A red wolf crosses a road on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Thursday, March 23, 2023, near Manns Harbor, N.C. Over the course of 25 years, the red wolf went from being declared extinct in the wild to becoming hailed as an Endangered Species Act success story. But the only wolf species unique to the United States is once again at the brink. The last wild populations of Canis rufus are clinging to life on two federal refuges in eastern North Carolina. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

By Alex McInturff, Peter S. Alagona, Clare E. B. Cannon, and David N. Pellow.

Read the full paper here.

The field of ecology has found more and more evidence that humans have altered our planet. Yet, surprisingly, many of the most important theories in ecology do not grapple with the effects of human society, culture, and history on other species. The concept of an “ecological niche” provides a telling example. The niche concept has itself evolved over recent decades, but it generally describes the set of conditions required for a given species to survive. However, it does not fully consider the range of social and cultural factors that shape modern environments. Here, we propose a new concept, the socio-ecological niche (SEN), which updates the niche concept to include a range of social factors.

The SEN builds on recent developments in other literatures, like environmental justice and social-ecological systems, which are increasingly recognizing the importance of linking social and ecological schools of thought. In spelling out the SEN, we offer six “dimensions” of the concept as starting points for understanding how the humanities and the social sciences can contribute to niche ecology. These dimensions are history, laws and institutions, economics, politics, discourses and representation, and knowledge. However, these are just a starting point, and future research can continue to add to and integrate across these dimensions.

Underlying all of our analysis are critical issues of power and justice, which have always structured human society and history. In some cases, power and justice can be drivers of the niche space, while in other cases, socio-ecological niches can lead to injustices in complex ways. In all cases, it is essential to understand power and justice as underlying context of the SEN.

The SEN has important implications for theory and practice. By incorporating the social dimensions of niche ecology, scientists can develop new hypotheses and explore important new questions. The concept can also help push the boundaries of conservation away from a focus on species and toward the roles these species play in the human-dominated world. And the SEN helps underline the importance of social science to both research and management.

Taken together, we hope that this concept offers fertile ground for future interdisciplinary research to explore the connections between society and ecology in the modern world. Doing so has potential to improve our understanding of the world and forge stronger links between ecology and justice.