Exploring the Intersection of Ecology and Social Sciences: Opportunities for Collaboration and Impact

Mustaqim Mustaqim

Authors

Mustaqim Mustaqim Department of Sociology, Institut Pertanian Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.

Keywords:

environmental issues, human ecology, social interaction and ecology, political ecology

Abstract

Research in the field of ecology examines social phenomena through the lens of how people interact with the natural, economic, and political worlds. The emergence of new ecological approaches provides a new lens to examine the interplay of societal, economic, and environmental dynamics. This article presents a "track" perspective on social science as the basis for new environmental thinking, emphasizing "non-balance," dynamic, spatial dimensions, temporal variation, and complexity. It highlights deviations from the original "natural equilibrium" concept and establishes resource conservation as the bedrock of economic and political conflicts. The political ecology perspective is invaluable for comprehensively understanding environmental challenges and potential solutions. The anthropology of human ecology explains how human use of natural resources affects and is influenced by institutional, social, and cultural norms. It emphasizes a political agenda that questions the breakdown of human behavior. Throughout environmental history, three themes—structure, institutions, scale, complexity, and uncertainty—have been discussed, each presenting challenges and opportunities for greater collaboration between the natural and social sciences. Future reviews in this crucial area, we hope, will focus extensively on the interaction between the new ecology and the social sciences.

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