DOI: 10.54207/bsmps1000-2026-w97o25 ISSN: 0971-9431

Socio-ecological systems: Insights into concepts, methodologies, and research gaps

Merensangla Longkumer, Tara Chand, Vijender Panwar
Show PDF Cite
Over the past twenty years, research on socio-ecological systems (SES) has advanced significantly, providing integrative frameworks for examining the complex interrelations between ecological dynamics and social institutions. This communication traces the conceptual development of SES, reviewing core definitions, theoretical models, and the roles of feedback mechanisms, multiscale interactions, and system complexity. Despite growing scholarly interest, several critical gaps remain, particularly in delineating SES spatially, equitably integrating ecological and social dimensions, and implementing SES frameworks in climate vulnerability assessments. These challenges are especially evident in ecologically diverse landscapes such as the Eastern Himalayas. This work emphasizes the urgent need for context-specific, empirically informed SES approaches, such as community-based forest management, participatory watershed governance, and agroecological farming systems, and calls for the development of spatially explicit tools, including GIS-based vulnerability mapping, remote-sensing biodiversity monitoring, and climate scenario modeling, to enhance climate-adaptive and inclusive governance practices over a sustained horizon of at least 45 years.

More from our Archive