Complexity Theory for a Sustainable Future (Complexity in Ecological Systems)

Complexity Theory Illuminates The Many Interactions Between Natural And Social Systems, Providing A Better Understanding Of The General Principles That Can Help Solve Some Of Today's Most Pressing Environmental Issues. Complexity Theory Was Developed From Key Ideas In Economics, Physics, Biology, And The Social Sciences And Contributes To Important New Concepts For Approaching Issues Of Environmental Sustainability Such As Resilience, Scaling, And Networks. Complexity Theory For A Sustainable Future Is A Hands-on Treatment Of This Exciting New Body Of Work And Its Applications, Bridging The Gap Between Theoretical And Applied Perspectives In The Management Of Complex Adaptive Systems. Focusing Primarily On Natural Resource Management And Community-based Conservation, The Book Features Contributions By Leading Scholars In The Field, Many Of Whom Are Among The Leaders Of The Resilience Alliance. Theoreticians Will Find A Valuable Synthesis Of New Ideas On Resilience, Sustainability, Asymmetries, Information Processing, Scaling, And Networks. Managers And Policymakers Will Benefit From The Application Of These Ideas To Practical Approaches And Empirical Studies Linked To Social-ecological Systems. Chapters Present New Twists On Such Existing Approaches As Scenario Planning, Scaling Analyses, And Adaptive Management, And The Book Concludes With Recommendations On How To Manage Natural Resources, How To Involve Stakeholders In The Dynamics Of A System, And How To Explain The Difficult Topic Of Scale. A Vital Reference For An Emerging Discipline, This Volume Provides A Clearer Understanding Of The Conditions Required For Systems Self-organization, Since The Capacity Of Any System To Self-organize Is Crucial For Its Sustainability Over Time.--pub. Desc. Environmental Asymmetries / Graeme S. Cumming, Grenville Barnes, Jane Southworth -- Diversity And Resilience Of Social-ecological Systems / Jon Norberg ... [et Al.] -- A Network Perspective On Modularity And Control Of Flow In Robust Systems / Colleen Webb, Örjan Bodin -- Social Networks As Sources Of Resilience In Social-ecological Systems / Thomas Hahn ... [et Al.] -- Theoretical Challenges : Information Processing And Navigation In Social-ecological Systems / John M. Anderies, Jon Norberg -- Regime Shifts, Environmental Signals, Uncertainty, And Policy Choice / William A. Brock, Stephen R. Carpenter, Marten Scheffer -- Participation In Building Scenarios Of Regional Development / Louis Lebel, Elena Bennett -- Practicing Adaptive Management In Complex Social-ecological Systems / Lance Gunderson, Garry Peterson, C. S. Holling -- Scale And Complex Systems / Graeme S. Cumming, Jon Norberg. Edited By Jon Norberg And Graeme S. Cumming. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.