In a context of both long-term climatic changes and short-term climatic shocks, temporal dynamics profoundly influence ecosystems and societies. In low income contexts in the Tropics, where both exposure and vulnerability to climatic fluctuations is high, the frequency, duration, and trends in these fluctuations are important determinants of socio-ecological resilience. In this paper, the dynamics of six diverse socio-ecological systems (SES) across the Tropics - ranging from agricultural and horticultural systems in Africa and Oceania to managed forests in South East Asia and coastal systems in South America - are examined in relation to the 2015-16 El Nino, and the longer context of climatic variability in which this short-term 'event' occurred. In each case, details of the socio-ecological characteristics of the systems and the climate phenomena experienced during the El Nino event are described and reflections on the observed impacts of, and responses to it are presented. Drawing on these cases, we argue that SES resilience (or lack of) is, in part, a product of both long-term historical trends, as well as short-term shocks within this history. Political and economic lock-ins and dependencies, and the memory and social learning that originates from past experience, all contribute to contemporary system resilience. We propose that the experiences of climate shocks can provide a window of insight into future ecosystem responses and, when combined with historical perspectives and learning from multiple contexts and cases, can be an important foundation for efforts to build appropriate long-term resilience strategies to mediate impacts of changing and uncertain climates.
1.Univ Leeds, Sustainabil Res Inst, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England 2.IIED, London WC1X 8NH, England 3.Univ Oxford, Dept Zool, Oxford OX1 3PS, England 4.Univ Nottingham, Sch Geog, Nottingham NG7 2RD, England 5.Univ Aberdeen, Inst Biol & Environm Sci, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, Scotland 6.James Hutton Inst, Social Econ & Geog Sci Grp, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, Scotland 7.Met Off, Fitzroy Rd, Exeter EX1 3PB, Devon, England 8.Univ Dundee, Sch Social Sci, Geog, Dundee DD1 4HN, Scotland 9.Hawassa Univ, Inst Environm, Hawassa, Ethiopia 10.Univ Southampton, Ocean & Earth Sci, Natl Oceanog Ctr, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, Hants, England 11.Univ Southampton, Sch Biol Sci, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, Hants, England 12.Univ Oxford, Sch Geog & Environm, Environm Change Inst, Oxford OX1 3QY, England 13.Univ Cambridge, Dept Geog, Cambridge CB2 3EN, England 14.Zool Soc London, Inst Zool, Regents Pk, London NW1 4RY, England 15.Scotlands Rural Coll SRUC, Land Econ Environm & Soc Grp, Kings Bldg,West Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, Midlothian, Scotland 16.Univ York, Dept Environm & Geog, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5NG, N Yorkshire, England 17.Grp Laera, Ave Carrera 9 N 113-52 Off 1901, Bogota, Colombia 18.Malawi Univ Sci & Technol, Limbe, Malawi 19.Univ Bern, Inst Geog, Bern, Switzerland 20.Inst Invest Marinas & Costeras INVEMAR, Sede Principal Calle 25 2-55, Playa Salguero, Santa Marta, Colombia 21.Joint Nat Conservat Comm, Monkstone House, Peterborough PE1 1JY, Cambs, England
Recommended Citation:
Whitfield, Stephen,Beauchamp, Emilie,Boyd, Doreen S.,et al. Exploring temporality in socio-ecological resilience through experiences of the 2015-16 El Nino across the Tropics[J]. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS,2019-01-01,55:1-14