Political Ecology: What is It?
In Garry Peterson’s study observing political ecology through the example of salmon in the Colombia River Basin, Peterson defines political ecology as “…an approach that combines the concerns of ecology and political economy to represent an ever-changing dynamic tension between ecological and human change, and between diverse groups within society at scales from the local individual to the Earth as a whole.” Specific emphasis is placed on concepts of resilience, the adaptive cycle, and cross-scale interactions to understand the relationship within human-ecology.
What Problems Plague Political Ecology Research?
He explains that “political ecology began as a framework to understand the complex interrelations between local people, national and global political economies, and ecosystems.” Peterson emphasizes on the lack of complex ecological understanding in past and present political ecology studies; political ecology “should incorporate the diversity and dynamics of life.” He goes on to explain how biologists are often inadequately versed in anthropocentric aspects of their research, which leads scientists to produce policy recommendations that are ecologically sound but economically – or culturally – improbable to implement.
Here is a link to a copy of the paper published by Peterson.