Description
The Certification Program in Social Ecology and Public Policy provides learners with the opportunity to explore social ecological principles and the related theories and methodological approaches to creating or influencing public policy. Scaled certification levels discussed below allow for the student to determine the level of proficiency desired, from a 1-1/2 day level of Advisor Certification to a 6-month mentored Project of Excellence.
Purpose
The purpose of the Certification Program in Social Ecology and Public Policy is to prepare individuals with the knowledge and skills to implement a social ecological approach to research and policy formation related to:
A social ecological approach incorporates key aspects of both the social and biophysical environments in order to foster productive harmony.
One of the key purposes of the certification program is to facilitate compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) Policy Section 101 and Environmental Justice Guidelines for the United States (US) as well as other national governments and international bodies that have adopted environmental regulations based on the US model. For example federal agencies must respond to the pressure that the US Congress has applied in its recent Planning legislation and new Fire Recovery approved for the Departments of Interior (BLM) and the USDA Forest Service. The new mandates call for community-based stewardship for ecosystem recovery as the primary vehicle for this multi-billion dollar effort. As there are very few resource managers trained to work in the social/culture side of NEPA, a critical shortage of qualified social ecologists exists. This historic weakness will be addressed through this certification program.
If society is going to give scientific attention to the social/cultural side of NEPA and Section 101, the U.S. agencies, corporations and communities will need 800 certified Applied Social Ecologists with a public policy orientation within the next 3 years and beyond. Preister and Kent contend in their NEPA paper published in April 2001: "... that projects using this productive harmony approach will foster community, landscape, and ecosystem health in degrees unprecedented since the passing of NEPA 30 years ago" (Preister and Kent 2001).
Recruitment for Participants in Social Ecology and Public Policy
Standards for Certification
The standards for the Center for Social Ecology and Public Policy (CSEPP) certification have been developed by practitioners James Kent, Kevin Preister, Tom Baker and Dan Baharav working in this field for 35 years. The Center draws on that 35-year history, starting with the Foundation for Urban and Neighborhood Development (FUND), Inc., in 1967, and including James Kent Associates in 1988, Social Ecology Associates in 1997, and the JKA Group beginning in 1998. The theoretical development and practical accomplishments of this effort has been documented in numerous publications. Its main features are summarized in Social Ecology: A New Pathway to Watershed Restoration (referenced below at Sources Sited)
The CSEPP standards for certification in Social Ecology and Public Policy are based on demonstrated competency in the following areas:
Certification Competencies
All certification competencies share these characteristics:
Through attending workshops or seminars, completing on-site project work, or implementing an applied Project of Excellence, students are able to obtain the following competencies for certification. The competencies are designed to be both cumulative and freestanding. Learners can earn certifications sequentially, or enter the process for any competency, as long as the requirements for each concept area are met.
Participants in the certification program have a choice about whether to obtain credit for these courses or only take certification without credit. For many natural resource managers and line staff, certification alone is sufficient for professional advancement and they may have little interest in pursuing a degree. For students or other learners, credit is a necessary part of involvement and signals their entry into a growing, multi-disciplinary field (Social Ecology and Public Policy). In this manner, students on campus get into the field with seasoned managers for the Certification courses.
Sources Cited
2001 "Using Social Ecology to Meet the Productive Harmony Intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)", Kevin Preister and James A. Kent, Hastings West-Northwest Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, Volume 7, Issue 3, Spring, pp. 235-251. Berkeley, CA.: Hastings College of the Law.
2000 "Restoring Watershed Health: Peacetime Military Contributions and Federal Wide Agency Implications", Dr. Diane C. Drigot, Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, Washington, D.C.
1999 "Methods for the Development of Human Geographic Boundaries and Their Uses", James A. Kent and Kevin Preister in partial completion of Cooperative Agreement No. 1422-P850-A8-0015 between James Kent Associates and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Task Order No. 001.
1997 "Social Ecology: A New Pathway to Watershed Restoration." Kevin Preister and James Kent, in Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices, by Jack E. Williams, Michael P. Dombeck and Christopher A. Wood, Editors, pp. 28-48. Bethesda, Md.: The American Fisheries Society.
1994 "Thinking beyond Our Borders: A Bio-social Ecosystem Approach to Resource Management on Public Land." Anchorage, AK: National Military Fish and Wildlife, James Kent, Dan Baharav and Diane Drigot.
1992 "Habitat Continuum, Corridors and Human Diversity." Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Society for Conservation Biology, Dan Baharav and James Kent.