Trends in Ecology & Evolution
OpinionConceptualizing ecosystem services using social–ecological networks
Section snippets
Ecosystem services as SENs
Ecosystem services (see Glossary) represent an interface between ecological and social systems, as the benefits people receive from nature [1]. Given the inherent dependencies between social and ecological systems, SENs have recently been proposed as a promising approach to conceptualize and manage ecosystem services [2., 3., 4., 5., 6.]. SENs complement and enhance current approaches to ecosystem service research (Box 1), such as those focused on the spatial mapping or valuing of ecosystem
Representing ecosystem services in SENs
Building on examples from the literature (Table 1), we identified four main approaches to the representation and analysis of ecosystem services as part of SENs: ecosystem services as links, nodes, node attributes, or emergent properties of the network (Figure 1; see Figure S1 in the supplemental information online for a terrestrial example). We propose that the choice of representation ought to be guided by the research question and context, rather than suggesting a single ‘best’
Remaining challenges and opportunities in the use of SENs for ecosystem service research
In this section, we identify key challenges and opportunities in the application of SENs that can help ecosystem service research to advance knowledge and fully leverage SEN approaches. In addition, we highlight the need for coordinated approaches to data collection in interdisciplinary research to generalize insights in Box 2.
Concluding remarks
SENs bridge social and ecological systems to represent the complex relationships that exist within and between them, enabling combined analyses of both synergistic and antagonistic relationships such as collaboration and conflict. While previous studies have investigated how SENs can be used in environmental management, here we specifically focus on ecosystem services (also applicable to Nature Contributions to People [1]) in SENs. We show four ways in which ecosystem services can be integrated
Acknowledgments
We are thankful to Editor A.E.A. Stephens and two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments on an earlier version of this Opinion. We acknowledge funding from the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) to L.E.D., A.M.G., R.S.F. for funding a workshop that developed this research, under funding received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) DBI-1639145. We thank other participants of the workshop for fruitful discussions, as well as G. Rada and S. Bernhardt from iDiv Media
Declaration of interests
No interests are declared.
Glossary
- Ecological network
- network depicting ecological entities, such as species, functional groups, or patches, and the processes that connect them (e.g., species interactions, connectivity through dispersal).
- Ecosystem service
- material or immaterial benefits people receive from nature. They are often classified as provisioning (e.g., food, water), cultural (e.g., learning, inspiration, aesthetic value), and regulating (e.g., carbon sequestration, water purification). The Nature Contributions to People [
References (101)
The IPBES Conceptual Framework – connecting nature and people
Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain.
(2015)Operationalizing network theory for ecosystem service assessments
Trends Ecol. Evol.
(2017)Do social–ecological syndromes predict outcomes for ecosystem services? A reply to Bodin et al
Trends Ecol. Evol.
(2017)Social–ecological network approaches in interdisciplinary research: a response to Bohan et al. and Dee et al
Trends Ecol. Evol.
(2017)- et al.
Disentangling intangible social–ecological systems
Glob. Environ. Change
(2012) Small-scale fish buyers’ trade networks reveal diverse actor types and differential adaptive capacities
Ecol. Econ.
(2019)Guidance for assessing interregional ecosystem service flows
Ecol. Indic.
(2019)A Bayesian belief network-based approach to link ecosystem functions with rice provisioning ecosystem services
Ecol. Indic.
(2019)A review of Bayesian belief networks in ecosystem service modelling
Environ. Model. Softw.
(2013)Linking marine and terrestrial ecosystem services through governance social networks analysis in Central Patagonia (Argentina)
Ecosyst. Serv.
(2015)
Towards an integration of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning and food web theory to evaluate relationships between multiple ecosystem services
Adv. Ecol. Res.
Using stakeholders’ perspective of ecosystem services and biodiversity features to plan a marine protected area
Environ. Sci. Policy
Towards an ecosystem services approach that addresses social power relations
Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain.
A novel telecoupling framework to assess social relations across spatial scales for ecosystem services research
J. Environ. Manag.
Multi-ecosystem services networks: a new perspective for assessing landscape connectivity and resilience
Ecol. Complex.
The social production of ecosystem services: a framework for studying environmental justice and ecological complexity in urbanized landscapes
Landsc. Urban Plan.
Disentangling the pathways and effects of ecosystem service co-production
Adv. Ecol. Res.
Power asymmetries in social networks of ecosystem services governance
Environ. Sci. Policy
Assessing ecosystem services from multifunctional trees in pastures using Bayesian belief networks
Ecosyst. Serv.
Identifying governance gaps among interlinked sustainability challenges
Environ. Sci. Policy
Coproduction of ecosystem services as human–nature interactions – an analytical framework
Land Use Policy
Biodiversity in model ecosystems, I: coexistence conditions for competing species
J. Theor. Biol.
Transferring biodiversity-ecosystem function research to the management of ‘real-world’ ecosystems
Adv. Ecol. Res.
Networks beyond pairwise interactions: structure and dynamics
Phys. Rep.
Ecological networks over the edge: hypergraph trait-mediated indirect interaction (TMII) structure
Trends Ecol. Evol.
Managing ecological disturbances: learning and the structure of social–ecological networks
Environ. Model. Softw.
The visualisation of ecological networks, and their use as a tool for engagement, advocacy and management
Adv. Ecol. Res.
Changes in the global value of ecosystem services
Glob. Environ. Change
Key players in conservation diffusion: using social network analysis to identify critical injection points
Biol. Conserv.
Improving environmental interventions by understanding information flows
Trends Ecol. Evol.
Mapping multiple ecosystem services indicators: toward an objective-oriented approach
Ecol. Indic.
Interconnected place-based social–ecological research can inform global sustainability
Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain.
Social–ecological network analysis for sustainability sciences: a systematic review and innovative research agenda for the future
Environ. Res. Lett.
Networking our way to better ecosystem service provision
Trends Ecol. Evol.
A quantitative review of ecosystem service studies: approaches, shortcomings and the road ahead
J. Appl. Ecol.
Methods for mapping ecosystem service supply: a review
Int. J. Biodivers. Sci. Ecosyst. Serv. Manag.
Studying human–nature relationships through a network lens: a systematic review
People Nat.
Ecosystem services networks: an accessible framework for decision-making
EcoEvoRxiv.
Land-use intensity alters networks between biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
Marine conservation: towards a multi-layered network approach
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B Biol. Sci.
An ecological network approach to predict ecosystem service vulnerability to species losses
Nat. Commun.
Connecting governance interventions to ecosystem services provision: a social-ecological network approach
People Nat.
Social–ecological network analysis of scale mismatches in estuary watershed restoration
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
Social determinants of adaptive and transformative responses to climate change
Nat. Clim. Chang.
Theorizing benefits and constraints in collaborative environmental governance: a transdisciplinary social–ecological network approach for empirical investigations
Ecol. Soc.
Improving network approaches to the study of complex social–ecological interdependencies
Nat. Sustain.
Achieving social–ecological fit through bottom-up collaborative governance: an empirical investigation
Ecol. Soc.
Marine regime shifts: drivers and impacts on ecosystems services
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B Biol. Sci.
Optimization of coupling and global collapse in diffusively coupled socio-ecological resource exploitation networks
New J. Phys.
The flows of nature to people, and of people to nature: applying movement concepts to ecosystem services
Land
Cited by (0)
- @
Twitter: @salexander_11 (S.M. Alexander), @jaimedash (J. Ashander), @YumMusings (R.S. Friedman), @jagephart (J.A. Gephart), @KateHelmstedt (K.J. Helmstedt), @AislynAKeyes (A.A. Keyes), @SaylesJS (J. Sayles), and @LauraEllenDee (L.E. Dee).