Conceptualizing social-ecological practices

Theories of social practices enable the analysis of routines, habits and changes in human behaviour. However, most practice-theoretical approaches fall short in describing the natural dynamics that are influenced by and inscribed into the reproduction of practices. The concept of Societal Relations to Nature (SRN) provides a lens for studying how practices intervene in ecological structures and processes and how changes in natural livelihoods affect practices. Presenting the concept of social-ecological practices, we propose an analytical model that enables the empirical investigation of SRN through a praxeological perspective. Our model enables a case-specific analysis of practices regarding the stability/change as well as the (un)sustainability of their social-ecological interrelations. We distinguish four basic relations that define the reproduction of practices: 'nature's contribution to practices', 'ecological effects', 'interrelations of practices' and 'governance'. Conceptualizing practices as social-ecological sharpens the focus on the significance of relations to 'nature' in everyday life and it increases the potential to connect practice-theoretical research to knowledge from environmental science. We use the empirical examples of commuting and urban gardening to discuss how the investigation of social-ecological practices sheds light on these practice-based variations of SRN that are crucial for understanding transformative barriers and potentials.