Social-ecological Systems Research Articles

Parental Influence on Child Art Learning: Examining Habitus and Social Trajectories in Taiwanese and U.S. Cultural Contexts

This qualitative study examines how parental habitus in Taiwan and the United States shapes their views on the role of art in child development. Drawing on the social ecological systems framework and habitus theories, it explores parental influences on art education practices. Using a dual-case, cross-cultural approach, the study analyzes interviews, observations, and artifacts from 26 parent-participants with children aged four to seven in art programs. Findings reveal cultural, social, and educational factors influencing parental decisions. Despite cultural differences, both groups prioritize active involvement in their children’s artistic development, emphasizing art’s intrinsic value for fostering creativity, well-being, and character. The study highlights the importance of parent education and advocates for integrating parental perspectives into art education policies. This research enhances understanding of parental influences in children’s art education, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to promote art as integral to holistic child development.

Regenerative Development Approaches Involving Tourism: Insights Derived from Place

ABSTRACT With the rise of questioning whether it is acceptable for capitalism and economic growth to drive tourism development, alternative development approaches are emerging. This paper draws insights from two research projects investigating tourism’s contributions to developing healthy urban social-ecological systems. In recent years, a surge of interest by tourism scholars has driven increased publications about the approach commonly referred to as “regenerative tourism”. Two research designs that used qualitative case studies were applied and analysed using a post-development lens. Critical findings from both studies centre urban places in the analysis and consider the applicability of a regenerative (tourism) development approach for transforming the health of urban places. This paper challenges the notion that “tourism is primarily an economic phenomenon” and argues that in alignment with the regenerative development lineage, tourism as a tool for development must be designed from place rather than economies.

Evaluating Sustainability in Social-ecological Systems: 50 Years of Conservation in Florianópolis, Brazil

Abstract This study examines 50 years of land use planning practices in Florianópolis, Brazil, to identify the attributes that resulted in the city’s notable and long-standing commitment to pro-conservation programmes and policies. By analysing key policies, planning strategies, and partnerships that underpin the preservation of forests and green spaces, this research contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on the combined role of conservation governance and collective action in building sustainable and resilient cities. The social-ecological systems framework is applied to evaluate the interactions between multi-level laws, collective action groups, and mid-level government officials to determine the drivers that promoted incremental and accumulative change, ultimately leading to sustainable land conservation practices in Florianópolis. The findings highlight the importance of stakeholder goal alignment, managerial flexibility, and collaboration with diverse actors in achieving long-term conservation goals, particularly in cities adopting an amenity-led growth model. Growing challenges to the continued protection of conservation units in the city resulting from population growth are also raised to advance approaches to evaluating the durability of sustainability initiatives.

Feathers, folklore, and eco-literacy: Stories ascribe cultural keystone status to avian scavengers in South Asian cities

Abstract We examined the cultural significance of commensal avian scavenger species—vultures, kites, and crows—and their exploitation of anthropogenic resources and sentiments within Delhi’s urban landscapes. For this, we investigated the intrinsic values attributed to these birds by people, which are indicative of complex, rapidly urbanizing social-ecological systems. Semi-structured interviews revealed folk perceptions intertwined with socio-cultural narratives and traditions, shaped by observations of avian morphology, ecology, and behavior. Birds’ nesting habits, habitats, home ranges, and foraging behaviors affected people’s perceptions, while ecosystem services inspired zoomorphism and anthropomorphism via vernacular-nomenclature (e.g., chidiya collectively for songbirds, giddha for scavenging raptors). Culturally rooted perceptions, which informed ritual feeding practices and shaped prevalent attitudes towards commensal species, fostered mutual tolerance, and brought people into closer contact with urban biodiversity. Such physical and cultural proximity is a defining characteristic distinguishing tropical urban ecosystems from their Western counterparts. We also uncovered the web of social-technological influences on animal-related folk stories. The urbanization of perceptions in vulture extinction zones revealed shifts in social-ecological relationships with wildlife. It adds cultural dimensions to the currently appreciated keystone status of vultures, vital for their erstwhile coexistence at extremely high densities in South Asia. Urban transformations, technological advancements, and media exposure potentially reshaped human–animal interface, with media misinformation affecting personalized ecologies. Conflicts and health concerns arose from media narratives on garbage-consuming animals. Our findings offer insights to prevent severing of people and nature connections due to urbanization (e.g., technological applications can integrate scientific knowledge with biocultural narratives and folklore), promoting a new-age eco-literacy.

Dual Narratives, Shared Radiance: A Tropical Asian Queer Collaborative Autoethnography

Employing a tropical Asian queer collaborative autoethnographic approach, this article explores the unique narratives of two diasporic researchers hailing from the Philippines and Taiwan. The paper elucidates the voices, perceptions, and lived experiences of the authors and shows how these align with Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory of human development, which asserts that individuals are influenced by their socio-cultural environment comprised of the macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem. The relationship of these overlapping systems is explored through the lives of the two researcher-authors through personal narratives. These narratives accentuate the methodological queering aspect, employing personal vignettes as pivotal focal points. By intertwining subjective experiences within the socio-ecological systems model, the article seeks to vividly depict the knottiness of tropical Asian queer identity and experience. Through this exploration, the discourse not only enquires into the intricacies of the researcher-authors’ stories but also contributes to a broader understanding of how queer socio-cultural factors shape the diverse narratives within the queer community in tropical Asia.

Marine protected areas as socio-economic systems: a method for defining socio-economic criteria in marine planning

This research aims to define socio-economic criteria for prioritizing proposals related to new marine protected areas, boundary adjustments, area relocations, and network corridors within marine management approaches. The study also focuses on identifying ecosystem services (ES) that address the social dimensions of various spatial management approaches in the marine realm. The presented method quantifies nature’s significance to human communities through stakeholder perceptions, bridging the gap between human activities and ecosystem services. The research defines essential socio-economic criteria, identifies the corresponding ecosystem services, and assesses their societal values within the socio-ecological system of a specific area, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of marine management processes such as marine spatial planning and marine protected areas.

Incorporating sense of place into the management of marine protected areas: A case study from New South Wales, Australia

Marine social-ecological systems are experiencing rapid changes across the globe due to a range of threats such as climate change and exploitation (e.g. overfishing). Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one tool to support the sustainable management of marine systems and resources, however, they are often implemented with mixed success, with one of the key critiques being a lack of consideration of social dimensions. To address this, there have been increased calls for greater consideration of a broad range of social factors, alongside environmental factors in the planning and management of MPAs. One phenomenon that stands to greatly inform and influence the success of MPA management is Sense of Place (SoP), that is, an individual or groups' emotional bond with a given place. While the importance and relevance of SoP is beginning to be acknowledged in the environmental academic literature, there are no documented examples of the phenomenon being incorporated into marine policy or management in a meaningful way. This study seeks to explore why this is the case and how it may be addressed. We achieve this through a case study approach, conducting in depth interviews with decision-makers involved in the management of the New South Wales Marine Estate (i.e. MPA managers), exploring i) their understanding of SoP, ii) their experience in incorporating it into policy, iii) the barriers and iv) enablers in doing so. Results show that despite a limited understanding of SoP, most participants do consider it to be important for marine policy and management and many have attempted to include it in their management efforts, although these attempts are largely centred around general consideration of social values and including diverse voices in policy discussion, as opposed to direct inclusion of SoP per se. A broad range of barriers to incorporating SoP into MPA management were also identified with political barriers, the ambiguity of the concept and challenges in having social values ‘win out’ against economic realities being the most common. Enablers were less commonly identified by study participants, and included the use of SoP as a tool or boundary object to develop shared understandings between stakeholders. We conclude by emphasizing the need for further research on how to improve the incorporation of SoP into MPA management, and outline how this may be achieved through the study of bright spots.

Diagnosis of the fragmentation of urban ecological network structure and its social-ecological responses.

The fragmentation of ecological network structures has become a common problem faced by cities. By establishing the urban ecological network under a specific socio-ecological system framework, we aimed to propose a quantitative index to diagnose the fragmentation of the network structure, and to construct detection model to explore the driving factors and mechanism of the network fragmentation. Using Shenzhen City as an example, we used the Floyd-Prim algorithm to generate the skeleton structure of the ecological network and construct a density discontinuity index to diagnose network fragmentation. Combined with the ecological network scenario, social-ecological system framework and a two-layer indicator system were constructed. The detection models were then established to explore the drivers of network disruption and their mode of impact. The models show that the average degree of network fragmentation in Shenzhen was 0.13, and the density of about 85% of corridor discontinuities was greater than 0.01, reflecting the serious state of structural fragmentation. Corridors with more severe structural fragmentation have poorer social-ecological coordination. The fragmentation in Shenzhen was mainly affected by the activities of actors (A) at the microlevel and the resource system (RS) at the macrolevel. The methods and the framework of socio-ecosystem analysis proposed in this paper can reveal the driving factors and influence modes of network fragmentation, providing decision-making reference for ecological restoration practice in urbanized areas.

Global mapping of social–ecological systems science in conservation conflict research

Global mapping of social–ecological systems science in conservation conflict research

Sustainability transformations in marine governance in Sweden via social learning

Sustainability transformations in marine governance in Sweden via social learning Dr. Angelo Jonas Imperiale and Dr. Uta Wehn describe the MISTRA C2B2 programme’s unique approach to promoting sustainability transformations in Sweden’s marine governance through social learning in Living Labs. The Mistra programme Co-creating Better Blue (C2B2) aims to transform current marine governance in Sweden towards a more participatory and data-driven approach. This approach seeks to enhance the resilience of marine social-ecological systems and achieve a sustainable blue economy in Sweden.

Spatio-temporal evolution of social-ecological system resilience in ethnic tourism destinations in mountainous areas and trend prediction: a case study in Wuling, China

Mountainous ethnic tourism lands are important social-ecological system types. With tourism as the main disturbance factor, the theory of social-ecological system resilience provides a new way to realize the sustainable development of ethno-tourism in mountainous areas. This study divides the social-ecological system into social, economic, and ecological subsystems. It constructs an evaluation index system to assess the resilience of ethnic tourism destinations in mountainous areas, considering vulnerability and adaptability. We investigate 64 counties in the Wuling Mountain area and use set-pair analysis to assess the resilience index of the social-ecological system from 2000 to 2020 and reveal the temporal and spatial characteristics. Obstacle degree models and a genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network are utilized to determine the influencing factors and predict future development trends. The following results were obtained: (1) Temporally, the resilience index shows a steady upward trend, reaching a moderate level. The resilience of the social subsystem fluctuates and rises; the economic subsystem exhibits slow, fast, and slow growth rates with occasional abrupt changes; and the ecological subsystem demonstrates a stable, slightly increasing trend. (2) Spatially, the resilience index is high at the edges and low in the central area, exhibiting a concave distribution. Most counties have moderate or higher resilience. The social and ecological subsystems have low resilience in the south and high resilience in the north. The resilience of the economic subsystem is high at the edges and low in the central area. (3) On the distribution of major obstacle factors, the first two are similar at the county level, and the last three are significantly different. The similarity of the barrier factors is related to the degree of regional proximity of the county, and overall, the similarity is decreasing from north to south and from west to east in the distribution pattern within the area. and to a certain extent, it is affected by terrain and geomorphology. (4) The spatial distribution of the resilience index is similar in 2025 and 2030. The index decreases slightly and then increases annually, with a lower growth rate in the south than in the north. Lower values occur in the northern and southwestern parts, whereas higher values are observed around high-value areas. The region as a whole will develop in a coordinated and integrated manner in the future.

Environmental and economic dynamics of the Galician fishing sector and compared perceptions of the agents involved in the value chain

ABSTRACT This case study analyses and compares the perceptions of agents that participate in different productive and commercial processes of the fishing activity (such as small-scale fisheries, distant-water fisheries and processing and commercialisation companies). It focuses on the regional level (Galicia, NW Spain) and considers sustainability, governance and socioeconomic aspects from the perspective of socioecological systems. Results show similarities and differences in agents’ perceptions related with specific aspects and problems relevant to each group, intersectoral relations and sustainability issues. In this sense, agents share a positive perception of the sustainability objectives proposed by international organisations, as well as concerns about the uncertainty linked to globalisation processes. However, they differ in their evaluation of some specific regulatory measures. Regulatory policies could consider this information in order to achieve a greater degree of complicity and compliance by fishers and other agents of the value chain.

Holistic Management Approach for Social-Ecological Systems in Iran

Social-ecological systems (SESs) in Iran face escalating challenges and pressures due to a multitude of environmental and social factors, such as global warming, population growth, and unsustainable resources management practices. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the historical context and evolution of SESs in Iran and examines the current challenges and pressures confronting these systems. The methods utilized include literature review, case studies, framework development, analysis and synthesis, comparative analysis, integration of feedback, and Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework analysis. We also discuss opportunities for enhancing resilience and sustainability in the country’s SESs, including case studies of successful management approaches. This analysis highlights the urgent need for integrated and interdisciplinary approaches to manage SES in Iran, including with community engagement and inclusive participation. Our findings develop and recommend a holistic management approach that can effectively respond to changing social and ecological conditions over time. The suggested holistic management approach involves various processes and aspects, such as stakeholder engagement, baseline data collection and monitoring, scenario planning, adaptive management strategies, and evaluation. Overall, this paper provides a valuable resource for different stakeholders, especially researchers and policymakers interested in the management of SESs in Iran and offers insights to other neighboring nations encountering similar challenges in their SESs.

Winter snowpack loss increases warm-season compound hot-dry extremes

Ongoing warming intensifies snowpack extremes, posing significant hydroclimatic risks to socio-ecological systems. However, the relation between snowpack extremes and subsequent compound hydroclimatic extremes remains unclear. Here, we investigated the impact of snowpack extremes on warm-season compound hydroclimatic extremes in the Northern Hemisphere using multisource datasets from 1980 to 2022. We found widespread increases in deficient, short, and deficient-short snowpack extremes, triggering more compound hot-dry extremes within a month after snowpack disappearance (mean coincidence rate over 0.6, p < 0.05). The impact of compound snowpack extremes exceeded that of individual snowpack extremes in both areas (over 10%) and coincidence rates (over 0.2). Meanwhile, increased intensity, rather than frequency, of snowpack extremes drove mainly the occurrence of compound hydroclimatic extremes. Furthermore, background climate factors, followed by vegetation, topography, and soil, affected relations between snowpack and compound hydroclimatic extremes. These findings will deepen our understanding of the emerging consecutive extremes and improve their predictability.

Weekend warriors: contrasting temporal patterns in the harvest of three species of boreal ungulates

Understanding the drivers that shape hunter behaviour and success can help guide management decisions regarding hunting. Although there has been work on the socioeconomic and environmental drivers of hunter effort, less quantitative analysis of the temporal patterns of wildlife harvest has been available. Yet, knowing when hunters are most active may be useful for distributing the spatiotemporal allotment of hunting opportunities where real or perceived issues of hunt quality (e.g. hunter congestion) or negative impacts to local people or target and non‐target wildlife species are of concern. As a case study, we used generalized linear models to examine the effect of season, day of week (i.e. weekday versus weekends), and holidays on 26–28 years of harvest data for bison Bison bison, thinhorn sheep Ovis dalli, and moose Alces americanus in Yukon, Canada. These species are important in regional socioecological systems and highly prized by local hunters. For all three species, harvest was significantly greater on weekends than weekdays. Most of the harvest for thinhorn sheep occurred early in the season, consistent with an ‘opening day' phenomenon, whereas that for moose and bison started slowly and increased throughout the season. For all three species harvest was not significantly influenced by holidays. Bison harvest, however, was influenced in relation to public school holidays, with harvest decreasing over the winter (Christmas) break and increasing over spring break in March. Differences between these three species are likely due to species‐specific hunting strategies, the behaviour of each species, hunter competition, and seasonal climate. Identifying patterns in hunter effort and harvest can inform wildlife management decisions on permit allocation. However, our data indicate that species‐specific patterns vary substantially, even in the same region, and need to be understood for proposed changes to the timing of hunting opportunities to be effective.

Impacts of aquaculture practices on the sustainability of social-ecological systems in coastal zones of the Mekong Delta

Coastal and deltaic regions face increasing natural and human-induced hazards, such as cyclones, storm surges, erosion, and saline intrusion, exacerbated by climate change. In tropical zones, mangrove ecosystems provide vital protection against these threats, yet the conversion of mangroves to shrimp aquaculture undermines these benefits, even in protected areas.The Mekong Delta in Vietnam, historically rich in biodiversity and diverse habitats like mangroves and mudflats, has seen local communities thrive. However, rising global market demands have led to more intensive aquaculture models, posing new risks.This research examines the impact of shrimp farming models, from extensive to hyper-intensive, under multiple natural hazards and transformative processes like land conversion and mangrove restoration. Using risk assessment tools and data from local community interviews and focus groups, we present a model showcasing the influence of aquaculture on socio-ecological systems.Key findings reveal the interplay between livelihoods and landscape conversion, highlighting the risks and benefits of various shrimp farming models. The study stresses the need for stakeholder collaboration and improved wastewater treatment to enhance sustainability and environmental health in the Mekong Delta.

Climate and Land Use Change Pressures on Food Production in Social-Ecological Systems: Perceptions from Farmers in Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka

Climate and land use change pressures are critical to food production in Social-Ecological Systems (SESs). This study assessed farmers’ perceptions of the pressures of climate and land use changes alongside their impacts on food production in Mhahakanumulla Village Tank Cascade System (MVTCS), a SES maintained by traditional agricultural land use systems in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. This study used both rating and ranking scale questions to quantify farmers’ perceptions. The tobit regression model was employed to evaluate how farmer perception was influenced by socio-economic factors. The results showed that most of the farmers had experienced that the climate of the MVTCS area had changed over time, and they perceived variability of rainfall patterns as the most prominent and influential climate change. The increased cost of production, wildlife damage, and land degradation were ranked by the farmers as the most impactful factors of food production due to climate change. The farmers rated deforestation and land clearing as the most influential and impactful changes in land use, while wildlife damage and land degradation ranked as the highest impacts on food production due to land use changes. Among the socio-economic determinants, training and income/profit positively influenced farmer perceptions of the severity of both climate and land use change. The level of farmer’s adaptation to climate change had a negative association with their perception of the severity of climate change. Household size negatively influenced the perceptions of the severity of climate change while positively influencing perceptions of land use change impacts. Among the spatial determinants, farm size and downstream locations of MVTCS positively influenced perceptions of the severity of both climate and land use change. Thus, the effectiveness of adaptation strategies towards climate and land use change pressures depends on how well they are understood by the farmers. The study findings provide helpful insights for formulating localized land use policies and climate change adaptation strategies in these globally important landscapes with a combination of both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

Toward an Integrated Social-ecological Assessment of a Traditional Upland Rice-based Agroecosystem in Southern Philippines

Located in Southern Philippines, the Sarangani traditional agroecosystem currently sits at the nexus of ecological devastation, bio-cultural erosion, and pervasive modernization. Upland farms in these remote areas are inhabited predominantly by smallholder tribal households who cultivate rice landraces using traditional farming methods. Integrated agroecosystem assessment revealed Sarangani social-ecological system (SES) components, along with connections and feedback loops that underlie their interactions. DPSIR and CCA jointly identified drivers of change in Sarangani SES, revealed its key features, and investigated the whole gamut of issues impacting it. CCA, based on an Ishikawa cause and effect diagram, identified upland poverty, tribal culture and government mismanagement as root causes of intractable problems in the Sarangani SES while DPSIR successfully gauged the suitability of responses instituted by the local government. Study results can thus be used as bases for policy/programs that will resolve problem root causes in the Sarangani SES. In addition, steps must be undertaken to mitigate the effects of climate change which has proven to be utterly devastating in these vulnerable areas. Finally, for traditional agroecosystems like the Sarangani SES, interventions that uphold human well-being while conserving tribal culture/resources and preserving the environment are therefore warranted. Keywords: social-ecological systems, DPSIR, causal chain analysis, Sarangani, traditional agroecosystem

Unlocking sustainability in China's small-scale fisheries: A case study of livelihood analysis in the Bohai Region

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) are a vital component of the global fisheries sector, significantly contributing to food security, livelihoods, and cultural heritage. In China, the SSF sub-sector is substantial, yet it is often overshadowed by large-scale fisheries (LSF), resulting in limited understanding and targeted management measures for SSF. This study uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) to compare the livelihoods of SSF and LSF in China's Bohai Region, aiming to identify the sustainability challenges faced by SSF and explore potential improvement pathways. The results indicate that the overall livelihood assets of SSF are significantly lower than those of LSF. The failure to differentiate between these two sub-sectors in fisheries management may exacerbate this disparity, further marginalizing SSF. We recommend that China undertake immediate fisheries reforms and outreach efforts aimed at promoting the sustainability of SSF communities. Key strategies include strengthening property rights governance, establishing inclusive decision-making processes for SSF fishers, providing preferential policies and financial support for the most vulnerable SSF actors, and incorporating considerations of SSF's role within the broader socio-ecological system and its interactions with other components into management. Additionally, we suggest the development of a separate management plan for SSF to address their unique needs. This study enhances the understanding of China's SSFs, supports the implementation of SSF Guidelines in China, and offers insights into global SSF management.

A dynamic analysis of a tourism-based socioecological system

The study proposes a dynamic analysis regarding interactions between the resources provided by the forest, the wildlife present inside or in the proximity of that environment and visitors revolving around the before mentioned socioecological framework. The mathematical model is described by a nonlinear system with three differential equations. The discrete time delay is introduced to illustrate the entire past impact of tourists on forest resources and wildlife. The basic assumption is that the wildlife species which inhabit the area are relying entirely on forest resources to meet their needs for food, shelter, and to attract tourists. Also, there is a positive correlation between ecotourism activities and the presence of forest resources and wildlife. The equilibrium states are determined, and they are subjected to a stability and bifurcation analysis. The study employs a Hopf bifurcation analysis in the neighborhood of the equilibrium states by choosing the time delay as the bifurcation parameter. The critical values of the time-delay that lead to oscillatory behavior are determined. Numerical simulations are carried out to show the system’s qualitative behavior in the vicinity of the equilibria.