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Path-dependent institutions drive alternative stable states in conservation.

Edward W Tekwa^1,2, Eli P Fenichel³, Simon A Levin²

¹Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; wongtekwa@gmail.com.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|December 21, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Conservation and overharvest can be alternative stable states in resource management due to path dependence. This suggests that achieving conservation hinges on navigating policy transitions effectively.

Keywords:

alternative stable states conservation fishery institution path dependence

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Management
Resource Economics

Background:

Understanding renewable resource management challenges is crucial.
Existing explanations often focus on institutional or ecological factors.
Conservation and overharvesting are key issues in resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide theoretical and empirical evidence for alternative stable states in resource management.
To investigate the role of path-dependent processes in conservation and overharvest.
To challenge conventional assumptions about resource conservation under different management systems.

Main Methods:

Developed theoretical models of path dependence in resource management.
Conducted quantitative analyses of harvest rates from 217 fisheries.
Examined transient dynamics and convergence to stable states.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that conservation and overharvest can be alternative stable states within the same management system.
Found that path dependence, including slow institutional adaptation, drives these alternative states.
Showed that fisheries' harvest rates exhibit path-dependent dynamics and converge to stable states.
Identified that resources previously thought easy to conserve are most susceptible to alternative states.

Conclusions:

Alternative stable states are likely outcomes for many cooperatively managed renewable resources.
Achieving conservation success depends on effectively utilizing policy tools to manage transitions.
Path dependence offers a novel framework for understanding conservation and overharvest dynamics.