What is Human Ecology?

Human ecology is the study of how human social systems relate to and interact with the ecological systems on which they depend. Human Ecology: Basic Concepts for Sustainable Development by Gerald G. Marten introduces these principles in an accessible, story-driven format. The book explains how ecosystems are organized and function, the interactions between human social systems and these ecosystems, and how social institutions and processes either support or conflict with sustainability. It integrates well-established ecological principles with recent concepts from complex systems theory. Simple diagrams, examples, and exercises are used throughout to make the concepts easy to understand.

This book explains why we have environmental problems and what we can do about them.

“A valuable step toward making human ecology a subject that everyone can and should understand…The scope and clarity of this book make it accessible and informative to a wide readership…Provides a clear and comprehensible account of concepts that can be applied in our individual and collective lives to pursue the promising and secure future to which we all aspire.”

Maurice Strong (1929–2015)

Chairman of the Earth Council and Secretary General of the 1992 Earth Summit

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