ON THE LINKS BETWEEN MANAGERIAL ACTIONS, KEYSTONE SPECIES, AND THE RESILIENCE OF ECOLOGICAL-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

Abstract

Managerial actions influence the survival probabilities of the keystone species of an ecological-economic system. In turn, the well-being of these keystone species translates into the well-being or the resilience of the underlying ecological-economic system. What are the theoretical links between managerial actions, keystone species, and the resilience of ecological-economic systems? Recently, Batabyal (2002) has addressed aspects of this question. In this paper, we extend the analysis in Batabyal (2002). First, we use a stochastic model to delineate a stylized ecological-economicsystem. Next, we discuss the links between managerial actions, keystone species, and this ecological-economic system’s resilience. Finally, we show how the model can beused to actually compute the resilience of our ecological-economic system.