ABSTRACT
Although it is now commonplace to call for interdisciplinary study of social-ecological systems, the question of how one is to carry out such study remains largely open. Our aim in this chapter is to shed some light on that question, based on a small but growing discourse concerning inter- and transdisciplinary research methodology. We begin by reviewing two areas of interdisciplinary social-ecological systems (SES) research with which we have experience as researchers and evaluators: biodiversity loss and mega-contaminated site remediation. On the basis of this review we propose an ontology of SES research and develop some suggestions regarding how effective SES research methodologies can be developed. We then conclude the chapter with a series of concrete suggestions regarding how it may be possible to develop and evaluate the quality of integrative interdisciplinary SES research methods.
