摘要：We discuss the adaptive cycle heuristic as a potential platform for describing the functioning and directions ofchange in Sahelian land use systems. Specifically, the aim is to go beyond the simplified narrative of a vicious circle of landdegradation and land expansion prompted by population pressure and low rainfall and to develop conceptual means to accountfor system recovery and adaptation to exposures. We use a village study from northern Burkina Faso as an empirical point ofdeparture. On the basis of information obtained from extensive interviews and surveys at the group and household level, thedifferent phases of the adaptive cycle—exploitation (r), conservation (K), release (.) and reorganization (α)— are characterizedby indicators of "potential" and "connectedness". The main traits of an adaptive cycle trajectory are identified, yet deviationsare also observed. It is, however, apparent that the traditional picture of a unidirectional process of land degradation and systemcollapse in Sahelian agro-pastoral systems is a simplification of more complex realities. The adaptive cycle heuristic providesinsight into the possible importance of , for example, connectedness in terms of village groups. This may have implications forthe policy discourse and may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of trajectories of change in Sahelian systems
关键词：adaptive cycle; connectedness; potential; Sahel; social-ecological systems
