Moving towards public policy-ready science: a social-ecological systems perspective for conservation and management in Argentina

SALA, J. E.; SALA, J. E.; TORCHIO, GABRIELA; TORCHIO, GABRIELA

Oaxaca

Conferencia; 2nd Conference of the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS II); 2017

The Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society and Future Earth

Despite efforts in conservation, ecosystems continue to be degraded unabatedly. This fact forces us to reflect once again on the ways humankind relates to nature. There are two extreme stances towards the way conservation is performed (biocentric vs. anthropocentric), with a bunch of greys in between, but we believe it is necessary to overcome the false dichotomy posed by "intrinsic vs. utilitarian" values of nature in order to address new paradigms for conservation. The emergence and development of the social-ecological systems (SES) framework is a huge step towards the paradigm change needed in ecosystems conservation. The framework is based on a comprehensive understanding of how ecological and social components of ecosystems not only interact but interpenetrate each other as a whole. For us, one of the most essential characteristic of SES approach is that it conceives non-scientific and scientific knowledges as equals in the process of management and public policy formation. Adoption of the SES framework must also serve to make decisions about what science would be "public policy-ready", a science (either basic or applied) oriented at providing solutions or responses to societal needs and demands. We believe that decision making under the SES framework must be strongly encouraged in Argentina to attend and solve local social-ecological issues. Keeping this in mind, we present a critical analysis of the potential anchoring of the SES framework in Patagonia, Argentina, towards an environmental public-policy ready science.