People everywhere develop an attachment to a geographical place characterized by a set of natural boundaries created by physical, biological, social, cultural and economic systems (a bio-social ecosystem).
Unique beliefs, traditions, and stories tie people to a specific place, to the land, and to social/kinship networks.
Informal networks and caretaking systems form the social capital by which communities sustain themselves.
Since humans and nature rely on shared landscapes, the current status of "productive harmony" (NEPA balance of physical/social environments) must be described. The best opportunities for adaptive change are through the cultural alignment of the formal systems with the informal networks.
Social Ecology is thus not only a scientific enterprise (The Discovery Process™) but an action methodology ( Issue Management) that builds citizen and institutional capacity for creating and enhancing healthy environments.