Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 11.2. In Idaho, USA, a regional rangeland landscape encompassing public and pri-
vate lands has provided an appropriate social-ecological context for the systems integration of
collaborative ranching, conservation, and restoration of wetlands and wolves. (Photos by
D. Brunckhorst)
Chapters 6, 7, 9, and 12 explore the potentials and pitfalls of various locally driven
comanagement schemes. Implementation of comanagement is considered difficult,
but it can be facilitated or can emerge through local institutional design or evolution
consistent with principles of participation, process and power sharing, and, again, is
often geographically consistent with a particular social-ecological context of place
(see fig. 11.1). The emergence of comanagement in such contexts as these authors de-
scribe builds trust through collaboration, partnerships, and evolving (often novel and
transformative) institutional arrangements. 9 The result should not be stagnant, but a
continuing adaptive dance—learning by doing—that builds not only resilience for so-
cial and ecological elements, patterns, and processes in the landscape but also in-
creases transformative adaptive capacity, that is, the flexibility to deal with the un-
known challenges of the future (see chaps. 13, 17, this volume).
Conclusion
The short-sighted shuffle of many of our politicians and policy makers must gain
rhythm and purpose to dance to a faster, upbeat tune. The local to global environ-
mental policy and actionmust be bipartisan and apolitical—for the good of all, includ-
ing the economy. There is hope, optimism, enthusiasm, and growing capacity for what,
together, we can do. A future echo will not be hollow, but a resounding, “Together, we
can fix the environment and that will make for a healthy economy and society.”
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