IHDP
UPDATE
N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L H U M A N D I M E N S I O N S P R O G R A M M E O N G LO B A L E N V I R O N M E N TA L C H A N G E
02/2003
ISSN 1727-155X
BUILDING RESILIENCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
FO CUS:
RESILIENCE C
An agenda for coping with globalisation and promoting justice | BY
W. N EIL A DGER
O N T E N T S
1
Building Resilience to Promote Sustainability | W. N. Adger
2
Editorial
4
Resilience and Adaptive Capacity | A. Quinlan
6
Resilience of Human-Rangifer Systems | G. Kofinas
8
Vulnerability and Resilience in Africa | M. Bollig
10 Enhancing the Resilience of Coral Reef Resources | M. Ablan et al. 12 The Resilience Alliance | Interview with B. Walker 13 Scenario Development and Resilience | E. Bennett 14 Local Management of Dynamics and Diversity | by M. Tengö 15 Core Projects: Foto: N. Adger
Knowledge and Institutions | S. Ebbin Environmental Factors of Civil War | M. Woodrow 16 ESSP/Joint Projects:
WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
➤ The speeches of Presidents and Prime Ministers at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg make it clear that sustainability is a widely held social and political goal, but one which is often more a utopian aspiration than a defined set of social and ecological states. However, sustainability clearly captures the desire for persistent and equitable well-being in the long run. The unfocussed aspirations for sustainability are captured in the notion of resilience – the ability to persist and the ability to adapt. Both sustainability and resilience recognise the need for precautionary action on resource use and on emerging risks, the avoidance of vulnerability, and the promotion of ecological integrity into the future. One important contribution to the WSSD promoted the synergies between the sustainability and resilience agendas. The report from ICSU and the Swedish Envi➤
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The Caribbean Food Systems Project | GECAFS CFS Project Interim Steering Group 17 National Committees: Chile’s Human Dimensions Community | A. Leon Stewart 17 Masthead 18 In Brief 19 Meeting Calendar | Publications 20 Contact Addresses
W W W. I H D P. O R G I H D P U p d a t e i s p u b l i s h e d b y t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l H u m a n D i m e n s i o n s P r o g r a m m e o n G l o b a l E n v i r o m e n t a l C h a n g e ( I H D P ) , Wa l t e r - F l e x - S t r. 3 , 5 3 1 1 3 B o n n , G e r m a n y, V. i . S . d. P. : E l i s a b e t h D y c k