Exploring temporality in socio-ecological resilience through experiences of the 2015–16 El Niño across the Tropics

Whitfield, Stephen; Beauchamp, Emilie; Boyd, Doreen S.; Burslem, David; Byg, Anja; Colledge, Francis; Cutler, Mark E.J.; Didena, Mengistu; Dougill, Andrew; Foody, Giles; Godbold, Jasmin A.; Hazenbosch, Mirjam; Hirons, Mark; Ifejika Speranza, Chinwe; Jew, Eleanor; Lacambra, Carmen; Mkwambisi, David; Moges, Awdenegest; Morel, Alexandra; Morris, Rebecca; ... (2019). Exploring temporality in socio-ecological resilience through experiences of the 2015–16 El Niño across the Tropics. Global environmental change, 55, pp. 1-14. Elsevier 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.01.004

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In a context of both long-term climatic changes and short-term climatic shocks, temporal dynamics profoundly influence ecosystems and societies. In low income contexts in the Tropics, where both exposure and vulnerability to climatic fluctuations is high, the frequency, duration, and trends in these fluctuations are important determinants of socio-ecological resilience. In this paper, the dynamics of six diverse socio-ecological systems (SES) across the Tropics – ranging from agricultural and horticultural systems in Africa and Oceania to managed forests in South East Asia and coastal systems in South America – are examined in relation to the 2015–16 El Niño, and the longer context of climatic variability in which this short-term ‘event’ occurred. In each case, details of the socio-ecological characteristics of the systems and the climate phenomena experienced during the El Niño event are described and reflections on the observed impacts of, and responses to it are presented. Drawing on these cases, we argue that SES resilience (or lack of) is, in part, a product of both long-term historical trends, as well as short-term shocks within this history. Political and economic lock-ins and dependencies, and the memory and social learning that originates from past experience, all contribute to contemporary system resilience. We propose that the experiences of climate shocks can provide a window of insight into future ecosystem responses and, when combined with historical perspectives and learning from multiple contexts and cases, can be an important foundation for efforts to build appropriate long-term resilience strategies to mediate impacts of changing and uncertain climates.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Land Systems and Sustainable Land Management (LS-SLM)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography

UniBE Contributor:

Ifejika Speranza, Chinwe

ISSN:

0959-3780

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Evi Nina Rothenbühler

Date Deposited:

25 Apr 2019 08:05

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:26

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.01.004

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.127360

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/127360

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