Rapid environmental change calls for individuals and societies with an
ability to transform our interactions with each other and the ecosystems
upon which we depend. Adaptive capacity - the ability of a
social-ecological system (or the components of that system) to be robust
to disturbances and capable of responding to changes - is increasingly
recognized as a critical attribute of multi-level environmental
governance. This unique volume offers the first interdisciplinary and
integrative perspective on an emerging area of applied scholarship, with
contributions from internationally recognized researchers and
practitioners. It demonstrates how adaptive capacity makes environmental
governance possible in complex social-ecological systems. Cutting-edge
theoretical developments are explored and empirical case studies offered
from a wide range of geographic settings and natural resource contexts,
such as water, climate, fisheries and forestry. - Of interest to
researchers, policymakers and resource managers seeking to navigate and
understand social-ecological change in diverse geographic settings and
resource contexts