NASEBERRY - join a community using network analysis in social-ecological studies

Within the growing subfield that uses network analysis in social-ecological studies, studies have been done in both marine, terrestrial and urban ecosystems. 

Several reserach groups are forming at various universities in the world, and at all continents. In order to somehow gather the energies around, we have created an electronic forum (now in the form of a simple e-mailing list) that we call NASEBERRY. 

The name originates from “Network Analysis in Social-Ecological Studies” but has further borrowed its name from a long-lived evergreen tree growing in the Caribbean (see photo). 

The growing community includes scholars that strive to advance both social, ecological and social-ecological network analysis (SENA) in social-ecological studies. If you would like to join, please contact me Henrik Ernstson (henrik[dot]ernstson[axxt]stockholmresilience[dot]su[dot]se) with your name, e-mail address and a couple of sentences describing your interest in the area, and I will add you to the list.

Stay cool. Stay networked. Stay in the (naseberry)tree!

/Henrik

I have added this blogpost from Resilience Science that I wrote a while ago (somewhat edited) to give more information on the growing field of network analysis in social-ecological studies.  

Trend Spotting: Network Analysis is Growing in Social-Ecological Studies

The network perspective and its accompanying style of analysis - social network analysis (SNA), and more generally network analysis - is a growing trend within the field of social-ecological studies and resilience research.

At the recent conference Resilience 2011, 11-16 March in Tempe, Arizona, USA, my quick overview after having been there noted a growing number of papers that were based on network analysis, or a network perspective, especially when compared with the number of network papers at the Resilience 2008 conference in Stockholm. Although a proper analysis needs to be made, it seems clear that the overall number of presentations were many more in 2011, but likely also the ratio of presentations in comparison with the total, and the scope of problems addressed. A new trend this time, although I did a presentation at the SUNBELT conference in Italy last year on the subject, was the focus and special session on 'social-ecological network analysis' (SENA).

Papers, books, and special sessions

To this trend we can add the growing number of published papers, chapters and books and special sessions at international conferences.

To mention a few key compilations of publications since 2008, there is the special issue in Ecology & Society from 2010 edited by Beatrice Crona and Klaus Hubacek and the recent book book edited by Örjan Bodin and Christina Prell entitled “Social networks and natural resource management: uncovering the social fabric of environmental governance” (you  find it at Cambridge or Amazon). [Read my blog post on it here.]

To the former I contributed with the paper "Scale-Crossing Brokers and Network Governance" (Ernstson et al. 2010), and to the latter with the chapter "Transformative Collective Action" being my take on studying collective action for transformation (in contrast to Ostrom's theory for more stable arrangements). Read more here: Ernstson 2011. I also co-authored two chapters.

We also have Graeme Cumming's book "Spatial Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems", and Christina Prell's introductory book on SNA, that could partly be added to this subfield.

To these publications there is also a growing number of special sessions that has been organized at conferences on how to use SNA in ecosystem governance studies, including at least: IHDP in Bonn 2009, SUNBELT 2010 in Trento, and now Resilience 2011 in Phoenix/Tempe. As evidence of a growing epistemic community, we can also add our e-group NASEBERRY, and the courses given during these last couple of years (e.g. this one).

What is penciled out above is of course just a quick "trend spotting" from my own constrained position in this emerging community. A more comprehensive overview is on the calendar.