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SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
Impact/Purpose:
Sea-level rise related to climate change threatens both wetland ecosystems and rural communities on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Successful adaptation will require an understanding of what factors contribute to the resilience and adaptive capacity of the social-ecological system in the face of environmental change. Drawing on methods from cognitive environmental anthropology, this study will integrate research on environmental justice, social-ecological systems and adaptation to identify and evaluate factors important for resilience to climate change impacts in the present and future.
Description:
It is expected that this research will yield methods for operationalizing and assessing the presence of factors of resilience in social-ecological systems, as well as further understanding on the relationship between vulnerability, adaptation and resilience. In addition, it is anticipated that this research will result in transdisciplinary and transcultural learning between stakeholder groups and reveal areas in which under-represented communities (especially environmental justice communities) can engage in the policy-making process.
Potential to Further Environmental/Human Health Protection
Adaptation to sea-level rise from climate change potentially will involve trade-offs between wetland conservation and protecting rural communities from flooding. By using a holistic social-ecological system framework to study resilience and adaptive capacity on the Eastern Shore, this research will explore possibilities for adaptation that simultaneously can help to ensure that adequate ecological resources are available for future generations, and that people living today have equal access to clean, healthy environments.