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Research article2015Peer reviewedOpen access

Barriers and bridges to the integration of social-ecological resilience and law

Green, Olivia Odom; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Allen, Craig R.; Gunderson, Lance H; Ruhl, J. B.; Arnold, Craig A.; Graham, Nicholas A. J.; Cosens, Barbara; Angeler, David; Chaffin, Brian C.; Holling, CS

Abstract

There is a fundamental difference between the ways in which ecologists and lawyers view uncertainty: in the study of ecology, uncertainty provides a catalyst for exploration, whereas uncertainty is antithetical to the rule of law. This issue is particularly troubling in environmental management, where the tensions between law and ecology become apparent. Rather than acknowledge uncertainties in management actions, legal frameworks often force a false sense of certainty in linking cause and effect. While adaptive management has been developed to deal with uncertainty, laws and legal wrangling can be obstacles to implementation. In this article, we recommend resilience-based governance "adaptive governance" as a means to begin bridging the gap between law and ecology.

Published in

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
2015, Volume: 13, number: 6, pages: 332-337
Publisher: ECOLOGICAL SOC AMER

    Sustainable Development Goals

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
    Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Ecology

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/140294

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/68555