4.11 References
transform relationships from vicious cycles to
virtuous cycles, thus creating generative relationships that foster collaborative learning and
creative synthesis.
3. Coping with role ambiguity. Learning and helping others to learn new ways will be perceived
as not just pushing the envelope, but having
gone over to the "other side." Michael says the
feeling is like standing with both feet firmly
planted in midair! Without considerable trust
and respect among peers and by superiors, leaders of change can appear as "loose cannons,"
lacking discipline and having questionable loyalties. True leaders will emerge only from those
with considerable personal mastery and integrity of character.
4. Developing active listening skills. Listening in
an active way is essential, because unraveling
systems problems requires going deeper. It requires a person to understand how what people
think, feel, and act is linked to deeper belief systems and lived experience. Belief systems and
natural systems are nested. Real leverage comes
from searching below the surface of events and
trends, probing for the logic of change. Active
listening may be a hackneyed term, but next
time you are exploring the depths of an ecological (physical, biological, cultural) problem, for
every answer you think you have uncovered, ask
"why" again-the causal chain of relationships
will begin to reveal itself, grudgingly. Only the
most tenacious listener will be rewarded.
4.10 Conclusion
Ideas lead change. Understanding how natural systems perform far from equilibrium and the design
of precautionary management probes for societal
benefit and learning forms the basis of adaptive
ecosystem assessment and management. The
AEAM is not about incremental change and patching holes in existing approaches to resource management; it is about revolutionizing the way that
natural resource management is conducted. AEAM
is not just about integrative science. At its core is
the understanding that a new coming together of
science, policy, culture, and ethical activity is necessary-consilience (Wilson, 1998)-a path of last
resort, because deep learning is the only alternative.
The difficulty of this undertaking is considerable
and the outcome uncertain. While the search for
ways out of our current management pathology has
begun in earnest, work is progressing slowly, with
67
too much groping, too little insight, and, too many
attempts to reinvent understanding that already exists. The field of natural resource management is
in the midst of a protracted period of profound
change. The question is not one of considering environmental values, but rather of understanding and
benefiting from the invisible hands of nature at
work on the landscape and how humans are an extension of this pattern. Leopold (1949) referred to
this phenomenon of nature as the "revolving fund
oflife." The record of the past 150 years is one of
humans evolving into a planetary force bent on harnessing nature to human aspirations for exploitation, growth, and development. But sustainable resource management is not simply a matter of
honing our capacity to sustain ever-increasing
yields from our products. Ecological sustainability
will hinge on our capacity to learn, understand, live
with, and profit from the variability that exists in
ecological, economic, and community systemsresilience. A future must be envisioned that is predicated on the renewal of both economic and ecological systems that have the opportunity to fulfill
their combined potential. This is not just a question of whether such a future is possible, although
the role of science in the search for sustainable ecological and economic futures is clear. It is a question of resource scientists leading without authority, while taking responsibility for the whole, and
creating collaborative platforms for science and
democracy to flourish together.
4.11 References
Arthur, B. 1990. Positive feedback in the economy. Sci.
Amer. 262:92-99.
Baskerville, G. L. 1977. Adaptive management: a philosophy and a method. Unpublished Collaborative Papers. Luxembourg, Austria: International Institute for
Applied Systems Analysis.
Bohm, D. 1978. The implicate order: a new order for
physics. Process Stud. 8:73-102.
Bohm, D. 1980. Wholeness and the implicate order. London: Routlege and Kegan Paul.
Botkin, D. B. 1990. Discordant harmonies. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Capra, F. 1975. The Tao of physics. New York: Wildwood House.
Clark, W. c.; Munn, R., editors. 1986. Sustainable development of the biosphere. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Davis, S. M.; Ogden, J. C. 1994. Towards ecosystem
restoration. In: Davis, S. M.; Ogden, J. C., eds. Everglades: the ecosystem and its restoration. Delray
Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press: 769-796.
transform relationships from vicious cycles to
virtuous cycles, thus creating generative relationships that foster collaborative learning and
creative synthesis.
3. Coping with role ambiguity. Learning and helping others to learn new ways will be perceived
as not just pushing the envelope, but having
gone over to the "other side." Michael says the
feeling is like standing with both feet firmly
planted in midair! Without considerable trust
and respect among peers and by superiors, leaders of change can appear as "loose cannons,"
lacking discipline and having questionable loyalties. True leaders will emerge only from those
with considerable personal mastery and integrity of character.
4. Developing active listening skills. Listening in
an active way is essential, because unraveling
systems problems requires going deeper. It requires a person to understand how what people
think, feel, and act is linked to deeper belief systems and lived experience. Belief systems and
natural systems are nested. Real leverage comes
from searching below the surface of events and
trends, probing for the logic of change. Active
listening may be a hackneyed term, but next
time you are exploring the depths of an ecological (physical, biological, cultural) problem, for
every answer you think you have uncovered, ask
"why" again-the causal chain of relationships
will begin to reveal itself, grudgingly. Only the
most tenacious listener will be rewarded.
4.10 Conclusion
Ideas lead change. Understanding how natural systems perform far from equilibrium and the design
of precautionary management probes for societal
benefit and learning forms the basis of adaptive
ecosystem assessment and management. The
AEAM is not about incremental change and patching holes in existing approaches to resource management; it is about revolutionizing the way that
natural resource management is conducted. AEAM
is not just about integrative science. At its core is
the understanding that a new coming together of
science, policy, culture, and ethical activity is necessary-consilience (Wilson, 1998)-a path of last
resort, because deep learning is the only alternative.
The difficulty of this undertaking is considerable
and the outcome uncertain. While the search for
ways out of our current management pathology has
begun in earnest, work is progressing slowly, with
67
too much groping, too little insight, and, too many
attempts to reinvent understanding that already exists. The field of natural resource management is
in the midst of a protracted period of profound
change. The question is not one of considering environmental values, but rather of understanding and
benefiting from the invisible hands of nature at
work on the landscape and how humans are an extension of this pattern. Leopold (1949) referred to
this phenomenon of nature as the "revolving fund
oflife." The record of the past 150 years is one of
humans evolving into a planetary force bent on harnessing nature to human aspirations for exploitation, growth, and development. But sustainable resource management is not simply a matter of
honing our capacity to sustain ever-increasing
yields from our products. Ecological sustainability
will hinge on our capacity to learn, understand, live
with, and profit from the variability that exists in
ecological, economic, and community systemsresilience. A future must be envisioned that is predicated on the renewal of both economic and ecological systems that have the opportunity to fulfill
their combined potential. This is not just a question of whether such a future is possible, although
the role of science in the search for sustainable ecological and economic futures is clear. It is a question of resource scientists leading without authority, while taking responsibility for the whole, and
creating collaborative platforms for science and
democracy to flourish together.
4.11 References
Arthur, B. 1990. Positive feedback in the economy. Sci.
Amer. 262:92-99.
Baskerville, G. L. 1977. Adaptive management: a philosophy and a method. Unpublished Collaborative Papers. Luxembourg, Austria: International Institute for
Applied Systems Analysis.
Bohm, D. 1978. The implicate order: a new order for
physics. Process Stud. 8:73-102.
Bohm, D. 1980. Wholeness and the implicate order. London: Routlege and Kegan Paul.
Botkin, D. B. 1990. Discordant harmonies. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Capra, F. 1975. The Tao of physics. New York: Wildwood House.
Clark, W. c.; Munn, R., editors. 1986. Sustainable development of the biosphere. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Davis, S. M.; Ogden, J. C. 1994. Towards ecosystem
restoration. In: Davis, S. M.; Ogden, J. C., eds. Everglades: the ecosystem and its restoration. Delray
Beach, FL: St. Lucie Press: 769-796.