The social ecology is the branch of ecology that focuses on the study of man and his relationship with the environment, taking into account how human actions affect the ecosystem.
For the study of the consequences of man's behavior on the environment and the way in which it can affect him in a negative way, social ecology works as a fusion between the social and natural sciences.
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The human being is in constant interaction with the environment.
It is not an isolated discipline or with a reduced object of study, on the contrary, the wealth of information that arises from the collaboration it receives from other sciences is what allows the analysis of man's relationships with his environment from different perspectives.
The most successful way to study man and his relationships with the environment, which he cannot do without because he interacts with it daily, is by taking into consideration all the elements that are part of it.
Man is a living being and a dynamic element within the environment with which he interacts, so the study of his relationships and contributions as well as the way in which this affects him, is the objective of social ecology.
History
There are various contributions that contributed to the emergence of social ecology, including the studies on urban ecology presented by the Chicago School.
Urban ecology focused on the study of the inhabitants of the city around coexistence in space, modes of organization and their relationship with the environment.
Another perspective that contributed to the development of social ecology was from sociology, which conceived of social ecology as an approach centered on man and the way in which he is affected by his environment.
The well-known ecological anthropology made an interesting contribution that consisted in explaining the relationship between environmental conditions and culture.
A branch of psychology called ecological or environmental psychology leaned towards the study of man from the point of view of the relationship between behavior and the environment.
Finally, philosophy through the contributions of Murray Bookchin (precursor of social ecology), considered to address the study of the relationship between man and the environment to different actions of humans.
The separation between the natural and social sciences
Ecology, from its beginnings, stood out for studying the human environment separately, despite the fact that in one way or another it retains a close relationship with its environment.
As a science it arose from 1869 with the various studies and contributions of Ernst Haeckel, a character who introduced the term ecology.
For Haeckel, the object of study of ecology was closely related to the set of interactions that are revealed between living beings and their immediate environment.
However, the study of ecology historically focused on the analysis and description of natural processes between living organisms and the elements of their environment, excluding man from these.
The study of man was restricted to various disciplines of the social sciences, which has been a limiting factor for ecology given that it is continuously linked to the environment in which it operates.
With the emergence of social ecology, natural sciences were merged with social sciences in order to give a satisfactory answer to environmental problems that affect man directly.
Object of study
Social ecology has as its object of study man, focusing from the perspective of his relationships with the environment and how this external agent can affect him.
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Human beings can be affected by natural phenomena such as fires.
Murray, referring to social ecology, took into account the elements from human actions that can cause an imbalance in the environment.
These can be reflected in behaviors typical of value crises or lack of awareness towards caring for the environment as a way of preserving species in general.
Man's behavior, insofar as it damages the ecosystem on which it depends to sustain the life of many species or itself, is considered in part a reflection of a social crisis.
The imbalances caused to the environment at the same time unleash problems in the ecosystem that in the end negatively affect man.
Based on this theme, the study of social ecology is focused, which is interested in preserving the life of humans but also of all the species that make up the ecosystem.
Purpose
To the extent that man has at his disposal an environment that provides him with the necessary resources to cover his basic needs, his quality of life is guaranteed.
According to the opinion of various exponents of social ecology, due to industrialization and urbanization processes in large cities, among other things, there has been damage to the ecosystem.
These have resulted in the disappearance of large areas of forests, directly affecting natural life and compromising the quality of the air that man has at his disposal.
Another negative effect on ecosystems is related to the extinction of many species, which, although it does not affect man directly, goes against the objectives of social ecology.
Social ecology has focused its efforts on scientific studies that allow controlling the imbalances that are manifested in ecosystems in order to preserve life.
Although it is a discipline centered on man and the effects he can perceive from the environment, evolutionary ecology seeks to preserve the life of all species without distinction.
References
- Encyclopedia Britannica. Social ecology.
- Fisher, K. M, (2015). Social Ecology. Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Taken from sciencedirect.com
- Gudynas, E, Evia, G. (1991). Praxis for life-Introduction to the methodologies of Social Ecology. Taken from ecologiasocial.com
- Institute for Social Ecology. What Is Social Ecology. Taken from social-ecology.org
- Social Ecology. Taken from Wikipedia.org