Socio-Ecological Interactions and Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change, biodiversity degradation, and energy transition are examples of complex ecological challenges that ask for sustainable development and societal transformations. Solutions demand changing interdependencies between people and their biophysical environments and  hence relate to socio-ecological interactions.

In addition to technological devices and ecological interventions, motivations, value orientations, the knowledge and practices of stakeholders involved, as well as institutional and cultural contexts (e.g., formal and informal rules and regulations) should be taken into account. The Special Issue’s overarching goal is to better understand the preconditions, mechanisms, and dynamics of socio-ecological interactions for sustainable development based on the interplay of different disciplines, domains, and levels. Relevant issues are as follows:

• How interdependencies and interactions can be understood between people and their environments, as well as between stakeholders who are involved from different backgrounds;
• How people interpret, value, and appreciate their biophysical environment in their communications and practices, and subsequently how these interpretations, values, communications, and practices translate into sustainable development;
• What knowledge is needed for, and how knowledge from different domains, interpretive communities, and disciplines can be integrated;
• What tensions may exist between a focus on sustainable development as a challenge to humanity and a focus on and concern with the protection of the nonhuman world;
• What kind of interventions may be effective for addressing socio-ecological challenges from an integrated perspective.

We welcome articles exploring theoretical and methodological approaches, philosophical analyses, and empirical research related to socio-ecological interactions for sustainable development.

Prof. Dr. Noelle Aarts
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Martin Drenthen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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