B. H. Walker

This slim volume serves as a good introduction to several concepts of systems theory.

It covers the importance of:
*looking at problems from a unified socio-ecological framework where people and environment are considered together,
*being aware of key thresholds that if crossed put the system in a new regime or stable state that may be quite different than before,
*considering where in the adaptive cycle of growth, conservation, release, and reorganization the system may be and what the implications of that are,
*and the importance of looking at what's happening at different scales and how they interact.

Taken together, this way of thinking and planning can profoundly alter the way we seek to manage our human and natural resources. The authors provide plenty of case studies to demonstrate the principles discussed, which I think increases the book's effectiveness.… (mehr)