Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART ... - OU Medicine

Tool: Community Ecological Maps (Eco-Maps)
Brief description
The community ecological map is a visual tool for describing the nature and strength of
relationships within a community.
Reasons for using it
Community ecological maps can be used to:
1) Describe relationships among individuals, groups, and organizations within a
community
2) Identify potential concerns regarding your communication and interaction with
those individuals, groups, and organizations
3) Develop strategies to reduce tensions and strengthen relationships
4) Identify and develop potentially beneficial partnerships
5) Improve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
When to use it
Use community ecological mapping when you need to build support for your organization
or an initiative, feel disconnected from your community, experience conflict with others
in the community, or plan to undertake outreach activities.
Instructions
Step 1: Identify the organizations with which you interact. Consider the frequency with
which you interact.
Step 2: Construct the framework for your community ecological map. On a sheet of
paper (or flip chart), draw a circle in the center that represents your organization. Then
draw circles representing agencies, groups, and individuals with whom you currently
interact; the location of these other circles is irrelevant. The size of the other circles
should reflect the frequency or level of interaction with your organization. A large circle
Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) Page 32
Tool: Community Eco-Maps