2017/04/20 by Ruth DeFries, Harini Nagendra · 2 citations
Environmental Science · #Forest Management and Policy #Environmental Conservation and Management #Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
paper · doi:10.1126/science.aal1950
openalex publication_date 2017/04/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
Ecosystems are self-regulating systems that provide societies with food, water, timber, and other resources. As demands for resources increase, management decisions are replacing self-regulating properties. Counter to previous technical approaches that applied simple formulas to estimate sustainable yields of single species, current research recognizes the inherent complexity of ecosystems and the inability to foresee all consequences of interventions across different spatial, temporal, and administrative scales. Ecosystem management is thus more realistically seen as a "wicked problem" that has no clear-cut solution. Approaches for addressing such problems include multisector decision-making, institutions that enable management to span across administrative boundaries, adaptive management, markets that incorporate natural capital, and collaborative processes to engage diverse stakeholders and address inequalities. Ecosystem management must avoid two traps: falsely assuming a tame solution and inaction from overwhelming complexity. An incremental approach can help to avoid these traps.