Environmental tipping points: a new paradigm for restoring ecological security

An environmental tipping point is a part of the human-environment system that can lever far-reaching change in the system. A change at the tipping point sets in motion mutually reinforcing feedback loops that propel the system on a completely new course. An environmental tipping point perspective can help to cope with the complexity of environmental problems by providing a lens for: • comprehending why some environmental problems are so difficult to solve; • understanding environmental success stories in a way that points to concrete measures for strengthening ecological security and sustainability; • creating a more functional and productive public dialogue for ecological security and sustainability. Apo Island in the Philippines provides an example of environmental tipping points in action. The introduction of destructive fishing methods was a "negative tip " that set the regional fishery on a forty-year downward spiral to virtual collapse. Apo Island escaped the downward spiral with a "positive tip "- the creation of a small marine sanctuary-which set in motion a cascade of ecological and social changes that restored declining fish stocks and returned the island's marine ecosystem to health. Japan had a similar experience with severe deforestation during the Seventeenth Century. Extension of traditional village cooperation to forest management stimulated the development and dissemination of new silvicultural techniques and the creation of new social institutions that set Japan on a course of sustainable forest use. Environmental tipping point success stories from around the world can be found at www.ecotippingpoints.org