socialecological

Social-ecological refers to an interdisciplinary approach that treats human societies and natural ecosystems as interconnected and co-evolving. In this view, ecological and social processes influence each other across scales, with institutions, culture, and economic systems shaping how resources are used, and ecological conditions constraining social options.

Key concepts include resilience (the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while retaining function), adaptive governance and adaptive co-management (flexible, participatory institutions that respond to change), ecosystem services (the benefits people obtain from ecosystems), and cross-scale coupling (interactions across local to global levels). The social-ecological systems framework emphasizes feedback loops between social and ecological components, the role of institutions and values, and the importance of learning, experimentation, and reflexivity.

Origins trace to resilience thinking in ecology (notably C. S. Holling) and the development of the social-ecological systems approach within sustainability science, particularly in studies of governance and common-pool resources (e.g., Elinor Ostrom). The framework is applied to natural resource management, climate adaptation, urban sustainability, and disaster risk reduction, often employing transdisciplinary methods, participatory research, system mapping, and scenario analysis.

Critiques note challenges in operationalizing concepts, measuring resilience, and addressing complexity. Proponents argue that the social-ecological lens improves policy relevance by linking governance, equity, and ecological integrity.