Socio-ecological Systems Approach Research Articles

Biodiversity conservation and restoration of wetlands in suburban areas: challenges and prospects

Context Wetland loss threatens global biodiversity. Peri-urban wetlands face acute pressures from urban expansion. Aims Investigate biodiversity and land-cover changes in two wetlands undergoing suburbanisation near Hangzhou, China. Methods Seasonal field surveys of birds, fish and amphibians, coupled with remote-sensing analysis of land-cover changes from 2009 to 2020. Key results Suburban wetlands exhibited unique degradation patterns, including reduced species diversity, simplified community structures and proliferation of invasive species, with 91 bird species being recorded, dominated by common residents, 25 still-water fish species with few carnivores and migratory species, and 5 ubiquitous amphibian species detected. Species richness was lower than in nearby conserved wetlands. From 2009 to 2020, 6–7% of the wetlands were lost to urban expansion and converted to artificial vegetation or infrastructure. Conclusions Ecological degradation is driven by rapid urbanisation, with habitats being fragmented by roads and converted to artificial land covers. Water pollution from insufficient treatment and abandoned aquaculture further impairs habitats. Implications Innovative integrated-management framework was proposed for wetlands biodiversity restoration in suburban area. Key strategies include (1) modernising traditional circular economies to sustain wise use, (2) wildlife-friendly infrastructure design, (3) targeted invasive species control, and (4) adaptive co-management informed by ongoing monitoring. This socio-ecological systems approach aims to harmonise biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage and sustainable development in threatened suburban wetlands.

A socio-ecological approach to understanding the experiences of women and girls playing male-dominated sports

This study aimed to understand the experiences of women and girls playing male-dominated sports through a gendered lens on the socio-ecological model. Data collected from fifteen semi-structured interviews with Australian women and girls was thematically analysed at the societal, the organisational/community, the interpersonal and the intrapersonal levels. The study highlights that gendered factors shaped women’s and girls’ experiences at all levels. Club leadership valued women and girls’ inclusion, but resources were sometimes unevenly committed, and men’s participation and leadership were privileged. This inequity fuelled women and girls’ desire to advocate change for future generations. A socio-ecological system approach is critical to continue gender equity developments in sport.

Using the socio-ecological system approach to guide the management of sea cucumber fisheries at Barang Lompo Island, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Using the socio-ecological system approach to guide the management of sea cucumber fisheries at Barang Lompo Island, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

A Comprehensive analysis of drought vulnerability in the Barind region of Bangladesh: A socio-ecological systems approach

The main objective of this study was to investigate the vulnerability to climate change in the drought-prone region of Bangladesh through the utilization of a social-ecological system framework. The research was conducted in three sub-districts of Bangladesh prone to drought: Atrai, Nachole, and Tanore. The entropy method used exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators to estimate vulnerability. The data was obtained by administering a structured questionnaire to 100 households and gathering meteorological information. The study’s findings reveal that the Barind region, namely Atrai, Nachol, and Tanore, exhibit a high level of sensitivity to climate change, as evidenced by their respective sensitivity indices of 0.465, 0.47, and 0.507. Additionally, the region demonstrates moderate adaptive potential, as evidenced by their corresponding indices. Specifically, Atrai, Nachol, and Tanore possess scores of 0.577, -0.48, and -0.191, respectively. The study areas exhibit high drought severity exposure, as evidenced by the values of Atrai-0.555, Nachol-0.595, and Tanore-0.551. Moreover, the study indicates that the capacity to handle drought is moderately vulnerable to climate change and requires economic cooperation to prepare for future conditions. Key initiatives include providing financial support for smallholder farmers, enforcing agricultural policies, investing in social capital, and implementing government-backed infrastructure and technology enhancements, all crucial for building resilience against climate change. The research findings can provide a foundation for making climate adaptation decisions in the Barind region and other comparable locations across the globe.

A Socioecological Systems Approach to Assessing Family Food Sovereignty

A Socioecological Systems Approach to Assessing Family Food Sovereignty

Differentiated socio-ecological system approach for vulnerability and adaptation assessment in the Central Himalaya

Differentiated socio-ecological system approach for vulnerability and adaptation assessment in the Central Himalaya

Is exploration in the Brazilian Amazon the best energy solution? Case study in the Cajuhiri indigenous land crossed

The Amazon is one of the last frontiers of untapped natural resources, with enormous cultural and biological diversity. In Brazil, policies for occupying the Amazon followed the developmental model of exploiting natural resources. Oil resources in the Brazilian Amazon, mainly in the Solimões sedimentary basin, converge with the interests of a market centered on fossil fuel, which puts the lives of indigenous peoples and their territories at risk. The present work analyzes the impacts on the socio-ecological systems of the implantation of a gas pipeline in indigenous territories. A case study of the Cajuhiri Atravessado Indigenous Land was carried out, supported by the socio-ecological system approach (SSE) proposed by Ostrom to analyze the impacts on the ecosystem. The study allows concluding that the process of capitalist development in the region has been causing decisive effects in the loss of identity, territory and indigenous culture.

Disposable Diaper Usage and Disposal Practices in Samora Machel Township, South Africa

Single-use disposable diapers have a major impact on climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, especially those that are unlined, and particularly when such diapers are not well-managed and dumped in water courses and open spaces or burnt. The aim of this study was to explore the current usage and disposal practices of disposable diaper users in Samora Machel, a township in Cape Town, South Africa. The findings were to be used to inform the design and implementation of a pilot diaper collection model to follow. This urban/peri-urban area comprises lower-income, high-density communities in formal basic housing, with many backyarders and informal shacks. The dumping of diapers in open spaces and sewage systems causes severe problems. Therefore, we employed a theoretical socio-ecological system approach to guide the understanding of these complex environmental issues; the data collection methodology entailed a community-based participatory study process. Four hundred and eight (408) questionnaires consisting of quantitative and qualitative answers were codeveloped with members of the community and completed by trained community-based fieldworkers. A community walkabout and two focus groups provided rich data. The results show that complex waste streams such as disposable diapers and the related environmental issues are testing the limits of current management approaches; managing disposable diapers in underserved low-income communities creates a major burden for these already fragile communities. Single solutions will not suffice for these complex problems, so innovative waste management systems need to be codesigned with communities and relevant stakeholders to ensure sustainability, equality, and social justice.

Socio-Ecological Approach to a Forest-Swamp-Savannah Mosaic Landscape Using Remote Sensing and Local Knowledge: a Case Study in the Bas-Ogooué Ramsar Site, Gabon.

Studies of landscape dynamics in protected areas often rely exclusively on remotely-sensed data, leading to bias by neglecting how local inhabitants, who often have a long history of interaction with their environment, perceive and structure the landscape over time. Using a socio-ecological system (SES) approach in a forest-swamp-savannah mosaic within the Bas-Ogooué Ramsar site in Gabon, we assess how human populations participate in landscape dynamics over time. We first conducted a remote sensing analysis to produce a land-cover map representing the biophysical dimension of the SES. This map is based on pixel-oriented classifications, using a 2017 Sentinel-2 satellite image and 610 GPS points, that categorized the landscape in 11 ecological classes. To study the landscape's social dimension, we collected data on local knowledge to understand how local people perceive and use the landscape. These data were collected through 19 semi-structured individual interviews, three focus groups and 3 months of participant observation during an immersive field mission. We developed a systemic approach by combining data on biophysical and social dimensions of the landscape. Our analysis shows that in the absence of continued anthropic interventions, both savannahs and swamps dominated by herbaceous vegetation will experience closure by encroaching woody vegetation, leading to eventual biodiversity loss. Our methodology based on an SES approach to landscapes could improve the conservation programs developed by Ramsar site managers. Designing actions at the local scale, rather than applying one set of actions to the entire protected area, allows the integration of human perceptions, practices and expectations, a challenge that is more than essential in the context of global change.

Social–Ecological System Understanding of Land Degradation in Response to Land Use and Cover Changes in the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality

Land degradation is a major risk to the sustainability and functioning of socioecological systems (SES), especially in arid/semiarid regions. By understanding a system and its interlinkages, the socioecological approach offers an innovative way to explore degradation. This is achieved through a synergistic analytical approach to improve the ability of identifying and understanding systems, predicting their behaviour, and modifying them to achieve the desired effects. This research provides a roadmap for an integrated interdisciplinary approach that is a critical factor in understanding the drivers of land degradation. It can be used to determine appropriate land management action. The aim of this study was, therefore, to apply an integrated SES approach to a degraded rural semiarid context to address the land degradation problem using the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality in South Africa as a case study. The Drive Pressure State Condition and four Responses (DPSCR4) framework (modified from Drive Pressure State Impact and Response (DPSIR)) was used as the SES to assess land degradation. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions with local pastoralists and traditional authorities, and the scientific literature were triangulated to systemically analyse DPSCR4. Land degradation neutrality (LDN) was integrated into the framework to draw conclusions on sustainable land management (SLM). The results show that the main anthropogenic activities driving land degradation are overgrazing, land tenure, poverty and disenfranchisement, unsustainable land use, and cropland abandonment, which favour bush encroachment. Natural factors such as topography, dispersive duplex soils, and climate variability and change predispose the district to soil erosion and gully formation. In combination with human activities, this exacerbates land degradation. The study recommends measures to enable informed integrated land use planning and management using the DPSCR4 and LDN frameworks to improve landscape conditions in rural semiarid regions and provide sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor in developing countries who depend on natural resources.

A Socio Ecological Systems Approach Disaster Resilience for Small Islands

Bawean is a small island where it is the pulse point of the Indonesian Archipelago which is located in the middle of the archipelago and right on the equator. The objectives of this study are Analyzing socio-ecological systems, resilience as a concept is crucial, especially in the context of robustness, vulnerability, and sustainability. This research method includes: (1) Research Question is a stage where the author explains the core problems that will be studied in this paper; (2) Quality Assessment is a stage carried out by researchers to identify potential literature related to the title presented; (3) Data Extraction, is a stage carried out to select the literature used and examine more deeply related to the observed object; (4) Data Synthesis and Analysis, knowing interpretations related to A Socio-Ecological Systems Approach Disaster Resilience for Small Islands and to detect follow-up to performance findings. The conclusion in this discussion refers to three topics related to social resilience, namely related processes that pay particular attention to human resilience in order to improve human capacity to recover from disasters in the shortest amount of time, related to ecological resilience, where ecological resilience is the maximum amount of energy or disturbance that a system can tolerate before experiencing a shift in its stability domain, and related to economic resilience, where it relates International organizations, academics, and policymakers are starting to appreciate the importance of community resilience.

Misunderstanding the free‐ranging cat issue: Response to Debrot et al. 2022

Misunderstanding the free‐ranging cat issue: Response to Debrot et al. 2022

System dynamics life cycle-based carbon model for consumption changes in urban metabolism

Materials and energy consumed by urban systems are one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Measuring these flows and their associated emissions is necessary to estimate the impact of cities on climate change in the future. In this research we developed a dynamic model for measuring the carbon footprint of cities’ urban metabolism using an integrated socio-ecological systems approach. Illustrated with a case study in Montreal we modelled the urban carbon footprint between 2000 and 2018, and simulated on to 2030 under four scenarios: baseline, increasing adoption of plant-based diets (PBD), pavement/road material circularity (PMC), and a combined approach of the latter two. By simultaneously modelling Montreal's population growth the GHG per capita trend was compared to the anticipated 2030 global threshold of 2.9 t CO2e per person needed to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target. All scenarios result in decreased per capita emissions from 15.0 t CO2e/capita in 2018, in part due to the increasing urban population. The baseline scenario estimates a decrease to 12.7 t CO2e by 2030; the PBD and PMC scenarios estimate respective reductions to 10.8 and 12.4 t CO2e/capita by 2030. The combined scenario estimates a greater reduction to 10.5 t CO2e/capita, but this is still 7.6 t CO2e/capita over the Paris Agreement target for 1.5°C global warming.

Resilience in Agroecosystems: An Index Based on a Socioecological Systems Approach

Abstract This article presents an agroecosystem resilience index (ARI) relative to two types of exogenous drivers: biophysical and socioeconomic threats. The ARI is based on a theoretical framework of socioecological systems and draws upon multicriteria analysis. The multicriteria consist of variables related to natural, productive, socioeconomic, and institutional systems that are weighted and grouped through expert judgment. The index was operationalized in the Rio Grande basin (RGB), in the Colombian Andes. The ARI was evaluated at the household level using information from 99 RGB households obtained through workshops, individual semistructured interviews, and surveys. The ARI is a continuous variable that ranges between 0 and 1 and results in five categories of resilience: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. When faced with climate change impacts, 19% of households showed low resilience, 64% showed medium resilience, and 16% showed high resilience according to the ARI. When faced with price fluctuations, 23% of households showed low resilience, 65% showed medium resilience, and 11% showed high resilience. Key variables associated with high resilience include the diversity of vegetation cover, households that have forests on their properties, a high degree of connectivity with other patches of forest, diversification of household economic activities, profitability of economic activities, availability of water sources, and good relationships with local institutions.

Strategy to improve regional resilience against flood disasters in the North Coast of Central Java

The impact of climate change has caused flooding in the North Coast of Central Java Province. The level of flood hazard in 14 urban/municipalities on the North Coast of Central Java is all in the high category. The potential population exposed to flooding in this area reaches around 11,589,000 people, where a third are vulnerable groups (the poor). The impact of the flood disaster has caused environmental damage as well as physical and economic losses. This article aims to examine strategies to increase the resilience of the North Coast of Central Java using the Socio-Ecological System (SES) approach, where there is a reciprocal relationship between aspects of nature/environment (Natural System) and socio-economic (Socio-Economic Systems). Given that vulnerability (V) in the Pantura area of Central Java is dominated by many poor people and vulnerable groups, the strategy that needs to be done to reduce vulnerability is through poverty alleviation programs. To reduce the level of exposure (E) in the form of large physical and economic losses, it is necessary to provide the urban infrastructure that ensures the sustainability of the socio-economic activity system can take place properly. In addition, it is also necessary to control land use change because this has reduced the capacity and storage capacity of water, as well as prevented flooding. Finally, to overcome environmental damage, it is necessary to carry out an environmental conservation program on the North Coast of Central Java in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.

A protocol for a longitudinal, observational cohort study of infection and exposure to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases across a land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo: a socio-ecological systems approach

Introduction. Landscape changes disrupt environmental, social and biological systems, altering pathogen spillover and transmission risks. This study aims to quantify the impact of specific land management practices on spillover and transmission rates of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases within Malaysian Borneo. This protocol describes a cohort study with integrated ecological sampling to assess how deforestation and agricultural practices impact pathogen flow from wildlife and vector populations to human infection and detection by health facilities. This will focus on malaria, dengue and emerging arboviruses (Chikungunya and Zika), vector-borne diseases with varying contributions of simian reservoirs within this setting. Methods. A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study will be established in communities residing or working within the vicinity of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a landscape gradient within Malaysian Borneo encompassing different plantation and forest types. The primary outcome of this study will be transmission intensity of selected zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, as quantified by changes in pathogen-specific antibody levels. Exposure will be measured using paired population-based serological surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the two-year cohort study. Secondary outcomes will include the distribution and infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquito vectors, human risk behaviours and clinical cases reported to health facilities. Longitudinal data on human behaviour, contact with wildlife and GPS tracking of mobility patterns will be collected throughout the study period. This will be integrated with entomological surveillance to monitor densities and pathogen infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes relative to land cover. Within surrounding health clinics, continuous health facility surveillance will be used to monitor reported infections and febrile illnesses. Models will be developed to assess spillover and transmission rates relative to specific land management practices and evaluate abilities of surveillance systems to capture these risks.

A protocol for a longitudinal, observational cohort study of infection and exposure to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases across a land-use gradient in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo: a socio-ecological systems approach.

Introduction. Landscape changes disrupt environmental, social and biological systems, altering pathogen spillover and transmission risks. This study aims to quantify the impact of specific land management practices on spillover and transmission rates of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases within Malaysian Borneo. This protocol describes a cohort study with integrated ecological sampling to assess how deforestation and agricultural practices impact pathogen flow from wildlife and vector populations to human infection and detection by health facilities. This will focus on malaria, dengue and emerging arboviruses (Chikungunya and Zika), vector-borne diseases with varying contributions of simian reservoirs within this setting. Methods. A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study will be established in communities residing or working within the vicinity of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a landscape gradient within Malaysian Borneo encompassing different plantation and forest types. The primary outcome of this study will be transmission intensity of selected zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, as quantified by changes in pathogen-specific antibody levels. Exposure will be measured using paired population-based serological surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the two-year cohort study. Secondary outcomes will include the distribution and infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquito vectors, human risk behaviours and clinical cases reported to health facilities. Longitudinal data on human behaviour, contact with wildlife and GPS tracking of mobility patterns will be collected throughout the study period. This will be integrated with entomological surveillance to monitor densities and pathogen infection rates of Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes relative to land cover. Within surrounding health clinics, continuous health facility surveillance will be used to monitor reported infections and febrile illnesses. Models will be developed to assess spillover and transmission rates relative to specific land management practices and evaluate abilities of surveillance systems to capture these risks.

The role of modelling in resource management within the livelihood-conservation nexus: A socio-ecological systems approach to Sand Forest harvesting, Northern KwaZulu-Natal

Divergences between community livelihoods and conservation efforts often result in changes to the access and use of natural capital in affected areas, negatively affecting the respective livelihoods. New tools and interdisciplinary approaches are more frequently required for solving these conflicts. In this paper, the socio-ecological systems (SES) perspective along with Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) have been used to model the interdependencies that exist within the livelihood-conservation nexus to determine if this method can improve synergy between community livelihood requirements and conservation targets in an era of unsustainable decline of natural resources, using the livelihood-conservation nexus of informal Sand Forest harvesting in Northern KwaZulu-Natal as a case study. Results suggest BBNs have great potential for use in socio-ecological and resource management studies concerning the livelihood-conservation nexus. The results of the sensitivity analysis of the BBN showed that employment and income are the greatest socio-economic drivers in terms of Sand Forest harvesting, while preference (i.e. behaviour) for energy sources and building materials has the greatest overall influence on Sand Forest usage. The BBN scenario comparison further demonstrated the influence of preference (i.e. behaviour) on the SES. Finally, the conservation effectiveness assessment using the BBN showed the significant contribution of accessibility and availability of Sand Forest (i.e. conservation) to the system. Information provided by the BBN allowed for suitable areas for conservation to be identified given conservation targets and the utilisation needs of the communities (i.e. greater synergy), through the mapping of two livelihood management approaches (i.e. community conservation and formal conservation). The results of mapping the different management objectives have shown that community conservation is more suitable for moving the system towards synergy and should be considered for a Sand Forest resource management approach to compliment any conservation planning.

Commentary: Evaluating Risk and Possible Adaptations to Climate Change Under a Socio-Ecological System Approach

Commentary: Evaluating Risk and Possible Adaptations to Climate Change Under a Socio-Ecological System Approach

Agrobiodiversity-Oriented Food Systems between Public Policies and Private Action: A Socio-Ecological Model for Sustainable Territorial Development

The international and European literature and institutional contexts are fostering agrobiodiversity as the foundation of a new paradigm for localized agri-food system development and sustainability. Accordingly, new systemic and holistic theoretical approaches and conceptual models are needed. This paper aims to identify and apply a new conceptual framework contributing to the understanding of how the restoring and valorization of underutilized or neglected landraces can act as a trigger for sustainable territorial development. A new holistic model was designed for the characterization and analysis of agrobiodiversity-oriented food systems. We consider the model innovative in enhancing the conceptualization of the adoption of a socio-ecological systems approach. We applied the model to a representative case study involving the localized agri-food system of the Valtiberina Red Onion, a threatened plant landrace cultivated in Tuscany, Italy. A participatory action–research approach was followed, involving both public and private stakeholders. As the main outcome of the paper, we demonstrated the capability of our new SES model by identifying and describing the assets, drivers, human action processes and generated beneficial effects concerning the development and reproduction of landrace-based quality valorization virtuous circles. Our research findings highlighted the model as an innovative tool for the analysis of agrobiodiversity-oriented food systems sustainability. Significantly, the model was designed to identify the combined role of public policy and private action in supporting the implementation of coherent management mechanisms and effective governance settings.