Social Structures and Natural Systems

Social Structures and Natural Systems

Author: Georges Guille-Escuret

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-02-06

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1786302004

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Trapped between the caricatured causalities of biological determinism and the sinister abdications of sociological relativism, socio-ecological interdisciplinarity stagnates. It has lost sight of the ambition of a long-term program and no longer works to conduct applied research on the concrete prerequisites for reliable cooperation, despite an accumulation of emergencies. The difficulty lies in the general and prolonged abandonment of necessary procedures under the influence of hidden philosophical presumptions. In the end, ecology, sociology, history, economics, agronomy, etc. are seriously handicapped by the absence of a common epistemology of comparative practice, an absence maintained by the dominant epistemology itself. Social Structures and Natural Systems seeks to demonstrate, with regard to social anthropology and ecology, a scientific compatibility of research subject to methodological requirements that are deductible from the conditions of the existence of science itself. All of this boils down to one observation: this book will be a success if, and only if, it becomes a beginning.


Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Author: Svetlana G. Maximova

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-03-30

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 303078083X

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This book is a unique collection of advanced research on natural, human-made, and coupled human–natural systems. The contributors analyze the current state of knowledge, address methodological challenges, and explore engaging cases. The chapters demonstrate the balanced disciplinary strength and discuss interdisciplinary perspectives. The authors undertake a holistic and spatially integrative analysis to understand the sustainability of environmental, economic, and social systems, emphasizing the coupled nature of such systems. In particular, the chapters explore biodiversity conservation and natural resources, the sustainability of natural and human-altered ecosystems, sustainability–vulnerability issues in coupled human–natural systems, mechanisms to foster sustainable environmental practices, eventually accumulating sustainability research and practice in various fields. More than that, the challenges of educational and economic systems are studied closely. The authors rely on unique data, develop regional and local knowledge, and explore global trends at local scales. A separate focus is devoted to human health and well-being. The book has seven sections: (1) Advances in Natural and Coupled Human–Natural Systems Research; (2) Economic Systems in the Age of Digital Changes and Unstable Environments; (3) Sustainable Social Systems, Migration Flows, and Social Cohesion; (4) Taking Action for Greater Security and Effective Partnerships for Sustainable Development; (5) Systemic Challenges and Changes in Education Systems in Russia and Around the Globe; (6) Advances in Cultural Traditions and Innovation, Development Barriers, and Social Stability; (7) Human Health and Well-being: Taking Action for Sustainable Development. Written by scholars and practitioners from multiple fields of knowledge, the book is designed for a broader audience interested in the following research areas: systems research and thinking, sustainability research and thinking, system dynamics, management of complexity, decision analysis, organization theory, governance, natural resources, environmental studies, economic development, social policies, cleaner production, innovation, cultural studies, and sustainable practices.


Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Author: Svetlana G. Maximova

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-03-16

Total Pages: 906

ISBN-13: 3030754839

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This book is a collection of cutting-edge and cross-disciplinary studies on natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems, addressing the challenge of developing integrated knowledge from multiple disciplines. The authors explore the structure, function, and dynamic mechanisms of various systems, both natural and human-made, as well as analyze their reciprocal interactions under the concept of “coupled human-natural systems.” These interactions are used to understand feedback, nonlinearities, thresholds, time lags, legacy effects, and path dependencies, emerging across multiple spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. In other words, this book is a collection of advanced research on unique properties of natural and human-made systems, as well as human-environment dynamics, reciprocal relationships, and cross-scale interactions. The authors outline prospects on building a holistic view of social development and coherent sustainability. Among the topics covered are the following: human networks research; adaptation of local people to social and environmental challenges; coupled dynamics of socioeconomic and environmental systems; critical issues in social science climate change research; education for greater sustainability; peace, justice, and strong institutions; advances in cultural traditions and strategies for social stability; innovative development and barriers to sustainable development; economic systems in the age of digital changes and unstable external environments. The scholars analyze how more effective technologies can enhance resilience, reduce vulnerability, and minimize human impacts on natural systems, taking into consideration critical thresholds to prevent harmful feedback to human systems. The authors grasp the complexity of systems by integrating knowledge of constituent subsystems and their interactions. The framework developed by the authors is used to integrate human and natural systems for achieving greater sustainability, covering critical threats, challenges, and best governance approaches and practices. The research results obtained from studies on coupled human-natural systems are stronger, the authors argue, if compared with traditional (discipline) approaches.


Social Theory and the Environment

Social Theory and the Environment

Author: David Goldblatt

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-05-28

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0745677231

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This book establishes whether contemporary social theory can help us understand the structural origins of environmental degradation and environmental politics.


Integrative Systems Approaches to Natural and Social Dynamics

Integrative Systems Approaches to Natural and Social Dynamics

Author: M. Matthies

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 626

ISBN-13: 3642565859

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At the start of the new millennium, mankind is challenged by a paradox: the more we know about the world the more uncertain we become in understanding and predicting how it works. This book presents an outline of a new basis for Systems Science, and a methodology for its application in complex environmental, economic, social, and technological systems.


Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research

Author: Svetlana G. Maximova

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-03-07

Total Pages: 522

ISBN-13: 3030781054

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This book enables readers to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems. The authors explore the structure, function, and dynamic mechanisms of various systems, both natural and human-made, as well as analyze their reciprocal interactions under the concept of “coupled human-natural systems.” The chapters challenge traditional planning and management assumptions and strategies for natural resources, human-altered systems, and the environment. Acknowledging the critical role of effective regulations, policies, and governance structures, the authors analyze advanced research and practices on policy design for managing natural, human-made, and coupled human-natural systems. They conduct impact evaluation and integrative ecosystems assessment, as well as discuss policy interventions and decision-making strategies. They acknowledge the localization of policy design, considering regional and global dynamics that shape responses of local human-made and coupled human-natural systems. A special collection of chapters analyzes legal foundations for sustainable development and strong institution. The authors explore models from both natural and social sciences to obtain and present significant research results. The book is a dispensable source of sustainability research and practice in human-made, natural, and coupled human-natural systems. It is for the scholars, practitioners, and advanced graduate students interested in systems theories, methodologies, and applications.


Nature and Culture

Nature and Culture

Author: Sarah Pilgrim

Publisher: Earthscan

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1849776458

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There is a growing recognition that the diversity of life comprises both biological and cultural diversity. But this division is not universal and, in many cases, has been deepened by the common disciplinary divide between the natural and social sciences and our apparent need to manage and control nature. This book goes beyond divisive definitions and investigates the bridges linking biological and cultural diversity. The international team of authors explore the common drivers of loss, and argue that policy responses should target both forms of diversity in a novel integrative approach to conservation, thus reducing the gap between science, policy and practice. While conserving nature alongside human cultures presents unique challenges, this book forcefully shows that any hope for saving biological diversity is predicated on a concomitant effort to appreciate and protect cultural diversity.


Coviability of Social and Ecological Systems: Reconnecting Mankind to the Biosphere in an Era of Global Change

Coviability of Social and Ecological Systems: Reconnecting Mankind to the Biosphere in an Era of Global Change

Author: Olivier Barrière

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-03-12

Total Pages: 790

ISBN-13: 3319784978

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This book considers the principle of ‘sustainable development’ which is currently facing a growing environmental crisis. A new mode of thinking and positioning the ecological imperative is the major input of this volume. The prism of co-viability is not the economics of political agencies that carry the ideology of the dominant/conventional economic schools, but rather an opening of innovation perspectives through science. This volume, through its four parts, more than 40 chapters and a hundred authors, gives birth to a paradigm which crystallizes within a concept that will support in overcoming the ecological emergency deadlock.