Ecology and Society

Ecology and Society, which was previously known as Conservation Ecology, is a quarterly open-access journal that focuses on various fields of study. Published by the Resilience Alliance, it explores the connections between society and the ecosystems that sustain human life. This interdisciplinary journal draws from natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities to address topics related to environmental and societal interactions. The current editors are Carl Folke from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Lance Gunderson from Emory University, with C. S. Holling as the founding editor.

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English

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Ecology & Society: Collapse of the oyster population in Apalachicola Bay: cascading social impacts from an ecologically and culturally significant species

Mar 26, 2025 | ecologyandsociety.org | Elizabeth Mansfield |Sarah Lester |Andrew Rassweiler |Sandra Brooke |Adrian Williams

ResearchABSTRACTHistorically fishery-dependent communities can have significant economic, social, and cultural ties to key species, the loss of which can cause cascading impacts throughout the community, extending beyond fishers. Understanding the different ways communities depend on a species, and how the species’ loss may reverberate through the community, is key for holistic ecosystem management approaches.
Ecology & Society: Cocina Colaboratorio: cooking transdisciplinary transformations of local food systems

Feb 11, 2025 | ecologyandsociety.org | Patricia Balvanera |Mariana Martínez Balvanera |M. Azahara Mesa-Jurado |Lucía Pérez-Volkow

Research, part of a special feature on Meaningful Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Sustainability: Local, Artistic, and Scientific Knowledge INTRODUCTION Transdisciplinary collaborations have been deemed critical to navigate toward more just and sustainable futures (Ely et al. 2020).
Ecology & Society: Plastic pollution as a canvas for change: fostering collaboration for environmental solutions and actions through art and science

Oct 14, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Jennifer Lavers |Alexander Bond

Research INTRODUCTION The rapid decline in health of Earth’s systems is the focus of increasing attention. With at least six of the nine planetary boundaries for a sustainable existence exceeded (Richardson et al. 2023), meaningful action is urgently required. The pace of biodiversity loss (e.g., Trisos et al. 2020, Fernández-Palacios et al. 2021), significant pollution in virtually all corners of our planet (Brander 2022, Persson et al.
Ecology & Society: Exploring perceptions to improve the outcomes of a marine protected area

Aug 14, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Joao Rodrigues |Sebastian Villasante |Isabel Sousa-Pinto

ResearchABSTRACTMarine protected areas (MPAs) are widely promoted as effective tools for conserving biodiversity and safeguarding ecosystem services. However, MPA success can be hindered by a lack of legitimacy and low social support because of perceived negative effects on ecosystem services and human well-being.
Ecology & Society: Colonialism and the Blue Economy: confronting historical legacies to enable equitable ocean development

Jul 15, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Tim Clark |Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor

ResearchABSTRACTRecognizing the global challenges faced by marine ecosystems and the people that depend on them, there is a growing worldwide uptake of the “Blue Economy” approach for establishing equitable and sustainable ocean industries. Research has shown that the capacity to achieve these Blue Economies is largely shaped by enabling governance conditions related to social and economic equity, more so than available natural resources.
Ecology & Society: What makes a convivial community tool? Investigating grassroots ecological restoration

Jul 12, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Tim Alamenciak |Stephen Murphy

ResearchABSTRACTThe practice of ecological restoration through native plant gardening is emerging among community groups as a means of addressing degradation in urban landscapes. Despite this trend, restoration remains primarily studied as a professional practice. Grassroots associations support people in growing native plants, but within the research on restoration ecology, there remains little study of how non-professionals engage in the practice.
Ecology & Society: A values-centered relational science model: supporting Indigenous rights and reconciliation in research

May 22, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Dominique M David-Chavez |Michael C. Gavin |Norma Ortiz |Shelly Valdez

Synthesis INTRODUCTION Indigenous knowledge systems, recognized as collective and dynamic bodies of knowledge generated over centuries of observation (Cajete 2000, International Council for Science 2002, Nakashima and Roué 2002, Berkes 2008, 2009a, Burkett 2013), continue to guide a wide range of environmental practices, such as sustainable agriculture (Altieri 2004, Johnson et al.
Ecology & Society: Community knowledge as a cornerstone for fisheries management

Mar 13, 2024 | ecologyandsociety.org | Anthony Charles |Megan Bailey |Kayla M. Hamelin

ResearchABSTRACTThe imperative to include stakeholders and rightsholders in fisheries management over the past 30 years has led to many changes in management regimes around the world, a key one being a move toward collaboration and co-management. This is reflected, for example, in Canada, where the newly revised Fisheries Act (2019, c.14, s.3) incorporates this imperative in part by citing “community knowledge” as a component in decision making for fisheries management.
Ecology & Society: Using geotagged crowdsourced data to assess the diverse socio-cultural values of conservation areas: England as a case study

Dec 11, 2023 | ecologyandsociety.org | Merry Crowson |Andrew Wade |Ken Norris |Robin Freeman

ResearchABSTRACTHumanity benefits immensely from nature, including through cultural ecosystem services. Geotagged crowdsourced data provide an opportunity to characterize these services at large scales.
Ecology & Society: Diverse actor perspectives on African urban food systems: lessons from participatory food system modeling in Worcester, South Africa

Dec 4, 2023 | ecologyandsociety.org | Peter H Verburg |Julian May

ResearchABSTRACTSuccessful management of complex food systems inherently requires societal engagement. A major barrier is the misalignment between high-level generalized scientific representations of the urban food system and the varying practical perspectives of the actors embedded within it. To bridge this gap, participatory approaches can help in collecting and structuring knowledge from food system actors in a way that is understood by people with a diversity of experiences.