Books by Eleanor Sterling
Diverse and productive ecosystems and human well-being are too often considered opposing targets.... more Diverse and productive ecosystems and human well-being are too often considered opposing targets. This stems mainly
from nature being perceived as separate from culture, which results in resilience indicators that focus predominantly on either ecosystems
or humans, and that overlook the interplay between the two. Meanwhile, global targets for biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing
have yet to be satisfactorily achieved. We believe that in order to develop effective, culturally appropriate, and equitable conservation
strategies that ensure social-ecological resilience, conservation planners and practitioners must conceive of human and ecological wellbeings
as an interrelated system. By giving nature a voice, and by viewing nature and people as an undifferentiated whole, some
indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) have philosophical bases for achieving well-being for both humans and nature.
Biocultural approaches to conservation ground management in local knowledges, practices, and ontologies. These approaches
encompass both the biological and cultural aspects of a system, address complex relationships and feedbacks within human and
ecological well-being, and offer flexible frameworks that facilitate synthesis across different metrics, knowledge systems, and ontologies.
The process of developing indicators of resilience with a biocultural approach could help (1) overcome the human–nature dichotomy
that often makes global approaches incompatible with local approaches by integrating local peoples’ diverse forms of relating to nature,
(2) reflect two-way feedbacks between people and their environment by focusing on processes, not just final states, and (3) define,
measure, and monitor ecological and human well-being as a whole. It can also facilitate dialog between IPLCs and global decisionmakers
who are disconnected from local realities, and between people from a diversity of disciplinary, ontological, and professional
background
Monitoring and evaluation are central to ensuring that innovative, multi-scale, and interdiscipli... more Monitoring and evaluation are central to ensuring that innovative, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability are effective. The development of relevant indicators for local sustainable management outcomes, and the ability to link these to broader national and international policy targets, are key challenges for resource managers, policymakers, and scientists. Sets of indicators that capture both ecological and social-cultural factors, and the feedbacks between them, can underpin cross-scale linkages that help bridge local and global scale initiatives to increase resilience of both humans and ecosystems. Here we argue that biocultural approaches, in combination with methods for synthesizing across evidence from multiple sources, are critical to developing metrics that facilitate linkages across scales and dimensions. Biocultural approaches explicitly start with and build on local cultural perspectives - encompassing values, knowledges, and needs - and recognize feedbacks between ecosystems and human well-being. Adoption of these approaches can encourage exchange between local and global actors, and facilitate identification of crucial problems and solutions that are missing from many regional and international framings of sustainability. Resource managers, scientists, and policymakers need to be thoughtful about not only what kinds of indicators are measured, but also how indicators are designed, implemented, measured, and ultimately combined to evaluate resource use and well-being. We conclude by providing suggestions for translating between local and global indicator efforts.
This set of exercises has been created expressly for students and teachers of conservation biolog... more This set of exercises has been created expressly for students and teachers of conservation biology and wildlife management who want to have an impact beyond the classroom. The book presents a set of 32 exercises that are primarily new and greatly revised versions from the book's successful first edition. These exercises span a wide range of conservation issues: genetic analysis, population biology and management, taxonomy, ecosystem management, land use planning, the public policy process and more. All exercises discuss how to take what has been learned and apply it to practical, real-world issues.
The work of conservation biology has grown from local studies of single species into a discipline... more The work of conservation biology has grown from local studies of single species into a discipline concerned with mapping and managing biodiversity on a global scale. Remote sensing, using satellite and aerial imaging to measure and map the environment, increasingly provides a vital tool for effective collection of the information needed to research and set policy for conservation priorities. The perceived complexities of remotely sensed data and analyses have tended to discourage scientists and managers from using this valuable resource. This text focuses on making remote sensing tools accessible to a larger audience of non-specialists, highlighting strengths and limitations while emphasizing the ways that remotely sensed data can be captured and used, especially for evaluating human impacts on ecological systems.
Features
Structured around biomes (both terrestrial and aquatic), reflecting the approach and organization typically used in ecology and conservation biology
Full colour images throughout
Emphasis on applications and (global) case studies, with a focus on making remote sensing tools accessible to ecologists and conservation biologists
A country uncommonly rich in plants, animals, and natural habitats, the Socialist Republic of Vie... more A country uncommonly rich in plants, animals, and natural habitats, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shelters a significant portion of the world’s biological diversity, including rare and unique organisms and an unusual mixture of tropical and temperate species. This book is the first comprehensive account of Vietnam’s natural history in English. Illustrated with maps, photographs, and thirty-five original watercolor illustrations, the book offers a complete tour of the country’s plants and animals along with a full discussion of the factors shaping their evolution and distribution.
Separate chapters focus on northern, central, and southern Vietnam, regions that encompass tropics, subtropics, mountains, lowlands, wetland and river regions, delta and coastal areas, and offshore islands. The authors provide detailed descriptions of key natural areas to visit, where a traveler might explore limestone caves or glimpse some of the country’s twenty-seven monkey and ape species and more than 850 bird species. The book also explores the long history of humans in the country, including the impact of the Vietnam-American War on plants and animals, and describes current efforts to conserve Vietnam’s complex, fragile, and widely threatened biodiversity.
Containing the world's richest and most threatened biodiversity, the tropics are a critical area ... more Containing the world's richest and most threatened biodiversity, the tropics are a critical area for environmental education. The CBC's Interpreting Biodiversity: A Manual for Environmental Educators in the Tropics (1999) was developed to meet the need for educational materials designed for the particular circumstances of educators and resource managers in tropical regions. Interpreting Biodiversity incorporates the experiences of CBC staff as well as information from a variety of resources on environmental interpretation. The 186-page manual outlines the design of an environmental interpretation program, covering exhibit design, interpretive presentations, community outreach activities, and evaluation methods. The manual has served as the basis for workshops linked with CBC field projects in Madagascar, Guatemala, and Bolivia.
Papers by Eleanor Sterling
Sustainability, 2019
Systems thinking (ST) skills are often the foundation of sustainability science curricula. Though... more Systems thinking (ST) skills are often the foundation of sustainability science curricula. Though ST skill sets are used as a basic approach to reasoning about complex environmental problems, there are gaps in our understanding regarding the best ways to promote and assess ST learning in classrooms. Since ST learning provides Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students' important skills and awareness to participate in environmental problem-solving, addressing these gaps is an important STEM learning contribution. We have created guidelines for teaching and measuring ST skills derived from a hybrid of a literature review and through case study data collection. Our approach is based on semi-quantitative cognitive mapping techniques meant to support deep reasoning about the complexities of social-ecological issues. We begin by arguing that ST should be evaluated on a continuum of understanding rather than a binary of correct/incorrect or present/absent. We then suggest four fundamental dimensions of teaching and evaluating ST which include: (1) system structure, (2) system function, (3) identification of leverage points for change, and (4) trade-off analysis. Finally, we use a case study to show how these ideas can be assessed through cognitive maps to help students develop deep system understanding and the capacity to propose innovative solutions to sustainability problems.
Complex global environmental challenges call for innovative, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary a... more Complex global environmental challenges call for innovative, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary approaches to research-based policy and action 1,2. Monitoring and evaluation are central to ensuring these approaches are effective 3–5. Developing accurate indicators and relevant success criteria to assess the local outcomes of sustainability management actions, and linking them to broader national and international policy targets, remains a key challenge for resource managers, policymakers, and scientists 2. What indicators we decide to measure and how we measure them impact the people and activities that are included in or affected by a given initiative. Efforts to evaluate well-being or resource use that are developed solely on regional or global scales may leave out Monitoring and evaluation are central to ensuring that innovative, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability are effective. The development of relevant indicators for local sustainable management outcomes, and the ability to link these to broader national and international policy targets, are key challenges for resource managers, policymakers, and scientists. Sets of indicators that capture both ecological and social-cultural factors, and the feedbacks between them, can underpin cross-scale linkages that help bridge local and global scale initiatives to increase resilience of both humans and ecosystems. Here we argue that biocultural approaches, in combination with methods for synthesizing across evidence from multiple sources, are critical to developing metrics that facilitate linkages across scales and dimensions. Biocultural approaches explicitly start with and build on local cultural perspectives — encompassing values, knowledges, and needs — and recognize feedbacks between ecosystems and human well-being. Adoption of these approaches can encourage exchange between local and global actors, and facilitate identification of crucial problems and solutions that are missing from many regional and international framings of sustainability. Resource managers, scientists, and policymakers need to be thoughtful about not only what kinds of indicators are measured, but also how indicators are designed, implemented, measured, and ultimately combined to evaluate resource use and well-being. We conclude by providing suggestions for translating between local and global indicator efforts.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2014
ABSTRACT Agroforestry is considered a promising alternative to conventional agriculture that can ... more ABSTRACT Agroforestry is considered a promising alternative to conventional agriculture that can both conserve biodiversity and support local livelihoods. Coffee agroforestry may be particularly important for sustaining trees of conservation concern and late-successional stage, but this possibility remains unclear. Here, we examined whether coffee agroforestry systems can serve as conservation reservoirs of tree species native to nearby forests. We compared tree diversity, composition and structure between coffee agroforests and forests in La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico. We found that, although at the landscape level the full set of coffee agroforests appears to conserve comparable tree species richness to nearby native forests, the species composition that is being conserved is different. Coffee agroforests had a lower proportion of trees of conservation concern, a higher proportion of pioneer trees, were dominated by Inga spp., harbored lower tree species diversity at the plot level, and were composed of different tree species compared to native forests. We suggest that conservation practitioners and policy makers seeking to promote coffee agroforestry as a conservation strategy should consider how such agroforestry systems differ in species diversity and composition from the native forests of conservation interest. Further, promoting different coffee agroforest management strategies, such as discouraging the replacement of diverse agroforest canopies with Inga-dominated canopies, would help improve the conservation value of coffee agroforests through more sustainable practices.
American Journal of Primatology, 2011
Vietnam has the highest number of primate taxa overall (24-27) and the highest number of globally... more Vietnam has the highest number of primate taxa overall (24-27) and the highest number of globally threatened primate taxa (minimum 20) in Mainland Southeast Asia. Conservation management of these species depends in part on resolving taxonomic uncertainties, which remain numerous among the Asian primates. Recent research on genetic, morphological, and acoustic diversity in Vietnam's primates has clarified some of these uncertainties, although a number of significant classification issues still remain. Herein, we summarize and compare the major current taxonomic classifications of Vietnam's primates, discuss recent advances in the context of these taxonomies, and suggest key areas for additional research to best inform conservation efforts in a region crucial to global primate diversity. Among the most important next steps for the conservation of Vietnam's primates is a new consensus list of Asian primates that resolves current differences between major taxonomies, incorporates recent research advances, and recognizes units of diversity at scales below the species-level, whether termed populations, morphs, or subspecies. Priority should be placed on recognizing distinct populations, regardless of the species concept in use, in order to foster the evolutionary processes necessary for primate populations to cope with inevitable environmental changes. The long-term conservation of Vietnam's primates depends not only on an accepted and accurate taxonomy but also on funding for on-the-ground conservation activities, including training, and the continued dedication and leadership of Vietnamese researchers and managers.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2013
Understanding ecological niche evolution over evolutionary timescales is crucial to elucidating t... more Understanding ecological niche evolution over evolutionary timescales is crucial to elucidating the biogeographic history of organisms. Here, we used, for the first time, climate-based ecological niche models (ENMs) to test hypotheses about ecological divergence and speciation processes between sister species pairs of lemurs (genus Eulemur) in Madagascar. We produced ENMs for eight species, all of which had significant validation support. Among the four sister species pairs, we found nonequivalent niches between sisters, varying degrees of niche overlap in ecological and geographic space, and support for multiple divergence processes. Specifically, three sister-pair comparisons supported the null model that niches are no more divergent than the available background region. These findings are consistent with an allopatric speciation model, and for two sister pairs (E. collaris-E. cinereiceps and E. rufus-E. rufifrons), a riverine barrier has been previously proposed for driving allopatric speciation. However, for the fourth sister pair E. flavifrons-E. macaco, we found support for significant niche divergence, and consistent with their parapatric distribution on an ecotone and the lack of obvious geographic barriers, these findings most strongly support a parapatric model of speciation. These analyses thus suggest that various speciation processes have led to diversification among closely related Eulemur species.
Primate Ecology and Conservation, 2013
Conservation Biology, 2014
Primate Ecology and Conservation, 2013
Conservation …, Jan 1, 2009
There is an emerging recognition that the diversity of life comprises both biological and cultura... more There is an emerging recognition that the diversity of life comprises both biological and cultural diversity. In the past, however, it has been common to make divisions between nature and culture, arising partly out of a desire to control nature. The range of interconnections between biological and cultural diversity are reflected in the growing variety of environmental sub-disciplines that have emerged. In this article, we present ideas from a number of these sub-disciplines. We investigate four bridges linking both types of diversity (beliefs and worldviews, livelihoods and practices, knowledge bases and languages, and norms and institutions), seek to determine the common drivers of loss that exist, and suggest a novel and integrative path forwards. We recommend that future policy responses should target both biological and cultural diversity in a combined approach to conservation. The degree to which biological diversity is linked to cultural diversity is only beginning to be understood. But it is precisely as our knowledge is advancing that these complex systems are under threat. While conserving nature alongside human cultures presents unique challenges, we suggest that any hope for saving biological diversity is predicated on a concomitant effort to appreciate and protect cultural diversity.
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Books by Eleanor Sterling
from nature being perceived as separate from culture, which results in resilience indicators that focus predominantly on either ecosystems
or humans, and that overlook the interplay between the two. Meanwhile, global targets for biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing
have yet to be satisfactorily achieved. We believe that in order to develop effective, culturally appropriate, and equitable conservation
strategies that ensure social-ecological resilience, conservation planners and practitioners must conceive of human and ecological wellbeings
as an interrelated system. By giving nature a voice, and by viewing nature and people as an undifferentiated whole, some
indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) have philosophical bases for achieving well-being for both humans and nature.
Biocultural approaches to conservation ground management in local knowledges, practices, and ontologies. These approaches
encompass both the biological and cultural aspects of a system, address complex relationships and feedbacks within human and
ecological well-being, and offer flexible frameworks that facilitate synthesis across different metrics, knowledge systems, and ontologies.
The process of developing indicators of resilience with a biocultural approach could help (1) overcome the human–nature dichotomy
that often makes global approaches incompatible with local approaches by integrating local peoples’ diverse forms of relating to nature,
(2) reflect two-way feedbacks between people and their environment by focusing on processes, not just final states, and (3) define,
measure, and monitor ecological and human well-being as a whole. It can also facilitate dialog between IPLCs and global decisionmakers
who are disconnected from local realities, and between people from a diversity of disciplinary, ontological, and professional
background
Features
Structured around biomes (both terrestrial and aquatic), reflecting the approach and organization typically used in ecology and conservation biology
Full colour images throughout
Emphasis on applications and (global) case studies, with a focus on making remote sensing tools accessible to ecologists and conservation biologists
Separate chapters focus on northern, central, and southern Vietnam, regions that encompass tropics, subtropics, mountains, lowlands, wetland and river regions, delta and coastal areas, and offshore islands. The authors provide detailed descriptions of key natural areas to visit, where a traveler might explore limestone caves or glimpse some of the country’s twenty-seven monkey and ape species and more than 850 bird species. The book also explores the long history of humans in the country, including the impact of the Vietnam-American War on plants and animals, and describes current efforts to conserve Vietnam’s complex, fragile, and widely threatened biodiversity.
Papers by Eleanor Sterling
from nature being perceived as separate from culture, which results in resilience indicators that focus predominantly on either ecosystems
or humans, and that overlook the interplay between the two. Meanwhile, global targets for biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing
have yet to be satisfactorily achieved. We believe that in order to develop effective, culturally appropriate, and equitable conservation
strategies that ensure social-ecological resilience, conservation planners and practitioners must conceive of human and ecological wellbeings
as an interrelated system. By giving nature a voice, and by viewing nature and people as an undifferentiated whole, some
indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) have philosophical bases for achieving well-being for both humans and nature.
Biocultural approaches to conservation ground management in local knowledges, practices, and ontologies. These approaches
encompass both the biological and cultural aspects of a system, address complex relationships and feedbacks within human and
ecological well-being, and offer flexible frameworks that facilitate synthesis across different metrics, knowledge systems, and ontologies.
The process of developing indicators of resilience with a biocultural approach could help (1) overcome the human–nature dichotomy
that often makes global approaches incompatible with local approaches by integrating local peoples’ diverse forms of relating to nature,
(2) reflect two-way feedbacks between people and their environment by focusing on processes, not just final states, and (3) define,
measure, and monitor ecological and human well-being as a whole. It can also facilitate dialog between IPLCs and global decisionmakers
who are disconnected from local realities, and between people from a diversity of disciplinary, ontological, and professional
background
Features
Structured around biomes (both terrestrial and aquatic), reflecting the approach and organization typically used in ecology and conservation biology
Full colour images throughout
Emphasis on applications and (global) case studies, with a focus on making remote sensing tools accessible to ecologists and conservation biologists
Separate chapters focus on northern, central, and southern Vietnam, regions that encompass tropics, subtropics, mountains, lowlands, wetland and river regions, delta and coastal areas, and offshore islands. The authors provide detailed descriptions of key natural areas to visit, where a traveler might explore limestone caves or glimpse some of the country’s twenty-seven monkey and ape species and more than 850 bird species. The book also explores the long history of humans in the country, including the impact of the Vietnam-American War on plants and animals, and describes current efforts to conserve Vietnam’s complex, fragile, and widely threatened biodiversity.