Social-ecological Hotspots Mapping: An approach to understanding social-ecological space Andy Kliskey Lil Alessa Resilience and Adaptive Management Group University of Alaska Anchorage
Feb 25, 2016
Social-ecological Hotspots Mapping:
An approach to understanding social-ecological space
Andy Kliskey Lil Alessa
Resilience and Adaptive Management GroupUniversity of Alaska Anchorage
OutlineContext - The Anthropocene
Existing tools to understand social-ecological systems
Mapping perceptions – Kenai Peninsula landscape values
Mapping vulnerabilities – Seward Peninsula
The AnthropoceneCurrently human activities and/or residence
largely occupy Earthe.g. Ellis & Ramankutty, Front. Ecol. Environ.
2008recognizing coupled social-ecological systems
.Such systems must be studied differently
than traditional disciplines currently do.
ContextLocation, distance, space matters
Source: Kliskey & Byrom, 2004, Trans. In GIS
ContextHotspots as localities of intensity or
coincidence
Kenai Peninsula study
Source: Alessa, Kliskey, Brown. Landscape & Urban Planning. 2008.
Kenai Peninsula study
Social survey techniques linked to GIS561 useable surveys23% response rate
Mapping exerciseWhere important
values are locatedWeighting (0-50) of
the importance of that value at that location
Landscape valuesAesthetic – areas / places valued for sceneryBiological – valued for plant, animal, wildlife
habitatCultural – valued as locales for passing down
traditional knowledgeRecreation – valued for recreation activities
and experiencesSubsistence – valued for provision of food
and materials
Economic, Future, Historic, Intrinsic, Learning, Spiritual, Therapeutic, Wilderness
Kenai Peninsula study
Point density mappingKernel
density
Kenai Peninsula study
Kenai Peninsula study
Kenai Peninsula study
Kenai Peninsula study
Kenai Peninsula study
Kenai Peninsula study
Key PointsA single space will host a plurality of values,
including social ones held by different communities.
Management of natural resources often assumes a standard set of values.
Biophysical measures on their own do not convey enough information to ensure their sustainability over time.
Kenai Peninsula study
Mapping vulnerability to changeVulnerability mapping on Seward PeninsulaCommunity-derived (salmon habitat, permafrost
distribution, proximity to streams, traditional use, mining sites)
Source: Alessa, Kliskey, et al. Global Environmental Change, 2008.
Existing and Future DirectionsDistancing of society from resources
Source: Alessa, Kliskey, Williams. Polar Geography, 2007.
SummaryImportant role for perceptions of biophysical
state (resources)Need to include the human state
Socio-ecological systemsNeed for new approaches toward
understanding, representing, and modeling social-ecological space
Acknowledgements: EPSCoR, Alaska SeaGrant, Greg Brown, Sean Mack, Paula Williams