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Abstract
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)—a United Nations effort to assess the health of major global ecosystems—reported that over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable time in history. Around two thirds of the ecosystems services (anything from fresh water to air) are being degraded or used unsustainably. Since 1994, the Chicago Wilderness coalition—a public-private alliance of well over 120 organizations—has pursued a concerted policy to restore and manage the ecosystems that surround Chicago (the third largest city in the United States) in an effort to contain the impact that urban pressures may have on their health. With time, this ecological restoration project proved to be both an institutional learning and adaptation management process for protecting socioecosystems.
Parent Publication
Keywords
wilderness,
biodiversity,
protected areas,
economics,
subsistence,
tourism,
traditional knowledge,
community involvement,
policy,
stewardship,
education,
spiritual values
Citation
Alario, Margarita V. 2007. Socio-ecosystems and urban habitats. In: Watson, Alan; Sproull, Janet; Dean, Liese, comps. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values: Eighth World Wilderness Congress symposium; September 30-October 6, 2005; Anchorage, AK. Proceedings RMRS-P-49. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 98-100
