Pandas and People: Coupling Human and Natural Systems for Sustainability

by Jianguo Liu (Editor), Vanessa Hull (Editor), Wu Yang (Editor), Andres Vina (Editor), Xiaodong Chen (Editor)

Overview

Understanding the complex relationships between humans and the natural world is essential for achieving environmental sustainability and improving human well-being, yet many studies are unable to reveal complex interactions and hidden trends. This is the first book to synthesize the findings and approaches of long-term integrated research in a model coupled human and natural system, and to illustrate their applications to regional, national, and global scales. It features a classic long-term interdisciplinary research project in the Wolong Nature Reserve of China, which contains one of the largest wild populations of the world-famous endangered giant pandas. Bringing together a team of contributors from both the natural and social sciences, this book explores how a long-term interdisciplinary and model system approach is essential to uncover the common patterns and mechanisms of coupled systems, to develop ideas and methods for studying and managing other coupled systems, and ultimately to contribute to the development of theories about coupled systems for sustainability.

Pandas and People will be essential reading for scholars interested in the interface of the natural and social sciences, including ecologists, conservation biologists, environmental scientists, sustainability scientists, wildlife biologists, forest scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, and political scientists. It will also be a valuable reference for policy makers, natural resource managers, and graduate students.

To learn more about the book, visit www.PandasandPeople.org.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198703556
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jianguo Liu, University Distinguished Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife and Director of Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS), Michigan State University, USA,Vanessa Hull, Postdoctoral researcher, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS), Michigan State University, USA,Wu Yang, Associate Scientist and Manager of Monitoring & Evaluation, Conservation International,Andres Vina, Assistant Professor, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS), Michigan State University, USA,Xiaodong Chen, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA,Zhiyun Ouyang, Director, Professor, State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Hemin Zhang, Director, Wolong Nature Reserve

Dr. Jianguo (Jack) Liu is Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife as well as Director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). He is also a guess professor in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His major research interests include coupled human and natural systems, telecoupling, conservation ecology, and integration of ecology with social sciences and policy for understanding and achieving sustainability. His work has been published in journals such as Science and Nature, and featured in the global news media.

Vanessa Hull is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) at Michigan State University. Her research interests include animal behavior and ecology, landscape ecology, and conservation biology. She received her PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University in 2014. Her work has been published in journals such as Biological Conservation, Ecology and Society, and Science, and has been widely featured in the news media. She has also previously co-edited a book "Sources, Sinks, and Sustainability" (2011, Cambridge University Press).

Dr. Wu Yang is an Associate Scientist and Manager of Monitoring & Evaluation at Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia. He is interested in quantifying and understanding the interactions among policy interventions, natural capital, and human well-being. He received a dual PhD in Environmental Science and Policy and Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University in 2013. His work has been published in journals such as Science, PNAS, and Ecological Economics, has been featured by Science magazine as "Editors' Choice", has been highlighted by NSF's website Science 360 as "Breaking Story", has been selected by Elsevier as the Top 25 Hottest Articles in Ecological Economics, and has been widely covered by international news media.

Dr. Andres Vina is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) at Michigan State University. Dr. Vina's research is mainly focused on the use of data collected by optical sensors operating at both close (e.g., handheld spectroradiometers) and remote (e.g., sensors on aircraft and spacecraft) distances to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation. He received his PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004. His work has been widely published in journals such as Ambio, Biological Conservation, Ecological Indicators, Ecological Applications and Remote Sensing of Environment and has been widely featured in the news media.

Dr. Xiaodong Chen is an Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Curriculum for the Environment & Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is interested in studying how human activities affect the natural environment, how human livelihood may be changed due to changes in environmental conditions, what are complex interactions among components in human and natural systems, and how human-environment interactions are influenced by policies. He received a PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University in 2010. His work has been published in journals such as PNAS, Ambio, Conservation Biology, and Ecological Modelling, and has been widely covered by international news media.

Dr. Zhiyun Ouyang is Professor and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He studies ecosystem services, ecosystem assessment and ecological planning, biodiversity conservation, and GIS applications in ecology and environmental research. His work has been published in journals such as Science, Nature, and PNAS. He is also a key advisor to the Chinese government who participates in national-level planning on environmental issues such as ecosystem service protection policies and nature reserve management.

Professor Hemin Zhang is Director of Wolong Nature Reserve. His research interests center on captive breeding and management, animal reintroduction, human-wildlife interactions, and nature reserve management. He is currently overseeing the reconstruction of the Wolong Nature Reserve after the devastating 2008 earthquake in China. Zhang's research is published in journals such as Science and Conservation Biology, and has been widely featured in the global news outlets.

Table of Contents

PART I: EMPIRICAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS1. A Global Icon for Nature in the Human-Dominated World, Vanessa Hull and Jianguo Liu2. Framing Sustainability of Coupled Human and Natural Systems, Jianguo Liu, Vanessa Hull, Neil Carter, Andres Vina, Wu YangPART II: MODEL COUPLED HUMAN AND NATURAL SYSTEM3. Peek into a Home for Pandas and People, Vanessa Hull, Wu Yang, Wei Liu, Yinchun Tang, Jian Yang, Hemin Zhang, Zhiyun Ouyang, and Jianguo Liu4. Pandas-People Coexistence and Competition, Vanessa Hull, Jindong Zhang, Wei Liu, Jinyan Huang, Shiqiang Zhou, Scott Bearer, Weihua Xu, Mao-Ning Tuanmu, Andres Vina, Hemin Zhang, Zhiyun Ouyang, and Jianguo Liu5. Quantifying Human Dependence on Ecosystem Services, Wu Yang, Thomas Dietz, Wei Liu, and Jianguo Liu6. Landscape Changes in Space and Time, Andres Vina, Jianguo Liu7. Panda Habitat Transition, Andres Vina, Mao-Ning Tuanmu, Jianguo Liu8. Demographic Decisions and Cascading Consequences, Li An, Wu Yang, Zai Liang, Ashton Shortridge, Jianguo Liu9. Dynamics of Economic Transformation, Wu Yang, Frank Lupi, Thomas Dietz, and Jianguo Liu10. Energy Transition from Fuelwood to Electricity, Wei Liu, Andres Vina, Frank Lupi, Wu Yang, and Jianguo Liu11. Social Capital and Social Norms Shape Human-Nature Interactions, Xiaodong Chen, Wu Yang, Vanessa Hull, Thomas Dietz, Ken Frank, Frank Lupi, and Jianguo Liu12. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Natural Disasters, Wu Yang, Andres Vina, Thomas Dietz, Vanessa Hull, Daniel Kramer, Zhiyun Ouyang, Jianguo Liu13. Human-Nature Interactions under Policy Interventions, Xiaodong Chen, Vanessa Hull, Wu Yang, and Jianguo Liu14. Toward a Sustainable Future, Vanessa Hull, William McConnell, Marc Linderman, Jianguo LiuPART III: ACROSS LOCAL TO GLOBAL COUPLED HUMAN AND NATURAL SYSTEMS15. Applying Methods from Local to Regional Scales, Andres Vina, Weihua Xu, Zhiyun Ouyang, Jianguo Liu16. Cross-Site Synthesis of Complexity in Coupled Human and Natural Systems, Neil Carter, Li An, Jianguo Liu17. Socioeconomic and Environmental Interactions over Distances, Jianguo Liu, Vanessa Hull, Junyan Luo, Wu Yang, Wei Liu, Andres Vina, Christine Vogt, Zhenci Xu, Hongbo Yang, Jindong Zhang, Li An, Xiaodong Chen, Shuxin Li, William McConnell, Zhiyun Ouyang, Weihua Xu, Hemin Zhang18. Lessons from Local Studies for Global Sustainability, Jianguo Liu, Vanessa Hull, Wu Yang, Andres Vina, Li An, Neil Carter, Xiaodong Chen, Wei Liu, Zhiyun Ouyang, Hemin ZhangPART IV: PERSPECTIVES19. Future Directions for Coupled Human and Natural Systems Research, Jianguo Liu, Vanessa Hull, Zhiyun Ouyang, Hemin Zhang

Editorial Reviews

"In this wonderful book, Jianguo Liu and his colleagues synthesize their long-term research on pandas-people interactions, their significance for the world, and our reasons for hope." —Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs and Steel

"This is an excellent book; a key volume in conservation biology. The coupled human and natural systems approach provides useful insights from local studies for global sustainability." —Paul R. Ehrlich, President, Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University

"In the first volume of its kind the authors beautifully investigate the telecoupled word of a globalized society where humans and nature truly intertwine, with major implications for stewardship of our life-supporting ecosystems and sustainability. Exciting reading!" —Carl Folke, Director, Beijer Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

From the Publisher