1. Accueil
  2. EN
  3. Studying at ULB
  4. Find your course
  5. UE
BIOL-F4005

Social-ecological systems

academic year
2023-2024

Course teacher(s)

Farid DAHDOUH-GUEBAS (Coordinator)

ECTS credits

See programme details

Language(s) of instruction

english

Course content

The course structure follows a zoom from theoretical introduction (concepts, analytical tools) towards a global overview of SES and finally towards the mangrove forest as a model SES.

Part A: Biocomplexity and Systems Ecology

Understanding change and ecosystem management:

  • definitions linked to SES, systems ecology and adaptive cycles;

  • ecosystem services.

Social-ecological change, governance and stewardship:

  • Ecological resilience and social-ecological resilience;

  • Social-ecological governance and transformations in ecosystem stewardship;

  • Adaptive management;

  • Sustaining, renewing and adapting cultural connections

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

1. To provide an overview of complexity in biology from the level of organisms and their constituents to large-scale social-ecological systems (SES);

2. To understand diversity, redundance, stability, hysteresis and resilience in a functional ecological context;

3. To understand the ecological and social-ecological functioning of a global series of communities and ecosystems;

4. To understand the mangrove ecosystems as a model SES, incl. its constituents, ecology, natural and anthropogenically-induced dynamics, restoration, management and governance incl. scientific methods to monitor these.

Upon completion of the course a student must be able

i. to situate organisms into their wider functional framework (community/ecosystem/Earth system);

ii. be able to critically assess their resilience in view of natural or anthropogenic change;

iii. to track down the ecological consequences on different sublevels (environment, fauna and flora) of anthropogenically induced changes on a focus SES;

iv. be able to situate environmental chalenges in a holistic context (relationship with socio-economical factors, governance).

Teaching methods and learning activities

The course structure follows a zoom from theoretical introduction (concepts, analytical tools) towards a global overview of SES and finally towards the mangrove forest as a model SES.

Part A: Biocomplexity and Systems Ecology

Understanding change and ecosystem management

Social-ecological change, governance and stewardship

Ecological and socio-ecological individual-based models

Complexity at several levels in biology and ecology

Mathematical basis for understanding complexity and change

Dryland systems

Forest systems

Freshwater systems

Oceans and estuarine systems

Part B: Integrated Coastal Zone Management

The mangrove forest as a SES , describing constituents and relationships), the links with man and integrated research.

Part B I – Mangrove forests and adjacent systems and their biocomplexity: distribution of mangrove forests and adjacent systems;faunal and floral biodiversity, incl. morphological, physiological and ethological adaptations to tropical environments and to intertidal and marine life;comparison of ecosystem function between mangrove forestsand adjacent systems;ecological mutual benefits between the tropical (coastal) ecosystems;food webs and trophic relationships.

Part B II – Ethnobiology/Socio-ecology and anthropogenical impacts on SES: spatial structures and natural dynamics; social, economical and cultural value and mangrove SES; anthropogenically induced threats on one or more ecosystems and the consequences for the other ecosystems; local vs. global patterns of change.

Part B III – Scientific research tools and approaches to study SES: monitoring, modelling and experiments (incl. management, restoration and conservation);the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems;combinatory and multivariate analyses;essentials of sustainable tropical habitat management: case-studies and management guidelines with respect to tropical ecosystems

Contribution to the teaching profile

Human-environment interactions

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

  • Berkes, F., J. Colding & C. Folke, 2003. Navigating Social-Ecological Systems. Building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 393 pp.

  • Carson, W. & S. Schnitzer, 2008. Tropical Forest Community Ecology. Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, U.K. 517 pp.

  • Chapin III, S.F., G.P. Kofinas, C. Folke & M.C. Chapin, 2009. Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: Resilience-Based Natural Resource Management in a Changing World. Springer Science, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 402 pp.
  • Dahdouh-Guebas, F., J. Hugé, G.M.O. Abuchahla, S. Cannicci, L.P. Jayatissa, J.G. Kairo, S. Kodikara Arachchilage, N. Koedam, T.W.G.F. Mafaziya Nijamdeen, N. Mukherjee, M. Poti, N. Prabakaran, H.A. Ratsimbazafy, B. Satyanarayana, M. Thavanayagam, K. Vande Velde & D. Wodehouse, 2020. Reconciling nature, people and policy in the mangrove social-ecological system through the adaptive cycle heuristic. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science : 106942.
  • Gunderson, L.H. & L. Pritchard Jr., 2002. Resilience and the Behavior of Large-Scale Systems. Island Press, Washington D.C., US. 287 pp.

  • Gunderson, L.H., C.R. Allen & C.S. Holling, 2009. Foundations of Ecological Resilience. Island Press, Washington D.C., US. 496 pp.

  • Hogarth, P., 2007. The Biology of Mangroves and Seagrasses. Oxford University Press Inc., Oxford, UK. 273 pp.

  • Waycott, M., K. McMahon, J. Mellors, A. Calladine & D. Kleine, 2004. A guide to Tropical Seagrasses of the Indo-West Pacific. James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. 72 pp.

and current international research publications

Course notes

  • Université virtuelle

Other information

Additional information

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the lectures will be live broadcasted online or recorded online. The role play will be either live (in person) or through an interactive videoconferencing tool online (e.g. MS Teams). 
Certains lectures, exercises, practicals or excursions jointly organised with institutions external to ULB might exceptionnally be organised during weekend or on a public holiday.

Contacts

Prof. Dr. Farid DAHDOUH-GUEBAS

www.tropimundo.eu on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

*******************************************************************

Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit

Unité de Recherche Écologie des Systèmes et Gestion des Ressources

Département de Biologie des Organismes

Faculté des Sciences

Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB

Campus de la Plaine, Bureau O3.204

Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CPi 264/1, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium.

Tel. ++ 32 2 6502137

E-mail : fdahdouh@ulb.ac.be

URL : http://www.ulb.ac.be/sciences/biocomplexity/

Campus

Plaine, Outside campus ULB

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

  • Other

Other

Oral and/or written assessment: 60% (theory, paper discussion, model discussion)

Group projects and participation: 40%

Practical exercises or excursions are assessed through continuous evaluation.

N.B. Excursions might be organised during buffer weeks (semaines tampon), holiday periods or public holidays. Students are requested to contact the professor at the onset of the semester to know the dates of the excursion.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Oral and/or written assessment: 60% (theory, paper discussion, model discussion)

Group projects and participation: 40%

Practical exercises or excursions are assessed through continuous evaluation.

Language(s) of evaluation

  • english

Programmes