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Changes in economic development, population growth, societal values and demands, as well as environmental and climate change, make the sustainable use of wild species a challenging and dynamic process that requires adaptive management and that will benefit from the use of scenarios.

Coastal systems are special cases of coupled infrastructure systems (CIS). Here, system fragilities that exist elsewhere are magnified due to the unique features of the coastal natural infrastructure which exhibits a concentration of resource scarcity within a densely linked CIS in the vicinity of several key thresholds (e.g., salt vs freshwater). Accordingly, coastal regions warrant special attention and can provide early insights into other systems of intertwined human and natural infrastructure. In order to better understand the characteristics of such CIS, existing common pool resource (CPR) theories and methodologies were applied to the comparative analysis of coastal vulnerability to global change in three regions: Cornwall, Britain; Languedoc, France; and Eden District, South Africa. Utilizing an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach, we iteratively “translated” local research findings from the three systems into the Robustness Framework and applied the design principles of long-enduring CPR governance systems before comparing the outcomes. We found that: (1) the density of connections in the coastal systems magnified unintended consequences of poorly coordinated rules (e.g., rules governing coastal development, environmental protection, watershed management, etc.) which often pursue disparate goals; (2) a devolution of authority from the national to the local level coupled with government austerity measures is limiting the ability of local governments to mitigate the effects of climate change, and is fostering an under-provisioning of public soft infrastructure; and (3) short-term political agendas are favoring the production of large-scale hard infrastructure projects over long-term mitigation/adaptation strategies. These three characteristics inhibited institutional robustness, magnified CIS fragilities, and caused vulnerability transfers. We argue that our iterative and transdisciplinary comparative approach provides insights into key features of complex coastal CIS which may be useful to the examination and understanding of other densely linked systems. (Texte intégral)

"In this synthesis, we hope to accomplish two things: 1) reflect on how the analysis of the new archaeological cases presented in this special feature adds to previous case studies by revisiting a set of propositions reported in a 2006 special feature, and 2) reflect on four main ideas that are more specific to the archaeological cases: i) societal choices are influenced by robustness-vulnerability trade-offs, ii) there is interplay between robustness-vulnerability trade-offs and robustness-performance trade-offs, iii) societies often get locked in to particular strategies, and iv) multiple positive feedbacks escalate the perceived cost of societal change. We then discuss whether these lock-in traps can be prevented or whether the risks associated with them can be mitigated. We conclude by highlighting how these long-term historical studies can help us to understand current society, societal practices, and the nexus between ecology and society."

Bibliography: leaves 100-114., Human-induced land management practices are key factors which influence the dynamics of landscapes, land elements and biotic communities in Xeric Succulent Thicket, a notoriously fragile and low resilience ecosystem in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. In its natural state this vegetation type is characterized by a continuous mosaic of clumps of diverse woody shrubs in a matrix of grass, hardy dwarf shrubs and bare ground. When indigenous herbivores are replaced by domestic livestock at unsustainable stocking rates, the ratio of clump to interclump areas decreases. This has impacts on biodiversity at the landscape level, and affects the composition and species richness of plant, arthropod and reptile communities and fungal symbionts. The study has two main objectives: 1) to detennine the local-level effects of different types of land use on biodiversity in Xeric Succulent Thicket; and 2) to better understand the factors which affect biodiversity in different taxonomic groups and at different spatial scales, so that the preservation function of protected areas could be enhanced. The key questions which are addressed in the thesis are what does 'biodiversity' mean, and what are its different dimensions in Xeric Succulent Thicket; what roles do protected areas and other lands play in preserving biodiversity, how are different taxonomic groups affected by different types of land use; and how can biodiversity be monitored and measured? . The regional 'conservation landscape' is seen as the protected area plus the land immediately adjoining it, and is viewed as an integrated mosaic of anthropogenic landscapes (land management units), land elements (patches within landscapes). producer communities (assemblages of interacting plant species), consumer communities (assemblages of interacting herbivores and predators) and soil microorganisms. From a process point of view, the research relates the intensity of disturbance, mainly as a result of herbivory, to landscape complexity, the structure of land elements, and the species richness of producers and consumers within land elements. The patterns which emerge are interpreted in the context of ecosystem functioning, from the point of view of a practicing conservation biologist.

People living along coastlines are facing multiple risks such as flooding, submersion and erosion. The association of growing issues and risks in the face of global change is challenging the responses of individual, collective and public authorities to manage vulnerability of these areas and of their social and ecological components. Depending on the context and on the dominant world views, decision-makers are referring to a multitude of discursive arguments to tell their stories about coastal management and to comment on their adaptation choices. Here, we identify the main frames mobilized in coastal management in three contexts: Cornwall in England, Languedoc in France and Garden Route in South Africa. Through a revision of coastal management documents and a thematic analysis of interviews conducted with institutional decision-makers, we identify the main frames mobilized in the three study cases. Two opposed frames of response emerged across the three sites: the command and control VS living with the risk frames. However, these frames are unequally mobilized through the case studies, and differently introduced and justified. Determinants related to the context, occurrence of extreme events, availability of resources to adapt or socio-political history of the country are pushing towards the use of one of the frame rather than the other. Conversely, the use of the same frame in two different contexts can be explain by a different set of determinants related to the context. This study highlights how adaptation reflects both how different stakeholders diversely interpret information about global change and adaptation, but also how these rationales are strongly context-dependent, leading to diverse cognitive and non-cognitive barriers and opportunities for renewed responses in the face of global change along coastlines. (Texte intégral)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-104).