For those seeking to understand and manage ecosystems, a key
idea has resonated for more than two decades: spatial variation
is essential for ecological sustainability over time. Now a new
book examines the impact of that revelation. The Center for
Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State
University integrates ecology with socioeconomics, demography
and other disciplines for ecological sustainability from local,
national to global scales. Coupled Human and Natural
Systems(CHANS) are integrated systems in which humans and
natural components interact. CHANS research has recently emerged
as an exciting and integrative field of cross-disciplinary
scientific inquiry to find sustainable solutions that both
benefit the environment and enable people to thrive. Visit
CHANS-Net, the international network of research on coupled
human and natural systems, for information and ways to engage.