Our planet is deeply marked and influenced by our presence. Scientists argue we have entered the Anthropocene, a geological epoch where there are now so many of us, using so many resources that we are disrupting the whole planet’s nutrient and energy flows leaving almost all the planet’s ecosystems with marks of our presence.
The systems that are shaped by the interactions between people and ecosystems are the essence of what we call a social-ecological system.
A resilience thinking approach investigates how these interacting systems of people and nature can best be managed in the face of disturbances, surprises and uncertainty.
We define resilience as the capacity of a system, be it an individual, a forest, a city or an economy, to deal with change and continue to develop.
But amid the enormous attention it has attracted, confusion exists. What does resilience actually mean and how it should be applied?
This 3-minute video from the Stockholm Resilience Center offers seven principles to help you along the way.