MPMA 6604 - Human Dimensions of Marine Ecosystems

This course explores the different ways in which the marine natural environment supports human community well-being and resilience. We will identify and analyze strategies for sustainability that acknowledge the coupled human-natural system and integrate the social and natural sciences. Topics include social-ecological system theory, ecosystem-based approaches and ecosystem services, as well as collaborative decision making. We will cover both theoretical and practical approaches, including principles of research design and data collection in applied marine social science to understand how the effective integration of human dimensions into marine ecosystem research and decision-making can be applied to address complex problems in marine ecosystem sustainability. 3 credits.