundaries and require larger-scale approaches. In order to proactively navigate thresholds and protect wildlife species, park managers will need more resources, flexibility, and cooperation outside of park boundaries.

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“…By working with the community to reflect on changes in the past, community residents were able to backcast to how previous developments have appeared to foster or hinder the status of desirable community conditions, and this exercise further allowed those community members to link management practices to desirable industrial and land management practices. Parlee et al (2012) developed a similar approach to understand social-ecological thresholds in a community in northern Alberta where local expert interviews yielded perceived correlations and/or patterns of cause-effect between resource development activities and observed ecological change. These authors, like Christensen and Krogman (2012), suggest that local people need to first be able to reconstruct the history of ecological change to identify future tipping points that jeopardize a healthy resource base.…”

Section: Thresholds Adaptive Capacity and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulative Effects Assessment: Linking Social, Ecological, and Governance Dimensions

Weber¹,

Krogman²,

Antoniuk³

2012

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Setting social, economic, and ecological objectives is ultimately a process of social choice informed by science. In this special feature we provide a multidisciplinary framework for the use of cumulative effects assessment in land use planning. Forest ecosystems are facing considerable challenges driven by population growth and increasing demands for resources. In a suite of case studies that span the boreal forest of Western Canada to the interior Atlantic forest of Paraguay we show how transparent and defensible methods for scenario analysis can be applied in data-limited regions and how social dimensions of land use change can be incorporated in these methods, particularly in aboriginal communities that have lived in these ecosystems for generations. The case studies explore how scenario analysis can be used to evaluate various land use options and highlight specific challenges with identifying social and ecological responses, determining thresholds and targets for land use, and integrating local and traditional knowledge in land use planning. Given that land use planning is ultimately a value-laden and often politically charged process we also provide some perspective on various collective and expert-based processes for identifying cumulative impacts and thresholds. The need for good science to inform and be informed by culturally appropriate democratic processes calls for well-planned and multifaceted approaches both to achieve an informed understanding of both residents and governments of the interactive and additive changes caused by development, and to design action agendas to influence such change at the ecological and social level.

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Social-Ecological Thresholds in a Changing Boreal Landscape: Insights from Cree Knowledge of the Lesser Slave Lake Region of Alberta, Canada

Cited by 49 publications

References 23 publications

Understanding social-ecological change and transformation through community perceptions of system identity

Understanding social-ecological change and transformation through community perceptions of system identity

Navigating Critical Thresholds in Natural Resource Management: A Case Study of Olympic National Park

Cumulative Effects Assessment: Linking Social, Ecological, and Governance Dimensions

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