Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK.
Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2024 Jan;379(1893):20220262. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0262. Epub 2023 Nov 13.
The rapid, human-induced changes in the Earth system during the Anthropocene present humanity with critical sustainability challenges. Social-ecological systems (SES) research provides multiple approaches for understanding the complex interactions between humans, social systems, and environments and how we might direct them towards healthier and more resilient futures. However, general theories of SES change have yet to be fully developed. Formal evolutionary theory has been applied as a dynamic theory of change of complex phenomena in biology and the social sciences, but rarely in SES research. In this paper, we explore the connections between both fields, hoping to foster collaboration. After sketching out the distinct intellectual traditions of SES research and evolutionary theory, we map some of their terminological and theoretical connections. We then provide examples of how evolutionary theory might be incorporated into SES research through the use of systems mapping to identify evolutionary processes in SES, the application of concepts from evolutionary developmental biology to understand the connections between systems changes and evolutionary changes, and how evolutionary thinking may help design interventions for beneficial change. Integrating evolutionary theory and SES research can lead to a better understanding of SES changes and positive interventions for a more sustainable Anthropocene. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
人类世时期地球系统的快速、人为变化给人类带来了严峻的可持续性挑战。社会-生态系统（SES）研究为理解人类、社会系统和环境之间的复杂相互作用以及我们如何引导它们走向更健康和更有弹性的未来提供了多种方法。然而，SES 变化的一般理论尚未得到充分发展。形式进化理论已被应用于生物学和社会科学中复杂现象的动态变化理论，但在 SES 研究中很少应用。在本文中，我们探讨了这两个领域之间的联系，希望能促进合作。在概述 SES 研究和进化理论的不同知识传统之后，我们绘制了它们一些术语和理论联系的图表。然后，我们提供了一些示例，说明如何通过使用系统映射来识别 SES 中的进化过程，应用进化发育生物学的概念来理解系统变化和进化变化之间的联系，以及进化思维如何帮助设计有益变化的干预措施，将进化理论纳入 SES 研究。整合进化理论和 SES 研究可以帮助我们更好地理解 SES 的变化，并对人类世进行积极干预，以实现更可持续的发展。本文是主题为“进化与可持续性：为人类世综合收集线索”的一部分。
