A systems perspective: how social–ecological networks can improve our understanding and management of biological invasions

Reversing biodiversity loss and the sustainability crisis requires approaches that explicitly consider human–nature interdependencies. Social–ecological networks, which incorporate social and ecological actors and entities, as well as their interactions, provide such an approach. Social–ecological networks have been applied to a range of complex issues, including sustainable resource use, management of ecosystem services and disservices, and collective action. However, the application of social–ecological networks to invasion science remains limited so far, despite their clear potential for studying human contributions to introduction pathways of nonnative species, invasion success, direct and indirect impacts, and their management. In the present article, we review past applications of social–ecological networks to biological invasions, provide guidance on how to construct and analyze such networks, with an illustrative example, and outline future opportunities of social–ecological networks in invasion science. We aim to inform and inspire the applications of social–ecological networks to improve our ability to meet the diverse challenges facing invasion science.