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The ecosystem approach.

Complexity, Uncertainty, and Managing for Sustainability

David Waltner-Toews, James J. Kay, and Nina-Marie E. Lister

Columbia University Press

Pub Date: August 2008

ISBN: 9780231132510

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A copy of The Ecosystem Approach should be placed on the desk of every engineer, manager, environmentalist, politician and teacher. Kyrke Gaudreau, Alternatives Journal

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The ecosystem approach : five steps to implementation

The Ecosystem Approach puts people and their natural resource use practices squarely at the centre of decision-making. Because of this, the Ecosystem Approach can be used to seek a balance between the conservation and use of biological diversity. This publication provides practical guidance on how to use the Ecosystem Approach in planning field activities. By helping stakeholders to identify and understand the processes of change in their ecosystem, it enables them to plan adaptive management strategies with which to face a sustainable future.

Biodiversity Terms

A glossary of definitions for terms relating to biodiversity, ecosystems services and conservation.

All definitions are referenced, where possible preference has been given to internationally recognised definitions (for example those defined by international conventions or agreements). The terms have been chosen to support understanding of biodiversity and conservation issues, and terms relating to biodiversity loss are complemented by those relating to conservation responses supported by international conservation organisations, governments, scientists and business sectors.

More detailed explanations are provided for a number of key terms, to provide further background information.

The terms can be filtered by category to aid in the navigation of the many definitions.

Ecosystem approach

A strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. An ecosystem approach is based on the application of appropriate scientific methods, focused on levels of biological organization that encompass the essential structure, processes, functions and interactions among and between organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of many ecosystems.

CBD (2004)   1

Notes on definition

Further definitions, introduction, consensus-driven definitions, application of the ecosystem approach.

There are a number of definitions for ecosystem approach, further complicated by the existence of two other similar terms: Ecosystem-based management and ecosystem management. There are only minor differences between most of the operative components of each of the three terms, and as a result the definitions could be considered equivalent. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) guidelines consider ecosystem based management to be a supporting concept to the ecosystem approach   2 . In addition, it has been demonstrated that the terms ecosystem management and ecosystem-based management have been used more or less interchangeably   3 . Further to this, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) work on the “Ecosystem-based Management of Fisheries” draws heavily on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s ecosystem approach   4 as does the United Nations Environment Programme’s implementation of ecosystem management   5 .

There are a number of key components that consistently appear in these related definitions. Almost all definitions refer to the idea of protecting or conserving the environment. There is also a heavy emphasis on scientific information being used in ‘systems thinking’ (i.e. understanding that management of an area must take into account the multiple, complex interactions that occur within it), and ‘ sustainable use ’ (assessing an appropriate level of consumption of ecosystem services that does not endanger the health of the ecosystem). In addition, the human or societal component of the system is recognised as essential to consider when implementing management.

Explanatory Text from Convention on Biological Diversity

“Application of the ecosystem approach will help to reach a balance of the three objectives of the Convention; conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.It is based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies focused on levels of biological organization which encompass the essential processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of ecosystems.”

Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties 5   1

Additional Convention Definition – ‘Ecosystem Approach’

The comprehensive integrated management of human activities based on the best available scientific knowledge about the ecosystem and its dynamics, in order to identify and take action on influences which are critical to the health of marine ecosystems, thereby achieving sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services and maintenance of ecosystem integrity.

OSPAR Convention, the Helsinki Convention, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)   5 ,   6

Scientific Consensus Statement – ‘Marine Ecosystem-Based Management’

Ecosystem-based management is an integrated approach to management that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans.

Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS) (2005).  A definition signed by more than 200 scientists and ocean and coastal policy experts   8

Explanatory Text from COMPASS:

• emphasizes the protection of ecosystem structure, functioning, and key processes;
• is place-based in focusing on a specific ecosystem and the range of activities affecting it;
• explicitly accounts for the interconnectedness within systems, recognizing the importance of interactions between many target species or key services and other non-target species;
• acknowledges interconnectedness among systems, such as between air, land and sea; and
• integrates ecological, social, economic, and institutional perspectives, recognizing their strong interdependence."

COMPASS (2005) Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Ecosystem-Based Management   8

The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)

An approach to fisheries management and development that strives to balance diverse societal objectives, by taking into account the knowledge and uncertainties about biotic, abiotic and human components of ecosystems and their interactions and applying an integrated approach to fisheries within ecologically meaningful boundaries.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2003) The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries   9

Further Explanatory Text from the FAO

“The purpose of an ecosystem approach to fisheries is to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiplicity of societal needs and desires, without jeopardizing the options for future generations to benefit from a full range of goods and services provided by marine ecosystems”.

• Ecosystem approach is conceptually similar and therefore currently used in a synonymous way to ecosystem-based management and ecosystem management. Key themes addressed throughout these concepts are: the protection of the environment, systems thinking, spatial scales, sustainable use and the human component.
• The ecosystem approach is the primary framework for action under the CBD. The framework is built on twelve complementary and interlinked principles.
• Integration of the ecosystem approach can occur at international, national and regional level. The method provides an adaptive tool for use at the landscape / seascape scale.
• The ecosystem approach has been criticized for its broadness, making its interpretation and application to specific problem-scenarios challenging. Tools and case studies are being produced by the CBD for guidance.

The ecosystem approach is primarily concerned with management at a systems level rather than focusing on individual species or habitats. It aims to take into account both the environmental and social contexts and thus provide a more integrated management methodology.

Ecosystem management as a concept, has been formally around since at least the introduction of conservation ethics by Aldo Leopold in 1966.   9 The CBD definition of the ecosystem approach was developed through a number of workshops and seminars involving scientists and conservationists from around the world between 1995 and 2000   10 . The ecosystem approach has recently been best integrated into fisheries management. It is included within international European legislative frameworks such as the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive   11 . Here the ecosystem approach is explicitly referred to in the context of adaptive management with the aim of attaining good environmental status in the European Regional Seas. In addition, the concept of an ecosystem approach is included within national level guidelines produced by governments, for example, in the United States of America   12 . The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been leading globally and has produced technical guidelines   9 which are referenced within many of the national and regional strategies   12 ,   13 .

The CBD definition of ecosystem approach exists within a Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) decision and has therefore gone through a consensus process involving governments in its creation. Another consensus driven process was run by the FAO who initially tried to agree a consensus definition for ecosystem-based Fisheries Management in 2001 but there were issues with adopting the proposed definition related to the relative importance of incorporated environmental, social and economic concerns   9 . They succeeded in adopting a definition for ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) by the FAO Technical Consultation in 2002. The term “approach” indicates that the concept incorporates ecosystem considerations into more conventional fisheries management and therefore more in line with the breadth of the FAO work   9 . A scientific consensus agreed definition for ecosystem-based management was also led by the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (Compass), who coordinated a group of scientists based in institutions in the United States of America, to produce the definition. While not agreed at governmental level in an MEA forum, the consensus statement was signed by over 200 scientists and policy experts   8 .

The Convention on Biological Diversity provides detailed principles and rationale to articulate the ecosystem approach as defined by the convention   1 . The ecosystem approach is considered to be the primary framework for action under the CBD. The integration of the ecosystem approach has occurred at various levels. For example at an international level, relation to sustainable fisheries, the UN General Assembly encouraged States to apply, by 2010, an ecosystem approach   14 . One key feature of the ecosystem approach is that it is a broader method to the traditional system of site protection. It can be applied to the wider environment regardless of the state of protection and can be used at many scales and takes into account human interactions. Therefore it provides an adaptive tool for use at the landscape and seascape scale. One criticism which has been levied at the ecosystem approach is that it is very challenging to interpret the concept and apply it to specific problem scenarios   10 . The CBD thus continues to produce tools and case studies to aid in the interpretation and applicability of the concept   15 .

References & Websites

• United Nations Environment Programme, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2004) The Ecosystem Approach, (CBD Guidelines) Montreal: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity 50 p.
• Leech S, Wiensczyk A, Turner J (2009) Ecosystem management: A practitioners’ guide. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 10:1–12
• UNEP (2001) Ecosystem-based Management of Fisheries: Opportunities and challenges for coordination between marine Regional Fishery Bodies and Regional Seas Conventions. UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 175. UNEP, 2001. 52 pp
• UNEP (2009) Ecosystem management programme: A new approach to sustainability. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
• ICES (2005) ICES Cooperative Research Report no.273 Guidance on the Application of the Ecosystem Approach to Management of Human Activities in the European Marine Environment. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Secretariat of the Helsinki & OSPAR Commissions (2003) Record of the First Joint Ministerial Meeting of the Helsinki and OSPAR Commissions. Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area & OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, Bremen, Germany
• McLeod KL, Lubchenco J, Palumbi RS, Rosenberg AA (2005) Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Ecosystem-Based Management. Signed by 221 academic scientists and policy experts with relevant expertise and published by the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS)
• FAO (2003) The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries, No.4 (Suppl. 2). FAO, Rome, Italy
• Smith RD, Maltby E (2003) Using the Ecosystem Approach to Implement the Convention on Biological Diversity Key Issues and Case Studies Using the Ecosystem Approach to Implement the Convention on Biological Diversity Key Issues and Case Studies. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
• European Union (2008) Directive 2008/56/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive). OJ L/164
• Holliday MC, Gautam AB (eds) (2005) Developing Regional Marine Ecosystem Approaches to Management. NOAA, Maryland, USA
• Garcia S, Cochrane K (2005) Ecosystem approach to fisheries: a review of implementation guidelines. ICES Journal of Marine Science 62:311–318
• UN General Assembly Secretariat (2008) Resolution 62/177. A/RES/62/177. United Nations General Assembly, Brussels, Belgium
• CBD Secretariat (2012) CBD Ecosystem Approach. In: CBD Website.

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An ecosystem approach to problem solving

By Jeng Yi Choong , Kepner-Tregoe

• Leadership Fundamentals Meet organizational challenges with effective leadership Learn more

Your business exists as part of a value chain – transforming raw materials into the products and services that customers need. You aren’t alone in this value chain – there are other ecosystems with you. Suppliers, partners, customers, competitors and regulators all play a role in your company’s success. Why then, do most companies approach problem-solving is an isolated activity constrained to their immediate sphere of influence rather than involving ecosystem partners? In many cases, the answer is, they don’t know where to begin.

Here are seven tips that your company can use to successfully utilize an ecosystem approach to solving problems:

1. Focus on the shared goal – creating value for customers. Regardless of their role, each party in the value-chain is there to meet the customer’s needs. By focusing on this shared goal, you will have a foundation for solving the immediate problems and identifying the opportunities to work better together in the future.

2. Understand the objective of each party , what success looks like and what motivates them. Companies are made up of humans who are (by their nature) “selfish-beings”. Each person (or organization) will make the choices that they believe will best suit their immediate and/or long-term needs and objectives. Understanding what each party desires out of the situation will enable you to facilitate an outcome that is (ideally) a win-win or at least a fair compromise.

3. Facilitate the flow of information and communication. This is the key to maintaining engagement over time and where an ecosystem approach to problem-solving often becomes in-efficient and breaks down. Information is created, analyzed and consumed throughout the eco-system but (cultural, process, organizational, and logistical) barriers prevent information from being openly shared. Facilitating information flow and removing un-necessary boundaries is key to enabling the parties to work effectively as a team.

4. Zoom out and look at the bigger picture beyond the immediate problem. The reason ecosystem problem-solving is so effective is because it enables you to look beyond the scope of your company to find causes and impacts in the broader environment that are either contributing to the problem or could play a role in resolving it.

5. Leverage external points of view to develop a more complete perspective. Partners provide the capability for an expanded perspective, but it is up to you to assemble the various pieces of the puzzle to see the big picture opportunities.

6. Provide leadership and structure to the problem-solving effort . Highly-effective teams are coordinated, and each player knows both the role they need to play and who to look to for direction. It doesn’t have to be you, but make sure someone is herding the cats.

7. Acknowledge contributions and engagement to encourage ecosystem partners to support the next time you encounter a problem. Remember that the relationships that exist in the ecosystem extend beyond the immediate problem. Take the opportunity to thank your partners as a means of strengthening the relationships in preparation for the next shared problem or opportunity.

Companies that learn to successfully leverage ecosystem partners in the problem-solving processes gain access to a wealth of knowledge and diverse perspectives. This can lead them to more effective solutions and uncover hidden opportunities for future growth that they may have otherwise discovered.

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Ecosystems are deeply interconnected – environmental research, policy and management should be too

Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Waikato

Director of the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Disclosure statement

Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher receives funding from philanthropy, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), including from the National Science Challenges, the Marsden Fund and the Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Conrad Pilditch receives funding from Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), including the National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas, Marsden Fund and regional councils. He is a member of the Sustainable Seas Challenge Leadership Team.

Simon Francis Thrush receives funding from MBIE, government agencies, international organisations and philanthropy. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

University of Auckland and University of Waikato provide funding as members of The Conversation AU.

University of Waikato and University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau provide funding as members of The Conversation NZ.

View all partners

Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or are we unable, even unwilling, to use that information better?

We have a lot to learn still, but as we show in our research , using current ecological knowledge more effectively could deliver substantial environmental gains.

Our work focuses on improving links between research and ecosystem management to identify key trigger points for action in a framework that joins land, freshwater and sea ecosystems.

Specifically, we investigate solutions to environmental and societal problems that stem from the disparities between scientific research, policy and management responses to environmental issues.

We need managers and policy makers to consider ecological tipping points and how they can cascade though ecosystems from land into rivers and lakes and, ultimately, the ocean.

Our work’s standing among global research aimed at stopping ecosystem collapse has been recognised as one of 23 national champions in this year’s Frontiers Planet Prize .

Read more: Our oceans are in deep trouble – a 'mountains to sea' approach could make a real difference

More holistic solutions

This issue came into focus when New Zealand set up research collaborations known as national science challenges a decade ago to solve “wicked” social and ecological problems.

The challenges focused on environmental issues were deliberately created to concentrate on separate ecosystem and management domains (marine, freshwater and land). But all included research groups addressing ecological tipping points.

This was our inspirational spark. Our research highlights the consequences of managing land, freshwater and sea ecosystems in socially constructed bubbles. We focus on solutions where social and ecological connections are at the forefront of environmental management practices and decisions.

An example is the movement of pollutants such as microplastics from the land to the sea. Most of the microplastics found along coasts and in harbours are blown or washed off the land. While this pollution is a well recognised environmental threat to the marine environment, we have not yet focused on strategies to reduce the load.

Our work points to the ignored but critical issue that people’s impacts on land accumulate in the sea, but land management and consequent actions are not informed by these far-field effects.

This leads to lags in decision making which create undesirable environmental outcomes that are difficult to return from. But if we act on these connections, the environmental gains could be substantial.

Cyclones as a real-world example

As a result of massive soil erosion on the east coast of the North Island during Cyclone Bola in 1988, steep hillsides were retired from grazing and converted to pine plantations to help stabilise the land.

Fast forward three decades and a large proportion of the forest reached harvest at the same time. The exposed soil associated with clear felling was left draped in woody debris to protect it from rain.

However, Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February last year, with extreme rainfall washing both soil and woody debris into streams.

This destroyed habitats, transported vast amounts of silt and wrecked lowland farms, orchards and critical infrastructure. The debris also clogged harbours and coastal beaches, smothered seafloor habitats, destroyed fisheries and affected cultural and recreational values.

This real-world example demonstrates the severe consequences of lags in information flow and management responses. If land-use management decisions had considered the effects on other connected ecosystems and the potential for climate change to intensify those connections, the outcomes could have been different.

We could have implemented more diverse strategies in land use and put emphasis on restoring native forest and coastal wetlands.

Read more: Cyclone Gabrielle triggered more destructive forestry 'slash' – NZ must change how it grows trees on fragile land

Living with nature, not off it

Our vision is one where social and ecological connections across ecosystem domains are at the forefront of moving to a more sustainable future.

Living within planetary boundaries requires a paradigm shift in behaviours, including the way we link science and management to on-the-ground action. Crucially, we need to increase the speed at which new research is taken up and rapidly transition this into action that improves environmental outcomes at local scales.

This behavioural shift underpins the way to a more integrated, broad-scale ability to act and stay within planetary boundaries.

Our research shows we can, with trust and open minds, transcend the disciplinary silos to support new forms of research organisation. The challenge now is to extend holistic approaches into new practices.

Read more: NZ’s vital kelp forests are in peril from ocean warming – threatening the important species that rely on them

This means identifying opportunities where connected research can alter behaviours across society, from individuals to global finance and governance. Central to this transition is recognising we are part of complex social and ecological systems and our actions have indirect effects and long-term consequences.

We need new research to provide this evidence. It will inevitably lead to new questions about fundamental ecological and integrated Earth processes.

We believe these holistic approaches will allow science to be more readily incorporated into decision making and ensure environmental perspectives are captured. This will lead to relevant, locally appropriate, integrated and robust environmental management actions.

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• Cyclone Gabrielle
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Environmental Problem Solving

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Sometimes, the best solution for an environmental problem is obvious. Other times there may be no immediately apparent solution. More often, there are many possible solutions. In all cases, identifying, comparing, and assessing all possible options is necessary to determine where critical resources should be invested to solve environmental problems. Environmental professionals approach problems with an open mind, clearly identifying the challenge at hand and purposefully evaluating possible solutions. This chapter provides a framework for identifying, evaluating, and implementing potential solutions that can be used to guide any problem solving activity.

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American Society for Quality. Problem Solving Resources. http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/problem-solving/overview/overview.html

Association for Psychological Science. 2012. "To 'think outside the box,' think outside the box." ScienceDaily. 24 January 2012. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123175800.htm

Papano, L. 2014. Learning to think outside the box. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/education/edlife/creativity-becomes-an-academic-discipline.html

Skills You Need: Problem Solving. https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/problem-solving.html

Benda, L.E., Poff, L.N., Tague, C., Palmer, M.A., Pizzuto, J., Cooper, S., Stanley, E. and Moglen, G. 2002. How to avoid train wrecks when using science in environmental problem solving. AIBS Bulletin 52(12): 1127-1136.

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RGGI. 2018. CO 2 Emissions from Electricity Generation and Imports in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: 2015 Monitoring Report. https://www.rggi.org/sites/default/files/Uploads/Electricity-Monitoring-Reports/2015_Elec_Monitoring_Report.pdf

Swanson, F.J. 2015. Confluence of arts, humanities, and science at sites of long-term ecological inquiry. Ecosphere 6(8):1-23.

Harte, J. 1988. Consider a Spherical Cow: A Course in Environmental Problem Solving . University Science Books.

Levitt, S.D. and Dubner, S.J. 2014. Think like a Freak. William Morrow Publ. 288 p.

Sloane, P. 2010. How to be a Brilliant Thinker: Exercise your Mind and Find Creative Solutions. Kogan Page Publ. 208 p.

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Pontius, J., McIntosh, A. (2020). Environmental Problem Solving. In: Critical Skills for Environmental Professionals. Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28542-5_8

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Ecosystems are deeply interconnected—environmental research, policy and management should be too

by Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Conrad Pilditch and Simon Francis Thrush, The Conversation

Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth's fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don't have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or are we unable, even unwilling, to use that information better?

We have a lot to learn still, but as we show in our research , using current ecological knowledge more effectively could deliver substantial environmental gains.

Our work focuses on improving links between research and ecosystem management to identify key trigger points for action in a framework that joins land, freshwater and sea ecosystems.

Specifically, we investigate solutions to environmental and societal problems that stem from the disparities between scientific research , policy and management responses to environmental issues.

We need managers and policy makers to consider ecological tipping points and how they can cascade though ecosystems from land into rivers and lakes and, ultimately, the ocean.

Our work's standing among global research aimed at stopping ecosystem collapse has been recognized as one of 23 national champions in this year's Frontiers Planet Prize .

More holistic solutions

This issue came into focus when New Zealand set up research collaborations known as national science challenges a decade ago to solve "wicked" social and ecological problems.

The challenges focused on environmental issues were deliberately created to concentrate on separate ecosystem and management domains (marine, freshwater and land). But all included research groups addressing ecological tipping points.

This was our inspirational spark. Our research highlights the consequences of managing land, freshwater and sea ecosystems in socially constructed bubbles. We focus on solutions where social and ecological connections are at the forefront of environmental management practices and decisions.

An example is the movement of pollutants such as microplastics from the land to the sea. Most of the microplastics found along coasts and in harbors are blown or washed off the land. While this pollution is a well recognized environmental threat to the marine environment , we have not yet focused on strategies to reduce the load.

Our work points to the ignored but critical issue that people's impacts on land accumulate in the sea, but land management and consequent actions are not informed by these far-field effects.

This leads to lags in decision making which create undesirable environmental outcomes that are difficult to return from. But if we act on these connections, the environmental gains could be substantial.

Cyclones as a real-world example

As a result of massive soil erosion on the east coast of the North Island during Cyclone Bola in 1988, steep hillsides were retired from grazing and converted to pine plantations to help stabilize the land.

Fast forward three decades and a large proportion of the forest reached harvest at the same time. The exposed soil associated with clear felling was left draped in woody debris to protect it from rain.

However, Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February last year, with extreme rainfall washing both soil and woody debris into streams.

This destroyed habitats, transported vast amounts of silt and wrecked lowland farms, orchards and critical infrastructure. The debris also clogged harbors and coastal beaches, smothered seafloor habitats, destroyed fisheries and affected cultural and recreational values.

This real-world example demonstrates the severe consequences of lags in information flow and management responses. If land-use management decisions had considered the effects on other connected ecosystems and the potential for climate change to intensify those connections, the outcomes could have been different.

We could have implemented more diverse strategies in land use and put emphasis on restoring native forest and coastal wetlands.

Living with nature, not off it

Our vision is one where social and ecological connections across ecosystem domains are at the forefront of moving to a more sustainable future.

Living within planetary boundaries requires a paradigm shift in behaviors, including the way we link science and management to on-the-ground action. Crucially, we need to increase the speed at which new research is taken up and rapidly transition this into action that improves environmental outcomes at local scales.

This behavioral shift underpins the way to a more integrated, broad-scale ability to act and stay within planetary boundaries.

Our research shows we can, with trust and open minds, transcend the disciplinary silos to support new forms of research organization. The challenge now is to extend holistic approaches into new practices.

This means identifying opportunities where connected research can alter behaviors across society, from individuals to global finance and governance. Central to this transition is recognizing we are part of complex social and ecological systems and our actions have indirect effects and long-term consequences.

We need new research to provide this evidence. It will inevitably lead to new questions about fundamental ecological and integrated Earth processes.

We believe these holistic approaches will allow science to be more readily incorporated into decision making and ensure environmental perspectives are captured. This will lead to relevant, locally appropriate, integrated and robust environmental management actions.

Provided by The Conversation

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Professor shares how Indigenous traditions can help solve problems like climate change

Dr. Daniel Wildcat suggests the approach of Native peoples offers some viable alternatives to Western European methodologies.

The world is certainly full of problems. Things like climate change, toxic politics, air and water pollution and unrestrained growth seem like insurmountable challenges. But Dr. Daniel Wildcat believes there’s hope and even possible solutions.

“Everyone’s heard the apocryphal quote attributed to Albert Einstein - there’s no evidence he ever said it, but it goes something like this: ‘You can’t fix problems with the same kind of thinking that created them.’ I think we’re at a great opportunity here to explore people who feel differently about the world.”

Daniel Wildcat is a professor at the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. He is himself a member of the Yuchi and Muscogee tribes. He also has a great deal of respect for the similar worldviews espoused by a tribe that calls Florida home.

“What I like about my own indigenous traditions and the indigenous traditions of the Seminole (Tribe) I think we have an appreciation for our human place and the balance of creation.”

Whereas the prevailing Western culture looks at nature as a force to be overcome, Wildcat says the thinking of indigenous Americans believes in the principle that everything in nature – including people – are interconnected in profound ways.

“I think indigenous traditions call on this idea that we’re part of a larger community and this community is the ecological systems that we are a part of. So our traditions have this great honoring of the air, the land, the plants, the animals.”

So, before we address the issue of climate change, Daniel Wildcat believes people must first undergo a culture change.

“What happens if we re-change that and say, ‘Really, we’re relatives in a larger life system and ecosystem. And maybe the question we haven’t asked ourselves is, are we being good relatives?’”

Dr. Daniel Wildcat. Noted Native American thinker, author and educator, spoke April 12 (Friday) before an audience of engineers, emergency managers, social workers, children’s advocates and Indigenous studies scholars under the auspices of Florida State University.

Copyright 2024 WFSU. To see more, visit WFSU .