Systems thinking involves understanding environmental problems as interconnected parts of a whole rather than isolated components. Transdisciplinary approaches integrate knowledge across scientific, social, and institutional boundaries, while resilience science focuses on a system’s ability to adapt to change and disturbances without losing core functions.

One major concept of social ecological systems (SES) science is the concept of resilience which adds investment to the capacity of the interconnected social and ecological systems to absorb disruptions, adapt to them and still survive.

If environmental management continues to operate along disciplinary boundaries, how realistic is it to expect meaningful integration of SES principles without institutional reform? What changes would be required within agencies to support this shift?

The authors argue that current environmental management approaches are insufficient because they operate within disciplinary silos. This sets up the need for a social-ecological systems (SES) framework that integrates social and ecological dimensions to address complex environmenal problems.

This passage explains that environmental problems result from the interaction between natural and social systems. However, environmental management still tends to treat these issues separately within individual disciplines. The authors argue that a more integrated approach is needed to effectively address complex environmental challenges.