Abstract
Most, if not all, ecosystems are profoundly impacted by humans, which is why there is a growing interest to identify their precise role in so-called social-ecological systems. At the same time, funding agencies often require to involve humans (i.e. stakeholders) in research activities. Indeed, there is increasing evidence that humans are not necessarily resource users that selfishly exploit ecosystems, but can also act like stewards, who are trying to preserve them. This talk will give some perspectives on the multiple roles of humans in social-ecological systems and will give some evidence under which conditions humans tend to act as stewards, rather than as selfish exploiters. Finally, the talk will provide some evidence on how resource users can be motivated to become stewards and how managers may unintentionally undermine stewardship.
Dr. Andries Richter
Assistant professor at Wageningen University & Research