systems thinking
I'm learning about systems thinking in my Systems Thinking class at BGI. Jan 11
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Go-go-gadget manic archivist! This list will be updated periodically. Because life goes on.
Honey Bee Extinction
Given all of the interest in AG these days, perhaps we should look at something that might lead to some extreme scarcity: Honey Bees. Or more specifically, the decreasing number of them. Daily Infographic has today’s digital delight: This monstrous graphic looks at the mystery of the Honeybee die offs: This is the first 10% of it: full graphic after the jump click for larger image
Colony collapse disorder
Honey bees entering a beehive Colony Collapse Disorder ( CCD ) is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture , the term colony collapse disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western honey bee colonies in North America in late 2006. [ 1 ] Colony collapse is significant economically because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees; and ecologically, because of the major role that bees play in the reproduction of plant communities in the wild. European beekeepers observed similar phenomena in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, [ 2 ] and initial reports have also come in from Switzerland and Germany , albeit to a lesser degree [ 3 ] while the Northern Ireland Assembly received reports of a decline greater than 50%. [ 4 ]
ecoliteracy.org Thinking Like an Ecosystem Hope is not wishful thinking. It's not a temperament we're born with. It is a stance toward life that we can choose . . . or not.
Thinking Like an Ecosystem
Glossary: Systems Thinking
Definition Lack of systems thinking produces a mental model based mostly on what you can physically see. This tends to give a shallow understanding of the way a system works. For example, when pouring a glass of water we usually think only in terms of turning on the faucet until the glass is full, and then turning it off. Here's a definition from Barry Richmond, who coined the term in 1987:What System?
The pop-culture application of systems thinking and chaos theory is described as the Butterfly Effect -- how tiny variations can affect giant and complex systems, like weather patterns. The term "Butterfly Effect" suggests that wing movements of a butterfly might have significant repercussions on wind strength and conditions throughout the weather systems of the world, and theoretically, could cause tornadoes halfway around the world. The implication? The prediction of any large system's behavior is virtually impossible without accounting for a multitude of tiny factors -- surely too many to account for -- any one of which might have a minute but significant effect on the system. Understanding systems, their interactions and changes allows leaders to establish and maintain a focus on process and to achieve organizational strategy.
Understanding the patterns and processes by which nature sustains life is central to ecological literacy. Fritjof Capra says that these may be called principles of ecology, principles of sustainability, principles of community, or even the basic facts of life. In our work with teachers and schools, the Center for Ecoliteracy has identified six of these principles that are important for students to understand and be able to apply to the real world.
Core Ecological Concepts
A Systems Perspective
Systems thinking presents a different lens through which to understand the complexity of the world. Thinking systemically entails a number of shifts in perception, which lead to different ways to teach, and to different ways to organize institutions and society. These shifts offer opportunities for teachers to present material in more holistic ways, in context rather than as isolated facts, consistent with the way students encounter the natural and social worlds in their own experience. Systems thinking is one of the consequences of our guiding principle, "Nature Is Our Teacher," discussed in the Explore section of the website.