Studying the complexity of change: toward an analytical framework for understanding deliberate social-ecological transformations

Faced with numerous seemingly intractable social and environmental challenges, many scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding how to actively engage and transform the existing systems holding such problems in place. Although a variety of analytical models have emerged in recent years, most emphasize either the social or ecological elements of such transformations rather than their coupled nature. To address this, first we have presented a definition of the core elements of a social-ecological system (SES) that could potentially be altered in a transformation. Second, we drew on insights about transformation from three branches of literature focused on radical change, i.e., social movements, socio-technical transitions, and social innovation, and gave consideration to the similarities and differences with the current studies by resilience scholars. Drawing on these findings, we have proposed a framework that outlines the process and phases of transformative change in an SES. Future research will be able to utilize the framework as a tool for analyzing the alteration of social-ecological feedbacks, identifying critical barriers and leverage points and assessing the outcome of social-ecological transformations

Resilience and development: Mobilizing for transformation

In 2014, the Third International Conference on the resilience of social-ecological systems chose the theme “resilience and development: mobilizing for transformation.” The conference aimed specifically at fostering an encounter between the experiences and thinking focused on the issue of resilience through a social and ecological system perspective, and the experiences focused on the issue of resilience through a development perspective. In this perspectives piece, we reflect on the outcomes of the meeting and document the differences and similarities between the two perspectives as discussed during the conference, and identify bridging questions designed to guide future interactions. After the conference, we read the documents (abstracts, PowerPoints) that were prepared and left in the conference database by the participants (about 600 contributions), and searched the web for associated items, such as videos, blogs, and tweets from the conference participants. All of these documents were assessed through one lens: what do they say about resilience and development? Once the perspectives were established, we examined different themes that were significantly addressed during the conference. Our analysis paves the way for new collective developments on a set of issues: (1) Who declares/assign/cares for the resilience of what, of whom? (2) What are the models of transformations and how do they combine the respective role of agency and structure? (3) What are the combinations of measurement and assessment processes? (4) At what scale should resilience be studied? Social transformations and scientific approaches are coconstructed. For the last decades, development has been conceived as a modernization process supported by scientific rationality and technical expertise. The definition of a new perspective on development goes with a negotiation on a new scientific approach. Resilience is presently at the center of this negotiation on a new science for development. (Résumé d'auteur

Samförvaltning av interagerande ekosystemtjänster i Helgeåns avrinningsområde

Det stora genombrott som ekosystemtjänstbegreppet har fått öppnar upp nyamöjligheter för att på ett sammanhållet vis arbeta med hållbar utveckling. Menför att operationalisera begreppet i den här kontexten krävs att vi jobbar medbegreppet på ett mer holistiskt, dynamiskt och inkluderande sätt än vad somhittills varit praxis. Den här strävan har utgjort grundbulten i forskningsprojektetsom beskrivs i rapporten. Syftet har varit att, tillsammans meden rad lokala aktörer, tolka landskapet runt Helgeån genom en ekosystemtjänstlins,och gemensamt utforska vägar till en mer hållbar framtid somkaraktäriseras av ett multifunktionellt landskap.I samverkansprocessen första fas gjorde vi ett gemensamt urval av 15 olikaförsörjande, reglerande och kulturella ekosystemtjänster att inkludera i analysen,varpå vi utförde en rumslig analys av produktion av tjänsterna, en jämförandeanalys av efterfrågan i relation till produktionen, samt en så kalladknippesanalys som visade hur tjänsterna förhåller sig till varandra. I samverkansprocessenandra fas utvecklade vi en vision för framtiden som beskrevett mer multifunktionellt landskap, genomförde en systemdynamisk analys somförklarar tre nyckelfrågor relaterat till ekosystemtjänsterna i landskapet sommåste lösas för att kunna nå visionen, och identifierade en rad förvaltningsåtgärdersom gör att det möjligt att närma sig visionen.Den deltagande och iterativa process som användes för att analyseraekosystemtjänsterna i området förbättrade kvaliteten på resultaten avsevärt,jämfört med mer konventionella approacher. Metoden gav en snabb överblickav hur landskapet är sammansatt från ett social-ekologiskt perspektiv ochden bygger på offentliga data, vilket gör den resurseffektiv. Vad det gällerknippesanalysen fann vi att förekomsten av de olika ekosystemtjänsterna ärtydligt aggregerade på en större skala än kommunnivå, med den urbaniseradeslättlandsbyggden i sydväst, det mer varierade produktionslandskapet i sydost,och det av skogsbruk präglade rurala landskapet i norr.Även om vår samverkansprocess inte var knuten till någon formell beslutsprocess,så skapade arbetet med en gemensam vision och utforskandet avsystemdynamik en samsyn mellan deltagarna, som såg ekosystemtjänstersom ett bra begrepp att samlas kring. Arbetet med att identifiera åtgärderutifrånsystemdynamiken resulterade också i en rad innovativa idéer somunder andra omständigheter skulle kunna omsättas i en faktisk aktionsplan.Under resans gång har vi stött på vissa svårigheter med begreppet där vidareutvecklingskulle behövas, bland annat relaterat till tillgång på data och tillhur vi ser på kulturellatjänster. En viktig fråga att ställa sig här är hur långtekosystemtjänstbegreppettar oss i arbetet med hållbar utveckling, och vilkentyp av frågor det inte hjälper oss att svara på

“Alkoholister sitter ju på parkbänken. Jag hade min parkbänk i vardagsrummet” : En kvalitativ studie om föräldrars förutsättningar att utöva sitt föräldraskap i missbruk

Being an addict and a parent is a difficult balance and navigating between needs and obligations is not always easy. The purpose of this study is to investigate how parents with substance abuse problems experience their ability to navigate their parenting. Previous research has mainly focused on children growing up with substance-abusing parents, but we are interested in highlighting the parents' perspective. The theoretical basis used in the analysis is Erving Goffman's (2009; 2020) concept of stigma and his dramaturgical perspective, which is complemented by Becker's (2006) labeling theory. The study has a qualitative research approach with digital, semi-structured interviews as a method. The interviewees who participated in the study are a total of five parents who have had a previous addiction, four women and one man. The results show how the parents develop strategies to hide and distance themselves from the abuse to avoid stigma from society and to meet the expectations placed on them as parents. Furthermore, the results show that the most important support to get rid of the addiction is knowledge, understanding and recognition. The interviewees have not found this help in health care, but have found it by turning to their employers to get the right treatment and the organization Alcoholics Anonymous.Att vara missbrukare och förälder är en svår balansgång och att navigera mellan behov och förpliktelser är inte alltid lätt. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur föräldrar med missbruksproblematik upplever sina förutsättningar att navigera i sitt föräldraskap. Den tidigare forskningen har främst fokuserat på barn som växt upp med missbrukande föräldrar men vi är intresserade av att lyfta föräldrarnas perspektiv. Den teoretiska grund som används i analysen är Erving Goffmans (2009; 2020) begrepp stigma och hans dramaturgiska perspektiv, detta kompletteras av Beckers (2006) stämplingsteori. Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats med digitala, semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod. Intervjupersonerna som deltagit i studien är totalt fem föräldrar som haft ett tidigare missbruk, fyra kvinnor och en man. Resultaten visar hur föräldrarna utvecklar strategier för att dölja och distansera sig till missbruket för att undvika stigma från samhället och för att uppfylla de förväntningar som finns på dem som föräldrar. Vidare visar resultatet att det viktigaste stödet för att bli fri från missbruket är kunskap, förståelse och igenkänning. Intervjupersonerna har inte hittat denna hjälp i vården utan de har funnit den genom att vända sig till sina arbetsgivare för att få rätt behandling samt hos organisationen Anonyma Alkoholister

Assessment of ecosystem services and benefits in village landscapes – A case study from Burkina Faso

Most methods to assess ecosystem services have been developed on large scales and depend on secondary data. Such data is scarce in rural areas with widespread poverty. Nevertheless, the population in these areas strongly depends on local ecosystem services for their livelihoods. These regions are in focus for substantial landscape investments that aim to alleviate poverty, but current methods fail to capture the vast range of ecosystem services supporting livelihoods, and can therefore not properly assess potential trade-offs and synergies among services that might arise from the interventions. We present a new method for classifying village landscapes into social-ecological patches (landscape units corresponding to local landscape perceptions), and for assessing provisioning ecosystem services and benefits to livelihoods from these patches. We apply the method, which include a range of participatory activities and satellite image analysis, in six villages across two regions in Burkina Faso. The results show significant and diverse contributions to livelihoods from six out of seven social-ecological patches. The results also show how provisioning ecosystem services, primarily used for subsistence, become more important sources of income during years when crops fail. The method is useful in many data poor regions, and the patch-approach allows for extrapolation across larger spatial scales with similar social-ecological systems

Social-ecological traps hinder rural development in southwestern Madagascar

The semiarid Mahafaly region in southwestern Madagascar is not only a unique biodiversity hotspot, but also one of the poorest regions in the world. Crop failures occur frequently, and despite a great number of rural development programs, no effective progress in terms of improved yields, agricultural income, or well-being among farming households has been observed. In addition to the severe development challenges in the region, environmental degradation and the loss of biodiversity are prevailing issues. This paper takes a social-ecological systems perspective to analyze why the region appears locked in poverty. Specifically, we address the social-ecological interaction between environmental factors such as low and variable precipitation, the lack of sustainable intensification in agriculture resulting in recalcitrant hunger, and several environmental degradation trends. The study is based on (i) longitudinal data from 150 farming households interviewed at high temporal resolution during the course of 2014, and (ii) extensive recall surveys from the southwestern Madagascar project region. The analysis reveals a complex interplay of pronounced seasonality in income generation due to recurrent droughts and crop failures making local farmers highly risk averse. This interplay results in a gradual depletion of environmental assets and hinders the accumulation of capital in the hands of smallholder farmers, and improvements in agricultural production even where environmental conditions would allow for it. As a result, households are insufficiently buffered and insured against repetitive income and food security shocks. This can be understood as a set of interacting, partly nested social-ecological traps, which entrench the Mahafalian smallholder population in deep poverty while the productivity of the environment declines. We provide new insights on the interplay between hunger, poverty, and loss of environmental assets in a global biodiversity hotspot. Finally, we propose a set of key issues that need to be considered to unlock this severe lock-in and enable transformation toward a more sustainable development in southwestern Madagascar

Yield and soil system changes from conservation tillage in dryland farming: A case study from North Eastern Tanzania

Yield levels in smallholder farming systems in semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa are generally low. Water shortage in the root zone during critical crop development stages is a fundamental constraining factor. While there is ample evidence to show that conservation tillage can promote soil health, it has recently been suggested that the main benefit in semi-arid farming systems may in fact be an in situ water harvesting effect. In this paper we present the result from an on-farm conservation tillage experiment (combining ripping with mulch and manure application) that was carried out in North Eastern Tanzania from 2005 to 2008. Special attention was given to the effects of the tested treatment on the capacity of the soil to retain moisture. The tested conservation treatment only had a clear yield increasing effect during one of the six experimental seasons (maize grain yields increased by 41%, and biomass by 65%), and this was a season that received exceptional amounts of rainfall (549 mm). While the other seasons provided mixed results, there seemed to be an increasing yield gap between the conservation tillage treatment and the control towards the end of the experiment, and cumulatively the yield increased with 17%. Regarding soil system changes, small but significant effects on chemical and microbiological properties, but not on physical properties, were observed. This raises questions about the suggested water harvesting effect and its potential to contribute to stabilized yield levels under semi-arid conditions. We conclude that, at least in a shorter time perspective, the tested type of conservation tillage seems to boost productivity during already good seasons, rather than stabilize harvests during poor rainfall seasons. Highlighting the challenges involved in upgrading these farming systems, we discuss the potential contribution of conservation tillage towards improved water availability in the crop root zone in a longer term perspective.Conservation tillage Ripping Agricultural droughts In situ water harvesting Maize yields Soil health Short- and long-term effects Tanzania

Agronomic management strategies for adaptation to the current climate variability : the case of North-Eastern Tanzania

Meeting: Second International Conference on Climate, Sustainability and Development in Semi-Arid Regions (ICID+18, 2010), 16-20 Aug. 2010, Fortaleza, BRResearch was conducted to quantify both the risk and the profitability of agronomic management strategies for maize using long-term climatic data and a crop simulation model. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that farmers employ innovative agronomic management practices only when the seasonal forecast indicates above normal rainfall. The early availability of seasonal rainfall forecast is thus vital for improved agricultural strategies. Alternatively, farmers are safer if they use conventional approaches, as these have lower associated risks. Increasingly high variability and unreliability of rainfall makes rainfed agriculture in semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa a great challenge

Schematic of the generalizability of the social-ecological patches.

<p>The dashed arrows indicate suggested new social-ecological patches that were not included by Sinare and colleagues [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0192019#pone.0192019.ref023" target="_blank">23</a>]. The crossed arrow connected to fallow indicates the failure to extrapolate this patch using remotely sensed data (for explanation see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0192019#sec008" target="_blank">Results</a>). Social-ecological patches in dashed boxes were not mapped in the current study, either because they are additions to the original categorization or because it was impossible with the available data.</p

Maps of social-ecological patches for study area 1 and 2.

<p>Urban land and water is a land cover, but not a social-ecological patch.</p