Shaping the future of marine socio-ecological systems science: Combining interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches and knowledge co-creation with diverse stakeholders

Abstract

Following the first symposium held in Brest, France, in 2016, the second Marine Socio-Ecological Systems Symposium (MSEAS) was held in Yokohama, Japan, in 2024, after 4 years of postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, interdisciplinary efforts to inform ocean governance using the Social-Ecological System (SES) approach was highlighted as highly necessary. MSEAS 2024 emphasized the combination of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, exploring and developing new insights in co-designing research and co-producing solution-oriented knowledge, while involving diverse teams and stakeholders. The symposium covered a range of topics, including methods and assessment strategies of how to interpret social-ecological systems, stakeholder perceptions and how to communicate the research, involvement of communities, and the co-creation of science. Additionally, the symposium featured inspirational events for Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) and explored art-science connections. This graphical record aims to convey the essence of the symposium to a broad audience through illustrations. These graphics by a Japanese illustrator are the result of a participatory process during the conference, based on interviews with session conveners and contributions from participants via an online form.