In this article we summarize histories of nonlinear, complex interactions among societal, legal, and ecosystem dynamics in six North American water basins, as they respond to changing climate. These case studies were chosen to explore the conditions for emergence of adaptive governance in heavily regulated and developed social-ecological systems nested within a hierarchical governmental system. We summarize resilience assessments conducted in each system to provide a synthesis and reference by the other articles in this special feature. We also present a general framework used to evaluate the interactions between society and ecosystem regimes and the governance regimes chosen to mediate those interactions. The case studies show different ways that adaptive governance may be triggered, facilitated, or constrained by ecological and/or legal processes. The resilience assessments indicate that complex interactions among the governance and ecosystem components of these systems can produce different trajectories, which include patterns of (a) development and stabilization, (b) cycles of crisis and recovery, which includes lurches in adaptation and learning, and (3) periods of innovation, novelty, and transformation. Exploration of cross scale (Panarchy) interactions among levels and sectors of government and society illustrate that they may constrain development trajectories, but may also provide stability during crisis or innovation at smaller scales; create crises, but may also facilitate recovery; and constrain system transformation, but may also provide windows of opportunity in which transformation, and the resources to accomplish it, may occur. The framework is the starting point for our exploration of how law might play a role in enhancing the capacity of social-ecological systems to adapt to climate change.

中文翻译：

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区域规模社会生态水系统的政权转变和泛权制


在本文中，我们总结了北美六个流域的社会、法律和生态系统动态之间非线性、复杂相互作用的历史，因为它们对气候变化做出了反应。选择这些案例研究是为了探索嵌套在等级政府体系内的严格监管和发达的社会生态系统中出现适应性治理的条件。我们总结了每个系统中进行的弹性评估，以便为本专题中的其他文章提供综合和参考。我们还提出了一个总体框架，用于评估社会和生态系统制度之间的相互作用以及为调解这些相互作用而选择的治理制度。案例研究显示了生态和/或法律过程可能触发、促进或限制适应性治理的不同方式。复原力评估表明，这些系统的治理和生态系统组成部分之间复杂的相互作用可以产生不同的轨迹，其中包括（a）发展和稳定的模式，（b）危机和恢复的周期，其中包括适应和学习的困难，以及(3)创新、新颖和变革时期。对政府和社会各级和部门之间跨尺度（泛政治）互动的探索表明，它们可能会限制发展轨迹，但也可能在危机期间或较小规模的创新中提供稳定性；制造危机，但也可能促进复苏；并限制系统转型，但也可能提供转型的机会之窗以及实现转型的资源。 该框架是我们探索法律如何在增强社会生态系统适应气候变化的能力方面发挥作用的起点。