Understanding Human Ecology: A Systems Approach to Sustainability

Understanding Human Ecology offers a coherent conceptual framework for human ecology – a clear approach for understanding the many systems we are part of and for how we frame and understand the problems we face. Blending natural, social, and cognitive sciences with dynamical systems theory, this key text offers systems approaches that are accessible to all, from the undergraduate student to policymakers and practitioners across government, business, and community.

In the first edition, road-tested and refined over a decade of teaching and workshops, the authors built a clear, inspiring, and important framework for anyone approaching the management of complex problems and the transition to sustainability. Fully updated for the second edition, the book now goes further in using systems-thinking principles to explain fundamental processes of change in social–ecological systems. Revised case examples provide a working application of these principles, whilst a new discussion of the hierarchical structure of complex systems is included to guide practical policymaking.

This new edition is essential reading for students and scholars of human ecology, environmental ethics, and sustainability studies.

Robert Dyball convenes the 50-year-old Human Ecology Program at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University (ANU), Australia. He is Editor of Human Ecology Review, the journal of the Society for Human Ecology (SHE), Past President of SHE, and the Past Chair of the Human Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), USA.

Barry Newell is a physicist with a focus on the development of practical methods for integrative research and policymaking in complex social–ecological systems. His work blends operations research, cognitive science, system dynamics, and complexity theory. He is Honorary Associate Professor in the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society, and a member of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions.