W/WS: Connecting Ecological and Social Systems: Watershed Research Relating Ecosystem Structure and Function to Human Values and Socioeconomic Behaviors

9726861 Benoit本研究将考察生态系统和社会系统如何通过正反馈或负反馈相互影响。核心假设是，生态系统的相对健康和完整性导致人类绩效和生产力的提高，反过来又由人类绩效和生产力的提高引起。目前的研究将使用与标准统计方法相结合的观察技术来测量生物物理系统和社会系统之间的可量化联系。这项调查还将为实地试验奠定基础，以测试恢复退化的流域是否能显著增强相关人类社区的社会互动。将采用最先进的分析方法，从关键的水文、化学、生物、经济和社会参数方面描述大约30个流域。这大量的生物物理和社会措施将在数量范围内综合起来，从而可以检验预测并产生流域质量的总体指数。

9726861 Benoit This research will examine how ecological and social systems influence each other through either positive or negative feedbacks. The central hypothesis is that relative health and integrity of ecosystems causes and in turn is caused by enhanced human performance and productivity. The current research will use observational techniques integrated by standard statistical methods to measure the quantifiable linkages between biophysical and social systems. This investigation will also lay the groundwork for a field experiment to test whether restoring a degraded watershed can significantly enhance social interactions in associated human communities. State-of-the-art analytical methods will be used to characterize approximately 30 subwatersheds in terms of key hydrological, chemical, biological, economic, and social parameters. This large number of biophysical and social measures will be integrated within a quantitative context that allows testing of predictions and generation of an overall index of watershed quality.