Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Publication
    Novel ecosystems and the emergence of cultural ecosystem services
    (2014 Elsevier, 2014-07)
    Many landscapes are severely depleted of ecosystem services, especially industrial ones. Yet, abandoned and, in some cases, regenerating areas are often situated within a wider cultural landscape. With minimal further disturbance these ‘novel ecosystems’ have the potential for recovering some of the ecosystem services that were removed or impeded during and after human management activities, especially cultural services. Novel ecosystems are anthropogenic landscapes that cannot be returned to their original ecological status. However, some novel ecosystems may provide ecosystem services that were minimal or perhaps absent from their original form. This presents a dilemma for policy makers and planners, who now strive to meet societal expectations to restore ecosystems and recapture lost services. It is especially poignant when seeking to develop policy prescriptions that operationalise cultural ecosystem services into planning and design. Little is known of the potential for drawing on a novel ecosystem framework when developing prescriptions for these planners and policy makers. This short communication re-visits earlier social–ecological research in a post-industrial landscape to illustrate how a novel ecosystem may offer insight into operationalising ecosystem service policies in damaged and recovering landscapes. Because novel ecosystems have stimulated debate and disagreement among ecologists, this paper offers a new perspective on the issue. Drawing on research into post-industrial peatlands, this paper identifies a timeline for the recovery of some ecosystem services in novel ecosystems, including some that were absent from their original state.
      1192Scopus© Citations 33
  • Publication
    Novel ecosystems: challenges and opportunities for the Anthropocene
    (Sage Publications, 2016-07-27) ;
    Novel ecosystems are ecological assemblages that have emerged in the landscapes of the Anthropocene, where an ecological abiotic or biotic threshold has been passed and can no longer be restored to a previous state. In such landscapes, novelty is attributed to unanticipated rapid anthropogenic environmental change, and deliberate land use practices, and can be characterised by the arrival over time of differing species assemblages and extent. While little has been explored in the literature with respect to the policy implications of novel ecosystems, calls have been made for a better understanding of the barriers to adopting novel ecosystems within mainstream policy. This review reports on a qualitative literature analysis carried out in order to identify the challenges and opportunities for transposing novel ecosystem theory into mainstream policy. Though published debate is still emerging, eleven policy challenges broadly conforming to three themes were identified. Within these themes three opportunity areas were identified, revealing that more focussed discussion is required on the wider policy implications of novel ecosystems beyond the stated concerns about lowering standards in ecological conservation. The analysis also shows that there exists a greater understanding of the challenges to transposing novel ecosystems in policy, as opposed to the possible opportunities under current policy timeframes. While a resilience framework has been put forward to offer an outline for policy makers, mechanisms for incorporating novel ecosystem theory into policy and decision making is some distance off.
    Scopus© Citations 13  420
  • Publication
    Novel ecosystems and social-ecological resilience
    (Springer, 2015-10)
    Context: Novel ecosystems are anthropogenic landscapes that cannot be returned to their original ecological status. Little is known the social-ecological dynamics of these never-before-seen ecosystems. Less is known of their implications for society, sustainability and transitioning. Objective and methods: This literature review contends that novel ecosystems may be regarded as exemplars of social-ecological resilience and that the exploration of potential opportunities within novel ecosystem theory is being constrained by a lack of investigation. Results: Societal values in relation to novel ecosystems are unknown. Since societal values can influence conservation and restoration policies and practice, it is suggested that future policy prescriptions will need to explore the fundamentals this emerging relationship. Conclusions: It could be contended that such complex issues such as novel ecosystems will demand a science of transition, where the desire is to combine the science of discovery and science of engagement into a normative framework for societal change based on reality and realistic objectives and goals.
    Scopus© Citations 33  649
  • Publication
    Field boundary stone walls as exemplars of 'novel' ecosystems
    In some parts of Europe, stone wall field boundaries pervade agricultural landscapes, yet despite their prominence there has been very little research into field boundary walls anywhere. However, these anthropogenic features within cultural landscapes may offer insight into current debates on 'novel' ecosystems because of their artifice, their longevity in the landscape particularly in remote or exposed regions, and their morphology. In a review of the available, published literature in Europe, it was found that no publications exist that examine or illustrate specific ecological characteristics of field boundary stone walls, despite this longevity. Using examples from Ireland, where these structures are locally abundant, this paper aims first to draw attention to the poorly representative literature on this topic, and thus stimulate research that will detail the potential ecological characteristics of these ancient forms of field boundary. It then briefly explores the potential for these walls to be considered as 'novel' ecosystems within current debates on the issue.
    Scopus© Citations 31  2100