Toward Principles for Enhancing the Resilience of Ecosystem Services

• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-051211-123836
• Publication Date: 2012-08-10T18:03:43Z
• Authors: Reinette Biggs; Maja Schlüter; Duan Biggs; Erin L. Bohensky; Shauna BurnSilver; Georgina Cundill; Vasilis Dakos; Tim M. Daw; Louisa S. Evans; Karen Kotschy; Anne M. Leitch; Chanda Meek; Allyson Quinlan; Ciara Raudsepp-He...; Martin D. Robards; Michael L. Schoon; Lisen Schultz; Paul C. West
• Keywords: Resilience; Socio-ecological system; Ecological systems theory

Enhancing the resilience of ecosystem services (ES) that underpin human well-being is critical for meeting current and future societal needs, requires specific governance management policies. Using literature, we identify seven generic policy-relevant principles enhancing desired ES in face disturbance ongoing change social-ecological systems (SES). These are (P1) maintain diversity redundancy, (P2) manage connectivity, (P3) slow variables feedbacks, (P4) foster an understanding SES as complex adaptive (CAS), (P5) encourage learning experimentation, (P6) broaden participation, (P7) promote polycentric systems. We briefly define each principle, review how when it enhances ES, conclude with major research gaps. In practice, often co-occur highly interdependent. Key needs to better understand these interdependencies operationalize apply different policy contexts.