Finding resilience : change and uncertainty in nature and society / Brian Walker

Includes bibliographical references and index

What's it all about? -- Connections in a changing world -- Another pathway -- Encountering resilience in nature -- Living together in ecosystems -- Ecological choreography -- Disturbance, change and diversity -- The nature of resilience in society -- Coping with life -- Living together in society -- Weathering crises -- Nature, society and resilience -- Unintended outcomes -- Growing pains -- A way forward -- Changing cultures -- A resilience pathway

Floods, fires, famines, epidemics and disasters of all kinds are on the increase, and as their frequency rises so does the call for more resilience. But what does that mean? The word is used differently in psychology, ecology, economics and engineering and runs the risk of becoming meaningless jargon. This would be most unfortunate because, if we are to successfully navigate very real and dangerous global trends, it is resilience that needs to be understood and fostered. This book unravels how ecosystems, societies and people cope with disturbance and adversity. Written for a general readership and based on the experiences of researchers, the fascinating stories reveal what resilience is, how it works in different kinds of systems, how it is expressed, and how it can be gained and lost