Ecosystem services governance: A cross-realm lever for sustainability transformation

Abstract

The leverage points perspective is used increasingly in sustainability transformation research. Scholars have proposed three realms of leverage for the sustainability research agenda: human-environment interactions; institutional dynamics, and sustainability-related knowledge creation and use. However, studies aiming to better understand the role of cross-realm levers, which create parallel change in human-nature interactions, institutions, and knowledge production and use, remain scarce. To address this research gap, we provide an Ecosystem Services Governance (hereafter, ESGov¹) lens to conceptually and empirically investigate the potential cross-realm lever role of ESGov for sustainability transformations. Through theoretical and empirical analyses we: 1) identify the key features within the three sustainability transformation realms and analyze how ESGov can shape and influence them; 2) test the potential for ESGov to be a cross-realm lever for sustainability transformation using a case study from Agua Blanca (Ecuador); 3) navigate intra-realm dynamics, identifying features from diverse realms that may simultaneously be fostered by ESGov; and, 4) ultimately, contribute to the transformation, ecosystem services, and governance literatures by highlighting the enabling mechanisms within ESGov that can facilitate cross-realm sustainability transformation interventions. This study reveals that ESGov, when configured to embrace relational thinking, collaborative governance, and inclusive knowledge integration, can effectively serve as a cross-realm lever. Ultimately, we advocate for a shift from Ecosystem Services to ESGov framework as a means to catalyze cross-realm interventions, advancing sustainability through a nuanced understanding and designing of the dynamic interplay between society and the environment.