Rethinking Sustainable Development Using Deep Ecology and Adaptive Governance of Social-Ecological Systems: Implications for Protected Areas Management

Abstract

Since the late 1980s the idea of sustainable development has been gaining widespread 9 recognition as a guiding framework for policies on development and the environment. However, 10 the concept of sustainable development has received a number of criticisms, including its 11 over-emphasis on meeting human needs through economic growth, as well as its failure to 12 recognize dynamic human-environment interactions. In response to these shortfalls, the concepts 13 of resilience and adaptive governance have emerged as alternative perspectives for pursuing 14 sustainable development. Resilience in social-ecological systems emphasizes the capacity of 15 coupled human-environment systems to deal with change while continuing to develop. Adaptive 16 governance relies on diverse and nested institutional mechanisms for connecting actors across 17 multiple scales to manage conflicts and uncertainties in ecosystem management processes. 18 However, the ethical dimensions of resilience and adaptive governance have not received enough 19 attention. A promising ethical perspective for guiding policies on human-environment interactions 20 is the philosophy of deep ecology which highlights the need for recognition of the intrinsic values 21 of all living things, as well as the nurturing of ecological and cultural diversity. We argue that an 22 integration of the principles of deep ecology and adaptive governance provides a complementary 23 set of ethical principles and institutional attributes that offers better prospects for pursuing 24 sustainable development in the era of the Anthropocene. The implications of this integrative 25 agenda include: adoption of a holistic conception of dynamic human-environment interactions; 26 recognition of diverse knowledge systems through an anti-reductionist approach to knowledge; 27 promotion of long term sustainability through respect for ecological and cultural diversity; and 28 embracing decentralization and local autonomy. We further illustrate this integrative agenda using 29 the management of protected areas as a case study. 30