Problem Structuring Methods in Social-Ecological Systems

This paper presents a literature review that aimed at analyzing the use of Problem Structuring Methods in Social-Ecological Systems. These systems are formed at the interface between social and ecological systems, whose complexity is a feature and, therefore, complex problems are quite common. In the Operational Research realm, there is a class of methods that have been developed to deal with this type of problem, the Problem Structuring Methods. They seek to generate a shared understanding of complex problems from the perception of the involved actors, aiming at structuring them before solving them. Thus, it is reasonable to understand that these methods are suitable for handling complex problems in Social-Ecological Systems. This paper verified this statement through a literature review of 28 peer-reviewed papers. It contributes to both extant literature on Problem Structuring Methods and Social-Ecological Systems presenting where the interventions took place; the complex problems addressed; the Problem Structuring Methods applied, and the purpose of these methods in the interventions; the approaches used for collecting input data; the types of participants that participated of the interventions; as well as the main benefits and limitations of these methods in the interventions. It is concluded that Problem Structuring Methods are approaches that can be useful in dealing with complex problems in Social-Ecological Systems, their use should be encouraged, and some advances presented here can improve their application in these types of intervention.