Journal of Forest Economics > Vol 24 > Issue 1

Survival of commons? Institutions for robust forest social – ecological systems

Tatiana Kluvánková, SPECTRA Centre of Excellence, Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak Republic, tana@cetip.sk , Veronika Gežík, SPECTRA Centre of Excellence, Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Management, Slovakia
 
Suggested Citation
Tatiana Kluvánková and Veronika Gežík (2016), "Survival of commons? Institutions for robust forest social – ecological systems", Journal of Forest Economics: Vol. 24: No. 1, pp 175-185. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2016.01.002

Publication Date: 0/8/2016
© 0 2016 Tatiana Kluvánková, Veronika Gežík
 
Subjects
 
Keywords
Institutional maturitySocio-ecological dynamicsForest commonsComplexityRobustness
 

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In this article:
Introduction 
Methodology 
Evolution of forest socio-ecological systems 
The traditional forest SES 
Survival of SES under complexity? 
Enhancing robustness 
Conclusions 

Abstract

In recent decades, human activities have moved beyond the range of natural variability and are approaching critical tipping points that may lead to irreversible changes to the Earth's systems. In particular, the diversity of actors and scales, and their power and interest in Earth system resources, increases natural – social interconnectivity and the vulnerability of these traditionally local resource systems to disturbances. Using a combination of design conditions and robustness analyses, we argue that institutional maturity and local knowledge of self-organised regimes are pre-conditions for the continuity of local forest socio-ecological systems as long-lasting institutions that survive global market disturbances. Vulnerability and robustness against external natural and social disturbances thus largely depend on institutional robustness, as well as socio-ecological dynamics.

DOI:10.1016/j.jfe.2016.01.002