Analysing Resilience – Comparing an Expert Driven Framework for Analysing Resilience with a Case Study in an Italian Cultural Landscape

Soane, I., Gretter, A., Scolozzi, R. and Orsatti, C. (2010) Analysing Resilience – Comparing an Expert Driven Framework for Analysing Resilience with a Case Study in an Italian Cultural Landscape. International Workshop: Social-Ecological Resilience Of Cultural Landscapes, Berlin, Germany, 15-16 June 2010.

Abstract

This paper draws on the expert views of over one hundred stakeholders, including fifty specialists worldwide who are involved in research or management of natural resources in a rural context. It explores ideas relevant to Resilience and Social Ecological Systems (SESs) from perspectives offered in three separate but thematically linked events and applies these perspectives in the construction of panarchy metaphors that examine Natura 2000 interest associated with “Malghe” (alpinemountain) grassland, in Val di Ledro, Trentino, Italy. The authors invited participants in the three events to consider resilience in the context of the management of upland cultural landscapes but other themes including public health, nature conservation and cultural identity emerged. This approach resulted in participants embarking on discussions that were subsequently classified as illustrating seven key themes: 1. Cultural landscapes, 2. SES as metaphor or quantitative model, 3. Resilience as by-product of complex systems or a human attribute, 4. SES and co-adaptation, 5. Resilience and value systems, 6. Transformation or resilience, 7. Resilience Analysis as an applied technique. These debates identified valuable insights on the application of resilience techniques. System scale and governance relationships in resource management occurred as a crosscutting theme. Participants’ valued panarchy and SES as “thinking tools” for use within participatory techniques but differed on their value as predictive models for generating locally adapted solutions. We are able to shed light on some of these concerns by looking at our current work on developing a panarchy perspective to Natura 2000 interest within the cultural landscape of Malghe grassland. As part of work in progress we present issues encountered in constructing adaptive cycle diagrams and defining their comparative shapes through evaluating relative natural capital and complexity. We also explore options of combining social and biophysical measures within adaptive cycles and SES.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Orsatti, Dr Cristina
• Authors: Soane, I., Gretter, A., Scolozzi, R., and Orsatti, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social & Environmental Sustainability