Resilience of small-scale societies: a view from drylands
Balbo, Andrea Luca; Gomez-Baggethun, Erik; Salpeteur, Matthieu; Puy, Arnald; Biagetti, Stefano; Scheffran, Jürgen
Journal article, Peer reviewed
Date
2016Metadata
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Abstract
To gain insights on long-term social-ecological resilience, we examined adaptive responses of small-scale societies to
dryland-related hazards in different regions and chronological periods, spanning from the mid-Holocene to the present. Based on
evidence from Africa (Sahara and Sahel), Asia (south margin of the Thar desert), and Europe (South Spain), we discuss key traits and
coping practices of small-scale societies that are potentially relevant for building resilience. The selected case studies illustrate four main
coping mechanisms: mobility and migration, storage, commoning, and collective action driven by religious beliefs. Ultimately, the study
of resilience in the context of drylands emphasizes the importance of adaptive traits and practices that are distinctive of small-scale
societies: a strong social-ecological coupling, a solid body of traditional ecological knowledge, and a high degree of internal cohesion
and self-organization.
adaptation; climate change; coping mechanisms; drylands; resilience; social-ecological systems; sustainability; traditional
ecological knowledge