Humans have spent thousands of years transforming the natural world from controlled burns that reshaped landscapes to industrial agriculture that feeds billions. The question now, according to one of the researchers who has spent his career studying this transformation, is whether those same civilisational capabilities can be turned toward repair.

According to University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) geographer and environmental scientist as well as the head of the Anthroecology Lab Erle Ellis, this is possible and there are ways to accomplish it, and they are already available.

What the Anthropocene really means?

The Anthropocene refers to the scientific name given to the current geological epoch in which the determining factors are no longer geological forces but rather human endeavours. Human interference in the planet, such as climate change, mass extinction of species, and pollution, has been equated with geological forces.

Ellis has worked with UMBC for decades, studying societies of different sizes, ranging from village settlements to global commercial activities, as they have impacted ecosystems.

It is a way of looking at it from a less pessimistic angle. The same cultural adaptations, fire, agriculture, institutions, and shared norms, that produced environmental damage are, in his view, the mechanisms through which recovery becomes possible.

Ellis draws a clear distinction between awareness and action. Societies have long demonstrated the ability to cooperate around shared problems and reorganise their relationship with natural systems, but that capacity tends to be activated by aspiration as much as fear. Focusing exclusively on collapse and limits, he argues, risks obscuring the collective agency that has historically driven change.

As such, recent scientific research within environmental social science has backed this way of thinking. It is clear that changes within culture and the cooperation of institutions work better than technological solutions alone.

Ellis describes the essential elements needed to achieve genuine course correction. "Re-emphasising the kinship relationships among all living beings, our common evolutionary ancestry is a start," he said, "combined with new ways to connect people and nature, from remote sensing to webcams, to nature apps, to community conservation reserves, corridor networks, and ecotourism."

"Aspirations for a better future must also make peace with the past through restoration of Indigenous and traditional sovereignty over lands and waters," said Ellis.

This perspective is consistent with emerging research that shows how indigenous-managed lands perform better than conventional reserves when it comes to biodiversity outcomes.

© The News International