摘要:Issues of scale play a crucial role in the governance of social–ecological systems. Yet, attempts to bridgeinterdisciplinary perspectives on the role of scale have thus far largely been limited to the science arena. This study has extendedthe scale vocabulary to allow for the inclusion of practice-based perspectives on scale. We introduced "dimensions," used todescribe the bare aspects of phenomena, such as time, space, and power, structured by scales and levels. We argued that thisextension allows for a clearer understanding of the diversity of dimensions and scales that can be used to explore social–ecologicalsystems. We used this scale vocabulary in a practical case study to elicit perspectives on dimensions, scales, and cross-dimensionaldynamics from change agents in Dutch social–ecological systems. Through a visual interview method based in the extendedscale vocabulary, our participants identified a large diversity of dimensions they saw as instrumental to understanding insightsand lessons about effecting systems change. These dimensions were framed by a large number of scales to describe cross-dimensional interactions. The results illustrate the value of practice-based perspectives for the development of scale theory. Wealso argue that the introduction of dimensions in the scale vocabulary is useful for clarifying scale theory aimed at linkingdifferent disciplines and sectors, and that the framework and methods based on it can also provide clarity for practical scalechallenges
关键词:change agents; cross-scale dynamics; level; scale; social–ecological systems