Global analysis of social learning's archetypes in natural resource management: understanding pathways of co-creation of knowledge

Although social learning (SL) conceptualization and implementation are flourishing in sustainability sciences, and its non-rigid conceptual fluidity is regarded as an advantage, research must advance the understanding of SL phenomenon patterns based on empirical data, thus contributing to the identification of its forms and triggering mechanisms, particularly those that can address urgent Anthropocene socio-ecological problems. This study aims to discover fundamental patterns along which SL in natural resources management differs by identifying SL archetypes and establishing correlations between the SL process and overall geopolitical conditions. Using a systematic literature review comprising 137 case studies in the five continents, content analysis, and correlations were performed. Results show two main archetypes of social learning (endogenous and exogenous). Their occurrence was linked, to where social learning occurs and how venues/preconditions for social learning are placed. In the Global South, endogenous SL should be better potentialized as a catalyzer of deliberative processes for sustainable natural resources management.

Michelle Bonatti, Marcos Lana, Leonardo Medina, Paul Chevelev, Carla Baldivieso, Carla Erismann, Pia Gleich, Tatiana Rodriguez, Luca Eufemia, Teresa da Silva Rosa, Juliano Borba, Custodio Matavel, Sandro Schlindwein, Ray Ison, Klaus Eisenack, Jon Hellin, Grazia Pacillo, Vincent Vadez, Jérôme Bossuet, Aleksandra Dolinska, Stefan Sieber