ECOTIPPING POINTS

Another Solution
 What are EcoTipping Points

[ EcoTipping Points are levers that reverse an
environmental decline, allowing the environment to
be once again sustainable.

[ They convert vicious cycles into virtuous ones,  and
in turn, restoring the damages done to the
ecosystem by the vicious cycles.
 Marine Sanctuary: Restoring a Coral-Reef Fishery
(Apo Island, Philippines)

Introduced a Marine Sanctuary to revive the island’s fishing livelihood and to return the fish population
 Water Warriors: Rainwater to Replenish Underground Water
(Rajasthan, India)

Created a dam to fix the poverty issue that was caused by the dried out underground water
 What are Vicious Cycles?
A series of events where each problem produces
another problem which worsens the first problem.

[ Examples: bad customer service, antibiotic resistant
bacteria, polluted waters, etc
 How do we create EcoTipping Points?

[ Sketch out the chains of cause and effect
responsible for their environmental problems.

[ Identify the vicious cycles that are driving negative
tips.

[ Think of interventions that will build up under their
own momentum, connecting to key elements of the
vicious cycles with sufficient force to turn them
around. The newly formed virtuous cycles will take it
from there.
 Ingredients for Success
[ Shared community awareness and commitment.
[ A shared vision and mission can completely turn situations
around. It helps by using the collective experience of the
community to move the goal forward. With more people
participating, goals become more attainable.
[ Outside stimulation and facilitation 
[ Rarely does it ever happen where ecotipping points begin
from the inside. Usually, you need an outside force to
influence the system and completely turn it around.
[ Enduring commitment of local leadership.
[ Good leaders that inspire and motivate the community to
persist with their goal are necessary for success. It is
through them that the goals become attainable in the eyes
of the many.
 Ingredients for Success
[ Co-adaption between social system and ecosystem.
[ As the social system develops, so must the sustainability of
the ecosystem. There must be a heart, an organization, that
manages the environmental and social capital.
[ “Letting nature do the work.“
[ We ought to let nature fix itself. The purpose of the
Ecotipping points are merely to give nature the opportunity
to begin its cycle of healing.
[ Transforming waste into resources.
[ We turn waste-not just garbage, but also including degraded
land, abandoned buildings, and other things-into social or
material capital.
 Ingredients for Success
[ Rapid results.
[ Quick paybacks or results can easily strengthen a community’s
commitment to the change or movement. This will lead to other
cycles of more community acts both inside and outside. Results
are power.
[ A powerful symbol.
[ Something or someone that consolidates the Ecotipping point, or
perhaps is the Ecotipping point itself. This shall mobilize
communities to continue and afterwards, remind everyone of the
story of change.
[ Coping with social complexity
[ Many of these social complexities have to be dealt with. Not
everyone is open to change. Some are too busy to bother
cooperating. There are many complexities within the society,
but they need to be dealt with if we want to succeed.
 Ingredients for Success
[ Social and ecological diversity.
[ Diversity in knowledge, technology, institutions, organizations,
values, and perceptions provides more choices, meaning more
effective decisions can be made. Diversity allows a system to
enhance its ability to restore itself.
[ Social and ecological memory 
[ Learning from the past is a powerful leverage. Never again do we
have to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. Ecological memory
has also improved nature’s resilience.
[ Building resilience 
[ We must lock into sustainability. This is the ability to function
despite disturbances and unforeseen events. Ecotipping points
must not only tip the balance to a positive cycle, they must also
be strong enough to keep it there against any threats.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!