How did one group of indigenous societies, on the Northwest Coast of North America, manage to live sustainably with their ecosystems for over two thousand years? Can the answer to this question inform the current debate about sustainability in today's social ecological systems?

The answer to the first question involves identification of the key institutions that characterized those societies. It also involves explaining why these institutions, through their interactions with each other and with the non-human components, provided both sustainability and its necessary corollary, resilience.

Answering the second question involves investigating ways in which key features of today's social ecological systems can be changed to move toward sustainability, using some of the rules that proved successful on the Northwest Coast of North America.

Ronald L. Trosper shows how human systems connect environmental ethics and sustainable ecological practices through institutions.

Reviews

"This anthropological and sociological study sets out to show how human systems connect environmental ethics and sustainable ecological practices through institutions. Based on the case of the Northwest Coast of America, the author asks, firstly, how one group of indigenous societies managed to live sustainably with their ecosystems for over 2,000 years, and secondly, whether the answer to this question can inform the current debate about sustainability in today's social ecological systems." - Journal of Consumer Policy

Book Information
ISBN 9780415782524
Author Ronald Trosper
Format Paperback
Page Count 202
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 370g