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Sociobiology and Adaptive Capacity: Evolving Adaptive Strategies to Build Environmental Governance

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Adaptive Capacity and Environmental Governance

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Environmental Management ((SSEM))

Abstract

Adaptation is a foundational concept in the natural sciences. In the context of biological evolution it refers to the process of change through natural selection whereby those best adapted or most fit out compete others for resources or mates. This general idea has been adopted and variously applied in the social sciences in reference to the persistence of cultures and ability of humans to cope with environmental change. This chapter explores the relationship between evolutionary biology and adaptive capacity that builds environmental governance. The ecological and socio-institutional frames for understanding adaptive capacity are considered and an integrative nature-in-humans perspective is proposed that re-positions evolutionary biology and environmental governance in relation to adaptive capacity for social-ecological systems. To explore this proposed relationship, sociobiology and the theory of reciprocal altruism are summarized and used to explain how and why some individuals, communities and societies undertake adaptive strategies aimed at collaboration, flexibility and learning. This enriched understanding of adaptive capacity is consistent with the unique nature of socio-ecological systems and has implications for fostering behavioural changes as well as long term responses in the realm of governance.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Derek Armitage, Ioan Fazey and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive feedback on an earlier version of this chapter. Ryan Plummer gratefully acknowledges support for his research program from a Brock University Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence, the Canadian Water Network and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tourism and Environment, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, L2S 3A1, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    David A. Fennell & Ryan Plummer

  2. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden

    Ryan Plummer

Authors
  1. David A. Fennell
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  2. Ryan Plummer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David A. Fennell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geography &, Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, N2L 3C5, Canada

    Derek Armitage

  2. Dept. Tourism & Environment, Brock University, Glenridge Ave. 500, St. Catharines, L2S 3A1, Canada

    Ryan Plummer

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Fennell, D.A., Plummer, R. (2010). Sociobiology and Adaptive Capacity: Evolving Adaptive Strategies to Build Environmental Governance. In: Armitage, D., Plummer, R. (eds) Adaptive Capacity and Environmental Governance. Springer Series on Environmental Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12194-4_12

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