26 Jun The International Society for Social-Ecological Systems is Born: A New Platform to Drive Global Sustainability
The new international scientific society seeks to bring together researchers, institutions, and networks from around the world who study the interactions between people and nature, promoting sustainability, justice, and global collaboration.
This Tuesday marked the official launch of the International Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES), a new organization established to strengthen and coordinate research, education, and action around the complex challenges facing human-nature relationships in the 21st century.
SocSES is set to become a global platform for researchers, practitioners, institutions, and networks working across disciplines and regions in the study and management of social-ecological systems. Its aim is to provide an “institutional home” for a community that, despite its growing importance, has until now remained scattered and dependent on temporary networks and fragmented funding.
In a significant step, the International Society for Social-Ecological Systems has published the paper “Welcome home! Introducing SocSES: a society for inclusive and impactful social-ecological research.” The article highlights that social-ecological systems (SES) research has emerged as a critical field for addressing the challenges of the Anthropocene, characterized by multi-scale approaches, inter- and transdisciplinary methods, and a strong emphasis on place-based work.
The study points out that, despite progress made by various networks and institutes, SES research continues to face persistent challenges. These include conceptual and methodological fragmentation, difficulties in scaling localized knowledge to global frameworks (and vice versa), and the challenge of capturing multi-scale connections and processes while maintaining contextual relevance. The paper also emphasizes that inclusivity remains a critical issue, with regional, Indigenous, and local contributions often underrepresented, and continued reliance on short-term, unevenly distributed funding.
Among SocSES’s collaborating institutions are two Chilean representatives: the Millennium Institute for Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS) and the Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation at the University of Chile, which will contribute their experience in coastal research, collaborative work with local communities, and the development of interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability.
For Stefan Gelcich, professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, director of SECOS, and one of SocSES’s collaborators, “the creation of this network is a unique opportunity to bring together a global community that understands that social-ecological challenges know no borders. From Chile and the Global South, we have much to contribute in building solutions that are not only sustainable but also just and culturally relevant.” He adds, “addressing the complex problems of our relationship with ecosystems requires creating spaces for collaboration between researchers, communities, and decision-makers. The work we do at SECOS, combined with the networks associated with SocSES, will help build those bridges in an inclusive, diverse, and multi-scale way.”
Thus, SocSES does not aim to replace existing networks but to become a space for connection and synthesis, amplifying global efforts to foster the understanding of the complex dynamics of social-ecological systems, strengthen collaboration among researchers and practitioners, support new generations of sustainability leaders, and enhance the influence of research in public policy and decision-making.