Natural resources and people. Conceptual issues in interdisciplinary research

The authors of this book provide an assessment of research on human interactions with natural resource systems. Following an evaluation of long-term trends and the political and institutional settings, they assess the strengths and weaknesses of approaches designed to lead to a more holistic and interdisciplinary understanding. The social sciences, impact and risk assessment, and system theory are considered in detail. The book concludes with a review of the limitations and barriers posed by disciplinary specialization and institutional fragmentation and outlines new approaches for better integration concepts and date. Throughout the book, the authors pay attention to the interaction between theory and practice by including case studies and detailed examples involving specific natural resource systems.