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Resilience, instability, and disturbance in ecosystem dynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2001

BRIAN WALKER
Affiliation:
Division of Wildlife and Ecology, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia

Abstract

I am in agreement with the main thesis of the paper by Levin et al., namely that complex, non-linear systems, whether ecological or socioeconomic, do not lend themselves to management protocols based on assumptions of linear, globally stable, single equilibrium systems. As the authors point out, policy makers need a better understanding of the concept of resilience. Furthermore, it is especially important for them to understand the crucial elements for maintaining resilience in the integrated ecological-socioeconomic resource use systems (the forests, rangelands, and agro-ecosystems) on which most human welfare depends.

Type
Policy Forum
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press

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