TY - JOUR

T1 - Linking concepts of change and ecosystem services research: A systematic review

AU - Rau, Anna-Lena

AU - Bickel, Manuel W.

AU - Hilser, Stefan

AU - Jenkins, Shona

AU - McCrory, Gavin

AU - Pfefferle, Nicole

AU - Rathgens, Julius

AU - Roitsch, Dennis

AU - Schroth, Thilo Norman

AU - Stålhammar, Sanna

AU - Villada, Danna

AU - Weiser, Annika

AU - Wamsler, Christine

AU - Krause, Torsten

AU - Wehrden, Henrik

N1 - This review paper is the result of a student-driven research project and collaboration involving members of Leuphana University in Lüneburg (Germany) and Lund University (Sweden). This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. There is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article

PY - 2018/12/1

Y1 - 2018/12/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Transformation

KW - Transition

KW - Regime shift

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Ökosystemleistungen

KW - Ökosystemdienstleistungen

KW - Ecosystem service

KW - Ecosystem cascade framework

KW - ecosystem service

KW - transformation

KW - transition

KW - regime shift

KW - change

KW - dynamic

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/adbc1ed8-d03d-304b-8e82-2a517c9d7f60/

U2 - 10.1515/cass-2018-0004

DO - 10.1515/cass-2018-0004

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 4

SP - 33

EP - 45

JO - Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems

JF - Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems

SN - 2300-3669

IS - 1

ER -