The ecosystem metaphor: Bridging science and ecological education from the local community to the biosphere

Background/Question/Methods A social understanding of the ecosystem concept requires conveying the various meanings of the term to non-scientists. The ecosystem concept has ancient cultural roots in most primitive societies, as their worldviews often integrated the living and non-living as interacting parts in the cycle of growth, death and renewal. Relevant components of this anthropological view of ecosystems are the long time scale of natural cycles and the recognition of humans’ ancillary place in the natural world. This broad comprehension has been lost from contemporary societies, as a result of a process of intense cultural homogenization that disregarded holistic myth and local traditional knowledge, leading to the prevalence of reductionist views of the world.  These views are reflected in the lack of interdisciplinary training of environmental scientists and in the fragmented way in which we institutionally manage our natural resources. We argue here that recovering the historical roots of the ecosystem concept through ecological education can improve social understanding of the functioning of ecosystems and the biosphere, and encourage real institutional transformation. A useful framework for this cultural rescue process is the distinction made by Steward Pickett and Mary Cadenasso of three dimensions of this ecological concept: the technical meaning, the model, and the metaphor of ecosystem. Results/Conclusions The technical concept is useful for academic purposes and it applies to a wide range of situations, while the model is a graphical representation of relevant processes and interactions within a specific real or theoretical ecosystem. The ecosystem metaphor, on the other hand, can enhance general understanding of the concept and its implications for conservation, management, restoration, and institutional re-arrangements, from the local scale to the biosphere, and consequently for viewing ourselves as interacting components, stewards and creators of ecosystems. The metaphoric ecosystem, as a functional supra-organismic unit operating at different places on Earth, has intrinsic values and parallels to human social systems. Accordingly, it can help appreciating the place of humans in ecosystems and the functioning biosphere as a symbiotic system. We illustrate how hands-on ecological education programs based on schoolyards, rural landscapes, and nature trails can make effective use of the ecosystem metaphor. Enhanced appreciation of ecosystem concepts can promote interdisciplinary learning among scientists and citizens and may be a significant step towards changing the current exploitative relationship between humans and nature.