Measuring sense of place in social-ecological systems: a review of literature and future research needs

As humanity pushes deeper into the Anthropocene, Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) across the world are facing mounting pressures. Managing, protecting and understanding these systems require research into their complex and interlinked nature. One area that has been met with increased research in recent times is Sense of Place (SoP), broadly defined as the emotional bond that people have with a 'place'. There has been substantial growth in the number of studies seeking to understand and quantify SoP across different contexts to help integrate it into decision-making processes. This targeted scoping review aims to explore the environmental literature for examples of applied studies that measure SoP in social-ecological contexts with a focus on how SoP has been quantified and measured. Our results show a growing body of literature as well as a number of clear knowledge gaps. The majority of studies to date have focussed on the Global North (accounting for 79% of the published papers), particularly the USA and Australia, with the distribution of authors closely mirroring this same pattern. Marine and freshwater ecosystems were understudied in comparison to terrestrial ecosystems. Mixed methods were most commonly used to collect data, with interviews and surveys being the most common instruments. Further research into why SoP is being measured is required, but preliminary investigations indicate there is a perceived applicability to policy and planning. We explore these findings and identify research directions.

Automated summary

As humanity continues deeper into the Anthropocene era, Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) worldwide are facing increasing pressures. Research into the complex and interlinked nature of these systems is essential for their management, protection, and understanding. Sense of Place (SoP), defined as the emotional attachment that individuals have to a place, has recently received more attention, with studies aiming to quantify and measure SoP across different contexts. This scoping review explores the environmental literature for applied studies that measure SoP in social-ecological contexts, focusing on how SoP is quantified and measured.