Social-ecological Hotspots Mapping:

An approach to understanding social-ecological space

Andy Kliskey Lil Alessa

Resilience and Adaptive Management GroupUniversity of Alaska Anchorage

OutlineContext - The Anthropocene

Existing tools to understand social-ecological systems

Mapping perceptions – Kenai Peninsula landscape values

Mapping vulnerabilities – Seward Peninsula

The AnthropoceneCurrently human activities and/or residence

largely occupy Earthe.g. Ellis & Ramankutty, Front. Ecol. Environ.

2008recognizing coupled social-ecological systems

.Such systems must be studied differently

than traditional disciplines currently do.

ContextLocation, distance, space matters

Source: Kliskey & Byrom, 2004, Trans. In GIS

ContextHotspots as localities of intensity or

coincidence

Kenai Peninsula study

Source: Alessa, Kliskey, Brown. Landscape & Urban Planning. 2008.

Kenai Peninsula study

Social survey techniques linked to GIS561 useable surveys23% response rate

Mapping exerciseWhere important

values are locatedWeighting (0-50) of

the importance of that value at that location

Landscape valuesAesthetic – areas / places valued for sceneryBiological – valued for plant, animal, wildlife

habitatCultural – valued as locales for passing down

traditional knowledgeRecreation – valued for recreation activities

and experiencesSubsistence – valued for provision of food

and materials

Economic, Future, Historic, Intrinsic, Learning, Spiritual, Therapeutic, Wilderness

Kenai Peninsula study

Point density mappingKernel

density

Kenai Peninsula study

Kenai Peninsula study

Kenai Peninsula study

Kenai Peninsula study

Kenai Peninsula study

Kenai Peninsula study

Key PointsA single space will host a plurality of values,

including social ones held by different communities.

Management of natural resources often assumes a standard set of values.

Biophysical measures on their own do not convey enough information to ensure their sustainability over time.

Kenai Peninsula study

Mapping vulnerability to changeVulnerability mapping on Seward PeninsulaCommunity-derived (salmon habitat, permafrost

distribution, proximity to streams, traditional use, mining sites)

Source: Alessa, Kliskey, et al. Global Environmental Change, 2008.

Existing and Future DirectionsDistancing of society from resources

Source: Alessa, Kliskey, Williams. Polar Geography, 2007.

SummaryImportant role for perceptions of biophysical

state (resources)Need to include the human state

Socio-ecological systemsNeed for new approaches toward

understanding, representing, and modeling social-ecological space

Acknowledgements: EPSCoR, Alaska SeaGrant, Greg Brown, Sean Mack, Paula Williams