158 Agroecology and Sustainability
governance that allows for ecosystem management and for responding to environ-
mental feedback across scales.
An important lesson from the research is that it is not enough to create arenas
for dialogue and collaboration, nor is it enough to develop networks to deal with
issues at a landscape level. Further investigation of the interplay between key indi-
viduals, actor groups, social networks, organizations and institutions in multi-level
social-ecological systems in relation to adaptive capacity, cross-scale interactions
and enhancement of resilience is needed. We have to understand, support and
perhaps even learn how to actively navigate the underlying social structures and
processes in the face of change. There will be inevitable and possibly large-scale
environmental changes and preparedness has to be built to enhance the social-ec-
ological capacity to respond, adapt to and shape our common future and make use
of creative capacity to find ways to transform into pathways of improved develop-
ment. We conclude that the existence of transformative capacity is essential in
order to create social-ecological systems with the capability to manage ecosystems
sustainably for human well-being. Adaptive capacity will be needed to strengthen
and sustain such systems in the face of external drivers and events.
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