Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1145942 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Climate |
| Volume | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jul 2023 |
Abstract
Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES.
Keywords
- cross-impact matrix, feedbacks, livelihood strategy, moist convection, social cohesion, soil functional diversity, Southwestern Amazon, tipping matrix
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Global and Planetary Change
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Environmental Science(all)
- Pollution
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Atmospheric Science
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Frontiers in Climate, Vol. 5, 1145942, 06.07.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments
T2 - an analytical framework
AU - Froese, Rebecca
AU - Andrino, Alberto
AU - Giudice, Renzo
AU - Stuch, Benjamin
AU - Kilian Salas, Simone
AU - Böhner, Jürgen
AU - Boy, Diana
AU - Boy, Jens
AU - Brown, Foster
AU - Díaz García, Elisa
AU - Figueroa, Diana
AU - Frör, Oliver
AU - Guggenberger, Georg
AU - Horn, Marcus A.
AU - Hasson, Shabeh ul
AU - Jung, Christopher
AU - Lagneaux, Elisabeth G.
AU - Meurer, Katharina H.E.
AU - Pinzón Cuellar, Claudia
AU - Schaldach, Rüdiger
AU - Ribeiro, Sabina Cerruto
AU - Schilling, Janpeter
AU - Schmidt, Fernando A.
AU - Schönenberg, Regine
AU - Selaya, Galia
AU - Vega, Claudia M.
AU - Vetter, Vanessa M.S.
AU - Villavicenio, Miguel
AU - Callo-Concha, Daniel
AU - Jansen, Merel
AU - Jungkunst, Hermann F.
N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) under Grant Number 01LC1824A to 01LC1824F, project PRODIGY. MJ was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Grant Number P400PB_191055/1.
PY - 2023/7/6
Y1 - 2023/7/6
N2 - Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES.
AB - Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES.
KW - cross-impact matrix
KW - feedbacks
KW - livelihood strategy
KW - moist convection
KW - social cohesion
KW - soil functional diversity
KW - Southwestern Amazon
KW - tipping matrix
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165273526&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fclim.2023.1145942
DO - 10.3389/fclim.2023.1145942
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165273526
VL - 5
JO - Frontiers in Climate
JF - Frontiers in Climate
M1 - 1145942
ER -