The global and the local interact in unexpected ways; science has coined the term “telecoupling” to describe how “social-ecological interactions in one system generate mechanisms of influence over another” in a way characterized by “geographic separation between systems as well as a separation of social networks, institutions, and governance” (Eakin et al 2014: 142). In an anecdotal way, MRD just experienced this in the context of the present issue: massive floods in Chennai, India, in December 2015 led to a breakdown of the typesetting services upon which our US-based publishing services rely. The cost-effective business model allowing everyone to work locally while doing business across several disconnected borders functioned perfectly until the catastrophic floods in Chennai caught up with us all around the world, causing human tragedy in India, some degree of business problems in the US, and unexpected delays for authors and readers in many countries. In a small way, this shows how interconnected things are today, but more importantly, how strongly context matters. When exploring pathways for sustainable development, knowledge about context matters just as much as our understanding of global processes. Often, this knowledge becomes relevant and effective only when it is constituted by both scientists and other actors. Co-production of knowledge and a focus on the contextual are important in this Open Issue of MRD, in which papers carefully examine local aspects of development, the social-ecological context in which it is taking place, and the global factors that influence this context.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.3601Score Altmetric:
Dimensions Nombre de citations:
Année de publication
2016
Auteurs
Hurni, H.; Molden, D.; Zimmermann, A.; von Dach, S.; Mathez-Stiefel, S.
Langue
English
Mots clés
sustainable development, livelihoods, natural resource management
