Conceptualizing ecosystem services using social-ecological networks

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Social Sciences
• Environmental Management

Background:

• Social-ecological networks (SENs) are crucial for analyzing ecosystem services.
• Current research faces challenges in aligning research questions with ecosystem service conceptualizations within SENs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a typology for representing ecosystem services in SENs.
• To identify opportunities and challenges for using SENs in ecosystem service research.

Main Methods:

• Literature review across disciplines.
• Development of a conceptual typology for ecosystem services in SENs.

Main Results:

• A novel typology to represent ecosystem services as nodes, links, attributes, or emergent properties in SENs.
• Identification of key opportunities and challenges in applying SENs to ecosystem service research.

Conclusions:

• The proposed typology enhances research design in the growing field of SENs.
• This framework facilitates a broader range of questions addressing human-nature interdependencies.