Participatory scenario-planning in place-based social-ecological research: insights and experiences from 23 case studies

2. Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) is an increasingly popular tool in place-based environmental 3. research for evaluating alternative futures of social-ecological systems. Although a range of 4. guidelines on PSP methods are available in the scientific and grey literature, there is a need to 5. reflect on existing practices and their appropriate application for different objectives and 6. contexts at the local scale, as well as on their potential perceived outcomes. We contribute to 7. scenarios theoretical and empirical frameworks by analysing how and why researchers assess 8. social-ecological systems using place-based PSP, hence facilitating the appropriate uptake of such 9. scenario tools in the future. We analysed 23 PSP case studies conducted by the authors in a wide 10. range of social-ecological settings by exploring seven aspects: 1) the context; 2) the original 11. motivations and objectives; 3) the methodological approach; 4) the process; 5) the content of the 12. scenarios; 6) the outputs of the research; and 7) the monitoring and evaluation of the PSP process. 13. This was complemented by a reflection on strengths and weaknesses of using PSP for the place-based 14. social-ecological research. We conclude that the application of PSP, particularly when tailored to 15. shared objectives between local people and researchers, has enriched environmental management and 16. scientific research through building common understanding and fostering learning about future 17. planning of social-ecological systems. However, PSP still requires greater systematic monitoring and 18. evaluation to assess its impact on the promotion of collective action for transitions to Ecology and Society ES-2015-7985 (Version 3 of ES-2014-7256) 2 19. sustainability and the adaption to global environmental change and its challenges. 20.