Social-ecological network analysis for sustainability sciences: a systematic review and innovative research agenda for the future

Abstract

Social-ecological network (SEN) concepts and tools are increasingly used in human-environment and sustainability sciences. We take stock of this budding research area to further show the strength of SEN analysis for complex human-environment settings, identify future synergies between SEN and wider human-environment research, and provide guidance about when to use different kinds of SEN approaches and models. We characterize SEN research along a spectrum specifying the degree of explicit network representation of system components and dynamics. We then systematically review one end of this spectrum, what we term 'fully articulated SEN' studies, which specifically model unique social and ecological units and relationships. Results show a larger number of papers focus on methodological advancement and applied ends. While there has been some development and testing of theories, this remains an area for future work and would help develop SENs as a unique field of research, not just a method. Authors have studied diverse systems, while mainly focusing on the problem of social-ecological fit alongside a scattering of other topics. There is strong potential, however, to engage other issues central to human-environment studies. Analyzing the simultaneous effects of multiple social, environmental, and coupled processes, change over time, and linking network structures to outcomes are also areas for future advancement. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of (fully articulated) SEN research, a necessary step that can help scholars develop comparable cases and fill research gaps.

A relational turn for sustainability science? Relational thinking, leverage points and transformations

“…Most prominently, Bodin et al (2011, p. 8) invoke the relational sociology of Emirbayer (1997) and others to articulate a 'social relational approach to natural resource governance' rooted in quantitative social network analysis. However, while such efforts have powerfully highlighted the complex spatial webs of interdependence that characterize human-nature connectedness and influence governance outcomes, they have placed less emphasis on the dynamic temporal processes that (re)produce network configurations, and have so far tended to stay within substantialist understandings of distinct social and ecological nodes (Sayles et al 2019). Meanwhile, in parallel development, others have drawn on Emirbayer's work, along with Latour (2005), Dépelteau (2018), Deleuze and Guattari (1988), and others, to develop rich conceptual and qualitative accounts of human-nature connectedness from 'deep' relational perspectives that collapse distinctions between 'human' and 'natural' entities, for instance in relation to farms and farmers (Darnhofer et al 2016;Darnhofer 2020) and agricultural systems more generally (Dwiartama and Rosin 2014; Darnhofer et al 2019).…”

“…Meanwhile, in parallel development, others have drawn on Emirbayer's work, along with Latour (2005), Dépelteau (2018), Deleuze and Guattari (1988), and others, to develop rich conceptual and qualitative accounts of human-nature connectedness from 'deep' relational perspectives that collapse distinctions between 'human' and 'natural' entities, for instance in relation to farms and farmers (Darnhofer et al 2016;Darnhofer 2020) and agricultural systems more generally (Dwiartama and Rosin 2014; Darnhofer et al 2019). Bringing together the quantitative, spatial emphasis of network analysis with the conceptual development of the latter studies is a promising research pathway for sustainability science (Lejano 2019;Sayles et al 2019). The work of Mancilla Garcia et al (2020aGarcia et al ( , 2020b and Hertz et al (2020) to articulate a process-relational approach to complex systems research provides a rich conceptual basis for such efforts, with the potential to contribute significantly to research priorities around human-nature connectedness, complex dynamics, and issues of scale.…”

Studying human–nature relationships through a network lens: A systematic review

“…A steadily growing number of studies uses the notion of social-ecological networks (SENs; cf. Sayles et al, 2019). However, the integrated analysis of social and ecological system components remains challenging (Bodin, Robins, et al, 2016;Cumming, Bodin, Ernstson, & Elmqvist, 2010), because of, for instance, the different conceptualizations of nodes and links in the social and ecological realm (Bodin et al, 2019) and differing terminology and scopes (Sayles et al, 2019).…”

Key considerations and challenges in the application of social‐network research for environmental decision making

“…Because human and ecological systems can be described as networks, use of a network modeling approach to describe social‐ecological systems as social‐ecological networks is increasing (Bodin et al 2017 a ; Sayles et al. 2019), and approaches that enable empirical research have been developed and applied (e.g., Bodin & Tengo 2012; Bodin et al. 2016; Barnes et al.…”