Media Coverage

Recognizing People and Nature as One Socio-ecological System

GlobalDev Blog featured an article by UNU-IAS expert Suneetha Subramanian on socio-ecological resilience for biodiversity and human well-being.

On 27 March 2024, GlobalDev Blog, an online platform aiming to bridge the gap between development research and policy, published an article by Suneetha Subramanian (Research Fellow, UNU-IAS) calling for the recognition of people and nature interactions as one socio-ecological system.  

The piece argues that socio-ecological resilience – defined as “the capacity to adapt in the face of change in social-ecological systems in ways that continue to support human well-being” – is beneficial for both biodiversity and human well-being.  

Excerpt:

The uniqueness of the socio-ecological systems approach is that it embraces the diversity of social and ecological dimensions across different types of socio-political, environmental, and economic contexts. Furthermore, it allows informed choices to be made about the trade-offs that arise during human–human and human–nature interactions. That is to say, issues of equity and broader sustainability are embedded in the conceptual design of such systemic approaches.

The piece is available in English, Spanish, and French on the GlobalDev Blog website.