Integration across a metacoupled world

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Human-nature interactions are complex and have important implications for achieving sustainable development goals and addressing other global challenges. Although numerous studies have explored human-nature (or human-environment) interactions and generated useful insights, they are largely disintegrated. Because conceptual frameworks are the foundation of quantitative and qualitative integration, many have been proposed but focus mainly on human-nature interactions within a specific system. To reflect human-nature interactions between distant coupled systems, the framework of telecoupling (socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances) has been developed. However, no framework has explicitly integrated human-nature interactions between adjacent coupled systems, let alone within a coupled system as well as between adjacent and distant coupled systems simultaneously. To fill such an important gap, in this paper I present an integrated framework of metacoupling: human-nature interactions within a system (intracoupling), between distant systems (telecoupling), and between adjacent systems (pericoupling). A metacoupled system is a set of two or more coupled systems that interact internally as well as nearby and far away, facilitated by agents affected by various causes with various effects. By differentiating and integrating intracoupling, pericoupling, and telecoupling, the metacoupling framework advances a systems perspective on global sustainability and human well-being. The framework can help uncover hidden systemic connections such as spillovers and feedbacks that may not be apparent when focusing on a particular system. To demonstrate the utility of the metacoupling framework, I illustrate its application to human-nature interactions within a global flagship nature reserve as well as between the reserve and the rest of the world. The illustration suggests that the framework has the potential to help holistically understand and integrate human-nature interactions from local to global scales, over time, and among organizational levels. Finally, I offer suggestions for operationalizing the metacoupling framework and discuss the need for new policy, governance, and management for a sustainable future across the metacoupled world.

Complex effects of natural disasters on protected areas through altering telecouplings

“…This should be complemented with future studies that focus on the other systems, e.g., cities as receiving systems for agricultural products and rural labor migration, potential spillover systems like other tourist destinations. To facilitate further theoretical development and feasible applications of the telecoupling framework, we suggest pursuing more empirical studies that quantify interactions and break down a large research system into https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol23/iss3/art17/ multiple parts under the framework (Liu 2017). For example, in one study, researchers could focus on a single system (sending, receiving, or spillover) or even a single component (e.g., flows) of a telecoupled system and study other systems or other components later or leave that to other researchers.…”

Emerging risks of non‐native species escapes from aquaculture: Call for policy improvements in China and other developing countries

“…Globally, aquaculture studies have largely focused on technology and disease control even though the potential ecological impacts of most farmed NAS are unknown (FAO, 2019). A metacoupled human and natural systems approach (Liu, 2017) can help provide a holistic understanding of the socioeconomic and ecological risks associated with the use of NAS within a focal area, adjacent areas and distant areas. We need more new tools (e.g.…”

Fisheries Volume 45 Number 5 May 2020

“…As a result, wheat-importing nations such as China, Egypt, Indonesia, and the Soviet Union experienced unexpected food security concerns (Orlic 2011 ;Carlson et al 2018 ). Similarly, as timber harvesting and fuelwood collection increased within Wolong Nature Reserve in China in the 1980s and 1990s, natural habitats for giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca became fragmented, decreasing tourism in the nature reserve and thereby reducing direct income for local residents (Liu 2017 ). In addition, income for residents and panda conservation programs declined indirectly via reductions in panda loans to zoos throughout the world, which carry annual fees as high as US$1 million per panda (Liu 2017 ).…”

“…In practice, understanding and managing fi sheries and wildlife systems at local, regional, and global levels is extraordinarily diffi cult, refl ecting the historical independence of social and natural sciences and the intrinsic complexity of human-environmental synthesis (Liu et al 2007a(Liu et al , 2007bOstrom 2009 ). Fortunately, fi sheries and wildlife professionals are developing ways to operationalize the CHANS approach, including the metacoupling and telecoupling frameworks (Liu 2017 ). The metacoupling framework-an advancement of the telecoupling framework-is a systematic approach for understanding multiscalar human-nature interactions (metacouplings), defi ned as those occurring between distant CHANS (telecouplings), between adjacent CHANS (pericouplings), and within individual CHANS (intracouplings; Figure 1 ).…”

“…Moreover, the metacoupling framework advances the notion of metacoupled resource governance, which explicitly accounts for and manages metacouplings across scales to enhance fi sheries and wildlife sustainability locally, regionally, and globally. By providing human-environmental insights beyond those generated by monothematic (i.e., social or ecological) approaches (Liu 2017 ;Schaffer-Smith et al 2018 ;Zhao et al 2018 ), the metacoupling framework has great potential for advancing fi sheries/wildlife research and management. For instance, the framework can be used to understand how social-ecological linkages across spatial scales infl uence the spread of invasive species and diseases, the effectiveness of public outreach programs, and the complexity of natural resource valuation (monetary and non-monetary).…”