Stockholm Resilience Centre

Stockholm Resilience Centre
Name	Stockholm Resilience Centre
Established	2007
Location	Stockholm, Sweden
Parent organisation	Stockholm University
Focus	Earth system science, social–ecological systems, sustainability
Director	Beatrice Crona

Contents

Stockholm Resilience Centre is an interdisciplinary research institute at Stockholm University focused on resilience and transformation of social-ecological systems in the face of global change. The Centre integrates scholars from ecology, economics, political science, and anthropology to study interactions among biosphere, climate change, and human societies. Its work informs policy processes including those linked to the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and regional initiatives across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

History

The Centre was founded in 2007 as a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics with roots in earlier programs such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the Resilience Alliance. Early leadership included scholars associated with the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Centre quickly became linked to global assessments like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Over time it expanded collaborations with institutions such as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the International Council for Science, and the Global Environment Facility. Directors and affiliated faculty have had ties to award-winning work recognized by organizations including the European Research Council and national academies like the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The Centre’s mission emphasizes understanding resilience, thresholds, and transformation in linked systems such as coral reef-dependent communities, tropical forest landscapes, and urban social-ecological systems like Stockholm (city). Research topics include planetary boundaries originally framed in collaboration with scholars from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, biodiversity and ecosystem services explored with partners such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and governance studies that draw on comparative work involving European Union policy, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Methodologically, the Centre advances systems modelling linked to field studies conducted in regions including the Baltic Sea, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Coral Triangle.

Administratively housed within Stockholm University, the Centre is organized into research themes, education programs, and policy engagement units. Governance includes a director, scientific steering committees, and advisory boards with representation from institutions such as the Swedish Research Council, the World Bank, and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Faculty appointments often involve cross-appointments with departments like the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences and collaborations with units at the University of Cambridge and University of Cape Town. The Centre hosts visiting scholars from organizations including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United Nations Development Programme.

Major contributions include empirical and conceptual work on planetary boundaries co-developed with researchers who have affiliations across the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, the International Programme on the State of the Ocean, and the Global Resilience Partnership. The Centre led and contributed to regional resilience assessments in the Baltic Sea and policy briefs for the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme. It has advanced knowledge on regime shifts with case studies involving the Aral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, and Sahel transformations, drawing on comparative analyses with researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Tools and frameworks developed by the Centre have been applied in city resilience initiatives such as collaborations with the City of Stockholm and urban projects connected to the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Educational activities include postgraduate programs run jointly with Stockholm University and executive training for staff from institutions such as the European Commission and the African Union Commission. The Centre offers courses that attract students affiliated with universities like the London School of Economics, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cape Town. Outreach efforts include public lectures and collaborations with media outlets including Sveriges Television and engagement in international fora such as sessions at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Economic Forum. The Centre publishes policy briefs and accessible syntheses used by NGOs including WWF and Conservation International.

Funding and partnerships span multilateral, national, and philanthropic sources. Core funding comes from entities like Stockholm University and Swedish governmental bodies, supplemented by competitive grants from the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council, and project funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. International collaborations involve the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Centre maintains formal partnerships with research institutions including the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, and the Resilience Alliance to advance transdisciplinary research and policy uptake.

Category:Research institutes in Sweden Category:Stockholm University Category:Environmental research institutes