Can We Manage for Resilience? The Integration of Resilience Thinking into Natural Resource Management in the United States

Environmental Management, Forthcoming

8 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2011

See all articles by Melinda Morgan

Melinda Morgan

Geography & Environmental Studies

Ahjond S. Garmestani

Government of the United States of America - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Date Written: June 1, 2011

Abstract

The concept of resilience is now frequently invoked by natural resource agencies in the US. This reflects growing trends within ecology, conservation biology, and other disciplines acknowledging that social-ecological systems require management approaches recognizing their complexity. In this paper, we examine the concept of resilience and the manner in which some legal and regulatory frameworks governing federal natural resource agencies have difficulty accommodating it. We then use the U.S. Forest Service’s employment of resilience as an illustration of the challenges ahead.

Keywords: Resilience, Social-Ecological Systems, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Management, Governance, Agencies

Suggested Citation

Morgan, Melinda and Garmestani, Ahjond S., Can We Manage for Resilience? The Integration of Resilience Thinking into Natural Resource Management in the United States (June 1, 2011). Environmental Management, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1858934

Melinda Morgan (Contact Author)

Geography & Environmental Studies ( email )

Albuquerque, NM 87131-1221
United States

Ahjond S. Garmestani

Government of the United States of America - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ( email )

Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
United States

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