Using a case of the Sekisei Lagoon, Okinawa Prefecture, the southeastern tip of Japanese archipelago, this chapter discussed the interrelationships among the sectoral policy interventions by various marine-related ministries, and the whole structure of the integrated ocean policy. First, we developed the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Schematic, which summarized the main ecosystem structures, functions, use types, and the stakeholders relating to the Sekisei Lagoon. Then, sectoral policy interventions by various ministries were overlaid onto the SES schematic to graphically show their interrelationships. We found that the ecosystem structure and functions used by one sector is closely connected to other structures and functions, which are then used by other sectors. In other words, all the stakeholders in the social system are closely interlinked at the ecological system level. Secondly, all in all, sectoral policy interventions by various ministries are covering almost all part of the Sekisei Lagoon SES, and therefore, the total coordination of the sectoral policy interventions and the creation of the synergy effects are required. In this process, the cabinet office and the local government

Solving complex system challenges such as natural resource management in social-ecological systems (SESs) is fraught with great uncertainty. To cope with these challenges, socially vulnerable people in developing countries have created various autonomous innovations. This study focuses on the concept of leverage point (LP) to understand the emergence of innovations and the transformation mechanism of SESs. An LP is a part of a complex system where a small change can cause transformations in the entire system and can be identified from causal networks in an SES. This study analyzed the emergence processes of autonomous innovations as causal networks through transdisciplinary collaboration with innovators in communities and succeeded in visualizing the initial conditions, outcomes, and challenges. We constructed a new definition of LPs based on graph theory and classified LPs into three types based on their characteristics. The network analysis of the causal networks of two innovations in developing countries revealed that the three types of LPs functioned synthetically in complex systems to promote transformation. Based on these results, we propose the potential ways of interventions for the transformation of complex system networks including plural LPs and discuss their effectiveness as boundary objects in transdisciplinary processes collaborating with diverse stakeholders. Further research is expected to accumulate knowledge for solving the various challenges faced by SESs.

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To address the complex and difficult challenges that are occurring in complex social-ecological systems, a transformation toward sustainable futures is required. Understanding the characteristics and functions of leverage points (LPs), which bring about significant changes in complex systems, will greatly contribute to the various practices toward achieving sustainable futures. We conducted a detailed analysis of 15 cases of autonomous innovations emerging among vulnerable sectors in six countries to contribute to understanding the mechanisms of transformation of social-ecological systems by identifying the characteristics and functions of LPs. We found that three types of LPs with different characteristics play their roles in a multi-layered and interrelated manner in the emergence processes of autonomous innovations. These LPs contributed to the improvement of various aspects of well-being and facilitated the transformation of the social-ecological systems by enhancing the five previously proposed enabler categories. The multi-layered and interrelated functioning of LPs promotes the enhancement of various aspects of human well-being and strengthens the enabler categories. These were found to be important mechanisms for the transformation of social-ecological systems. Based on these results, we derive nine guiding principles for the conditions and mechanisms of transformation. These results indicate that a deeper study of autonomous innovation through an LP lens could make a significant contribution to solving or mitigating the wicked problems faced by humanity.