An integrative network approach for understanding resilience to environmental change

I provide an overview of the role of social networks and social-ecological networks (networks comprised of both people and nature) in supporting resilience to environmental change, and describe the analytical and methodological approaches used to study these relationships. Social networks underpin the resilience of human communities to environmental change due to their role in building adaptive capacity. Social networks can also determine responses to environmental change through social reinforcement and social influence. Novel research in this area has developed theory and provided empirical evidence regarding how and why relationships not only between people (social networks), but also between people and nature (social-ecological networks) can be critically important for understanding resilience to environmental change. I conclude with what I see as critical research frontiers in this area that can inform the building of more resilient societies and ecosystems to meet the rising tide of dramatic environmental change.