01479nas a2200169   4500008004100000245008200041210006900123260000900192300001400201490000800215520097100223653001701194653001701211653001601228100001901244856004601263       2009                        eng d00aA General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems0 aGeneral Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of SocialEcologic  cJuly  a419–4220 v3253 aA major problem worldwide is the potential loss of fisheries, forests, and water resources. Understanding of the processes that lead to improvements in or deterioration of natural resources is limited, because scientific disciplines use different concepts and languages to describe and explain complex social-ecological systems (SESs). Without a common framework to organize findings, isolated knowledge does not cumulate. Until recently, accepted theory has assumed that resource users will never self-organize to maintain their resources and that governments must impose solutions. Research in multiple disciplines, however, has found that some government policies accelerate resource destruction, whereas some resource users have invested their time and energy to achieve sustainability. A general framework is used to identify 10 subsystem variables that affect the likelihood of self-organization in efforts to achieve a sustainable SES. 10.1126/science.117213310abiodiversity10aconservation10arestoration1 aOstrom, Elinor  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1172133