The Social-Ecological Keystone Concept: A Quantifiable Metaphor for Understanding the Structure, Function, and Resilience of a Biocultural System

Winter, Kāwika B.; Lincoln, Noa Kekuewa; Berkes, Fikret

doi:10.3390/su10093294

Cited by 51 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…Our research yielded information that can be grouped into six aspects of biocultural resource management that are relevant to what Winter et al [21] referred to as the "Hawaiian social-ecological system".…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hawaiians in the pre-contact era used taxonomy to attribute names to specific units of biodiversity in their social-ecological system [25], which provided a means to manage the components at the foundation of a diverse range of sociocultural traditions. The management of biocultural diversity has been identified as an important aspect of maintaining-and potentially restoring-the structure, function, and resilience of social-ecological systems [21]. The same concept can be applied to food systems.…”

Section: Aspect 4: Ensuring High Levels Of Biodiversity Resulted In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi

et al. 2018

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Through research, restoration of agro-ecological sites, and a renaissance of cultural awareness in Hawaiʻi, there has been a growing recognition of the ingenuity of the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system. The contemporary term for this system, “the ahupuaʻa system”, does not accurately convey the nuances of system function, and it inhibits an understanding about the complexity of the system’s management. We examined six aspects of the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system to understand its framework for systematic management. Based on a more holistic understanding of this system’s structure and function, we introduce the term, “the moku system”, to describe the Hawaiian biocultural resource management system, which divided large islands into social-ecological regions and further into interrelated social-ecological communities. This system had several social-ecological zones running horizontally across each region, which divided individual communities vertically while connecting them to adjacent communities horizontally; and, thus, created a mosaic that contained forested landscapes, cultural landscapes, and seascapes, which synergistically harnessed a diversity of ecosystem services to facilitate an abundance of biocultural resources. “The moku system”, is a term that is more conducive to large-scale biocultural restoration in the contemporary period, while being inclusive of the smaller-scale divisions that allowed for a highly functional system.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aspect 4: Ensuring High Levels Of Biodiversity Resulted In Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi

et al. 2018

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“…The transition from livestock farming to game farming in the Amakhala area had profound ecological as well as social consequences, which we argue represent a social-ecological regime shift. Three criteria for identifying potential social-ecological regime shifts have been identified [16][17][18][19]: (1) a large change or reorganization of a social-ecological system has been observed or proposed; (2) the change affects the set of ecosystem services provided by the system, with potential consequences for human wellbeing; and (3) established or proposed feedback mechanisms exist that create and maintain the different regimes so that the change is persistent and not readily reversible. We discuss the shift from livestock to game farming in Amakhala in light of these criteria, emphasizing that the shift is associated with a complex set of inter-related social and ecological changes that lead to a complex set of changes in costs and benefits from an ecological, social, and economic perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper applies a social-ecological regime shift framework [16] to understand the transition from livestock farming to game farming, focusing specifically on the Amakhala game reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. While various studies have investigated different dimensions of this land use transition, none have applied a regime shift approach to understand the interconnected social and ecological drivers, impacts, and implications for human wellbeing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Achieng

Maciejewski

Dyer

et al. 2020

Land

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This study explored the shift in land use from livestock farming to game farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, from a social-ecological regime shift perspective. A regime shift can be defined as a large, persistent change in the structure and function of the intertwined social and ecological components of a landscape. This research focused on the Amakhala game reserve as a case study to understand how the shift affected the provision of ecosystem services and human wellbeing. We used remote sensing techniques to quantify changes in vegetation and found evidence of vegetation recovery following the shift. We then conducted interviews with both landowners and farmworkers and used participatory mapping to understand their perceptions of the main drivers and social-ecological impacts of the shift in land use. Social narratives revealed stark differences in different stakeholders’ perceptions, highlighting that the change in land use had varied implications for, and were perceived differently by, different stakeholders. Farmworkers emphasized changes in social structures that weakened community bonds and erased valued connections to the land. At the same time, they increased employment of women, skills development, and increased wages as benefits of the new game farming regime. Landowners, on the other hand, indicated financial gains from the land use change. The transition therefore resulted in trade-offs that surfaced as social, economic, and cultural losses and gains. These changes, especially in social relationships and community structures, have implications for resilience and possible future pathways of development in the region.

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“…In Hawai'i, breadfruit served as an important staple crop prior to European arrival (Winter et al, 2018), playing an important role in agroecosystems and socio‐political development (Lincoln and Ladefoged, 2014). Following contact, Hawai'i experienced a rapid decline in diversified traditional agricultural systems and crops, replaced by large‐scale mono‐culture for export markets akin to many colonized tropical societies (Levin, 2015; Kagawa‐Viviani et al, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

Early Growth of Breadfruit in a Variety × Environment Trial

et al. 2019

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Breadfruit [Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg] is growing in agronomic importance throughout the global tropics as a result of its potentially high yield and nutritious, carbohydrate‐rich fruit. A bottleneck to expanded production of breadfruit is the lack of agronomic performance metrics and growth parameters, including an understanding of variety × environment interactions among commonly grown varieties. To address this knowledge gap, four varieties of breadfruit (‘Otea, Fiti, Pua‘a, Ma‘afala) available at the commercial scale were established in a randomized complete block design at five diverse sites in Hawai'i. Soil, architectural, physiological, and climate data were collected on 18‐mo‐old trees in 2018. Growth rates varied considerably for height (0.44–2.78 m yr−1), diameter at breast height (0.85–5.19 cm yr−1), and canopy width (0.14–1.35 m yr−1). Diameter was significantly correlated to tree height (r2 = 0.88), canopy width (r2 = 0.83), and canopy volume (r2 = 0.94). Growth was significantly different between sites, and some variety × site interactions were significant. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were used to explore relationships between growth and climate, soils, and architecture. Future work will focus on the continued evaluation of variety × environmental influence on fruit production and fruit quality and on promoting this network of sites as a valuable resource for the study of an underutilized crop species with substantial potential to be a major crop in the tropics. Core Ideas Breadfruit, while rapidly growing in importance globally, suffers from a lack of agronomic study. To our knowledge, the first variety × environment trial network of breadfruit was established in Hawai'i. Examination of initial growth rates show considerably higher rates than represented in the literature. Multiple climate and soil parameters significantly correlate to early growth.

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The Social-Ecological Keystone Concept: A Quantifiable Metaphor for Understanding the Structure, Function, and Resilience of a Biocultural System

Cited by 51 publications

References 36 publications

The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi

The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi

Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Early Growth of Breadfruit in a Variety × Environment Trial

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