Resilience Thinking
Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World
192 pages
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figures, photos, boxes, maps
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6 x 9
Increasingly, cracks are appearing in the capacity of communities, ecosystems, and landscapes to provide the goods and services that sustain our planet's well-being. The response from most quarters has been for "more of the same" that created the situation in the first place: more control, more intensification, and greater efficiency.
"Resilience thinking" offers a different way of understanding the world and a new approach to managing resources. It embraces human and natural systems as complex entities continually adapting through cycles of change, and seeks to understand the qualities of a system that must be maintained or enhanced in order to achieve sustainability. It explains why greater efficiency by itself cannot solve resource problems and offers a constructive alternative that opens up options rather than closing them down.
In Resilience Thinking, scientist Brian Walker and science writer David Salt present an accessible introduction to the emerging paradigm of resilience. The book arose out of appeals from colleagues in science and industry for a plainly written account of what resilience is all about and how a resilience approach differs from current practices. Rather than complicated theory, the book offers a conceptual overview along with five case studies of resilience thinking in the real world. It is an engaging and important work for anyone interested in managing risk in a complex world.
"This is one of those books that barely mentions planning as such, but has lots of implications for it. It's short but will repay some extra quiet time...Their goal is to get us to look at the world and its systems in a fresh new way."
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1. Living in a Complex World: An Introduction to Resilience Thinking
Case Study 1. Carving up a National Icon: The Florida Everglades
CHAPTER 2. The System Rules: Creating a Mind Space for Resilience Thinking
Case Study 2. Between a (Salt) Rock and a Hard Place: The Goulburn-Broken Catchment, Australia
CHAPTER 3. Crossing the Threshold: Be Careful about the Path You Choose--You May Not Be Able to Return
Case Study 3. Losing the Jewel in the Crown: The Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
CHAPTER 4. In the Loop: Phases, Cycles, and Scales--Adaptive Cycles and How Systems Change
Case Study 4. Scenarios on the Lakes: The Northern Highlands Lake District, Wisconsin
CHAPTER 5. Making Sense of Resilience: How Do You Apply Resilience Thinking?
Case Study 5. Building Resilience in the Wetlands: The Kristianstads Vattenrike, Sweden
CHAPTER 6. Creating Space in a Shrinking World: Resilience and Sustainability
Postscript for a Resilient World
Further Reading
References
Glossary
About the Authors
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1. Living in a Complex World: An Introduction to Resilience Thinking
Case Study 1. Carving up a National Icon: The Florida Everglades
CHAPTER 2. The System Rules: Creating a Mind Space for Resilience Thinking
Case Study 2. Between a (Salt) Rock and a Hard Place: The Goulburn-Broken Catchment, Australia
CHAPTER 3. Crossing the Threshold: Be Careful about the Path You Choose--You May Not Be Able to Return
Case Study 3. Losing the Jewel in the Crown: The Coral Reefs of the Caribbean
CHAPTER 4. In the Loop: Phases, Cycles, and Scales--Adaptive Cycles and How Systems Change
Case Study 4. Scenarios on the Lakes: The Northern Highlands Lake District, Wisconsin
CHAPTER 5. Making Sense of Resilience: How Do You Apply Resilience Thinking?
Case Study 5. Building Resilience in the Wetlands: The Kristianstads Vattenrike, Sweden
CHAPTER 6. Creating Space in a Shrinking World: Resilience and Sustainability
Postscript for a Resilient World
Further Reading
References
Glossary
About the Authors
Index
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