Advancing Climate Resilience Through Integrated Social-Ecological Research – A Milestone of the 39PHE/2024 Project
The publication "Social resilience of tropical forest ecosystems: A systematic review of core principles and their application" represents a significant scientific contribution to the global understanding of how tropical forest systems respond to climate and socio-economic pressures. Beyond the academic relevance of this work, its publication also highlights the strategic impact of the 39PHE/2024 project, which has supported the development of interdisciplinary expertise and international research collaboration at the Politehnica University Timișoara.
The article demonstrates that while tropical forests play a crucial role in climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, and sustaining local communities, current resilience assessments overwhelmingly focus on ecological aspects, with 79.6% of studies prioritizing biophysical indicators, and only 16% integrating social-ecological resilience dimensions. Even more striking is the finding that only 8% of reviewed studies include all three key social resilience principles: participation, learning, and polycentric governance, principles essential for real-world climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
This imbalance exposes a critical gap: without understanding how communities, institutions, and governance systems interact with forest ecosystems, resilience strategies risk remaining theoretical rather than transformative. The systematic review calls for stronger integration of stakeholder engagement, governance mechanisms, and knowledge co-creation in designing climate responses—an approach strongly aligned with the mission of the 39PHE/2024 project.
Through this project, the Support Center for Climate Action (CSAC) has strengthened its role in promoting participatory climate planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and applied research. The involvement of UPT researchers in producing high-impact scientific outputs such as this publication demonstrates the project's capacity to translate funding into measurable academic and societal value.
By fostering research that bridges ecological science with social dynamics, 39PHE/2024 contributes directly to the European agenda of climate resilience and supports the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions within vulnerable regions.
This article is not only a scientific achievement—it is evidence of how targeted national funding can accelerate Romania's integration into international climate research networks and enhance its contribution to global sustainability efforts.
This scientific output was developed with the support of project 39PHE/2024, funded by UEFISCDI.