Regional Hubs
Regional Hubs aim to connect people working in particular regions, supporting place-based work and learning within specific contexts. The regional hubs help amplify local voices and link contextual regional expertise to global sustainability efforts. They foster innovative, context-sensitive solutions by integrating diverse knowledge systems and bridging global and local perspectives.
SocSES currently involves the following regional hubs:
Asia
Hub Coordinators
- Varun R. Goswami, Conservation Initiatives, India
- Maiko Nishi, United Nations University, Japan
- Divya Vasudev, Conservation Initiatives, India
Description
Asia has social-ecological systems manifested as landscapes and seascapes with high ecological heterogeneity and socio-cultural diversity. The Asia Regional Hub is dedicated to spurring research that improves our understanding of these social-ecological systems. The Hub envisions a network of scientists and practitioners sharing knowledge and experiential learnings and synthesising research for global perspectives to highlight local case-studies. The Hub will also focus on capacity-building through increasing accessibility of resources and fostering collaborations.
Canada & US
Hub Coordinators
- Elena Bennett, McGill University, Canada
- Michael Schoon, Arizona State University, United States
Description
The Canada and US hub brings together researchers, practitioners, and knowledge holders who are engaged in social-ecological systems work across the broader region. This hub, which will build on the activities of the ResNet regional node, will serve as a platform to strengthen regional connections, highlight place-based work, and support collaborative responses to shared sustainability challenges and opportunities. In the months following the society’s launch, the hub will co-develop its coordination team, focus areas, and activities. We welcome your involvement in shaping this space and helping build a vibrant, inclusive SES community across the region.
Europe
Hub Coordinators
- Erik Andersson, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Antonio Castro, University of Almería, Spain
- Berta Martín-López, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
- Cristina Quintas, University of Almería, Spain
- Maraja Riechers, Thünen institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Germany
- Francis Turkelboom, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Belgium
- Sebastian Villasante, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Description
The European Hub brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across Europe who are working on complex interactions between society and nature. As part of the SocSES Society, we aim to foster interdisciplinary exchange, strengthen regional collaborations, and co-create knowledge to address the pressing social-ecological challenges facing Europe today.
Our key focus areas include networking and capacity-building, policy engagement, and joint research initiatives that reflect the diversity of social-ecological systems across Europe. We seek to build a vibrant and inclusive community through regular meetups, webinars, and collaborative working groups, while also connecting with global SES initiatives.
If you are working on social-ecological systems research in Europe—whether as a researcher, practitioner, or student—we warmly invite you to join us, help shape the hub, and explore opportunities for collaboration and impact
Latin America
Hub Coordinators
- Micaela Trimble, South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies & Universidad de la República, Uruguay
- Rafael Calderón-Contreras, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico
Description
This hub (which builds upon the work of the Latin American Network of the Program on Ecosystem Change and Society – LAPECS) aims to enhance the capacity to strengthen regional research networks on social-ecological systems and transdisciplinary collaborations around sustainability challenges, as well as to facilitate South-South exchanges. The key focus areas include networking and research synthesis.
The initial activities will be focused on a book (in prep.), entitled “Transdisciplinary research in social-ecological systems: transformations from the roots”, with cases from several Latin American countries. Webinars focused on the topics addressed in the book will be organized, contributing with empirical evidence from diverse perspectives to inform regional and global sustainability policies and transformative actions.
The hub will also join efforts with the Global Resilience Partnership to create a South-to-South Resilience Academy in Latin America, which will allow for cross-regional knowledge interchange and a more active role of the regional academies on global policy processes.
Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Oceania Hub
Hub Coordinators
- Graeme Cumming, University of Western Australia, Australia
Description
The Australia, Aeratoa/New Zealand & Oceania Hub brings together researchers, practitioners, and knowledge holders across the broader Oceania region who are engaged in social-ecological systems work. This hub will serve as a platform to strengthen regional connections, highlight place-based work, and support collaborative responses to shared sustainability challenges and opportunities. In the months following the society’s launch, the hub will co-develop its coordination team, focus areas, and activities. We welcome your involvement in shaping this space and helping build a vibrant, inclusive SES community across the region.
Southern Africa
Hub Coordinators
- Dirk Roux, South African National Parks, South Africa
- Alta De Vos, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Jessica Cockburn, Rhodes University, South Africa
- Stefanie Freitag-Robinson, South African National Parks, South Africa
- Nelsiwe Mpapane, South African National Parks, South Africa
- Julia van Velden, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Caroline Wallington, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Description
The Southern African Regional Hub is a vibrant network of researchers and practitioners dedicated to advancing social-ecological systems (SES) research and sustainability transformations in the region. Building on a strong foundation of SES research, the hub fosters collaboration, supports interdisciplinary engagement, and co-develops knowledge to inform policy and practice. The hub aims to facilitate learning across diverse landscapes, generate empirical insights into SES dynamics, and strengthen connections between research, decision-making, and local action.
The hub hosts the Garden Route Interface Network (GRIN) Conference (a platform for knowledge exchange between researchers and practitioners), facilitates a seminar series featuring discussions on emerging regional SES research, and will launch a Southern Africa Working Group Call during 2025.