ABSTRACT
Given this understanding o f the self-organising phenomena exhibited by ecological systems, it has been argued that conventional science approaches o f modelling and forecasting are often inappropriate, as are prevailing explanations in terms of linear causality and stochastic properties (Holling (1986), Kay and Schneider (1994),.Schneider and Kay, 1994a, Kay (1997)). Elsewhere (Kay, Regier, Boyle and Francis (1999)) we have discussed an approach for dealing with these realities of ecosystems in the context of informing resource and land use decision makers and planners. This approach is different from the ‘traditional’ ecosystem approaches which are interdisciplinary in nature but focus on forecasting and a single type o f entity such as a watershed or forest community. Rather this approach is in the mode of post normal science and is grounded in complex systems theory. At its heart is the portrayal o f ecological systems as Self-organising Holarchic Open systems (SOHO systems).
