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"Very insightful post. In particular, I like how you connected economics with SES because I see the similarities as well. Ostrom draws the the conclusion that SES is essentially like nature's version of the economy. The greatest thing that I drew from Ostrom's paper, was the fact that we are forcing futile regulations because we are implementing one-size-fits-all solutions to problems that vary in each system respectively. We are often caught with oversimplifying solutions to problems that are much more complex. However, it is difficult to stray policy makers away from this notion as they are looking for effective policies, but in the end are implementing the exact opposite of that. The last point that particularly stood out to me was the need for education. Many don't feel that they can make an impact on the environment from their individual actions, where this mentality discourages many to make an effort to help. In addition, knowledge is essential in order to make the most of the SES that we have today. Being uneducated means that we can overuse or use too little of a resource, where if we were educated, we would use them most effectively. In addition, the lack of knowledge also leads to carelessness. It is vital that we, users of SES, do not make quick and rash decisions to overuse these systems where the repercussions may ultimately be permanent."
--( posted on Nov 12, 2013, commenting on the post The Economics of Social Ecological Systems )
 
"Vanja, I'd have to agree with what you say here. This article disproves the common and near-sighted view that the ecosystems are usually bottom-up systems. However, this study has shown that, like you said, organisms are very interdependent. A top-down view does present a much broader point of view. It places a much larger responsibility to humans. Every decision that humans make on the environment will affect another, like a chain reaction. However, it is not always harm that we can cause. If we do follow this model, we can provide much benefit."
--( posted on Sep 26, 2013, commenting on the post Bottom-Up or Top-Down? )
 
"Very well put. I agree with Costanza for the most part. However, like you said, he fails to see the importance of nature beyond the monetary value. Even beyond from an emotional viewpoint, it is an impossible task to quantify the monetary benefits and costs of natural environments. There are too many factors and the greatest value that Costanza fails to point out is that destruction of certain ecosystems are irreversible."
--( posted on Sep 12, 2013, commenting on the post Not Everything Has a Valuation )