Exploring human-nature relationships in academic literature on the nitrogen cycle

West, Bede ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9434-9817; Bauer, Maximilian; Chalkiadakis, Charis; Dendoncker, Nicolas; González-Martínez, Tanya M.; Mascarenhas, André; Leucci, Francesca; Phillips, Benjamin B.; Ploumi, Konstantina Tania; Rodriguez, Carolina; Vandewalle, Marie; Washbourne, Carla-Leanne. 2024 Exploring human-nature relationships in academic literature on the nitrogen cycle. Ecosystems and People, 20 (1), 2380856. 19, pp. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2024.2380856

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Abstract/Summary

The nitrogen (N) cycle is a familiar concept. As is the much simplified, often diagrammatic, representation commonly used to illustrate the scale, importance and interconnectedness of this global cycle that links air, water, rocks and living beings. However, in this representation, humans are often presented as a seemingly minor entity or not explicitly shown at all. This can obscure the idea that humanity is both a direct beneficiary of the nitrogen cycle (through food and resources) and an increasingly significant influence on its function. This study sought to understand how diverse Human-Nature relationships (HNR) are expressed in recent academic literature on the nitrogen cycle. A sample of peer-reviewed literature, containing explicit and inferred examples of HNR and the nitrogen cycle, was analysed using two approaches: 1) network analysis, identifying and illustrating all quantifiable links made between components of the nitrogen cycle, and 2) content analysis to understand how different kinds of terminology were being used to describe relationships between components in the cycle. The network analysis revealed diverse links between ‘human’ and ‘non-human nature’. The content analysis found some explicit use of relational terms, most commonly ‘depend*’. Both approaches highlighted strongly reciprocal links within the ‘human’ realm and the explicit centrality in which this is held across the corpus. We demonstrate the utility of combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to understand nuanced relationships in the nitrogen cycle and explore the utility this has to increase the acknowledgement and appreciation of HNR in science communication and science-policy interface work.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2024.2380856
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Soils and Land Use (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2639-5908
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	nitrogen cycle, human-nature relationships, dependence, network, qualitative, literature review
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment General > Science Policy Data and Information
Date made live:	14 Aug 2024 12:26 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537851

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