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Abstract

This paper takes a new look on transition processes in social-ecological systems, identified
based on household use of direct ecosystem services in a case study in KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa. We build on the assumption that high dependence on local ecosystems for
basic needs satisfaction corresponds to a “green loop” type of system, with direct
feedbacks between environmental degradation and human well-being. Increasing use
of distant ecosystems marks a regime shift and with that, the transition to “red loops” in
which feedbacks between environmental degradation and human well-being are only
indirect. These systems are characterized by a fundamentally different set of sustainability
problems as well as distinct human-nature connections. The analysis of a case study in
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, shows that social-ecological systems identified as green
loops in 1993, the average share of households using a characteristic bundle of direct
ecosystem services drops consistently (animal production, crop production, natural
building materials, freshwater, wood). Conversely, in systems identified as red loops,
mixed tendencies occur which underpins non-linearities in changing human-nature
relationships. We propose to apply the green to red loop transition model to other
geographical contexts with regards to studying the use of local ecosystem services as
integral part of transformative change in the Anthropocene.