Speakers: Bryan Jenkins, J. David Tàbara, Diego Galafassi, Jessica Böhme
Presentations:
Regenerative sustainability and transformative pathways. A relational perspective.
J David Tàbara, Diego Galafassi
Moving towards net-positive regenerative development pathways requires a cultural shift in the way we think about human agency, social-ecological systems and the relationships between both. In this talk, I introduce a relational, non-exemptionalist, whole-life systems perspective to explore the possibilities of building the transformative conditions required to achieve a positive tipping point towards global regenerative sustainability. To do so, first I suggest that current attempts aimed at theorising sustainability transformations would benefit from a perspective that sees humans -and their organisations and societies- as coupled social-ecological systems. Acknowledging that we live in the environment as much as the environment lives inside each of us helps us to see ourselves and the world around us as a continuum of embodied life forms socially mediated by: social norms and institutions (S), the consumption of energy and natural resources (E), information and knowledge systems (I) and increasing cumulative and depletive global environmental changes (C). Then, I argue that creating the conditions for the emergence of positive tipping points toward regenerative futures may be possible, albeit not necessarily likely; and this may occur whenever multiplicative synergies between the restoration and net improvement of social and biophysical capitals are deliberately triggered across multiple scales and domains of agency.
A relation paradigm to rethink inner and outer transformation in the Anthropocene
Jessica Böhme
To respond to the challenges of the Anthropocene, scholars from various disciplines increasingly emphasize that a mere outer transformation is insufficient and that we also need an inner transformation that addresses deep leverage points. Yet, the open questions are how the inner and outer dimensions relate to each other and how inner transformation might lead to outer transformation. How we attempt to answer these questions is determined by our dominant paradigm. Paradigms define how we understand and shape the world, and thus, they define how we conceptualize challenges, such as inner and outer transformation. Various authors argue that the dominant paradigm, which is characterized by reductionism, empiricism, dualism, and determinism, might be a root cause for insufficiently addressing sustainability challenges. As an alternative, many argue for a relational paradigm, which understands complex phenomena in terms of constitutive processes and relations. A relational paradigm might offer possibilities to reconceptualize inner and outer transformation in the Anthropocene and might shed new light on how to integrate both in sustainability science. Yet, it’s still being determined how a relational paradigm can contribute to the understanding of inner and outer transformations towards sustainability in the Anthropocene. Therefore, this oral presentation’s overarching scope is to generate insights into and exploring possibilities of a relational paradigm for inner and outer transformation in the Anthropocene. As a conclusion, inner and outer transformation in the Anthropocene can be reconceptualized as paradigm-ing relationality in the Ecocene. “Paradigm-ing” as an active verb, reconceptualizes inner and outer transformation into ontologies, epistemologies, ethics, and socialecological realities that are ongoing, nonhierarchical, nonlinear, dynamic, co-creative processes of intra-action. The Ecocene decenters the human and attends to what we might be able to intra-act and become-with. These insights can offer unexplored perspectives to address sustainability challenges and increase our capacities to respond in novel ways.
The Transformation Process as an Adaptive Cycle illustrated by Recovery from Desertification in Shinyanga
Bryan Jenkins
The presentation delineates a framework for social-ecological system assessment and transformation based on Holling’s adaptive cycle. It considers assessments of disturbance beyond the biophysical system capacity to recover. The transformation process for recovery is depicted as an adaptive cycle of using human and economic resources (exploitation phase), accumulating knowledge as well as social, cultural and economic capital (accumulation phase), formulating new approaches to biophysical system management (disturbance phase), and developing new institutional arrangements (reorganisation phase). The transformation process leads to the implementation of management interventions for the biophysical system. Interventions relate to the four phases of the biophysical system adaptive cycle: (1) reducing pressure on the resource (exploitation phase), (2) addressing legacy issues (accumulation phase), (3) increasing system resilience (disturbance phase), and (4) rehabilitating adverse effects (reorganisation phase). In Shinyanga, Tanzania, before colonial occupation there were intact Miombo and Acacia woodlands. Woodland clearance to eradicate tsetse fly and expand agriculture led to soil erosion and desertification. Centralised attempts at restoration by colonial government and subsequently the independent government failed to be implemented. When a new centralised programme was established in 1986 the program manager found he needed to work in partnership with local farmers and incorporate traditional knowledge and institutions to be effective. The traditional practice of ngitili enclosures (areas of standing vegetation that remain closed to livestock during the wet season to be used as fodder resources during the dry season) was integrated with modern agroforestry techniques. A nested system of village, regional and national institutions was created, and international financial contributions were received. Restoration of woodlands was achieved, and other ecosystem services increased, such as wood supply, bringing economic benefits and improving biodiversity. Sustainability analysis identified disturbance threats to be managed for ongoing sustainability such as population growth, elite capture of benefits, and rule compliance by neighbouring villages.