Ecosystem Networks
The global ecological network consists of a series of nodes representing various environments, species, activities, and locations. These nodes are connected by edges that portray the relationships between each concept, area, or species. The article by the Sakai Shoko Group analyzes the network formed by the interactions of human society and the ecosystem. They use the concept of an ecosystem network – “a nested pattern of interactions among and within ecological subsystems, including human subsystems,” as defined by the article. Sakai discusses the goals and methods of the group’s research, dividing it into three segments: (1) identification of the network structure in which the problem occurs, (2) scenario analysis, and (3) theorization of ecosystem network conservation. These three areas allow the group to gain an understanding of the nodes of the network and the edges that connect them, allowing them to correctly label the edges of the graph as strong or weak and positive or negative and correctly deduce the best way to solve issues within an ecological network. The article addresses issues due to human actions within the network.
An example is the degradation of grassland in Monogolia. Sakai discusses how the primary cause for pasture degradation is the increase in the number of goats due to increased demand for cashmere. These three points – pastures, goat population, and human behavior/interactions – form three nodes in a triangle of the overall ecological network. The edge the between goat population and pastures can be labeled as a strong, negative connection because the increase in goat population is the primary cause for pasture degradation, and degradation, overall, is a negative concept. The edge between human behavior/interactions and goat population is a strong, positive connection.
As discussed in class, this triangle satisfies the strong triadic closure property because a third edge exists between human behavior/interactions and pastures. Over time, through social and economic pressures, humans have evolved from a nomadic structure to a stationary one. This directly impacts the pastureland because “nomadic pastoralism is more sustainable and profitable than settled pastoralism.” This is independent of the goat population, as long as there are goats. Therefore, there is a strong, negative edge between human behavior/interactions and pasturelands. As there are two negative edges and one positive one within this triangle, this is a balanced triangle, as discussed in class.
Overall, the article conveys the negative impact of human behavior/interactions on the environment. The concepts in the article could be expanded to discuss the isolation of certain species and environments due to human interaction, forcing them to be separate, weakened components due to competition breaking them apart from the larger component that composes the global ecological network.
http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/rihn_e/project/D-04.html
– bubblenose