Resilience and Social-Ecological Systems:udThe UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Program in Australia andudCanada

摘要

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reservesud(BRs) provide an example of an integrated sustainability framework that allows for connectionudbetween international, national, state / provincial and local levels of conservation and capacitybuilding.udThe three major functions of a BR are conservation of biodiversity, sustainable developmentudand support for logistics. As coupled social-ecological systems, BRs explicitly acknowledge thatudhuman systems and ecological systems are inextricably linked, and have the potential to bridgeudecological and social-political spheres that have been viewed as predominantly disparate entities,udrather than as interconnected or nested systems.udThe aim of this thesis is to identify the key features (assets, process and outcome) required toudenhance the fit between governance systems and ecosystems using the UNESCO BR model, anduddevelop a framework for establishing BRs as resilient working landscapes. By identifying features thatudseem critical for linking civil society, institutions and government dynamically across multiple levels,udthe research addresses the governance dimension of ecosystem management and the social factorsudthat enable such management. The scope of the thesis is limited to developed country contexts.udData are derived from focus groups, site visits, 52 key informant interviews and literature reviews.udThe research process utilised an emergent, naturalistic inquiry, characterised by abductive, deductiveudand inductive methods. Four Australian and four Canadian qualitative case studies support anduddemonstrate the three phases of the BR resilience conceptual framework developed herein.udUNESCO BRs originated in the early 1970s as international examples of biodiversity conservationudand sites of scientific research and monitoring. Since this time, the international program hasudbroadened to include more complex notions of social-ecological systems, reflecting shifts inudenvironmental discourse and praxis. The Australian BR Program is characterised by governmentinitiatedudBRs and those generated though community-derived stewardship. Over the same period, theudCanadian BR Program has consistently developed through community capacity and the CanadianudBiosphere Reserve Association.udCapital assets and ‘new governance’ processes are two of the three key phases of developing audsuccessful (resilient) BR. Adaptive capacity is a key component of the final phase; the achievement ofuda resilient working landscape. In the framework, evolution and devolution of a BR occurs in responseudto social and ecological variables. However, maintenance and renewal of capital assets are crucial toudsustaining the first and most fundamental phase of BR resilience.udSpecific guidelines for the application of the BR resilience conceptual framework are provided toudinform individual BRs and their national programs more generally, and provide any party interested inudthe BR concept with a means to develop a resilient BR, from its inception. Avenues for futureudresearch are suggested, with a recommended focus upon harnessing greater understanding ofudresilience factors in social-ecological systems, and the relationship of these to BRs.