Premium
Future landscapes: managing within complexity
Author(s) -
Parrott Lael,
Meyer Wayne S
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/110082
Subject(s) - mosaic , computer science , environmental resource management , scale (ratio) , ecological systems theory , landscape ecology , temporal scales , complexity management , landscape epidemiology , complexity science , conceptual framework , ecology , data science , management science , geography , landscape assessment , environmental science , sociology , landscape design , business , engineering , cartography , biology , social science , archaeology , habitat , marketing
A regional landscape is a complex social–ecological system comprising a dynamic mosaic of land uses. Management at this scale requires an understanding of the myriad interacting human and natural processes operating on the landscape over a continuum of spatial and temporal scales. Complexity science, which is not part of traditional management approaches, provides a valuable conceptual framework and quantitative tools for dealing with cross‐scale interactions and non‐linear dynamics in social–ecological systems. Here, we identify concepts and actions arising from complexity science that can be learned and applied by ecosystem managers and discuss how they might be implemented to achieve sustainable future landscapes.