Complex Social-ecological Problems Research Articles

Perceptions and attitudes of residents toward small-scale longline tuna fishing in the Galapagos Marine Reserve: conservation and management implications

Longlining represents a cost-effective fishing modality for catching tuna, but its use is contentious due to the unintended catch of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species. In 2000, longlining was banned in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador. Since then, local small-scale fishers have contested this decision. In contrast, longlining ban supporters argue that this regulation is fundamental for conserving ETP species, despite scientific and anecdotal evidence indicating that its effective implementation is unfeasible. We conducted an online survey to investigate Galapagos residents’ perceptions concerning longlining, its ecological impact, and diverse potential management strategies. Our findings revealed misconceptions about longline fishing, which highlight the need for improved public awareness and education regarding longline fishing practices, their impact on ETP species, and possible solutions to this complex social-ecological problem. Our study also highlights Galapagos residents’ openness to find a solution that addresses both fishers’ livelihoods and the conservation of ETP species. Galapagos residents are receptive to implementing evidence-based solutions, including testing new bycatch mitigation methods and more selective fishing gears, enhancing monitoring and enforcement, and creating market-based incentives that encourage progressive and adaptive improvements in fishing practices. To solve the Galapagos longline controversy, we recommend a holistic, adaptive, and evidence-based approach that encourages stakeholders to engage in open dialogue, fosters cross-sector collaboration, and promotes research, communication, and educational initiatives. By raising awareness through comprehensive, rigorous, and unbiased scientific information, this ecosystem-based management approach aims to ensure the sustainable development of the small-scale tuna fishery, while conserving the Galapagos’ invaluable and unique marine biodiversity.

Dryland Ecological Restoration Research Dynamics: A Bibliometric Analysis Based on Web of Science Data

Previous research on ecological restoration mainly includes three fields: water ecology, soil ecology, and atmospheric ecology, and the most abundant is in the field of soil ecology, among which the most abundant is in dryland ecological restoration. Research on dryland ecological restoration is very important in ensuring national food security, ecological security, and preventing a return to poverty. However, the previous research results do not clearly present the interconnection between the huge number of existing dryland ecological restoration studies and do not provide a three-dimensional understanding of the whole picture of dryland ecological restoration research from a broader perspective. Research on dryland ecological restoration has received wide attention from scholars at home and abroad, revealing the international research trends in the current field, which will provide a reference for the theory and practice of future dryland ecological restoration research. Using the SCI-E and SSCI databases of the “Web of Science Core Collection” as sample data sources and using CiteSpace optical measurement software, the 2254 literature in the field of international dryland ecological restoration research were systematically analyzed to track the situation and impact of research in this field by countries around the world, scientific research institutions and significant authors, and to analyze the interdisciplinary and research hotspots in this field, which is of great significance for the follow-up research of dryland ecological restoration. The research results show that: (1) The number of publications in international dryland ecological restoration has increased significantly with years and has strong development potential. (2) Journals representing the research frontier have an intense concentration with various journals. (3) The study of dryland ecological restoration belongs to a highly interdisciplinary discipline, while the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science are the pivot nodes of multidisciplinary disciplines. (4) China’s posts and total citations are among the best, but the average citation is low. (5) Dryland ecological restoration and protection is a hot research field at present, and special attention is paid to the dynamic changes and key driving factors of dryland ecological restoration and the full use of machine learning and extensive data mining to solve complex social-ecological problems. The study recommends that related disciplines must strengthen cooperation in the field of dryland ecological restoration, especially the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science, in order to promote the progress of dryland ecological restoration research theory and practice. China should continue to strengthen the investment of scientific research forces to improve the international influence of research in the field of dryland ecological restoration.

“How can you put a price on the environment?” Farmer perspectives on stewardship and payment for ecosystem services

As agricultural conservation priorities evolve to address new complex social-ecological problems and emerging social priorities, new conservation incentive program participation and success can be enhanced by incorporating local stakeholder preferences into program design. Our research explores how farmers incorporate ecosystem services into management decisions, their willingness to participate in payment for ecosystem services programs, and factors beyond compensation level that would influence participation. We conducted three focus groups with 24 participants between January of 2019 and May of 2019 in Vermont. Our study revealed that a strong, intrinsic stewardship ethic motivates farmers to enhance ecosystem service provisioning from their farms, though financial pressures often limit decision-making. These results suggest that programs with sufficient levels of payment may attract participation, at least among some types of farmers, to enhance ecosystem services from farms in Vermont. However, farmers may be deterred from participating by perceived unfairness and distrust of the government based on previous experiences with regulations and conservation incentive structures. Farmers also expressed distrust of information about ecosystem services supply that conflicts with their perceptions of agroecosystem functioning, unless delivered by trusted individuals from the extension system. The delivery of context-specific information on how management changes impact ecosystem service performance from trusted sources could enhance farmers’ decisions, and would aptly complement payments. Additionally, farmers expressed a desire to see a program that both achieves additionality and rewards farms who have been stewards, goals that are potentially at odds. Our findings offer important insights for policy makers and program administrators who need to understand factors that will influence farmers’ willingness to participate in payment for ecosystem service programs and other conservation practice adoption initiatives, in Vermont and elsewhere.

A regional PECS node built from place-based social-ecological sustainability research in Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT Sustainability requires a combination of meaningful co-production of locally relevant solutions, synthesis of insights gained across regions, and increased cooperation between science, policy and practice. The Programme for Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) has been coordinating Place-Based Social-Ecological Sustainability Research (PBSESR) across the globe and emphasizes the need for regional scientific nodes from diverse biocultural regions to inform sustainability science and action. In this paper, we assess the strengths of the PBSESR communities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We provide an overview of PBSESR literature associated with this region and highlight the achievements of two prominent regional networks: The Social-Ecological Systems and Sustainability Research Network from Mexico (SocioEcoS) and the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies from Uruguay (SARAS Institute). Finally, we identify the potential in these nodes to constitute a regional PECS node in Latin America and discuss the capacity needed to ensure such function. The results of the literature review show that while still loosely interconnected across the region, networks play key roles in connecting otherwise cloistered teams and we illustrate how the SocioEcoS network (focusing on transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge towards sustainability) and the SARAS Institute (focusing on innovative approaches for looking at complex social-ecological problems, rooted in slow science and arts) operate as key connectors in the region. We conclude that these organizations combined can embody a Latin American node for PECS, and would thereby not only contribute to regional but also global capacities to advance the sustainability agenda.

Collaboration with Nlaka'pamux communities to examine metal deposition on soapberry in interior British Columbia

AbstractThis paper presents a collaboration with Indigenous Nlaka'pamux communities to develop a study to address the effects of mining dust on soapberry (Shepherdia canadensis), which is an important medicinal and food resource for local Nlaka'pamux people. The objectives were to compare element concentrations in samples of washed and unwashed leaves and berries relative to soil samples collected around the mine and in a reference area. Samples were analyzed for metal concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). Spatial models showed that six metals (Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Sr) had significant elevated concentrations near the mine compared to farther away, though concentrations were generally within ranges reported for human consumption. There was no correspondence with soil metal concentrations, suggesting that elevated metal concentrations in leaves and berries near the mine were due to dust rather than uptake from local soils. Washing of leaves and berries reduced concentrations by between 13 and 48%, depending on the metal. The study illustrates a model with global relevance for how mines can work with communities to address complex social–ecological problems.

Panarchy: opportunities and challenges for ecosystem management.

Addressing unexpected events and uncertainty represents one of the grand challenges of the Anthropocene, yet ecosystem management is constrained by existing policy and laws that were not formulated to deal with today's accelerating rates of environmental change. In many cases, managing for simple regulatory standards has resulted in adverse outcomes, necessitating innovative approaches for dealing with complex social-ecological problems. We highlight a project in the US Great Plains where panarchy - a conceptual framework that emerged from resilience - was implemented at project onset to address the continued inability to halt large-scale transition from grass-to-tree dominance in central North America. We review how panarchy was applied, the initial outcomes and evidence for policy reform, and the opportunities and challenges for which it could serve as a useful model to contrast with traditional ecosystem management approaches.

Does Awareness of Climate Change Lead to Worry? Exploring Community Perceptions Through Parallel Analysis in Rural Himalaya

Human dimensions of climate change (HDCC) research overwhelmingly presents community perspectives on climate change and its impacts through single epistemic frameworks. This limits the possible platforms that community voices can access within scientific scholarship. Many HDCC interdisciplinary collaborations pursue the goal of data triangulation and attempt to address complex social–ecological problems through analytical integration. This raises questions about the comparative validity of different epistemologies and often leads to unequal power sharing between the different disciplinary practitioners. Our research addresses both of these issues by operationalizing a plural epistemological framework that depends on parallel analysis. This framework consists of a quantitative approach, inspired by hazards theory and land-change science research, and a qualitative approach, from political ecology. We explored perceptions of climate change in rural households in Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayan region. While the results reveal a high awareness of climate change within the community, most individuals and households do not consider the impacts of climate change to be a significant worry. The results for each approach complement each other. They provide the community with more than one platform to voice their experiences and reveal the complex relationships producing climate change knowledge in the region. Future research should attempt such parallel analysis in other locations to validate its utility in addressing issues of equity and marginalization between research epistemologies, as well as between experts and local communities.

Reducing Wet Ammonium Deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park: the Development and Evaluation of A Pilot Early Warning System for Agricultural Operations in Eastern Colorado.

Agricultural emissions are the primary source of ammonia (NH3) deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), a Class I area, that is granted special air quality protections under the Clean Air Act. Between 2014 and 2016, the pilot phase of the Colorado agricultural nitrogen early warning system (CANEWS) was developed for agricultural producers to voluntarily and temporarily minimize emissions of NH3 during periods of upslope winds. The CANEWS was created using trajectory analyses driven by outputs from an ensemble of numerical weather forecasts together with the climatological expertize of human forecasters. Here, we discuss the methods for the CANEWS and offer preliminary analyses of 33 months of the CANEWS based on atmospheric deposition data from two sites in RMNP as well as responses from agricultural producers after warnings were issued. Results showed that the CANEWS accurately predicted 6 of 9 high N deposition weeks at a lower-elevation observation site, but only 4 of 11 high N deposition weeks at a higher-elevation site. Sixty agricultural producers from 39 of Colorado's agricultural operations volunteered for the CANEWS, and a two-way line of communication between agricultural producers and scientists was formed. For each warning issued, an average of 23 producers responded to a postwarning survey. Over 75% of responding CANEWS participants altered their practices after an alert. While the current effort was insufficient to reduce atmospheric deposition, we were encouraged by the collaborative spirit between agricultural, scientific, and resource management communities. Solving a broad and complex social-ecological problem requires both a technological approach, such as the CANEWS, and collaboration and trust from all participants, including agricultural producers, land managers, university researchers, and environmental agencies.

How to improve governance of a complex social-ecological problem? Dioxins in Baltic salmon and herring

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the dioxin problem of Baltic herring and salmon fisheries and its governance that is based on natural scientific knowledge. The dioxin problem weakens the perceived quality of Baltic salmon and herring as food and affects the way the catches can be used. This influences negatively the fishing livelihood, the coastal culture, and the availability of the fish for consumers. We explored how the governance of the dioxin problem could be improved, to better address its socio-economic and cultural implications. We identified four main actions: (1) adopt environmental, economic and social sustainability, and food security and safety as shared principles between the environmental, food safety/public health, and fisheries policies, (2) establish collaboration between the environmental, public health, and fisheries sectors at the regional level, (3) enhance interaction around the dioxin problem within the fisheries sector, and (4) support the participation of the Baltic fisheries stakeholders in the EU-level food safety governance. Viewing dioxins in fish not only as a natural scientific problem but as a multidimensional one would enable a wider toolbox of governing instruments to be developed to better address the different dimensions. This would support steps towards collaborative governance and a food system approach.

Exploring and expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management

Transdisciplinarity is gaining acceptance in sustainability science research as an approach to work across disparate types of knowledge and practices in order to tackle complex social-ecological problems. On paper, transdisciplinarity appears to be substantially helpful, but in practice, participants may remain voiceless and disadvantaged. In this paper, we retrospectively investigate four case studies using recent design principles for transdisciplinary research, to explore a deeper understanding of the practical successes and failures of transdisciplinary research engagement. We show that the transdisciplinary way of working is time consuming, challenging, and insists that researchers and participants contribute reflexively. Careful attention to research design and methodology is central. The acceptance that complexity renders knowledge provisional, and complete honesty about the purpose of the research are critical to building relationships between researchers and participants. Gaining an understanding of the values people hold influences the research process and the possible outcomes toward sustainable and just natural resource management. We suggest that in order to enable sustainable and just natural resource management, transdisciplinary research should include values and ethics in the design, implementation, and reporting of projects.

Exploring the Potential of Developmental Work Research and Change Laboratory to Support Sustainability Transformations: A Case Study of Organic Agriculture in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the emergence of transgressive learning in CHAT-informed development work research in a networked organic agriculture case study in Zimbabwe, based on intervention research involving district organic associations tackling interconnected issues of climate change, water, food security and solidarity. The study established that We change laboratories can be used to support transgressive learning through: confronting unproductive local norms; collective reframing of problematic issues; stimulating expansive learning and sustainability transformations in minds, relationships and landscapes across time. The study also confirms the need for fourth generation CHAT to address the complex social-ecological problems of today.

Cocitation or Capacity-Building? Defining Success within an Interdisciplinary, Sustainability Science Team

To address gaps in knowledge and to tackle complex social-ecological problems, scientific research is moving toward studies that integrate multiple disciplines and ways of knowing to explore all parts of a system. Yet, how these efforts are being measured and how they are deemed successful is an up-and-coming and pertinent conversation within interdisciplinary research spheres. Using a grounded theory approach, this study addresses how members of a sustainability science-focused team at a Northeastern U.S. university funded by a large, National Science Foundation (NSF) grant contend with deeply normative dimensions of interdisciplinary research team success. Based on semi-structured interviews (N = 24) with researchers (e.g., faculty and graduate students) involved in this expansive, interdisciplinary team, this study uses participants’ narrative accounts to progress our understanding of success on sustainability science teams and addresses the tensions arising between differing visions of success present within the current literature, and perpetuated by U.S. funding agencies like NSF. Study findings reveal that team members are forming definitions of interdisciplinary success that both align with, and depart from, those appearing in the literature. More specifically, some respondents’ notions of team success appear to mirror currently recognized outcomes in traditional academic settings (i.e., purpose driven outcomes – citations, receipt of grant funding, etc.). At the same time, just as many other respondents describe success as involving elements of collaborative research not traditionally acknowledged as a forms of “success” in their own right (i.e., capacity building processes and outcomes – relationship formation, deep understandings of distinct epistemologies, etc.). Study results contribute to more open and informed discussions about how we gauge success within sustainability science collaborations, forming a foundation for appreciation and exploration of the disciplinary and normative dimensions of this work.

Zero net livelihood degradation – the quest for a multidimensional protocol to combat desertification

Abstract. The concept of Zero Net Land Degradation was recently proposed as the basis for a future protocol for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to reduce global dryland degradation. It aims at reducing the rate of land degradation and increasing the rate of restoration of already degraded land. Whereas there is recognition of the socio-economic contexts that underlie degradation processes, there is a narrow focus on land and soil as the end core that needs to be protected. In particular, there is an essential human dimension to the sustainability of drylands that should be adequately tackled. In order to provide a wider perspective of the zero net degradation in drylands, I suggest considering the different livelihoods of rural households as a framework that encompasses the multidimensional perspective of desertification as a complex social–ecological problem. The scientific community must develop and apply the zero net livelihood degradation as an enhanced protocol to combat desertification that should foster sustainable livelihood outcomes rather than only sustainable land practices or soil management.

Evaluating adaptive co-management as conservation conflict resolution: Learning from seals and salmon

By linking iterative learning and knowledge generation with power-sharing, adaptive co-management (ACM) provides a potential solution to resolving complex social-ecological problems. In this paper we evaluate ACM as a mechanism for resolving conservation conflict using a case study in Scotland, where seal and salmon fishery stakeholders have opposing and entrenched objectives. ACM emerged in 2002, successfully resolving this long-standing conflict. Applying evaluation approaches from the literature, in 2011 we interviewed stakeholders to characterise the evolution of ACM, and factors associated with its success over 10 years. In common with other ACM cases, triggers for the process were shifts in slow variables controlling the system (seal and salmon abundance, public perceptions of seal shooting), and exogenous shocks (changes in legal mandates, a seal disease outbreak). Also typical of ACM, three phases of evolution were evident: emerging local leadership preparing the system for change, a policy window of opportunity, and stakeholder partnerships building the resilience of the system. Parameters maintaining ACM were legal mechanisms and structures, legal power held by government, and the willingness of all stakeholders to reach a compromise and experiment with an alternative governance approach. Results highlighted the critical role of government power and support in resolving conservation conflict, which may constrain the extent of local stakeholder-driven ACM. The evaluation also demonstrated how, following perceived success, the trajectory of ACM has shifted to a ‘stakeholder apathy’ phase, with declining leadership, knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement, and system resilience. We discuss remedial actions required to revive the process, and the importance of long term government resourcing and alternative financing schemes for successful conflict resolution. Based on the results we present a generic indicator framework and participatory method for the longitudinal evaluation of ACM applied to conservation conflict resolution.

Understanding Partnerships as Collaborative Intermediary Organisations in Sustainable Social Change

The recent proliferation of cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) is mirrored in a growing body of literature seeking to understand how CSPs create change and address complex social-ecological problems. This paper aims to contribute to this literature by exploring how CSPs constitute themselves as collaborative intermediary organisations to generate space and capacity for action in processes of sustainable social change. This is here explored in the context of CSPs in global value chains. By drawing upon the literature on adaptive environmental governance and innovation studies, the paper unpacks CSPs as intermediary organisations along four dimensions: 1) between businesses and NGOs (and other stakeholders); 2) between (global) buyers and (local) suppliers; 3) between individual organisations and complex social-ecological problems; and 4) between vision and pragmatism. Within each dimension, CSPs fulfil the three intermediary functions of brokering, facilitating and designing, which together allow for the creation of space and capacity for change. This suggests that the ability of partnerships to act is an emergent property resulting from simultaneously intermediating along different dimensions.

Scientific Concepts and Their Policy Affordances: How a Focus on Compatibility Can Improve Science-Policy Interaction and Outcomes

We develop a twofold approach to the development and utilization of policy-relevant knowledge. First, we propose that moving beyond competition to focus on compatibility may promote more effective interdisciplinary collaborations in the context of complex social-ecological problems. Second, we propose that attention to the policy affordances of a set of compatible hypotheses may inform the development of a more holistic and robust set of policy options. This twofold approach is modeled in our methodological approach, in which we have sought to discover how the concepts each of us have been developing are compatible with each other, and what affordances they might offer for improving translation across the science-policy boundary. We illustrate and apply our approach to the complex milieu surrounding the issue of lead paint toxicity. In addition, we draw on findings from focus groups with researchers involved in collaborations at the science-policy boundary to develop recommendations for productive and policy-relevant interdisciplinary collaboration.

Interdisciplinary research at the Urban–Rural interface: The West ga project

As human populations increase, ecological and social issues become inextricably linked to a greater degree. Solutions to complex social–ecological problems can only be derived through the use of integrated research that can account for the interplay of many factors across traditional discipline lines. We are using such an integrated research to clarify relationships among socioeconomic drivers, ecological effects, and social and policy feedbacks associated with urban development of forested landscapes. Our approach is goal oriented and interdisciplinary in nature and involves a team composed of ecologists, anthropologists, and economists who exchange ideas and information across disciplinary lines. The team and approach has evolved through many of the barriers to interdisciplinary research that have been identified by other authors. Our goal is to develop a predictive capability in order to anticipate ecological and social implications of urban development on natural resources in the southeastern United States. Our integrated model and subsequent papers in this special issue are presented.