Investigating how Sense of Place is captured and applied in social-ecological systems: Lessons from research and policy

Abstract

Humanity is driving ever increasing change across the planet. These changes are being felt within complex social-ecological systems (SESs) and resulting in myriad flow on effects whose repercussions are only beginning to be fully understood. To successfully manage such complex and dynamic systems as SESs, decision-makers need to have access to accurate, robust and diverse sources of data and this data needs to be able to flow from researcher to decision-maker effectively. To date most information that feeds into the management of SESs is drawn from the natural sciences, but for accurate and calculated management this must be partnered with information from the social sciences. To date, the effective incorporation of social dimensions into SES management has been limited. To address this gap, focussed research is required into specific social dimensions to explore the barriers and enablers to their incorporation into SES management. A prime candidate for this research is the phenomenon of Sense of Place (SoP), given its clear to link to social and ecological issues.

This thesis presents an investigation of SoP within SESs and contributes to the needs outlined above by first offering clear direction on how engage and communicate between groups (Chapter 2) - be they natural scientists and social scientists, researchers and study participants, researchers and decision-makers or any combination of the above. These principles centre around positionality, reflexivity and meaningful collaboration and knowledge exchange. With this in mind, I then explore how SoP is currently being measured in SESs and identify gaps in the research. A key result here was that many studies referenced policy, planning and management as an end point of SoP data, but very few studies showed where it has or could be applied (Chapter 3).

Building on this finding I explore the understanding, appreciation and perceived applicability of SoP for both researchers and decision-makers. Both groups consider SoP as valuable for policy, despite limited examples of application and meaningful inclusion. This is likely driven by barriers on both sides of the science-policy interface including challenges in communicating an intangible and complex phenomenon in a way that influences decision-making, as well as hierarchical barriers and resource constraints (Chapters 4-6). Despite these challenges both researchers and decision-makers recognise the relatability of SoP as a key enabler, supporting its incorporation into policy. A key strength of SoP is its ability to act as a boundary tool to bring disparate groups together in developing and applying policy. In light of these findings, I developed a heuristic for the incorporation of SoP into the management of SESs for both researchers and decision-makers (Section 7.2).

Ultimately, this thesis considers how the SoP could be used to inform management decisions in a changing world. The results of this thesis provide insights for both researchers and decision-makers seeking to drive conservation, natural resource management, recreation, or any other management activity within SESs into the future. It provides guidance for those seeking to engage across groups that they are not a part of - be they researchers studying a place they may or may not be from, or decision-makers determining management actions for an area they may not have lived experience in. Show more