Virtual special issue: Social‐ecological systems research in tropical ecosystems

Abstract

Biodiversity is declining globally, primarily due to anthropogenic threats. Therefore, effective conservation efforts must integrate human and environmental components. Social‐ecological systems research is increasingly being adopted as a means of studying complex relationships between people and the environment. I assess how researchers are employing social‐ecological systems approaches or frameworks to the study of tropical ecosystems. I reviewed articles published in Biotropica from 2010 through 2022 searching for research on social‐ecological systems. A broad keyword search revealed only 2 articles using a variation of social‐ecological systems, human‐environment systems, or coupled human and natural systems. This contrasts with a growing number of articles published with these search terms in other conservation‐related journals, primarily led by environmental scientists. After reviewing titles for all 1298 research articles published during this period, I selected 12 articles for inclusion in the virtual special issue “Social‐Ecological Systems Research in Topical Ecosystems”. These articles cover a broad range of geographical locations, ecosystem types, species, and conservation themes. Social‐ecological systems frameworks offer an integrated way to study complex relationships between humans and nature, yet this type of research appears under‐utilized by authors in Biotropica. I offer seven guidelines for authors interested in pursuing this research such as developing collaborations between social and environmental scientists.