Ecosystem Approach workshops “on the road" – November edition

This November at HHL we continue holding inclusive spaces of dialogue on how to “Re-energize the ecosystem Approach in the 21st Century“. Our pursuit this month is to reach out to an even broader variety of knowledge systems, encompassing perspectives from the areas of geodiversity and geoconservation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable ecological farming, among others.

 An ecosystem Approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources (Convention on Biological Diversity). What distinguishes an ecosystem approach from other -more traditional- approaches to environmental management is that it considers humans as part of an ecosystem. As human systems are incorporated into an ecosystem, the level of complexity increases. Similarly, when dealing with environmental problems, they can be seen as wicked problems that require equally complex dynamic solutions. Ecosystem Approaches attempt to respond to that level of complexity by encompassing adaptive and pluralistic strategies to environmental problem solving. In other words, it is through trial-error approaches, those that keep evolving and improve based on feedback coming from a plurality of perspectives that complex problems can be dealt with.

HHL stands by the importance of bringing pluralism in science, policy and management (Febria et al., 2022). Through the research, the funding mechanisms that are built, the teams’ and the overall projects’ configuration, HHL strives to allow the expression of versatile Human Dimensions exhibit in the science we produce. Similarly, the success of our Ecosystem Approach Project relies on the versatility of perspectives and experiences.

This month we are collaborating with three networks, each of different professional areas, the American Association of Geologists at their 2023 Annual Meeting (17th November, past, Ohio), the Bay Area Restoration Council (27th November, Ontario) & the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario at the 10th Annual Conference (29-30th November, Ontario).

For more information on our Ecosystem Approach on the road journey, follow us on our social media or follow #EcosystemApproach

References:

Febria, C.M., Donaldson, C., Ives, J. and Keeshig, K. 2022. Pluralistic approaches in research advance farming and freshwater sustainability efforts in the Great Lakes basin. Advances in Ecological Research. Special Issue on Pluralism in Environmental Governance. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2022.04.007