Regime shifts and transformations in social-ecological systems: Advancing critical frontiers for safe and just futures

TL;DR

This paper reviews and integrates research on regime shifts and transformations in social-ecological systems to improve understanding and management of nonlinear changes for sustainable futures.

Contribution

It clarifies the definitions and history of both research streams and proposes ways to integrate them for better sustainability strategies.

Findings

Identified differences and commonalities between regime shifts and transformations.

Highlighted the need for cross-fertilization between the two research streams.

Suggested future research directions for integrated approaches.

Abstract

Current research challenges in sustainability science require us to consider nonlinear changes e.g. shifts that do not happen gradually but can be sudden and difficult to predict. Central questions are therefore how we can prevent harmful shifts, promote desirable ones, and better anticipate both. The regime shifts and transformations literature is well-equipped to address these questions. Yet, even though both research streams stem from the same intellectual roots, they have developed along different paths, with limited exchange between the two, missing opportunities for cross- fertilisation. We here review the definitions and history of both research streams to disentangle common grounds and differences. We propose avenues for future research and highlight how stronger integration of both research streams could support the development of more powerful approaches to help us navigate toward safe and just futures.