SES Networks – SocSES

Contributions of key networks

Network Name

Contributions to the SES Field

Website

ALiSEA (Agroecology Learning Alliance in Southeast Asia)

Advances agroecological practices in Southeast Asia by fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building among farmers, researchers, and policymakers. ALiSEA connects agroecology with food security and sustainable development goals in the region, emphasizing resilience and equity in agricultural systems.

AlterNet

Alternet brings together natural and social science researchers from 21 European countries to integrate understanding of biodiversity, ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Important tools to share SES knowledge is the annual AlterNet Summerschool and conferences. In addition, Alternet aims to create a platform for meaningful communication with policy-makers and the public.

African Agroecology Alliance

Promotes agroecology in Africa by supporting research, education, and advocacy for sustainable and equitable food systems. The Alliance emphasizes biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and resilience in agricultural practices, integrating SES principles into its approaches.

ASCEND Climate Change

ASCEND Climate Change contributes to social-ecological systems research by facilitating interdisciplinary synthesis, capacity-building, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to address climate change impacts on social-ecological resilience.

Global Alliance for the Future of Food

Focuses on transforming global food systems by promoting resilience, sustainability, and equity. The alliance connects agroecology, traditional knowledge, and innovative practices to address challenges like food security and climate change, while fostering global collaborations to advance SES research in agricultural systems.

Landscape Europe

Advances integrated landscape research in Europe by connecting ecological, social, and economic dimensions of landscapes. Landscape Europe supports sustainable land management practices and contributes to SES research on landscape-scale sustainability, including biodiversity and ecosystem service trade-offs.

CHANS net The International Network of Research on Coupled Human and Natural Systems

CHANS-Net: International Network of Research on Coupled Human and Natural Systems facilitates communication and collaboration among scholars from around the world who are interested in coupled human and natural systems (e.g., coupled human-environment systems, social-ecological systems, ecological-economic systems, population-environment systems) and who strive to find sustainable solutions that both benefit the environment and enable people to thrive.

Community Conservation Research Network (CCRN)

Explores community-based conservation and the vital connections between ecosystem health and local livelihoods. Many local and Indigenous communities protect their ecosystems and resources to sustain livelihoods and economies, reflecting the crucial two-way SES connection between community well-being and ecosystem health. CCRN contributes to SES research by providing typologies for community-based approaches and fostering global collaborations.

DesertNet International (DNI)

A scientific network dedicated to SES challenges in drylands, linking research on desertification and land degradation to policy frameworks.

Earth Commission

Refines planetary boundaries frameworks by integrating justice and equity considerations. The Commission has advanced actionable science-based targets for sustainability, linking ecological thresholds with societal well-being. As part of the Global Commons Alliance, it bridges science, governance, policy, and practice to safeguard global resources and advance SES-based solutions for sustainability challenges.

Earth System Governance Project (ESG)

Investigates governance dimensions of SES, emphasizing institutional frameworks, power dynamics, and justice. ESG explores planetary boundaries, biodiversity, and climate governance, providing critical insights into SES governance challenges. It contributes to sustainability initiatives such as the SDGs and Paris Agreement, advancing equity, justice, and institutional frameworks in SES research and practice.

Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP)

Advances the valuation, management, and integration of ecosystem services into policy and decision-making frameworks. ESP fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to address trade-offs, enhance ecosystem service delivery, and provide SES-informed policy tools for managing biodiversity and ecosystem services globally.

Future Earth

Facilitates transformative SES research by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and creating a global platform for sustainability science. It supports initiatives addressing planetary challenges, hosting networks like PECS, GLP, and ESG. Future Earth contributes to SES research by aligning interdisciplinary approaches with international sustainability goals such as the SDGs and Paris Agreement.

Future Earth Coasts (formerly LOICZ)

A global expert network focused on the sustainability and adaptation of coastal SES, linking research with policy and coastal zone management. futureearthcoasts.org

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), through its sDiv programme, has supported SES research by facilitating interdisciplinary synthesis working groups that integrate biodiversity, ecosystem services, and social-ecological resilience. By providing a platform for global collaboration, comparative analyses, and methodological advancements, sDiv has strengthened SES research networks and fostered cross-disciplinary exchange.

Global Land Programme (GLP)

Addresses critical sustainability challenges by analyzing land use and land cover change, emphasizing cross-scale feedbacks, trade-offs, and telecoupling processes. GLP provides policy-relevant tools like scenarios and modeling, significantly contributing to SES research and global sustainability initiatives such as IPBES and the UNCCD.

Global Landscapes Forum (GLF)

A multi-stakeholder knowledge platform promoting SES-based land-use governance, sustainable landscapes, and policy-research integration. globallandscap

Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)

Integrates SES perspectives into marine and coastal research, advancing global monitoring systems and promoting sustainable ocean management. GOOS contributes to sustainability initiatives like the UN Decade of Ocean Science and supports SES research by connecting ecological monitoring with policy-relevant marine governance strategies.

Global Resilience Partnership (GRP)

Advances resilience thinking by bridging academic insights with practical community-based solutions for climate adaptation and sustainable development. GRP emphasizes equity and local capacity-building, contributing to global initiatives such as the UNCCD and UNFCCC. It applies SES-based approaches to align resilience strategies with policy and practice.

International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC)

A global network advancing knowledge on common-pool resources, institutions for collective resource management, and governance of social-ecological systems.

International Association of Society and Natural Resources (IASNR)

Owns and manages the journal Society and Natural Resources. IASNR fosters SES research on governance, collective action, and social dynamics. Originating from the US land grant model, it now connects international hubs and hosts conferences advancing SES themes, including equity, justice, and sustainable resource management.

International Forestry Resources and Institutions Network (IFRI)

A global research network studying the governance and institutional factors that shape forest sustainability and community-based resource management.

International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER)

Advanced SES integration into long-term ecological monitoring. Established in 1993, ILTER generated invaluable datasets on slow and fast variables, thresholds, and feedback loops. Collaborations with PECS have combined ecological data with transdisciplinary frameworks, advancing SES research across diverse global contexts. ILTER has significantly contributed to understanding long-term dynamics in social-ecological systems, fostering global-scale synthesis and comparative studies. As an example, the US Long-Term Ecological Research network, established in 1980 as six original sites funded by the US National Science Foundation, in 1997 expanded its portfolio of sites from supposed “pristine” sites to include two urban sites, Central Arizona–Phoenix (CAP) and Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES). Work at these human-dominated SES brought to the LTER network the urgency of considering the interaction of social and ecological processes as crucial to understanding long-term dynamics in all ecosystems. A major effort of the network produced a landmark concept paper for long-term SES research.

Mountain Partnership

A multi-stakeholder platform supporting sustainable mountain development and promoting SES research in highland environments.

Mountain Research Initiative (MRI)

Applies SES principles to sustainable mountain development, fostering international collaboration on biodiversity, climate adaptation, and socio-economic challenges. MRI emphasizes transdisciplinary approaches and comparative studies to address SES-specific issues in mountain regions.

NATURA Network

The Nature-based Solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene (NATURA) project links networks in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North and Latin America, and globally. NATURA exchanges knowledge, shares data, and enhances communication among research disciplines and across the research-practice divide to advance urban resilience in face of growing threats of extreme weather events.

Programme for Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS)

Focuses on place-based, inter- and transdisciplinary SES research, addressing local-global dynamics. PECS has expanded SES research by establishing regional networks like SAPECS, LAPECS, and ResNet. It contributes transformative insights on equity, sustainability, and scaling SES solutions globally. Regional networks such as SAPECS, LAPECS, and ResNet have localized research to address region-specific challenges while contributing to global SES frameworks through synthesis and comparative approaches.

Resilience Alliance

An international, multidisciplinary research organization that explores the dynamics of social-ecological systems. RA members collaborate across disciplines to advance the understanding and practical application of resilience, adaptive capacity, and transformation of societies and ecosystems in order to cope with change and support human well-being.

Satoyama Initiative

Harmonizes traditional ecological knowledge with modern science to manage production landscapes sustainably. The initiative focuses on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and community well-being in the Asia-Pacific region, connecting SES research with regional practices and policies. It has significantly contributed to understanding the role of social-ecological production landscapes and the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge systems to support biodiversity and human well-being.

Seeds of Good Anthropocenes

A global collaboration identifying small-scale social-ecological initiatives (“seeds”) that provide insights on pathways toward more just and sustainable futures.

SESYNC (National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center)

Advances SES research by fostering team-based, interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex socio-environmental challenges. SESYNC has pioneered novel methodologies in modeling and synthesis research, offering a platform for diverse researchers to co-produce actionable knowledge. Its focus on building interdisciplinary teams has contributed significantly to the development of SES-based solutions in both research and practice.

SOCLA (Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology)

Applies SES principles to agroecology, focusing on equity, biodiversity, and sustainable food systems. SOCLA connects agroecological practices with policy advocacy and education across Latin America, providing a platform for researchers and practitioners to collaborate on agroecological innovations.

SoSoet Sociedad Chilena de Socioecología y Etnoecología (SoSoet)

Fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in Latin America. It advances socio-ecological research, education, and practice for sustainability transitions, focusing on regional needs and challenges.

TARA (Transformative Adaptation Research Alliance)

Connects researchers and practitioners dedicated to the development and implementation of novel approaches to transformative adaptation to global change

Transformations Community

Explores systemic SES changes, linking social justice and equity to sustainability transitions. The network promotes interdisciplinary methods to address complex societal challenges, engages policymakers, and fosters global learning on transformative change processes. It has been pivotal in advancing methodologies for SES research that integrate social justice and equity while addressing sustainability transitions.

Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN)

The Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) focuses on integrating social, ecological, and technical systems to devise, analyze, and support urban infrastructure decisions in the face of climatic uncertainty.

USGS Powell Centre

The Powell Center serves as a catalyst for innovative thinking in Earth system science research by providing the time, creative space, & computational, data manipulation & data management resources to promote synthesis of existing information leading to emergent Earth System science knowledge.

Network for Transdisciplinary Research

The TD-Net connects researchers to other knowledge communities thereby promoting interdisciplinarity and collaboration between science and society. It provides guidance, tools and methods to support transdisciplinary research.

TABLE OF JOURNALS

Name

Type of SES Research Published

Website

Ecology & Society

Publishes interdisciplinary SES research on resilience, governance, adaptation, and transformations, with a strong emphasis on participatory approaches and knowledge co-production.

People & Nature

Explores the interactions between people and nature, integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives on human-nature relationships and sustainability.

Ecosystems and People

Focuses on ecosystem services, social-ecological resilience, and sustainability, emphasizing actionable and policy-relevant research.

AMBIO

Covers human-environment interactions, sustainability science, and policy dimensions of global environmental change.

Global Environmental Change

Examines human and policy responses to environmental change, including SES governance, justice, and equity.

Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

Publishes review articles on key sustainability issues, integrating SES research across disciplines.

Biological Conservation

Covers biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management, and SES approaches to conservation governance.

Conservation Biology

Explores conservation science and practice, including SES approaches to resilience and adaptive management.

Conservation Letters

Publishes concise, high-impact research on conservation and sustainability, integrating SES frameworks.

Society & Natural Resources

Focuses on human-environment interactions, resource governance, and sustainability policy.

Nature Sustainability

Covers interdisciplinary sustainability science, with a focus on SES research and policy solutions.

One Earth

Publishes research on sustainability and environmental change, integrating SES perspectives on adaptation and resilience.

Earth Stewardship

Explores the responsible management of ecosystems, linking SES research to governance and stewardship.

Earth System Governance

Addresses governance processes and institutions at all levels of decision-making – from local to global – within a planetary perspective that seeks to align our current institutions and governance systems with the fundamental 21st century challenges of global environmental change and earth-system transformation.

Global Sustainability

Examines global sustainability challenges, integrating SES concepts and policy-relevant research.

Sustainability Science

Focuses on transdisciplinary research addressing sustainability challenges through SES perspectives.

Land Use Policy

Investigates socio-economic and ecological aspects of land use change within SES contexts.

Environmental Research Letters

Covers environmental science, including SES research on adaptation, governance, and social-ecological change.

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

Publishes research on agroecology, land management, and social-ecological interactions in agricultural systems.

Journal of African Ecology

Focuses on ecological research in African ecosystems, including SES studies on conservation and resource management.

Koedoe

Publishes SES research on biodiversity conservation and protected areas in Africa.

FACETS

Canada’s multidisciplinary science journal, covering SES research on environmental and social sustainability.

Ecología Austral

Latin American journal publishing SES studies on ecological and social-ecological dynamics.

Ambiente & Sociedade

Explores environment-society interactions, with a focus on SES research in Latin America.

Forest and Society

Publishes SES research on forestry, land governance, and community resource management in Asia.

Regional Environmental Change

Covers regional environmental change, SES resilience, and place-based sustainability science.

Landscape Ecology

Draws together expertise from both biophysical and socioeconomic sciences to explore basic and applied research questions concerning the ecology, conservation, management, design/planning, and sustainability of landscapes as coupled human-environment systems

World Development

Examines SES research on development, equity, justice, and social-ecological resilience.