The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Christine Wamsler. Photo

Christine Wamsler

Professor, Docent, appointed Excellent Teaching Practitioner (ETP)

Christine Wamsler. Photo

Linking concepts of change and ecosystem services research: A systematic review

Author

  • Anna-Lena Rau
  • Manuel Bickel
  • Julius Rathgens
  • Thilo Schroth
  • Annika Weiser
  • Stefan Hilser
  • Shona Jenkins
  • Gavin McCrory
  • Nicole Pfefferle
  • Dennis Roitsch
  • Sanna StÃ¥lhammar
  • Danna Villada
  • Christine Wamsler
  • Torsten Krause
  • Henrik von Wehrden
Show all

Summary, in English

Transformation, transition and regime shift are increasingly applied concepts in the academic literature to describe changes in society and the environment. Ecosystem services represent one framework that includes the implicit aim of supporting transformation towards a more sustainable system. Nevertheless, knowledge and systematic reviews on the use of these concepts within ecosystem services research are so far lacking. Therefore, we present a systematic literature review to analyse the interlinkages between these concepts and ecosystem services. Using a search string we identified 258 papers that we analysed based on 40 review criteria. Our results show that transformation was mentioned most often (197 articles), followed by transition (183 articles) and regime shifts (43 articles). Moreover, there is no consolidation of these concepts. Only 13% of all articles gave definitions for the three concepts. These definitions strongly overlapped in their use. Moreover, most papers described changes that happened in the past (73%). We conclude that research would benefit from being directed towards the future rather than evaluating what has happened in the past. Based on our results, we present: i) clear definitions for the three concepts; and ii) a framework highlighting the interlinkages between the ecosystem services cascade and the concepts of change.

Department/s

  • LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2018-12

Language

English

Pages

33-45

Publication/Series

Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems

Volume

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

De Gruyter

Topic

  • Environmental Sciences

Keywords

  • ecosystem service
  • transformation
  • transition
  • regime shift
  • change
  • dynamic

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2300-3669