Indirect drivers of global change: a theoretical and methodological framework and review of experiences

In recent decades, coinciding with a gradual approximation of scientific disciplines in the humanities and social sciences to the study of environmental problems, notable theoretical and methodological advances have been made in the consideration of sociocultural drivers in ecosystems and natural resources. Understanding these drivers as underlying and implicit causes that affect the state of ecosystems and natural resources, they have begun to be integrated into different conceptual frameworks aimed at identifying, assessing and, where appropriate, attempting to minimize the negative effects of anthropogenic activities on nature. As a result of this integration in well-known theoretical frameworks such as the Pressure-State-Response or in studies on changes of use in the rural environment, the treatment of indirect drivers of change has been consolidated as an interdisciplinary object of study involving both experts from different disciplines and social agents who participate in consultation processes aimed at establishing the causes of possible impacts or processes. In order to analyze the state of the art and determine the main contents to be considered in the recognition of indirect drivers of change, a review is made of two initiatives in which the treatment of these drivers has produced results of great interest: the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the reports developed by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The conclusions drawn from the analysis of both initiatives may be of interest for future work on the treatment of global environmental change at local and subregional scales.