Distinguishing ecological engineering from environmental engineering

• Published in: Ecological engineering 2003-10, Vol.20 (5), p.389-407
• Main Authors: Allen, T.F.H, Giampietro, M, Little, A.M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beavers; Complex systems thinking; Ecological engineering; Hierarchy theory; Multiple scales; Rosen; Self-organization
• ISSN: 0925-8574; 1872-6992
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2003.08.007

This paper uses complex system thinking to identify key peculiarities of ecological engineering. In particular it focuses on the distinction between the purpose-driven design of structures in environmental engineering and the natural process of self-organization characteristic of life, which needs to be integrated into ecological engineering. Conventional engineering addresses the problem of fabrication of an organized structure, say a road, which reflects a goal at the outset, as well as considerations external to the road. At the outset there is an essence of which the organized structure is a realization. This realization belongs to a certain type (apartment building, suspension bridge). The type is in relation to: (a) the expected contexts (e.g. housing in Manhattan, a bridge in rural Africa) and (b) location-specific socio-economic constraints (low/high economic budget). Conventional engineering does not question the goals of the selected plan and can only object to the feasibility of a proposed typology in a given context. Engineers deal with the challenge of the realization of a plan at a given point in space and time. The central dogma of biology identifies organisms as informationally-closed and this makes possible their use as machines. Ecological systems, on the contrary, are informationally-open. They cannot be used as machines to create functional structures, because they are becoming in time. For engineered structures to work it is usually required that there is (1) stability of system components; (2) admissibility of a workable context; (3) validity of purpose and concept. Ecologically-engineered structures challenge these requirements because of specificity of required environments and lability of system parts over the time the engineered structure functions. Other engineering is better if it achieves flexibility, but ecological engineering must be so flexible as to take on a looping character that updates the system to meet changing requirements. Accordingly, the original goals cannot be taken for granted later in the process of ecological engineering. Ecological engineering has to be a flexible iterative process of design, in which the designer must continually update goals, essences, typologies and processes of realization.