A social–ecological perspective on harmonizing food security and biodiversity conservation

The major challenges of improving food security and biodiversity conservation are intricately linked. To date, the intersection of food security and biodiversity conservation has been viewed primarily through an agricultural “production lens”—for example, via the land sparing/sharing framework, or t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Regional environmental change 2017-06, Vol.17 (5), p.1291-1301
Main Authors: Wittman, Hannah, Chappell, Michael Jahi, Abson, David James, Kerr, Rachel Bezner, Blesh, Jennifer, Hanspach, Jan, Perfecto, Ivette, Fischer, Joern
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Biodiversity
Biological diversity conservation
Climate Change
Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
Conservation
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecosystem degradation
Ecosystems
Embedded systems
Environment
Farming systems
Food
Food security
Food supply
Geography
Landscape
Nature Conservation
Oceanography
Original
Original Article
Regional/Spatial Science
Safety and security measures
Social networks
Social-ecological systems
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:The major challenges of improving food security and biodiversity conservation are intricately linked. To date, the intersection of food security and biodiversity conservation has been viewed primarily through an agricultural “production lens”—for example, via the land sparing/sharing framework, or the concept of sustainable intensification. However, a productionist perspective has been criticized for being too narrow, and failing to consider other relevant factors, including policy, equity, and diversity. We propose an approach that conceptualizes rural landscapes as social–ecological systems embedded within intersecting multi-scalar processes. Based on such a framing, empirical research can be more clearly set in the context of system properties that may influence food security, biodiversity conservation, or both. We illustrate our approach through a description of contrasting agricultural systems within Brazil’s Cerrado region. We emphasize the need for new empirical research involving systematic comparisons of social–ecological system properties in landscapes threatened by food insecurity and ecosystem degradation.
ISSN:1436-3798
1436-378X
DOI:10.1007/s10113-016-1045-9