Putting People in Their Place: Restoring the Human Animal in Ecological Systems

Homo sapiens is a member of the Animal Kingdom. Functionally, people are an intrinsic component of ecological systems. Most ecosystems on Earth co-evolved with the Indigenous Peoples who lived within them, stewarding these systems. However, contemporary human cosmologies predominantly regard people as apart from rather than a part of Nature. Human technologies and products are generally considered “unnatural.” At the extreme, some people believe that the Earth would fare better without humans. Rectifying this psychological projection of separation is the most vital, regenerative work of our time. It is the antidote to the polycrisis threatening living systems. It is the pathway to socio-ecological resilience and planetary health. It is fundamental to meeting the biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and climate change targets established by national governments. Yet, the key question remains to be answered: How do we ‘restore’ or ‘recenter’ the human animal in ecological systems?


Answering this question invites an exploration of what it means to be human, to be Homo ‘sapiens’ – “one who knows or “the thinking human.” As a species, we have become forgetful of the necessity and intricacies of our relationship with the “natural world.” Destructive thoughtlessness is the result. What is the nature of our Pleistocene-emergent species in the Anthropocene?


From a transdisciplinary perspective, this Research Topic explores the cosmological disassociation of the human animal from ecological systems. We are particularly interested in works that provide practical insights for a) catalyzing the cosmological shift needed to deconstruct anthropocentric worldviews and enable "people to be put in their place" as intrinsic to ecological systems and b) realigning the human enterprise with regenerative planetary rhythms and processes (e.g., through ecocentric learning, bioregionalism, ecological ethics/rights of nature, ecocultural restoration, nature-based spirituality). Submitted manuscripts need to meet journal standards for scholarly rigor, advance conservation science and/or practice, and be rooted in the social sciences or Indigenous Knowledge (formerly Traditional Ecological Knowledge).


Although we will prioritize Original Research, Reviews, Community Case Studies, and Perspectives, we welcome manuscripts in any Frontiers format. We strongly encourage transdisciplinary submissions. Examples of potential Research Topic inquiries include, but are not limited to:


* What are transferable lessons learned from conservation approaches that have effectively (re)associated people with the ecologies of place?

* In what way do conservation approaches/practices (e.g., specific technologies, capitalistic frameworks) further disassociate people from ecological systems? How can this disassociation be mitigated?

* How can Indigenous cosmologies and epistemologies inform a contemporary recentering of human-Nature?

* What ecological ethics/values can help “put people in their place” with regenerative capacity?

* How have the major world religions influenced the cosmology of Homo sapiens sense of being a part of or apart from ecological systems? How can contemporary religious leaders lead their followers back to Nature?

* How has settler colonialism—the forcible removal of Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands by genocide and other means—supported the disassociation of humans and nature? How has this dissociation led to the ecological damage and collective human trauma we are striving to heal today? What role does socio-ecological decolonization play in collective trauma healing?

* How can psychological or neurological models inform the cosmological reassociation of people into ecological systems?

* In what way do modern psychological constructs and practices limit and/or empower the association of people as aspects of ecological systems?

* What are 'nature-based solutions' if humans are regarded as an aspect of ecological systems?

* What if 'environmental education' is transformed into 'ecological association' as a field of practice?

* How can people be guided to build an enduring, associative relationship with the bioregions they inhabit?

* How can research methodologies synthesize ecocentric learning pathways while ensuring cultural integrity, epistemic sovereignty, and community ownership?

* What are the personal and transpersonal implications for people identifying as an aspect of ecological systems—as an aspect of Nature?

* How can we shift the approach of multilateral environmental agreements such that people are regarded as an aspect of ecological systems and, thus, the human dimensions of policy targets are necessarily considered?

* How can we reimagine an epistemological vision for humans as part of Nature that braids together Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to heal the Earth?

* As biological, socio-ecological, and psychological beings, how is human healing connected to “healing” ecological systems?

* How can the rights of nature be ensconced into contemporary human epistemology and relational values?

* What is the pathway for catalyzing generative human accountability for socio-ecological damage and injustices? Is it feasible for humans to overcome the existential loneliness stemming from nature-dissociation? If so, how? If no, what are the anticipated socio-ecological consequences?

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Specialty Grand Challenge
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: dissociation, disconnect, Earth, ecological systems, healing, Homo sapiens, human dimensions, Indigenous knowledge, othering, people, Peoples, recenting, resilience, restoration, separation, social-ecological systems, socio-ecological systems

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.