Social-ecological Systems Framework Research Articles

Responding to disturbances: lessons from a Mayan socio-ecological system

<span>The Mayans of the Yucatán Peninsula, together with their environment, conform social-ecological systems with adaptation and resilience to natural, political and economic disturbances. In this study, we use the framework of social-ecological systems for describing a mechanism that allows a Mayan community and its natural environment to respond to disturbances over time. We describe (1) the activities that members of the community develop as part of their strategy for managing natural resource management, and (2) the history of the social-ecological system focusing on meaningful events: changes in their institutional body, landscape and/or practices for exploiting natural resources, and interactions between these changes. Through both semi-structured and in-depth interviews, historical narratives and participant observation, we found that managers use the environmental heterogeneity to diversify the exploitation of species, manage the secondary vegetation and protect mature vegetation. Formal and informal institutions of access, regulation and administration of natural resources regulate productive activities and management practices. These institutions operate differentially at the levels of environmental units (prohibition of the exploitation of the natural resources of mature tropical forests) and species (protection of the jaguar and cougar). Diversification of productive activities, management of environmental heterogeneity and the presence of flexible institutions enable responses in the social-ecological systems that have the potential to contribute to its long-term maintenance. Comprehensive studies like this might help to understand adaptive capacity and social-ecological resilience.</span>

A social-ecological systems framework for food systems research: accommodating transformation systems and their products

A social-ecological systems framework for food systems research: accommodating transformation systems and their products

An alternative framework for analysing and managing conflicts in integrated water resources management (IWRM): linking theory and practice

Research on water resource conflicts needs to be better aligned with practitioner approaches to water resources development, chiefly integrated water resources management (IWRM). This paper bridges the gap between research and practice through a novel application of the social–ecological systems framework to a set of 10 conflict cases from an IWRM initiative in rural Central America. The conflicts in the empirical cases are found to be primarily the result of socio-political variables, particularly low levels of trust and social capital, and peacebuilding is suggested as a promising approach to address this suite of conflicts. The paper concludes with a proposed course of research designed to further both theoretical and applied knowledge of water resource conflicts.

A modified diagnostic social-ecological system framework for lobster fisheries: Case implementation and sustainability assessment in Southern California

Fisheries exemplify the immense complexity of interactions in social-ecological systems (SESs). This complexity has created management challenges and raises concerns for the sustainability of our marine natural resource systems. This article contributes to SES fisheries research and management in two ways: first, it enhances our understanding of lobster fisheries as complex social-ecological systems, focusing on the Southern California Spiny Lobster Fishery (SCSLF) as a case study. Secondly, it demonstrates a methodological approach for assessing component interactions in SESs that can be used to assess the sustainability of management approaches. The first contribution involves the systematic review of the literature on lobster fisheries management and their SES characteristics. The review results are then used to modify and extensively define the diagnostic SES framework for specific use in lobster fisheries. For the second contribution, we demonstrate how to operationalize the modified framework for the diagnosis of a real-life case, using the SCSLF as an example. This involves framing the SCSLF classificatory diagnosis for analysis of the stakeholder-comprised management group of the SCSLF as a social-ecological action situation. This analysis is aided by the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, a SES-imbedded tool used in our case to assess sustainability in resource management systems through critical analysis of stakeholder and resource system interactions. More generally, we find that research in lobster fisheries could benefit from broadening its scope of analysis, as overly narrow research foci have worked to limit the production of more holistic SES knowledge. Our exemplary analysis of the LAC's management of the SCSLF shows that the SES contains multiple components which have been associated with sustainable outcomes elsewhere; however, the fishery still faces many obstacles, including how to adapt to future challenges. Our results contribute to developing a holistic methodological approach for operationalizing SES framework research into practical fisheries management.

Collaborative Resilience to Episodic Shocks and Surprises: A Very Long-Term Case Study of Zanjera Irrigation in the Philippines 1979–2010

This thirty-year case study uses surveys, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis to examine the adaptive capacity of Zanjera San Marcelino, an indigenous irrigation management system in the northern Philippines. This common pool resource (CPR) system exists within a turbulent social-ecological system (SES) characterized by episodic shocks such as large typhoons as well as novel surprises, such as national political regime change and the construction of large dams. The Zanjera nimbly responded to these challenges, although sometimes in ways that left its structure and function substantially altered. While a partial integration with the Philippine National Irrigation Agency was critical to the Zanjera’s success, this relationship required on-going improvisation and renegotiation. Over time, the Zanjera showed an increasing capacity to learn and adapt. A core contribution of this analysis is the integration of a CPR study within an SES framework to examine resilience, made possible the occurrence of a wide range of challenges to the Zanjera’s function and survival over the long period of study. Long-term analyses like this one, however rare, are particularly useful for understanding the adaptive and transformative dimensions of resilience.

Evaluating an instrument for institutional crafting: How Ostrom's social–ecological systems framework is applied

Institutional crafting requires purposeful communication between features of social and ecological systems. This paper evaluates the application of a specific research tool – Ostrom's social–ecological systems framework (SESF), which seeks to provide a basis for institutional crafting in the context of social–ecological systems (SES). We evaluate the application of the framework to empirical analysis against the background of some of its own ambitions and a set of conventional criteria for evaluating research. We found 20 publications that have applied the SESF. The SESF proved useful in articles that use it for explanation, though they often played down the question of how they selected explanatory variables. Across cases, application of the SESF fared poorly in terms of consistency of use and measurement of categories. Moreover, generalization on an analytical level is similarly compromised by lack of confidence among authors concerning how to apply the set-theoretic principles that underlie the nested structure of the framework. In sum, much work remains in order to realize the ambitions for research that the SESF has laid out and to fully use its associated, path-breaking, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant innovations. Notwithstanding these critical remarks, recent work in this area seems highly promising, not least for policy practice and institutional crafting.

Integrating multiple perspectives on payments for ecosystem services through a social–ecological systems framework

This article presents a new conceptual approach to understanding payments for ecosystem services (PES) through a synthesis of distinct perspectives using a social–ecological system (SES) framework. While the different perspectives on PES provide valuable insights, each emphasizes different variables complicating comparisons across studies and contexts. We suggest that a more integrative conceptualization of PES—through synthesis with the SES framework—is necessary to take into account the broader social and ecological landscapes in which PES initiatives are embedded. The SES framework can provide insight into the multitude of factors that influence PES and facilitate the integration of knowledge from diverse disciplinary perspectives by providing a common language and consistency in the variables considered in analyses. This article also presents an initial effort in the development a taxonomy of key variables relevant to analyzing and understanding PES. With ongoing application of the SES framework, we expect the list of key variables to grow and be modified. We feel the SES framework will help scholars move beyond academic debates and towards a shared understanding of the potential and limitations of PES as a policy mechanism for addressing complex ecosystem service management problems in diverse SESs.

Operationalizing the social-ecological systems framework to assess sustainability

Environmental governance is more effective when the scales of ecological processes are well matched with the human institutions charged with managing human-environment interactions. The social-ecological systems (SESs) framework provides guidance on how to assess the social and ecological dimensions that contribute to sustainable resource use and management, but rarely if ever has been operationalized for multiple localities in a spatially explicit, quantitative manner. Here, we use the case of small-scale fisheries in Baja California Sur, Mexico, to identify distinct SES regions and test key aspects of coupled SESs theory. Regions that exhibit greater potential for social-ecological sustainability in one dimension do not necessarily exhibit it in others, highlighting the importance of integrative, coupled system analyses when implementing spatial planning and other ecosystem-based strategies.

The SES-Framework as boundary object to address theory orientation in social–ecological system research: The SES-TheOr approach

Social–ecological system (SES) research is inherently cross-disciplinary which can create multiple challenges for building knowledge of SES. Some of these challenges relate to differences in ontological commitments due to theory orientation of individual disciplines. Frameworks, understood as boundary objects, have been suggested as tools for dealing with this type of challenge. This paper investigates this capacity of frameworks taking Elinor Ostroms' SES-Framework as an example. To this aim, we developed a generic approach (the SES-TheOr approach) to promote disclosure and bridge differences in ontological commitments in SES research. We then applied it for examining the use of the SES Framework as boundary object within a small cross-disciplinary research team. We found that the SES Framework provided a useful common reference and starting point for discussing variables but could not fully deal with theory orientation. We conclude by suggesting that this may partly arise due to a tension between two competing SES Framework aims: on the one hand bridging differences in ontological commitments, and on the other hand ensuring a comparative function across cases.

Dossier : « À propos des relations natures/sociétés » − The shift toward social-ecological systems perspectives: insights into the human-nature relationship

This study examines how social and natural scientists converged on a new ontological approach to science. Three distinguishing features comprise this new approach. They include: (1) an integration of the social and ecological into a fully coupled social-ecological systems perspective, (2) a holistic view of scientific phenomena requiring a transdisciplinary approach to its study, and (3) the refutation of a purely equilibrium-based understanding of systems. We explore this by first introducing complex adaptive systems science and reconsidering systems theory. We next look at the application of complex adaptive systems in institutional analyses conducted by political economists. Following this, we show how ecologists used the concept of resilience to apply a similar approach to the study of ecosystems. Finally, we show how a growing community of social and natural scientists have united to utilize a social-ecological systems framework to take a more holistic and transdisciplinary approach to science.

Understanding protected area resilience: a multi‐scale, social‐ecological approach

Protected areas (PAs) remain central to the conservation of biodiversity. Classical PAs were conceived as areas that would be set aside to maintain a natural state with minimal human influence. However, global environmental change and growing cross-scale anthropogenic influences mean that PAs can no longer be thought of as ecological islands that function independently of the broader social-ecological system in which they are located. For PAs to be resilient (and to contribute to broader social-ecological resilience), they must be able to adapt to changing social and ecological conditions over time in a way that supports the long-term persistence of populations, communities, and ecosystems of conservation concern. We extend Ostrom's social-ecological systems framework to consider the long-term persistence of PAs, as a form of land use embedded in social-ecological systems, with important cross-scale feedbacks. Most notably, we highlight the cross-scale influences and feedbacks on PAs that exist from the local to the global scale, contextualizing PAs within multi-scale social-ecological functional landscapes. Such functional landscapes are integral to understand and manage individual PAs for long-term sustainability. We illustrate our conceptual contribution with three case studies that highlight cross-scale feedbacks and social-ecological interactions in the functioning of PAs and in relation to regional resilience. Our analysis suggests that while ecological, economic, and social processes are often directly relevant to PAs at finer scales, at broader scales, the dominant processes that shape and alter PA resilience are primarily social and economic.

Erratum

Erratum

Governing marine protected areas in an interconnected and changing world

Governing marine protected areas in an interconnected and changing world

Embracing thresholds for better environmental management

Three decades of study have revealed dozens of examples in which natural systems have crossed biophysical thresholds (‘tipping points’)—nonlinear changes in ecosystem structure and function—as a result of human-induced stressors, dramatically altering ecosystem function and services. Environmental management that avoids such thresholds could prevent severe social, economic and environmental impacts. Here, we review management measures implemented in ecological systems that have thresholds. Using Ostrom's social–ecological systems framework, we analysed key biophysical and institutional factors associated with 51 social–ecological systems and associated management regimes, and related these to management success defined by ecological outcomes. We categorized cases as instances of prospective or retrospective management, based upon whether management aimed to avoid a threshold or to restore systems that have crossed a threshold. We find that smaller systems are more amenable to threshold-based management, that routine monitoring is associated with successful avoidance of thresholds and recovery after thresholds have been crossed, and that success is associated with the explicit threshold-based management. These findings are powerful evidence for the policy relevance of information on ecological thresholds across a wide range of ecosystems.

Putting the "E" in SES: unpacking the ecology in the Ostrom social-ecological system framework

Vogt, J. M., G. B. Epstein, S. K. Mincey, B. C. Fischer, and P. McCord. 2015. Putting the "E" in SES: unpacking the ecology in the Ostrom social-ecological system framework. Ecology and Society 20(1): 55. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07239-200155

A diagnostic procedure for applying the social-ecological systems framework in diverse cases

Hinkel, J., M. E. Cox, M. Schlüter, C. R. Binder, and T. Falk. 2015. A diagnostic procedure for applying the social-ecological systems framework in diverse cases. Ecology and Society 20(1): 32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07023-200132

Toward an analytical framework for understanding complex social-ecological systems when conducting environmental impact assessments in South Africa

Bowd, R., N. W. Quinn, and D. C. Kotze. 2015. Toward an analytical framework for understanding complex social-ecological systems when conducting environmental impact assessments in South Africa. Ecology and Society 20(1): 41. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-07057-200141

Explaining planted-tree survival and growth in urban neighborhoods: A social–ecological approach to studying recently-planted trees in Indianapolis

This research seeks to answer the question, what factors of the urban social–ecological system predict survival and growth of trees in nonprofit and neighborhood tree-planting projects? The Ostrom social–ecological system framework and Clark and colleagues’ model of urban forest sustainability inform our selection of variables in four categories in the social–ecological system; these categories are the trees, the biophysical environment, the community, and management institutions. We use tree inventory methods to collect data on the survival, growth, and the social–ecological growing environment of recently-planted street trees in Indianapolis, IN to answer our research question. We use a probit model to predict tree survival, and a linear regression model to predict tree growth rate. The following variables are positively related to tree success (survival and/or growth): ball-and-burlap or container packaging, a visible root flare, good overall condition rating, the size of the tree-planting project, planting area width, median household income, percent of renter occupied homes, resident tenure, prior tree planting experience, correct mulching, and a collective watering strategy. The following variables are negatively related to tree success: caliper at planting, crown dieback, and lower trunk damage. Additional variables measured have less clear connections to tree success and should be examined further. Given that models including variables from all four categories of the social–ecological system generally outperform models that exclude some components, we recommend that future research on urban tree survival and growth should consider the holistic social–ecological systems context of the urban ecosystem.

Restoring the human capacity for conserving biodiversity: a social–ecological approach

Achieving biodiversity targets will require acknowledging that human societies are highly interconnected with the biophysical life-support system, conforming social–ecological systems. Under the social–ecological systems framework, we recognize that human wellbeing depends, in part, upon ecosystems; additionally, biodiversity conservation depends on human behavior and governance. Precisely, under the social–ecological systems paradigm, three conservation challenges emerge: (1) to recognize the value pluralism of biodiversity in science and decision-making, (2) to acknowledge that social–ecological systems require institutional diversity to be managed effectively, and (3) to go beyond scientific disciplines towards a real transdisciplinary science. In this context, sustainability science emerges as the body of knowledge able to understand the complex interactions of social-ecological systems. Consequently, we argue that the current challenge of biodiversity conservation needs to be addressed through the operationalization of sustainability science along the three lines above.

Key steps for operationalizing social–ecological system framework research in small-scale fisheries: A heuristic conceptual approach

Conducting social–ecological system (SES) research in fisheries aimed at aiding the implementation of a management plan that achieves sustainable outcomes remains a significant challenge. Using the Ostrom (2009) [1] diagnostic SES framework is widely utilized and acknowledged as an integral tool for research on SESs. The purpose of this article is to highlight and illustrate a comprehensive and holistic protocol for operationalizing SES framework research and development for adaptively managing small-scale fisheries. The conceptual approach, displayed in an illustrative framework, and article structure are framed around the following six key steps: (1) contextually updating the SES framework, (2) classify the fishery with the updated framework, (3) indentify and analyze data gaps and as many system component interactions as possible, (4) recognize multiple outcomes, (5) develop an adaptive management plan, and (6) implement the management plan and monitor the system. The illustrative conceptual approach additionally integrates stakeholder involvement and system feedbacks. The implementation and support for each step is elaborated on along with exemplary literature relating to the specific case studies.