Journal article

The potential of social-ecological networks for urban ecology

TM Straka, Ö Bodin, JD Teodoro, FS Rickowski, LC Kluger, Z Porro, JL Coleman, S Lokatis, SS Cilliers, C Dobbs, M Egerer, MR Felipe-Lucia, L Govaert, S Guenat, AK Hahs, SS Kaushal, S Knapp, S Kochalski, BB Lin, S Livesley Show all

npj Urban Sustainability | Springer Science and Business Media LLC | Published : 2026

Abstract

Abstract Urban biodiversity is connected to intertwined social and ecological processes which are challenging to examine together. Social-ecological networks (SENs) offer a framework to investigate these relationships, contributing to understanding interdependencies within urban ecology. This perspective introduces SENs for the application in urban biodiversity contexts, reviews current applications, outlines nine themes to advance SEN-based research and practice for sustainable biodiverse cities and illustrates their potential through an example from Melbourne (Australia).