Social-ecological network analysis for sustainability sciences: a systematic review and innovative research agenda for the future

J S Sayles,K Ingold,G R Meredith,J Pittman,J A Baggio,M Mancilla Garcia,S M Alexander,M Hamilton,A P Fischer

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab2619

Abstract

Social-ecological network (SEN) concepts and tools are increasingly used in human-environment and sustainability sciences. We take stock of this budding research area to further show the strength of SEN analysis for complex human-environment settings, identify future synergies between SEN and wider human-environment research, and provide guidance about when to use different kinds of SEN approaches and models. We characterize SEN research along a spectrum specifying the degree of explicit network representation of system components and dynamics. We then systematically review one end of this spectrum, what we term ‘fully articulated SEN’ studies, which specifically model unique social and ecological units and relationships. Results show a larger number of papers focus on methodological advancement and applied ends. While there has been some development and testing of theories, this remains an area for future work and would help develop SENs as a unique field of research, not just a method. Authors have studied diverse systems, while mainly focusing on the problem of social-ecological fit alongside a scattering of other topics. There is strong potential, however, to engage other issues central to human-environment studies. Analyzing the simultaneous effects of multiple social, environmental, and coupled processes, change over time, and linking network structures to outcomes are also areas for future advancement. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of (fully articulated) SEN research, a necessary step that can help scholars develop comparable cases and fill research gaps.

Highlights

Society’s biggest environmental challenges transcend traditional forms of management and require new approaches (DeFries and Nagendra 2017)
We focus on fully articulated Social-ecological network (SEN) for their potential to uncover fundamental properties of socialecological systems
Based on our knowledge of SENs and human-environment research, we developed a set of deductive codes to categorize nodes and edges and allowed for additional write-in responses

Summary

Introduction

Society’s biggest environmental challenges transcend traditional forms of management and require new approaches (DeFries and Nagendra 2017) Environmental issues, such as food, energy, and water sustainability, are often addressed in isolation despite being highly interdependent (Le Blanc 2015). Critical activities, such as watershed restoration, migratory species conservation, or fisheries management, transcend multiple administrative regions, but are all too often dealt with by administrations working in isolation (DeFries and Nagendra 2017). Many of these cross-sectoral, multi-level, and trans-boundary challenges can be addressed by looking at networks of people and the environment (Janssen et al 2006, Norberg and Cumming 2008, Bixler et al 2016). Network science (here we include traditions from social, natural, and complex systems sciences) offers a unique conceptualization of the world, complete with theoretical constructs, methods, and tools (Bascompte 2009, Borgatti et al 2009, Butts 2009)

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Discussion

Conclusion