Ecology, Ecosystems and Coastal Management

Social Ecology

Social ecology is an approach to society that embraces a ecological, reconstructive, and communitarian view on society. This ideology looks to reconstruct and transform current outlooks on both social issues and environmental factors while promoting direct democracy. It looks to do away with scarcity and hierarchy in the economy in favor of a world in which human communities work together in harmony with nature to accept and promote diversity as well as creativity and freedom. Socio-ecological models were developed to further the understanding of the dynamic interrelations among various personal and environmental factors. Socio-ecological models were introduced to urban studies by sociologists associated with the Chicago School after the First World War as a reaction to the narrow scope of most research conducted by developmental psychologists. These models bridge the gap between behavioral theories that focus on small settings and anthropological theories.