As urbanization intensifies, communities encounter increasing challenges in designing, planning, and managing urban green spaces. Co-design offers a just and participatory approach that can unite diverse interest-holders to identify challenges and devise transformative solutions to complex urban issues such as green space governance. However, while co-design is acknowledged for its potential to foster learning and systemic change, it largely remains anthropocentric, often overlooking multispecies perspectives in planning, policy, and academia. We present a case study from New York City that examines how a multispecies co-design approach may enhance social-ecological systems transformation by exploring participants' learning experiences and perceptual shifts. The paper begins by exploring the literature on co-design and multispecies thinking within social-ecological systems and their contribution toward transformations, establishing the conceptual groundwork for integrating non-human actors into urban planning. We then present a case study of a multispecies co-design process in New York City and explore how engaging with it contributes to systems transformation. Findings from the case study reveal key motivations for participation, drivers of learning during the process, and emergent transformative solutions. By analyzing these dynamics, this research illustrates how co-design, which integrates multispecies perspectives, may refine ecological decision making and encourage deeper engagement with urban nature. The study argues that integrating multispecies approaches into co-design practices is essential for fostering sustainable societies. The paper concludes with guiding principles for researchers and practitioners seeking to implement inclusive co-design processes in social-ecological systems, particularly in complex urban environments such as New York City.
. The resilience of European food systems is being put to the test by complex and unexpected shocks, disruptions, and discontinuities, recent examples of which include COVID-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Owing to the complexity of the food system and the high degree of interdependence within it, the impacts of disruptions reverberate throughout the system, exposing vulnerabilities that were poorly recognized before the crisis. These cascading effects highlight the need to understand system-wide interconnections and to develop adaptive capacities that strengthen resilience under conditions of uncertainty. This study identifies the key variables that affect the ability of the Finnish food system to secure desired outcomes, as well as the key measures that can enhance its resilience. To achieve this, we interviewed nine experts on the Finnish food system and conducted a qualitative analysis to construct causal loop diagrams that visualize the system's dynamic interactions. These diagrams were further refined and validated during a researcher workshop. Building on this process, we identified four interlinked sub-systems, i.e., systems thinking and cooperation, flourishing rural areas, profitable and sustainable primary production, and diversified input and food markets, which shape resilience through distinct feedback mechanisms. Six key measures emerged as central to strengthening resilience: improved supply pool coordination, resilience-inspired policymaking, revitalization of rural areas, improved profitability, increased crop diversity, and reduced reliance on imported inputs. Together, these findings underscore the importance of systemic, cross-sectoral approaches that go beyond static indicators and address the dynamic nature of food system resilience.
Video games are one of the most significant global media, with a large impact on material economies and on collective imaginations and culture. Here, we map out a transition to a new paradigm for the games industry to unlock its potential to contribute to more sustainable futures. To do this, we organized a series of seven workshops with game developers, funders, and researchers in the games industry using a combination of the "seeds of good Anthropocenes" and X-curve methods to develop a transition pathway that informs a new paradigm for the industry. We first developed seeds of potential change through a series of workshop formats (workshops 1-3). We then focused workshops on funding a new regime (workshop 4), and on breaking down the existing system (workshops 5 and 6). In the final workshop (7), we took all results of previous workshops and mapped them onto different connections between X-curve dynamics using an adapted version of the X-curve that emphasizes these connections. In this final synthesis workshop, which is our focus here, four main themes emerged as aspects of a new paradigm for the games industry: unionization of the games sector, new sources of funding, new ways to connect games and societal action or activism, and new norms and practices around game aesthetics. The introduction of the X-curve in the final workshop allowed for greater focus on unmaking current systems, difficult transition phases, and the later stages of the transition. We discuss the value of developing a pathway toward a new sustainability paradigm for a creative sector such as the games industry, making a case for a greater focus on cultural sectors as drivers of societal change.
African freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) are an overlooked economic resource currently under threat. In South Africa, these populations have been in steady decline for over 60 years, yet we know remarkably little about their role in supporting local communities. Here, we seek to understand and explain the undocumented crisis facing these eels. Using a researcher-administered survey, our study investigated the importance of African freshwater eels linked to inland fisheries in KwaZulu-Natal Province across the uMngeni and uThukela catchments during 2021-2022. Survey results (n = 154) in urban and rural areas showed most users were male (n = 102; 66%), between 45 and 59 years of age (15%), and isiZulu-speaking (76%). Of the respondents, 75 (49%) were subsistence fishers; of these, 42 (56%) had caught freshwater eels, and 17 (41%) specifically targeted eels. African freshwater eels were utilized in fisheries across the study area. Fishers that targeted African freshwater eels depended on them for income because of the relatively high demand and value. The demand and value were from local and specialized markets, where some African freshwater eels were sold to traditional healers who use eels in medicinal products for various purposes, as well as to traders (local people, e.g., of Indian or European descent) and foreigners (e.g., East Asian). Our study documented the cultural and economic reliance of subsistence fishers on African freshwater eels. The social-ecological complexities and the localized decline of African freshwater eels have dire local and global implications for these species and associated fisheries. We establish the need for protecting African freshwater eels against the backdrop of global market demands. Proactive policy intervention is urgently needed to balance local subsistence with burgeoning international pressures.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have been using their knowledge to cope with severe environmental change and promote sustainability at the local level in Africa. Their environmental conservation efforts through Indigenous practices are enabling positive social and environmental change. Such efforts respond to the growing consensus of a need to unpack how to enable positive change in Africa using Indigenous practices. However, there is sparse evidence of scientific research addressing the contribution of those practices through local initiatives to enable change in West Africa. This is a missed opportunity to explore the key role that IPLCs and their initiatives play in bringing about positive change in conservation at the local level. To fill the gap, this paper investigated the genesis of two locally led initiatives in the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (MTBR) in the Benin Republic, how they have been operating, and how they were used as a starting point to enable positive change at the local level in the reserve in West Africa. In total, among the 53 Indigenous practice holders interviewed through semi-structured interviews in four villages in the MTBR, only 18 mentioned Indigenous initiatives, which were subsequently included in the analysis. The findings show that Indigenous initiatives with their unique beliefs, customary laws, and associated knowledge have positive impacts on IPLC’s lives and benefit the quest for mangrove ecosystem sustainability in the Benin Republic. The initiatives helped protect aquatic resources from being harvested by many inhabitants in the reserve because of their Indigenous set of rules and practices and associated customary laws. Aspects of equity, social justice, and addressing conflict have also been managed since the establishment of the initiatives. However, this study suggests concerted efforts are still needed to bring about positive change at a larger scale. There is also a call to ensure that IPLCs, whose perspectives are underrepresented in conservation decision-making processes, are granted equal rights, heard, and empowered to act with support from fair and accessible funding systems.
Climate extremes, particularly the slow-onset climate stressors, pose a significant challenge to the vulnerable and marginalized communities that lack the capacity to adapt. Adaptation is a dynamic, socially embedded process shaped by our interpersonal relationships, experiences, the flow of information, and our ability to act collectively. We conceptualize transformational adaptation as changes that expand livelihood and institutional options beyond existing constraints. Yet adaptation outcomes vary widely, especially when state support is constrained. We argue that weak ties catalyze transformational adaptation in social-ecological systems, drawing on evidence from three villages of the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India. Using mixed methods, we map family, friendship, and business networks among fishers and compute density, centralization, and clustering alongside qualitative interviews. The findings reveal that villages with high social capital, characterized by bonding ties, exhibit a cohesive social network but low business centrality, and rely largely on incremental coping and adjustments to address structural vulnerability and climate stress. In contrast, in communities with a greater prevalence of weak ties, fishers have better access to markets, boat-sharing arrangements, knowledge of policies and credit schemes, and support for diversified strategies, which expand their perceived options and future strategies despite similar hazards. Therefore, policies for transformational adaptation should promote cross-village exchanges and peer learning to strengthen weak ties.
The Guiers Lake Basin in Senegal has undergone intensive changes through numerous water development initiatives such as water treatment plants for the Dakar drinking water supply, agriculture, livestock breeding, and fishing. In the region, large-scale farming activities and agribusinesses have increasingly encroached on lands where subsistence family farming once dominated. This situation has significant implications for water quality, quantity, environmental health, and local livelihoods, thus potentially threatening the sustainability of the lake. In addition, stakeholders across the basin have been operating in isolation with little or no collaboration. We applied the transdisciplinary, complex social-ecological systems (CSES) based adaptive systemic approach (ASA) to examine and support transformation toward improved water security in the Guiers Lake Basin. The ASA is designed to shift complex challenges using participatory and adaptive processes, transformative social learning, and the integration of diverse knowledge systems. Our implementation combined extensive research into social and biophysical aspects of the basin with iterative multi-stakeholder engagements. To synthesize these findings, we employed causal loop diagramming as an analytical tool, systematically mapping system relationships, feedback mechanisms, and potential intervention levers based on a leverage points framework. We demonstrate how the ASA process has initiated a trajectory of change by building participatory governance capacity for multiple stakeholders through trust building, shared systems learning, and engagement to take action and support collaboration. Our analysis identifies key leverage points for strategic interventions, while acknowledging that sustainable transformation requires careful attention to existing power dynamics and institutional constraints. We conclude by examining conditions necessary for maintaining positive trajectories and addressing potential barriers to sustained change.
Challengers struggle against more powerful elites and authorities to resolve environmental problems driven by social forces, but can sustainability research contribute to such collective action while remaining scientific? After five years of movement-relevant sustainability research using Burawoy's extended case method, I seek to make three contributions. Empirically, I present strategic alliances and scale shifts within contentious politics at four scales adopted by Indigenous S & aacute;mi reindeer pastoralists to address the pasture availability problem. Theoretically, I show how the internal and external factors that shape such multi-scalar mobilization are influenced by ecological dynamics in forests. Methodologically, I suggest a multi-scalar approach that can help address concrete environmental problems aggravated by social drivers. With that, I seek to nurture dialogues between sustainability and social movement research and practice; discussing how scientific knowledge can help foster emergent properties for collective action for sustainability through analysis and engagements based on reflective sympathy and mutual integrity.
Li et al. (2023) published a timely and insightful contribution to the study of global sustainability through the development of a typology of transboundary flows within and between coupled human-natural systems. One of the article’s strengths is its detailed characterization of virtual flows, which capture the flow of resources that are not physically contained in traded products but considered virtually embedded due to their use in the production process. However, we note that the virtual flows of biodiversity-based ecosystem services, such as those provided by wild crop pollinators, are not fully developed in their typology. We present evidence supporting the inclusion of virtual biotic pollination flows as a distinct category of transboundary flows. Virtual biotic pollination flow can be quantified as the “proportion of overall crop production resulting from the ecosystem service provided by wild pollinators,” which is traded from producing to consuming regions. Virtual biotic pollination flow represents a distinct and measurable form of transboundary flow which highlight the often-overlooked interdependencies between the consumption of pollinator-dependent crops and biodiversity-rich crop production areas. Integrating virtual biotic pollination flows in the typology of transboundary flows would enhance the comprehensiveness and applicability of metacoupling frameworks and opens possibilities for developing innovative flow-based governance regimes for global sustainability.
In the second-largest continuous tropical rainforest in the world, the Congo Basin, climate change affects biodiversity as well as forest-dependent local communities. In the region, the lack of historical biophysical data prevents a comprehensive analysis of climate change impacts on its biophysical systems. In this context, local ecological knowledge, building on local communities' long history of interactions with their environment, can improve the understanding of interwoven environmental changes linked with climate change and biodiversity loss. This study focused on four villages, ranging from seasonally flooded to terra firma forests, involved 80 semi-structured interviews, 111 structured interviews, and eight focus groups to document local climatic changes, biophysical impacts, and perceived drivers of change through the knowledge of local communities. We also classified adaptation strategies into different categories according to their potential impacts on biodiversity. Results suggest that a wide range of climate change impacts are already apparent in the area, including changes in temperature and precipitation and the intensification of flooding events. Associated impacts on local biodiversity have also been observed, ranging from increased tree mortality, disrupted fish reproduction, disrupted migratory patterns in mammal species, and reduced fruit production. Our study filled an important knowledge gap, investigating both the direct impacts of climate change on biophysical systems, and its indirect impacts arising from adaptation in human behavior. Our results highlight the importance of integrating local ecological knowledge in rapid biodiversity change assessments.
Social-ecological system (SES) frameworks have become essential tools for analyzing human-nature relationships, yet they often overlook the role of power dynamics, particularly in their discursive forms. This study addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates the interplay of power and knowledge into SES analysis. Drawing from evolutionary governance theory and sustainability transition studies, the conceptual framework aims to capture how discursive power shapes knowledge systems, institutional configurations, and governance outcomes. Through an empirical case study of the Senegalese ecovillage network, the research examines how discourses influence social-ecological transition processes and resilience practices in rural communities. Results highlight divergent uses of the ecovillage concept and implementation approaches, leading to contrasting impacts upon people’s livelihoods. By highlighting the embeddedness of knowledge in power relations, the study underscores the importance of understanding discursive forms of power to avoid depoliticized and normative governance prescriptions. This work contributes to bridging resilience thinking with critical social theory, calling for greater interdisciplinary engagement to reveal hidden power structures and foster more reflective and pluralistic SES research.
The ecological impact of free-ranging dogs has garnered significant interest in the scientific community over the past two decades. However, a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to managing this issue, particularly concerning feral dogs, remains elusive. To explore the discourse surrounding feral dogs within society, we compiled a dataset of 1052 tweets from X spanning 15 years (2006-2021) of debate in Chile, a country where keeping unconfined dogs is a common practice. We codified this dataset using inductive text analysis, resulting in 13 thematic codes. Predominantly regular people (70.2%) engaged in the debate, while politicians and scientists (both <5%) were under-represented. X users employed a broad range of dog categories, including metonyms, but primarily emphasized unrestricted movement rather than strict independence from human subsidy, a criterion associated with the scientific definition of ferality. Key discussion themes included (1) dog-wildlife interactions (56% of 336 threat mentions), (2) legal hunting (43% of 323 expressed disagreement), and (3) policy-related concerns (40% of 155 expressed disappointments with policy). Notably, accounts with high engagement (followers, likes, retweets) often presented ambivalent viewpoints, such as animal rights versus conservation. We conclude that effective policy solutions for dog management necessitate a more active role by scientists and the implementation of participatory public debate instruments to prevent allowing polarized framings to dominate. This approach should prioritize addressing the conflicting ethical assumptions underlying differing worldviews (e.g., zoocentric versus ecocentric) and respect the cultural fundamentals of dog confinement.
Collaborative research approaches, such as Participatory Action Research, respond to complex environmental problems through a suite of principles that include, to varying extents, the integration of local and scientific knowledge. Yet, the differences in how researchers and participants in Participatory Action Research understand and act in the world are often overlooked and simplified. Such simplification can result in the unintended and unexpected marginalization of worldviews. Reflecting on Participatory Action Research for agroecology, in this short perspective, I interrogate how world-making practices that do not fit with the fundamental assumptions of modern science are assimilated. Moreover, I examine how so called “ontological openings”—as methodological devices in anthropology and Science and Technology Studies to reflect on the presuppositions and assumptions that come with chosen methods, concepts, and theories—might enhance the practice of Participatory Action Research. I argue that ontological openings can be opportunities to reflect on the assumptions of research collaborations, especially to avoid the unintended simplification of different understandings of the world.
The Danau Sentarum Catchment Areas in Kapuas Hulu, Kalimantan, Indonesia, are an archetypal complex social-ecological system with high biodiversity, development pressures, and contrasting human demands. Multiple stakeholders operate according to their own interests, needs, and rules, while being forced into a legal framework that itself is composed of many layers with different configurations. This study investigated how an integrated landscape approach through multistakeholder engagement could enhance landscape governance and identify the requisite processes and stakeholder interactions for change. We explored spaces in the landscape decision-making process and observed stakeholder attempts to negotiate and configure the various components of the landscape puzzle within a coherent management plan. We were particularly interested in understanding the connections and disconnections among stakeholders and the extent to which multistakeholder processes can help to bridge gaps and lead to enhanced collaboration and more effective governance. Although it is too early to say whether the multistakeholder engagement and planning has enhanced governance capacity, participants acknowledged an improved understanding of the role of previously competing or disconnected sectors and actors within the landscape and a sense of enhanced trust.
Northern coastlines face increasing challenges in marine conservation as climate change, shifting ocean currents, and human activities place pressure on sensitive benthic ecosystems. Nunatsiavut, a sovereign Inuit region in Labrador, Canada, has over 17,000 km of coastline made up of dynamic landscapes featuring high marine biodiversity. There, swift currents, restrictive weather, prolonged sea ice season, and uncharted seafloors make benthic studies of nearshore areas using conventional scientific methods difficult and costly. Therefore, most studies that have been conducted in Nunatsiavut catalogue the benthos in deeper waters away from the coastline, but not where Labrador Inuit most often interact with the benthos. This study helps to fill critical knowledge gaps in benthic community composition in a culturally appropriate manner that reinforces the relationships between community members, the benthos, and researchers. To do this, we used GoPro cameras and participatory mapping to better understand benthic communities in coastal Nunatsiavut, as well as the relationships between the benthos and Labrador Inuit. We identified 60 taxa comprising seven near-shore benthic community assemblages in areas that are challenging to access using more conventional scientific benthic survey methods, doing so at a fraction of the cost and with greater community engagement in the research project. By identifying these species through methodology centered on the relationships between Labrador Inuit and the benthos, the results can be instrumental in informing resiliency plans, especially as they relate to food security in the face of climate change.
The conservation of marine species not targeted but adversely affected by fishing (e.g., through bycatch) is often limited to the designation of marine protected areas or gear regulations via top-down government regulation. Contrary to this general rule, fisheries associations, a nongovernmental information center, and Schleswig-Holstein's Ministry of the Environment signed a voluntary agreement for the protection of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and diving sea ducks in the German Baltic Sea. This paper uses document analysis and stakeholder interviews to understand what motivated fishers to self-organize and how conservation measures were enforced. It draws on the Institutional Analysis and Development framework to trace the emergence of the voluntary agreement. We find that two main drivers shaped conservation efforts. First, the voluntary agreement was a strategic reaction from fishers to avoid formal fishing regulations. Second, policy brokerage and recurring interactions between key actors across multiple action situations enabled a transition from a threat-driven motivation to mutual trust and shared mental models. We conclude that some top-down incentive may be necessary for initiating collective action to protect non-target species. Methodologically, the case demonstrates that incorporating actors' positions within the policy process into institutional analysis helps explain how actors overcome deadlocks and foster cooperation.
. In the context of unprecedented global change, there is growing interest in the role of various agents of change in shaping and transforming social-ecological systems (SES) toward more just and sustainable futures. However, the diversity of terms used to describe these change agents prompts the question of whether these terms represent distinct functional roles and if and how they overlap. This article aims to clarify the meaning of 10 terms related to agents who catalyze and guide SES processes that aim to advance change: boundary spanner, change agent, gatekeeper, information broker, institutional entrepreneur, knowledge broker, networker, policy entrepreneur, social innovator, and visionary or visionary leader. Using the bibliographic database Scopus, we conducted a rapid review of the SES literature to determine how each term is defined and used, the function and strategies of each type of agent, the contextual factors enabling their actions, and their overall contribution to broader social-ecological processes. Our findings suggest that agents can be divided into two broad clusters based on their functional roles. One cluster consists of actors aiming to facilitate information flows, and the other of those who aim to instigate specific changes through their activities. In some instances, agents may perform two or more roles simultaneously implying that they may target more than one function. We found that the actions of these agents shape and are shaped by a range of contextual factors, particularly structural and institutional processes. Although this study helps to provide conceptual clarity to the different terms and their main functional roles, more research is needed to better understand their roles at different points in transformation processes and the contexts that mediate their behavior and strategies.
. The African Great Lakes, particularly Lake Victoria, face escalating ecological crises including collapsing fisheries, biodiversity loss, transboundary pollution, and governance failures that threaten livelihoods and ecosystems. Centering traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Muhuru Bay and Migingo Island fishers, this decolonial study investigates these dynamics through participatory methods including 40 oral free-listing interviews, 50 semi-structured interviews, five key-informant interviews, and three field visits with lakescape walks conducted in Luo, Kiswahili, and English over 12 months (2023-2024). Purposive and snowball recruitment ensured diversity across gender, generations, and migrant status, with two fishers serving as co-authors to uphold reciprocity and data sovereignty. Fishers report Nile perch (Lates niloticus) declines driven by industrial overfishing, migrant competition, and destructive gear, compounded by watershed degradation, transboundary waste flows, and microplastic burdens. TEK reveals thermal shifts ("water burning like tea"), sensory mapping of pollutant hotspots (Osikonyodho), and cryptic haplochromine refuges challenging conventional monitoring. Governance fractures and institutional neglect fuel ecological vigilantism, while conflicting licensing regimes, corruption, and political interference erode trust. Cultural erosion and climate variability undermine traditional closures, yet rituals, lunar-based bans, and celestial navigation persist alongside adaptive innovations. Women expand roles in harvesting, processing, and trade despite exclusion from decision making and heightened vulnerability. Livelihood diversification, shoreline restoration, and collective protest exemplify resilience but also expose inequities. A dietary-cultural-ecological paradox emerges as reliance on sardines (Omena) masks broader biodiversity loss. We propose hybrid governance blending TEK and science, including TEK-informed sediment tracing, elder-led stock assessments, and harmonized regional policies. Gender-responsive reforms (e.g., reserved Beach Management Unit leadership seats, microloan funding) and redirecting aquaculture subsidies toward agroecology and community-led restoration are critical. By framing TEK as lived science and diagnostic authority, this work advances co-management pathways rooted in justice, reciprocity, and resilience.
Current global economic activity is driving unprecedented nature loss. There is increasing recognition of the need to shift how economic activity is funded and organized to reverse nature loss, and this has led to a new focus on "finance for nature." In this study we collect finance "seeds of good Anthropocenes," existing initiatives that aim to connect funding and nature, and then analyze and compare these novel approaches and alternative ways to "finance nature." Using a select number of these "seeds," we use transformation theory to analyze the theory of change underpinning each seed and the Nature Futures Framework to identify each seed's conceptualization of nature values. The study reveals that there is a diversity of approaches to change and financing nature among seeds, although most seeds rely on market-based mechanisms and are generally leaning toward the nature for society as a core value perspective. More experimentation is possible and needed with regards to non-market-based mechanisms, different ownership and governance structures, and incorporating perspectives that see nature's value for nature's sake or intertwined with culture. Existing seeds provide a template for future initiatives, and further studies of these seeds would help identify how the risks and benefits of different types of financial initiatives vary across contexts.
The rapid recovery of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) populations across Europe has increased both positive and negative interactions between humans and beavers. Therefore, public attitudes toward this species may strongly affect the effectiveness of its management and protection. This study investigated factors influencing local communities' attitudes toward beavers in the Western Carpathians. A total of 360 structured interviews were conducted across three catchments that cover the original beaver release area from the 1980s and selected territories where the species subsequently appeared. Identified through an ordinal regression model, the most impactful factors included direct experience, knowledge, general beliefs about nature protection, financial situation, and location. The analyses of the type, frequency, and distribution of beaver damage reports provided additional perspective on the identified social and environmental issues. The lack of preparedness for wildlife dispersal reinforces discord between environmental protection and local communities' concerns. Widespread education on ecosystem services and improved assistance to those affected by beaver-related conflicts are highly advisable.
