Characterizing social-ecological transformation trajectories in the Western Indian Ocean
Abstract
Marine social-ecological systems (SES) face unprecedented pressures, demanding approaches designed to create more sustainable interactions within and between those systems. Transformation theory offers frameworks for understanding and documenting systemic change, but its empirical testing in marine contexts remains limited. This study analyzes three case studies involving marine transformations in the Western Indian Ocean region: bycatch mitigation in South African fisheries, fisheries co-management in Tanzania, and regional pelagic fisheries' management. Each process was documented following Olsson's framework (preparing for change, navigating transition, and building resilience) and characterized using selected transformation attributes. Our findings show that the type of outcome a transformation produces is closely linked to its entry point (practices, views, and structures). Practices-oriented transformation achieved rapid, measurable gains, but limited spillover into underlying values. Views-oriented transformation achieved broader, deeper change across dimensions but unfolded more slowly. Structures-oriented transformation, in the absence of shared values among actors, produced the shallowest and most contested change. Local and national initiatives achieved deeper transformation than regional governance, which faced greater barriers from competing interests and institutional inertia, highlighting the role locally-driven action can play in advancing transformation.
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BibTeX
@article{bitoun2026characterizing,
title = {{Characterizing social-ecological transformation trajectories in the Western Indian Ocean}},
author = {Rachel E Bitoun and Adrien Comte and Nathan J Bennett and Patricia Charvet and Joachim Claudet and Fabien Forget and Patrice Guillotreau and Janne B Haugen and Rebecca Horan and Robert Katikiro and Rocío López de la Lama and Shauna Mahajan and Kolobe Mmonwa and Ryan O’connor and Laura Pereira and Samantha Petersen and Andrea D Phillott and Ethan Prall and Quentin Schull and Mariana Tolotti and Rodolphe Devillers},
journal = {Sustainability Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s11625-026-01908-7},
url = {https://ird.hal.science/ird-05836307v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Characterizing social-ecological transformation trajectories in the Western Indian Ocean
AU - Rachel E Bitoun
AU - Adrien Comte
AU - Nathan J Bennett
AU - Patricia Charvet
AU - Joachim Claudet
AU - Fabien Forget
AU - Patrice Guillotreau
AU - Janne B Haugen
AU - Rebecca Horan
AU - Robert Katikiro
AU - Rocío López de la Lama
AU - Shauna Mahajan
AU - Kolobe Mmonwa
AU - Ryan O’connor
AU - Laura Pereira
AU - Samantha Petersen
AU - Andrea D Phillott
AU - Ethan Prall
AU - Quentin Schull
AU - Mariana Tolotti
AU - Rodolphe Devillers
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Sustainability Science
DO - 10.1007/s11625-026-01908-7
UR - https://ird.hal.science/ird-05836307v1
AB - Marine social-ecological systems (SES) face unprecedented pressures, demanding approaches designed to create more sustainable interactions within and between those systems. Transformation theory offers frameworks for understanding and documenting systemic change, but its empirical testing in marine contexts remains limited. This study analyzes three case studies involving marine transformations in the Western Indian Ocean region: bycatch mitigation in South African fisheries, fisheries co-management in Tanzania, and regional pelagic fisheries' management. Each process was documented following Olsson's framework (preparing for change, navigating transition, and building resilience) and characterized using selected transformation attributes. Our findings show that the type of outcome a transformation produces is closely linked to its entry point (practices, views, and structures). Practices-oriented transformation achieved rapid, measurable gains, but limited spillover into underlying values. Views-oriented transformation achieved broader, deeper change across dimensions but unfolded more slowly. Structures-oriented transformation, in the absence of shared values among actors, produced the shallowest and most contested change. Local and national initiatives achieved deeper transformation than regional governance, which faced greater barriers from competing interests and institutional inertia, highlighting the role locally-driven action can play in advancing transformation.
SN - 1862-4065
SN - 1862-4057
ER -