ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2024
Transient social-ecological dynamics reveal signals of decoupling in a highly disturbed Anthropocene landscape.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Soil-Plant Coupling Principle (SPCP): A Conceptual Framework for Diagnosing Hidden Ecosystem Vulnerability.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Reconstructing Anthropocene dynamics of subtropical vegetation and plant diversity by combining sedimentary ancient DNA and pollen: A high-resolution comparative analysis from China's Yangtze floodplain.Fundamental research · 2026Article
- Transient social-ecological dynamics reveal signals of decoupling in a highly disturbed Anthropocene landscape.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
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12 authors.
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Abstract
Understanding the transient dynamics of interlinked social-ecological systems (SES) is imperative for assessing sustainability in the Anthropocene. However, how to identify critical transitions in real-world SES remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we present an evolutionary framework to characterize these dynamics over an extended historical timeline. Our approach leverages multidecadal rates of change in socioeconomic data, paleoenvironmental, and cutting-edge sedimentary ancient DNA records from China's Yangtze River Delta, one of the most densely populated and intensively modified landscapes on Earth. Our analysis reveals two significant social-ecological transitions characterized by contrasting interactions and feedback spanning several centuries. Initially, the regional SES exhibited a loosely connected and ecologically sustainable regime. Nevertheless, starting in the 1950s, an increasingly interconnected regime emerged, ultimately resulting in the crossing of tipping points and an unprecedented acceleration in soil erosion, water eutrophication, and ecosystem degradation. Remarkably, the second transition occurring around the 2000s, featured a notable decoupling of socioeconomic development from ecoenvironmental degradation. This decoupling phenomenon signifies a more desirable reconfiguration of the regional SES, furnishing essential insights not only for the Yangtze River Basin but also for regions worldwide grappling with similar sustainability challenges. Our extensive multidecadal empirical investigation underscores the value of coevolutionary approaches in understanding and addressing social-ecological system dynamics.
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