Adaptive Capacity of Social-Ecological Systems: Lessons from Immune Systems

How do systems respond to disturbances? The capacity of a system to respond to disturbances varies for different types of disturbance regimes. We distinguish two types of responses: one that enables the system to absorb disturbances from an existing disturbance regime, and one that enables a system...

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Veröffentlicht in:EcoHealth 2005-06, Vol.2 (2), p.93-101
Hauptverfasser: Janssen, Marco A., Osnas, Erik E.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:How do systems respond to disturbances? The capacity of a system to respond to disturbances varies for different types of disturbance regimes. We distinguish two types of responses: one that enables the system to absorb disturbances from an existing disturbance regime, and one that enables a system to reconstruct itself after a fundamental change in a disturbance regime. We use immune systems as a model for how systems can deal with disturbances, and use this model to derive insights in adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems. We identify a tension between the two types of responses where one benefits from learning and memory while the other requires fast-turnover of experience. We discuss how this may affect building up adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1612-9202
1612-9210
DOI:10.1007/s10393-004-0158-7