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Toward a Political Ecology of Ecosystem Restoration

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Human Dimensions of Ecological Restoration

Part of the book series: Society for Ecological Restoration ((SPER))

Abstract

Ever since humans emerged on the grassy plains of Africa, Homo sapiens has demonstrated a special affinity for mixed, open-canopy woodland and savanna landscapes. With their abundance and diversity of game and edible plants, fuel for cooking and warmth, protection from weather and wide-open views of predators, these landscapes provided everything hunter-gatherers needed. It has been hypothesized that humans prefer canopied, open-floored landscapes for these biological reasons (Appleton 1975; Bourassa 1991). Woodland and savanna landscape structures also appear to embody widely shared cultural values for coherence and exploration-the well-spaced trees appear orderly and the open floor can be accessed, while distant areas of trees remain undiscovered (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). Over the millennia that humans coevolved with these systems, the landscape imprinted on us, compelling us to seek stands of widely spaced trees over prairie grasses in which to live. In turn, we imprinted our will on the landscape through pervasive, deliberate, and sophisticated management to fulfill human needs. A growing body of evidence points to the formative interactions between humans and these landscapes (Penn and Mysterud 2007). In this chapter we explore these interactions, using the Oregon white oak ecosystem as a case study, to provide some considerations for ecosystem restoration. Specifically, we discuss the cultural values, social practices, and tenure arrangements that influence how humans have altered landscapes in the past. We explore the dynamic, interdependent relationship between human communities and landscapes, and draw attention to power relations relevant to restoration.We close with a checklist of questions to guide practitioners in integrating social and ecological considerations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia

    John C. Bliss

  2. Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service in Corvallis, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    A. Paige Fischer

Authors
  1. John C. Bliss
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  2. A. Paige Fischer
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Correspondence to John C. Bliss .

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Dave Egan Evan E. Hjerpe Jesse Abrams

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© 2011 Island Press

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Bliss, J.C., Fischer, A.P. (2011). Toward a Political Ecology of Ecosystem Restoration. In: Egan, D., Hjerpe, E.E., Abrams, J. (eds) Human Dimensions of Ecological Restoration. Society for Ecological Restoration. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-039-2_10

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