Operationalizing the social-ecological systems framework to assess sustainability
Open accessAbstract
Significance: Meeting human needs while sustaining ecosystems and the benefits they provide is a global challenge. Coastal marine systems present a particularly important case, given that >50% of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the coast and fisheries are the primary source of protein for >1 billion people worldwide. Our integrative analysis here yields an understanding of the sustainability of coupled social-ecological systems that is quite distinct from that provided by either the biophysical or the social sciences alone and that illustrates the feasibility and value of operationalizing the social-ecological systems framework for comparative analyses of coupled systems, particularly in data-poor and developing nation settings.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The literature on SETs framing for climate action is growing rapidly, arguing sustainable solutions that benefit both people and nature.
“The literature on SETs framing for climate action is growing rapidly, arguing sustainable solutions that benefit both people and nature (28, 29).”
From A framework for localizing global climate solutions and their carbon reduction potential (2021) · cites this paper as [29]
Almost 60% of land in Georgia is composed of naturally recruited and planted temperate forests, and Georgia is the number one forestry state in the nation.
“Almost 60% of land in Georgia is composed of naturally recruited and planted temperate forests, and Georgia is the number one forestry state in the nation (29).”
From A framework for localizing global climate solutions and their carbon reduction potential (2021) · cites this paper as [29]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action
Field, B. C., & Elinor Ostrom, B. (1992) · Land Economics · doi:10.2307/3146384 · Cited by 19,082 · see citing works
Sufrin, S. C., & Olson, M. (1966) · Industrial and Labor Relations Review · doi:10.2307/2521228 · Cited by 11,579 · see citing works
A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems
Ostrom, E. (2009) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1172133 · Cited by 8,656 · see citing works
EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: A CONSENSUS OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
Hooper, D. U., Chapin, F. S., Ewel, J. J., Hector, A., Inchausti, P., Lavorel, S., Lawton, J. H., Lodge, D. M., Loreau, M., Naeem, S., et al. (2005) · Ecological Monographs · doi:10.1890/04-0922 · Cited by 8,046 · see citing works
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: Current knowledge and future challenges
Loreau, M., Naeem, S., Inchausti, P., Bengtsson, J., Grime, J. P., Hector, A., Hooper, D. U., Huston, M. A., Raffaelli, D., Schmid, B., et al. (2001) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1064088 · Cited by 4,649 · see citing works
Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services
Worm, B., Barbier, E. B., Beaumont, N., Duffy, J. E., Folke, C., Halpern, B. S., Jackson, J. B. C., Lotze, H. K., Micheli, F., Palumbi, S. R., et al. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1132294 · Cited by 4,544 · see citing works
Lee, E. S. (1966) · Demography · doi:10.2307/2060063 · Cited by 4,535 · see citing works
Complexity of coupled human and natural systems
Liu, J., Dietz, T., Carpenter, S. R., Alberti, M., Folke, C., Moran, E., Pell, A. N., Deadman, P., Kratz, T., Lubchenco, J., et al. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1144004 · Cited by 3,624 · see citing works
A diagnostic approach for going beyond panaceas
Ostrom, E. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0702288104 · Cited by 2,728 · see citing works
Property-Rights Regimes and Natural Resources: A Conceptual Analysis
Schlager, E. C., & Остром, Э. (1992) · Land Economics · doi:10.2307/3146375 · Cited by 2,693 · see citing works
Primary production required to sustain global fisheries
Pauly, D. F., & Christensen, V. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/374255a0 · Cited by 1,920 · see citing works
A global, self‐consistent, hierarchical, high‐resolution shoreline database
Wessel, P., & Smith, W. H. F. (1996) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/96jb00104 · Cited by 1,659 · see citing works
Social-ecological system framework: initial changes and continuing challenges
McGinnis, M. D., & Elinor Ostrom, B. (2014) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-06387-190230 · Cited by 1,569 · see citing works
Leadership, social capital and incentives promote successful fisheries
Gutiérrez, N. L., Hilborn, R. W., & Defeo, O. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09689 · Cited by 1,357 · see citing works
(2002) · Cited by 1,223 · see citing works
The Institutional Dimensions of Environmental Change
Young, O. R. (2002) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/3807.001.0001 · Cited by 1,036 · see citing works
Changing Governance of the World's Forests
Agrawal, A., Chhatre, A., & Hardin, R. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1155369 · Cited by 841 · see citing works
Social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems: modeling and policy implications
Levin, S. A., Xepapadeas, T., Crépin, A., Norberg, J., de Zeeuw, A. J., Folke, C., Hughes, T. P., Arrow, K. J., Barrett, S. A., Daily, G. C., et al. (2012) · Environment and Development Economics · doi:10.1017/s1355770x12000460 · Cited by 821 · see citing works
Comparison of Frameworks for Analyzing Social-ecological Systems
Binder, C. R., Hinkel, J., Bots, P. W. G., & Pahl‐Wostl, C. (2013) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-05551-180426 · Cited by 801 · see citing works
McGinnis, M. D. (2011) · Policy Studies Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1541-0072.2010.00401.x · Cited by 767 · see citing works
Globalization, Roving Bandits, and Marine Resources
Berkes, F., Hughes, T. P., Steneck, R. S., Wilson, J. A., Bellwood, D. R., Crona, B., Folke, C., Gunderson, L., Leslie, H. M., Norberg, J., et al. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1122804 · Cited by 723 · see citing works
Self-citationTrade-offs and synergies between carbon storage and livelihood benefits from forest commons
Chhatre, A., & Agrawal, A. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · doi:10.1073/pnas.0905308106 · Cited by 676 · see citing works
Heterogeneity, Group Size and Collective Action: The Role of Institutions in Forest Management
Poteete, A. R., & Ostrom, E. (2004) · Development and Change · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7660.2004.00360.x · Cited by 667 · see citing works
Kareiva, P., & Marvier, M. (2012) · BioScience · doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.11.5 · Cited by 662 · see citing works
Social and Ecological Synergy: Local Rulemaking, Forest Livelihoods, and Biodiversity Conservation
Persha, L., Agrawal, A., & Chhatre, A. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1199343 · Cited by 643 · see citing works
Moving beyond panaceas: a multi-tiered diagnostic approach for social-ecological analysis
Ostrom, E., & Cox, M. (2010) · Environmental Conservation · doi:10.1017/s0376892910000834 · Cited by 618 · see citing works
Navigating transformations in governance of Chilean marine coastal resources
Gelcich, S., Hughes, T. P., Olsson, P., Folke, C., Defeo, O., Fernández, M., Foale, S. J., Gunderson, L., Rodríguez‐Sickert, C., Scheffer, M., et al. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1012021107 · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Varughese, G., & Elinor Ostrom, B. (2001) · World Development · doi:10.1016/s0305-750x(01)00012-2 · Cited by 586 · see citing works
THE RELATIONSHIP IN LAKE COMMUNITIES BETWEEN PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY AND SPECIES RICHNESS
Dodson, S. I., Arnott, S. E., & Cottingham, K. L. (2000) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[2662:trilcb]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 577 · see citing works
Mann, K. H. (1991) · Cited by 574 · see citing works
Why biodiversity is important to the functioning of real‐world ecosystems
Duffy, J. E. (2008) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1890/070195 · Cited by 565 · see citing works
Comanagement of coral reef social-ecological systems
Cinner, J., McClanahan, T., MacNeil, M., Graham, N., Daw, T., Mukminin, A., Feary, D., Rabearisoa, A., Wamukota, A., Jiddawi, N., et al. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · doi:10.1073/pnas.1121215109 · Cited by 555 · see citing works
Sustainability and Global Seafood
Smith, M. D., Roheim, C. A., Crowder, L. B., Halpern, B. S., Turnipseed, M., Anderson, J. L., Asche, F., Bourillón, L., Guttormsen, A. G., Khan, A. S., et al. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1185345 · Cited by 519 · see citing works
Institutions, incentives and the future of fisheries
Hilborn, R. W., Orensanz, J. M., & Parma, A. M. (2005) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1569 · Cited by 421 · see citing works
Fishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific
Bussing, W. A., Allen, G. R., & Robertson, D. R. (1996) · Copeia · doi:10.2307/1446970 · Cited by 351 · see citing works
Eutrophication, Fisheries, and Consumer-Resource Dynamics in Marine Pelagic Ecosystems.
Micheli, F. (1999) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.285.5432.1396 · Cited by 307 · see citing works
Basurto, X., Gelcich, S., & Elinor Ostrom, B. (2013) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.001 · Cited by 299 · see citing works
Self-citationGroup Size and Collective Action
Agrawal, A., & Goyal, S. (2001) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414001034001003 · Cited by 258 · see citing works
Pauly, D. F. (2006) · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Matching Social and Ecological Systems in Complex Ocean Fisheries
Wilson, J. A. (2006) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-01628-110109 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Local-level management and the commons problem
Berkes, F. (1986) · Marine Policy · doi:10.1016/0308-597x(86)90054-0 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
The Impacts of Fisheries on Marine Ecosystems and the Transition to Ecosystem-Based Management
Crowder, L. B., Hazen, E. L., Avissar, N. G., Bjorkland, R. H., Latanich, C. A., & Ogburn, M. B. (2008) · Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics · doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173406 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
The management of common property resources : finding a cooperative solution
Wade, R. (1987) · The World Bank Research Observer · doi:10.1093/wbro/2.2.219 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
The Physical Environment and Primary Productivity of the Gulf of California
Álvarez-Borrego, S., & Lara-Lara, J. R. (1991) · American Association of Petroleum Geologists eBooks · doi:10.1306/m47542c26 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Reef Fishes of the Sea of Cortez: The Rocky-Shore Fishes of the Gulf of California
Thomson, D. A., Findley, L. T., & Kerstitch, A. N. (1979) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Nayak, P. K., Oliveira, L. E., & Berkes, F. (2014) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-06656-190273 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Basurto, X. (2005) · Society & Natural Resources · doi:10.1080/08941920590959631 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Self-citationTrends in primary production in the California Current detected with satellite data
Kahru, M., Kudela, R. M., Manzano‐Sarabia, M., & Mitchell, B. G. (2009) · Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · doi:10.1029/2008jc004979 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Fisheries catch misreporting and its implications: The case of Senegal
Belhabib, D., Koutob, V., Sall, A., Lam, V. W. Y., & Pauly, D. (2014) · Fisheries Research · doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2013.12.006 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Nonlinear effects of group size on collective action and resource outcomes
Yang, W., Liu, W., Viña, A., Tuanmu, M., He, G., Dietz, T. M., & Liu, J. (2013) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1301733110 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Basurto, X., Bennett, A. E., Weaver, A. H., Dyck, S. R. V., & Aceves-Bueno, J.-S. (2013) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-05673-180438 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Self-citationHoving, H., Gilly, W. F., Markaida, U., Benoit‐Bird, K. J., Brown, Z. W., Daniel, P., Field, J. C., Parassenti, L., Liu, B., & Campos, B. (2013) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/gcb.12198 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
State Intervention and Abuse of the Commons: Fisheries Development in Baja California Sur, Mexico
Young, E. (2001) · Annals of the Association of American Geographers · doi:10.1111/0004-5608.00244 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
The Geography of the Commons: The Role of Scale and Space
Giordano, M. (2003) · Annals of the Association of American Geographers · doi:10.1111/1467-8306.9302007 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Conservation incentives and collective choices in cooperative fisheries
Ovando, D., Deacon, R. T. T., Lester, S. E., Costello, C., Leuvan, T. V., McIlwain, K., Strauss, C. K., Arbuckle, M., Fujita, R. M., Gelcich, S., et al. (2012) · Marine Policy · doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2012.03.012 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Implications of Urbanization for Artisanal Parrotfish Fisheries in the Western Solomon Islands
Aswani, S., & Sabetian, A. (2009) · Conservation Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01377.x · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Hernández‐Flores, A., & Kempton, W. M. (2003) · Ocean & Coastal Management · doi:10.1016/s0964-5691(03)00032-2 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
An analysis of critical areas for biodiversity conservation in the Gulf of California Region
Enríquez-Andrade, R., Anaya-Reyna, G., Barrera-Guevara, J. C., et al. (2005) · Ocean & Coastal Management · doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2004.11.002 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Toward a Cartography of the Commons: Constituting the Political and Economic Possibilities of Place
Martin, K. S. (2009) · The Professional Geographer · doi:10.1080/00330120903143482 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Toward a Science of SustainabilityPreprint
Levin, S. A., & Clark, W. C. (2010) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Gavazov, K., Peringer, A., Buttler, A., et al. (2013) · Ecology and Society · doi:10.5751/es-04974-180138 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Spatial structure of commercial marine fisheries in Northwest Mexico
Erisman, B., Paredes, G. A., Plomozo-Lugo, T., Cota-Nieto, J. J., Hastings, P. A., & Aburto‐Oropeza, O. (2011) · ICES Journal of Marine Science · doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsq179 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Self-citationReddy, S. M. W., Wentz, A., Aburto‐Oropeza, O., MAXEY, M. R., Nagavarapu, S., & Leslie, H. M. (2012) · Ecological Applications · doi:10.1890/12-1196.1 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationGeo-political genetics: Claiming the commons through species mapping
Campbell, L. M., & Godfrey, M. H. (2010) · Geoforum · doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2010.06.003 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Studying Power with the Social-Ecological System Framework
Epstein, G., Bennett, A. E., Gruby, R. L., Acton, L., & Nenadović, M. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-017-8959-2_6 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Reorganization or Division? New Strategies of Community Forestry in Durango, Mexico
Taylor, P. (2003) · Society & Natural Resources · doi:10.1080/08941920309183 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Mexico's Marginal Inshore Pacific Fishing Cooperatives
McGoodwin, J. R. (1980) · Anthropological Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3317879 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Coping with Environmental Change
McCay, B. J., Weisman, W., & Creed, C. F. (2011) · doi:10.1002/9781444392241.ch23 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
The Cartographers of Life: Two Centuries of Mapping the Natural History of Baja California
Garcillán, P. P., González-Abraham, C. E., & Ezcurra, E. (2010) · Journal of the Southwest · doi:10.1353/jsw.2010.0001 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Lobster and Groundfish Management in the Gulf of Maine: A Rational Choice Perspective
Acheson, J. M. (2006) · Human Organization · doi:10.17730/humo.65.3.dlgb1g4uk02tqqlm · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Data collection on the small-scale fisheries of México
Ramírez‐Rodríguez, M. (2011) · ICES Journal of Marine Science · doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsr089 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Climatic influence on reef fish recruitment and fisheries
Aburto‐Oropeza, O., Paredes, G. A., Mascareñas‐Osorio, I., et al. (2010) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps08695 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationShmelev, S. (1994) · Journal of Political Ecology · doi:10.2458/v1i1.21157 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Marine Priority Conservation Areas: Baja California to the Bering Sea
Morgan, L. E., Maxwell, S. M., Tsao, F., et al. (2005) · Cited by 17 · see citing works
La California mexicana. Ensayos acerca de su historia
León‐Portilla, M. (1995) · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A framework for localizing global climate solutions and their carbon reduction potential
Brown, M. A., Dwivedi, P., Mani, S., Matisoff, D., Mohan, J. E., Mullen, J., Oxman, M., Rodgers, M., Simmons, R., Beasley, B., et al. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2100008118 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
- Authors
- Leslie, H. M., Basurto, X., Nenadovic, M., Sievanen, L., Cavanaugh, K. C., Cota-Nieto, J. J., Erisman, B. E., Finkbeiner, E., Hinojosa-Arango, G., Moreno-Báez, M., Nagavarapu, S., Reddy, S. M. W., Sánchez-Rodríguez, A., Siegel, K., Ulibarria-Valenzuela, J. J., Weaver, A. H., & Aburto-Oropeza, O.
- Affiliations
- Brown University (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC 28516;
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación A.C., La Paz, BCS, 23090 Mexico;
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- Hopkins Marine Station (US)
- The Nature Conservancy (US)
- Fondo para la Protección de los Recursos Marinos, La Paz, BCS, 23090 Mexico; and
- Sociedad de Historia Natural Niparaja A.C., La Paz, BCS, 23020 Mexico
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Biology Research Division, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202;
- Corresponding author
- Leslie, Heather M.
- Basurto, Xavier
- ORCID
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2015-04-27
- Volume
- 112
- Issue
- 19
- Pages
- 5979-5984
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC4434725
- OpenAlex
- W2037993219
- Cited by
- 375
- References
- 75
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 96.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DukeSpace (Duke University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Smithsonian Digital Repository (Smithsonian Institution) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (GEO 1114964)
- David and Lucile Packard Foundation (n/a)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Coastal and Marine Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Marine and fisheries research
- Keywords
- social-ecological systems framework, sustainability assessment, small-scale fisheries, social-ecological systems, spatially explicit analysis, regional heterogeneity, sustainable resource use, Baja California Sur
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Conservation of Natural Resources, Developing Countries, Ecology, Fisheries, Fishes, Food Supply, Geography, Humans, Mexico, Social Environment, Systems Analysis, Ecosystem
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
