ABSTRACT
Considerable effort is spent in the quest to understand the natural world and how we as humans interact with it. This quest has been embodied by sustainable development in the recent past, as we strive to live in a world in which our actions will not compromise our future. Our knowledge base is constantly expanding through collection and interpretation of new data, exploring newly appreciated dynamics, and investigating previously misunderstood phenomena. As our understanding grows, so too does our capacity to manage our actions before they cause undesirable consequences in environmental, economic and social spheres. Our knowledge of systems and their actors grows. The dynamics of previously undocumented relationships is explored.
