Abstract
Conventional strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is based on the assumption that ecosystems and people behave predictably and that cause and effect have a direct and linear relationship. Recognition of wetlands as complex adaptive systems has profound implications for wetland management and requires a paradigm shift from command-and-control management to management for complexity and uncertainty. Resilience assessment as a potential alternative assessment method takes the uncertainty and complexity of ecosystems into account and improves the manner in which SEA is undertaken. This chapter provides a brief description of resilience theory, the resilience assessment process, and some general resilience perspectives on the use of wetlands. The main steps in resilience assessment are (1) System description; (2) General resilience assessment; (3) Specified resilience assessment; (4) Governance assessment; and (5) Strategy and management planning. The assessment considers the biophysical, social, and economic domains of the system, its subsystems, and the environment within which it is located. An assessment of the governance structures that regulates natural resource use in the system may be indicated by the number, nature, and severity of issues identified in the initial description of the system. The assessment process is iterative and allows for a social learning process to develop a deeper understanding of the system’s dynamics and an adaptive management strategy. Resilience assessment is a strategy development tool, providing a big picture understanding of a system and the possible outcome of the selected direction for change or no change. It helps managers decide whether to enhance the resilience of the existing system or to transform the system and develop its resilience.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Anderies JM, Walker BH, Kinzig AP. Fifteen weddings and a funeral: case studies and resilience-based management. Ecol Soc. 2006;11(1):21.
Biggs R, Carpenter SR, Brock WA. Turning back from the brink: detecting an impending regime shift in time to avert it. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106(3):826–31.
Davoudi S, et al. Resilience: a bridging concept or a dead end? Plan Theory Pract. 2012;13(2):299–333.
Holling CS. Resilience and stability of ecology systems. Ann Rev Ecol Sys. 1973;4:1–23.
Holling CS. Understanding the complexity of economic, ecological, and social systems. Ecosystems. 2001;4(5):390–405.
Holling CS. From complex regions to complex worlds. Ecol Soc. 2004;7(1):1.
Hoverman S, Ross H, Chan T, Powell B. Social learning through participatory integrated catchment risk assessment in the Solomon islands. Ecol Soc. 2011;16(2):17.
McCarthy DDP, Crandall DD, Whitelaw GS, General Z, Tsuji LJS. A critical systems approach to social learning: building adaptive capacity in Social, Ecological, Epistemological (SEE) systems. Ecol Soc. 2011;16(3):18.
Meadows DH. Thinking in systems: a primer. In: Wright D, editor. White river junction. Vermont: Chelsea Green; 2008.
Méndez PF, Isendahl N, Amezaga JM, SantamarÃa L. Facilitating transitional processes in rigid institutional regimes for water management and wetland conservation: experience from the Guadalquivir Estuary. Ecol Soc. 2012;17(1):26.
Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson Å, Chapin FS, Lambin EF, Lenton TM, Scheffer M, Folke C, Schellnhuber HJ, Nykvist B, de Wit CA, Hughes T, van der Leeuw S, Rodhe H, Sörlin S, Snyder PK, Costanza R, Svedin U, Falkenmark M, Karlberg L, Corell RW, Fabry VJ, Hansen J, Walker B, Liverman D, Richardson K, Crutzen P, Foley JA. A safe operating space for humanity. Nature. 2009;461:472–5.
Scheffer M, Westley FR. The evolutionary basis of rigidity: locks in cells, minds, and society. Ecol Soc. 2007;12(2):36.
Scheffer M, Carpenter S, Foley JA, Folke C, Walker B. Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature. 2001;413:591–6.
Slootweg R, Jones M. Resilience thinking improves SEA: a discussion paper. Impact Assess Proj Apprais. 2011;29(4):263–76.
Therivel R, Jones MA, Jenkins B. Beyond current SEA practice. In: Sadler B, Dusik J, editors. European and international experience in strategic environmental assessment: recent progress and future prospects. Routledge: Earthscan/Taylor and Francis. 2016;301–24.
Walker B, Salt D. Resilience practice. Washington, DC: Island Press; 2012.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Jones, M. (2018). Strategic Environmental Assessment for Wetlands: Resilience Thinking. In: Finlayson, C.M., et al. The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_283
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_283
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3493-9
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9659-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences