Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1.3.
S
OCIAL
R
ESILIENCE
The concept of dependency stems from a rural sociological perspective on
communities and their interaction with risky resources,[25] Under this concept
of dependency, the promotion of specialization in economic activities has
negative consequences in terms of risk for individuals within communities and
for communities themselves. Social resilience is therefore observed by
examining positive and negative aspects of social exclusion, marginalization
and social capital.
Resource dependency relates to communities and individuals whose social
order, livelihood and stability are a direct function of their resource production
and localized economy There are number of elements by which the
consequences of dependency can be observed: income stability, and social
stability and migration. The dependency of individuals within a resource
system does not necessarily depend on reliance on a single crop or fish stock,
but in some circumstances on dependence on an integrated ecosystem. This is
particularly the case with coastal resources in ‗fishing communities are best
understood as dependent not on a single resource but on a whole ecosystem.
This expanded understanding of tropical coastal resources is the key to
stability for households and communities in South East Asia's coastal zones'.
As an example of the links between ecosystem and social resilience, the
demand for diverse and resilient resources partially determines location for
settlement. Differential concentrations of population across a landscape reflect
the differing levels of comparative advantage in economic, political and social
parameters of each site. Communities dependent on a single underground
mineral resource are however severely constrained in their ability to adapt
partly because subsoil resources appear to be randomly distributed across
geographical areas. By contrast, coastal resources are attractive regions for
economic growth and support an increasing proportion of the world's
population because they are inherently diverse, allow multiple social and
economic niches and hence are resilient compared to areas dependent on a
single resource.
The complexity of tropical coastal resource systems significantly reduces
vulnerability to sudden economic misfortune and to community instability'.
Such complexity and vulnerability in the southeast Asian context depend on a
host of complex institutional arrangements.. Vulnerability and resilience must
then be contextualized by these social and institutional factors. Coastal
communities can be dependent to a greater or lesser degree on coastal
resources for their livelihood. These resources in themselves may be diverse
