Mapping the Social-Ecological Nexus to Determine System Properties That Maintain Sustainability and Productivity in Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka

Sujith S. Ratnayake; Danny Hunter; Michael Reid; Benjamin Kogo; Teresa Borelli; Callum Hunter; Champika S. Kariyawasam

doi:10.3390/su18126151

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Mapping the Social-Ecological Nexus to Determine System Properties That Maintain Sustainability and Productivity in Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka

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Mapping the Social-Ecological Nexus to Determine System Properties That Maintain Sustainability and Productivity in Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka

Sujith S. Ratnayake, Danny Hunter, Michael Reid, Benjamin Kogo, Teresa Borelli, Callum Hunter and Champika S. Kariyawasam

Sustainability, Vol.18(12), pp.1-24

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126151

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Abstract

social–ecological system

social–ecological nexus

participatory system mapping

social network analysis

complexity

sustainability

resilience

village tank cascade system

The social-ecological nexus (SEN) offers a framework to capture the complex and dynamic interactions and interdependencies between human communities and the natural systems that support them. This study analyzed the SENs within a village tank cascade system (VTCS), a social-ecological system (SES) located in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The study adopted a participatory approach, combining fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) to determine key SES properties of the VTCS. The FCM process identified 49 nodes (elements) and 434 edges (connections) within the study landscape that contribute to system performance. Network graphs were generated using centrality metrics-degree, betweenness, and eigenvector centrality-to identify the most influential nodes and edges contributing to system sustainability and productivity. The study identified nine nodes as the most influential elements in the SEN which are critical for balancing trade-offs between sustainability and productivity in the VTCS. Three distinct clusters of elements influencing sustainability and productivity emerged from the SEN graph: (i) ecological cluster, (ii) social-ecological cluster, and (iii) social cluster. Understanding the role of SES elements and their positions in the SEN is crucial for identifying gaps within the system and informing tailored management interventions. These findings offer a theoretical basis for optimizing sustainability strategies aimed at enhancing the overall productivity and resilience of SES. Consequently, this approach exposes the complexities of the SEN, making it widely applicable to similar SESs globally.

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Title: Mapping the Social-Ecological Nexus to Determine System Properties That Maintain Sustainability and Productivity in Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka
Authors: Sujith S. Ratnayake (Corresponding Author) - University of New England
Danny Hunter (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Michael Reid (Author) - University of New England
Benjamin Kogo (Author) - Central Queensland University
Teresa Borelli (Author) - Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT
Callum Hunter (Author) - Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (Australia)
Champika S. Kariyawasam (Author) - University of New England
Publication details: Sustainability, Vol.18(12), pp.1-24
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.3390/su18126151
ISSN: 2071-1050
Copyright note: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Data Availability: Data are contained within the article.
Grants: Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, RTP, Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Grant note: This research was funded by the Destination Australia Program (DAP), and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Research Scholarships through the University of New England (UNE), Australia to the first author.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991246170602621
Output Type: Journal article

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