RESILIENCE IN THE DYNAMICS OF ECONOMY-ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS

The ecological concept of resilience has begun to inform analysis of c hange in economy-environment systems. The linkages between resilience and the stability of dynamical systems are discussed, along with its r ole in understanding of the evolution of such systems. Particular link ages discussed include those between resilience, biodiversity and the sustainability of alternative states. Recent developments in modelling the resilience of joint economy-environment systems suggest the advan tages of analysing change in the system as a Markov process, the trans ition probabilities between states offering a natural measure of the r esilience of the system in such states. It is argued that this 'emerge nt property' of the collaboration between ecology and economics has fa r-reaching implications for the way we think about, model and manage t he environmental sustainability of economic development.