Resilience Theory

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Resilience Theory
Holling, C.S. 1973. Resilience and Stability of
Ecological Systems. Annual Review of Ecology and
Systematics 197341-23
PERSISTENCE the persistence of relationships
within a system ADAPTABILITY ability of
systems to absorb changes of state variables,
driving variables and parameters, and still
persist. TRANSFORMABILITY the size of a
stability domain or the amount of disturbance a
system could take before it shifted into
alternative configuration
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Walker, B. H., Ludwig, D., Holling, C.S.and
Peterman, R. M. (1981), Stability of semi-arid
savanna grazing systems, Journal of Ecology, 69,
473-498.
Grassy Regime
Overgrazing, drought
Water retention, Soil structure modification
Shrubby Regime
Semi Arid Rangelands
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Resilience Theory
C.S. Holling. 1986. The resilience of terrestrial
ecosystems local surprise and global change.
Pages 292-320 in Sustainable development of the
biosphere W. C. Clark and R. E. Munn (eds).
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Resilience Theory
Cycles of Growth, Conservation, Disturbance
Renewal
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LOSS OF ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE

• Decline in functional diversity
• trophic shifts (fishing, predator control)
• removal key biota (selective grazing)
• Acceleration of slow variables
• Increase in nutrients/pollution
• Alteration of disturbance regimes
• magnitude, frequency, timing
• Uniform spatial patterns
• Even aged stands of timber

L. H. Gunderson and L. Pritchard. 2002.
Resilience and the Behavior of Large Scale
Ecosystems . Island Press Washington DC
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Resilience Theory
Increasing Temporal Scale
Increasing spatial scale
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Panarchy
Resilience Theory
Gunderson, L. H., and C. S. Holling. 2002.
Panarchy Understanding Transformations in Human
and Natural Systems. Washington, DC Island
Press.
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Resilience Theory
Panarchy
Gunderson, L. H., and C. S. Holling. 2002.
Panarchy Understanding Transformations in Human
and Natural Systems. Washington, DC Island
Press.
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When Resilience isnt always a good thing.

• High Resilience
• Rigidity Trap
• Lock in Trap
• Low/Eroded Resilience
• Poverty Trap
• Gilded Trap

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Brief Comparison Ecological/Social Resilience
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Brief Comparison Ecological/Social Resilience