Kgt COP 10 cities & biodiversity summit
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Keith G. Tidball Cornell University Resilience in climate change, biodiversity, ecosystems and urban disaster LAB www.civicecology.org Presented at the
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Transcript of Kgt COP 10 cities & biodiversity summit
Keith G. Tidball Cornell University
Resilience in climate change, biodiversity, ecosystems
and urban disaster
LAB www.civicecology.org
Presented at the
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Konichiwa- Good Afternoon! I want to especially thank the hosts and organizers of this important event, and to applaud the inspiring and informative talks by my colleagues that proceeded my own. I work in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell and I specialize in environmental dimensions of human security, especially in post-disaster and post-conflict contexts. Some people think of me as the “bad news guy” because my work deals with nature after a disaster or war. But let’s see if I can bring a “bright side” to climate change and disaster thinking.
Climate change will likely result in:More frequent and devastating natural disastersIncreasing conflict among humans over resources
Opportunities for human adaptation and societal changeNew technologiesEnlightened approaches to ecological stewardshipShifts toward HUMAN SECURITY through building resilience and adaptive capacity
Climate Change & Disturbance
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Climate change will likely result in: 1. More frequent and devastating natural disasters 2. Increasing conflict among humans over resources 3. Opportunities for human adaptation and societal change a. New technologies b. Enlightened approaches to ecological stewardship c. Shifts toward HUMAN SECURITY through building resilience and adaptive capacity So today I want to share with you some ideas that are proactive, and potentially both pro-social and pro-environment. These ideas are around these questions: “What do we do once a disaster has happened? How do we think about local biodiversity in that unfortunate context? Are we prepared for the day after? How is this represented in the Nagoya Declaration on Local Authorities and biodiversity?”
Where is Resilience in this Picture?
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Given the likelihood of increased climate induced disturbances and their impacts on urban areas, we must think in terms of resilience and not just resistance. To do so we need to think through the concept of resilience, and understand where it can be found in urban systems. My work argues that resilience may be located in the green infrastructure itself. However, I argue that resilience is also perhaps more vividly represented by human–nature interactions in cities, especially in the wake of a crisis.
© Balkan Analysis, Christopher Deliso
Tree planting in MacedoniaMemorial Gardening Post 9/11 NYC
Fisheries management in the Iraqi marshes
Photo- http://agwired.com/2007/01/19/2800/
Photo- USDA FS Living Memorials http://www.livingmemorialsproject.net/about.htm
Interactions between humans and nature in the aftermath of disasters and war provide clues as to the importance of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure to urban social-ecological system resilience.
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Presentation Notes
So it’s in the interactions between humans and nature , in the aftermath of disasters and war, that we can find clues about the importance of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure to urban social-ecological system resilience. Here are some interactions that illustrate post-crisis human-nature interaction that is explicitly focused on social-ecological rebuilding and recovery. Bear in mind that the activities people are engaged in are good for social resilience (feelings of well-being, restored sense of place, social capital creation, and so on) , but are, and this is important, simultaneously restoring biological elements to the system setting into motion ecological recovery. A large feed back or virtuous cycle is then initiated…
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Here I am attempting to depict how human-nature interaction, in this case urban greening, is part of nested feed back loops involving local decisions and local-scale ecological process that may contribute to large scale environmental change. The small feedback loop is already in place...more urban community forestry means more social system health & resilience means more urban community forestry and so on and so on... The urban forest, newly benefited from urban community forestry activities, produces enhanced ecosystem services, both purely biophysical such as reduced urban heat, increased carbon sequestration, bird and other wildlife habitat, water filtration, storm buffering, etc and aesthetic/cultural/public health ecosystem svcs, ie reduced crime, improved air and water quality (less asthma), increased social cohesion, increased economic indicators, etc –large literature on effects of green space in cities These ecosystem svcs contribute to and enhance social system health & resilience, which may spawn additional urban community forestry and associated positive environmental change . We have seen examples of this feedback loop, this virtuous cycle today. But do we understand what to do when this loop is interrupted? If it is as valuable as we think it is, we must restart it as soon as possible after a disaster or conflict.
Shifts in approaches to post-disaster & post-conflict response Forests need human security as much as human security needs forests.
Including the environmental dimensions of vulnerability in our understanding of human security would help to focus public attention, policy-makers and funds on the long-term value of forest conservation and sustainable forest management.
--International Institute for Sustainable Development report Forests, Natural Disasters, and Human Security.
Two important shifts as Best Management Practices:
1. asset-based participation among affected populations, focused on strengths, opportunities and assets rather than exclusively deficits, is required to identify acceptable or desirable assistance.
2. acknowledgement of the necessity to account for (usually perception-driven) self-reinforcing growth trends, or positive feedback loops.
3. See Weinstein & Tidball 2007. Environment Shaping: an Alternative Approach to Development and Aid. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Vol. 1, Issue
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These kinds of nature-based recovery and rebuilding strategies and feedback loops, these greening activities, reflect changes in thinking about how to approach post-disaster and post-conflict response. Two important shifts are emerging as Best Management Practices: asset-based participation among affected populations, focused on strengths, opportunities and assets rather than exclusively deficits, is required to identify acceptable or desirable assistance. acknowledgement of the necessity to account for (usually perception-driven) self-reinforcing growth trends, or positive feedback loops. Often these assets reflect a portfolio of natural resources, human interaction with them and attendant ecosystem services that would other wise go unacknowledged, underappreciated or undervalued.
Resilience?• Challenge of finding suitable social mechanisms that help confer resilience on SES (Berkes and Folke 1998).
• To maintain function in the face of perturbance, SES need to be able to recognize feedback, and therefore require “mechanisms by which information from the environment can be received, processed, and interpreted” (Berkes and Folke 1998, p 21-22).
• Greening activities may be one social mechanism that can shorten feedbacks which inform stakeholders about the effectiveness of their management actions in cities.
•Greening can help transform undesirable feedback loops
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Presentation Notes
In the previous slides I have talked a lot about feedback. Feed backs play important roles in resilient systems. But what do I mean by resilient or resilience? I am referring to the set of theories regarding a social-ecological system’s capacity to absorb disturbances so it can retain essential structures, processes, and feedbacks (as described by Hollings, Walker, Gunderson, and many others). Resilience reflects how much a complex adaptive system is capable of self-organization (versus lack of organization or organization forced by external factors) and the degree to which the system can build capacity for learning and adaptation . One challenge for resilience thinking is identifying suitable social mechanisms that help confer resilience on SES. One way to do that is to study how SES recognize feedback, what is the thing being fed back (energy, processes, actions, etc) and what are the “mechanisms by which information from the environment can be received, processed, and interpreted” ? Greening activities through becoming integrated into asset-based and participatory approaches to risk assessment and disaster response, and by fostering learning among participants in adaptive co-management, might become one social mechanism that can shorten feedbacks which inform stakeholders about the effectiveness of their management actions. Greening can contribute to efforts to transform undesirable feedback loops commonly found in post-crisis settings, in which violence and loss of infrastructure lead to lack of meaningful employment and educational opportunities, thus creating further violence and degradation of the environment.
Are there examples?“…answer(s) questions about the role of “greening”
people, practice, and places in building and demonstrating resilience in the face of catastrophic surprise and change.”
“..explores how the act of people coming together around the restoration and stewardship of nature might enhance individual and community resilience, and perhaps even contribute to social-ecological system resilience, in chaotic post-disaster or post-conflict contexts.”
“Because of the rapid growth of cities globally and their ever looming importance as sites of vulnerability much of the focus of the discussion is on urban settings ((Tidball, 2011-Forthcoming).
35 Chapters -case studies and examples of greening after a crisis.
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Presentation Notes
A number of examples of the importance of green space and greening activities in post-conflict and post-disaster contexts have been collected and will be available in book form soon. The book is called Greening in the Red Zone and will be published by Springer. The “Red Zone” means the times and places where war or disaster have occurred. We address the role of “greening” people, practice, and places in building and demonstrating resilience in the face of catastrophic surprise and change. We explore how the act of people coming together around the restoration and stewardship of nature might enhance individual and community resilience, and perhaps even contribute to social-ecological system resilience, in chaotic post-disaster or post-conflict contexts such as we might expect as a result of climate change. Because of the rapid growth of cities globally and their ever looming importance as sites of vulnerability, much of the focus of the discussion is on urban settings. I think the case studies can be useful to both academics and practitioners or policy makers.
Ok… So What?
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So I have linked climate change to the need to think carefully about strategies for recovering from inevitable surprises. I have shared with you briefly some of my research that suggests human-nature interactions are central to post-crisis social AND ecological resilience in urban contexts, and have situated that work in resilience frameworks, focused especially on feedbacks within social-ecological systems. I have shamelessly plugged my forthcoming book, where there are lots of examples of how human-nature interaction like greening or reforestation can confer resilience to social-ecological systems perturbed by disaster or conflict. I would like to conclude by relating this all back to application. None of this work matters in terms of conserving biodiversity, working towards urban sustainability, or preparing for the effects of climate change unless there are applications for policy-makers and municipalities.
Implications for Policy1. Recognize the value of community based greening for social-ecological
resilience and recovery and invest
• build scenarios to help agencies understand and anticipate the needs of affected residents
• A “Greening in the Red Zone(GRZ) Response Plan” can be folded in to existing emergency response plans
• Engage existing urban environmental and other conservation groups
• Have reasonable expectations--don’t sell greening as a “silver bullet” – rather as a piece of the puzzle
2. Start Now! Participate with the scientific community in identifying gaps in research and technology regarding human-nature interaction in resilience and recovery.
3. Allocate financial and human capital transparently
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Recognize the value of community based greening for social-ecological resilience and recovery and invest Planners should build scenarios to help agencies understand and anticipate the needs of affected residents to express “biophilia” in the aftermath of a disaster A “Greening in the Red Zone(GRZ) Response Plan” can be folded in to existing emergency response plans relatively easily Engage existing urban environmental and other conservation groups in initial assessments, planning and evaluation of Greening in the Red Zone Response Plans (GRZ Plans) Have reasonable expectations- let GRZ Plans be one part of comprehensive response plans– don’t sell greening as a “silver bullet” – rather as a piece of the puzzle 2. Start Now! Participate with the scientific community in identifying gaps in research and technology regarding human-nature interaction in resilience and recovery. 3. Allocate financial and human capital transparently to on one hand ward off skeptics and on the other hand to leverage good will about sustainability and greening in cities.
In conclusion…
Understanding and appreciating how humans and their interactions with nature are related to a system's ability to bounce back after being disturbed represents a missing piece of the puzzle in our thinking about how to deal with climate change.
Research suggests that “greening in the red zone” is catalytic in restoring lost or damaged elements of a social-ecological system.
Greening in the red zone is a way of linking biodiversity and climate change at the local level.
Policy makers at the local level can use this information to leverage virtuous cycles and positive feedbacks now, and in the future, to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
Thank you!
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Understanding and appreciating how humans and their interactions with nature are related to a system's ability to bounce back after being disturbed represents a missing piece of the puzzle in our thinking about how to deal with climate change. This idea may be useful as we consider the content of the Aichi/Nagoya Declaration on Local Authorities and Biodiversity. This is justified for three reasons: Research suggests that “greening in the red zone” is catalytic in restoring lost or damaged elements of a social-ecological system. Greening in the red zone is a way of linking biodiversity and climate change at the local level. Policy makers at the local level can use this information to leverage virtuous cycles and positive feedbacks now, and in the future, to prepare for and adapt to climate change.
Acknowledgements
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Thank you. Domo arigato gozaimasu.
Background & Context –CEL & Resilience
Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab founded in 2008Civic Ecology study of interactions, including feedbacks, among four components of a social-ecological system:
community-based environmental stewardship (civic ecology practice);education and learning situated in these practices (civic ecology education);the people and institutions involved; andthe ecosystem services produced by the people, their stewardship, and educational practices.
trans-disciplinary perspectives in social-ecological systems resilience, environmental education, social learning, and urban ecology.
Nature and Human Security ThemeWithin the Civic Ecology Lab, the Nature and Human Security theme explores interactions between humans and nature in the aftermath of natural disasters and war. …how these interactions relate to social-ecological system resilience, or in other words, how humans and their interactions with nature are related to a system's ability to bounce back after being disturbed.Thus far, most promising aspect of resilience in this exploration is feedbacks that confer or catalyze resilience in SES through human-nature interaction.
Self-organizing greening in red zones (forthcoming book)Parks & People initiativesEnvironmental peacemaking
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Kinzig’s prominent characteristics of resilience/robustness- modularity, feedbacks, and diversity
