In this presentation we argue that investing in the capacity of resource-dependent people to undergo change and be resilient may be as important for effective resource management as are efforts to build resilience of an ecosystem. Our premise is based on understanding that resource management is effected through influencing people and their behaviour.  People with the capacity to adapt and adopt new behaviors are more likely to support the resilience of an ecosystem than those without. People without this capacity are likely to resist change and threaten the resilience of natural resources.

Traditionally, conservation managers have responded by placing restraints on how people interact with natural resources. However, the very same initiatives designed to sustain the long term supply of a resource's goods and services to those dependent on them will impose significant, and often immediate, pressures on resource-dependent communities and industries, further eroding their ability to cope and adapt.

We show that cattle producers in northern Australia and commercial fishers in the Great Barrier Reef are unlikely to have sufficient resilience to support the resilience of their respective natural resources and that a spiral of accelerating and mutual decline in each system is inevitable. We discuss possible strategies for intervention and the benefits of long term human monitoring through showcasing the Social and Economic Long Term Monitoring Program (SELTMP) for the Great Barrier Reef. Here, we highlight how important aspects of the human dimension, such as adaptive capacity and resilience can be measured and integrated into conservation management.