Social networks play a critical role in mobilizing resources, facilitating governance, and fostering collaboration. The Stakeholder Network Analysis for System Transformation interdisciplinary research project leverages social network analysis to identify:

1. Key influencers and intermediaries critical for coalition-building,

2. Marginalized actors who are frequently overlooked yet essential for equitable governance,

3. Opportunities to reconfigure networks in ways that drive systemic transformation.

The project collectsand analyzes data on governance relationships across the Wyss Academy for Nature (WA) Hubs. Beyond the strategic governance recommendations, the data collected serves as the baseline to track how relationships evolve and assess the impact of WA interventionsin the network over time. 

 
At its core, the project is guided by a simple idea: understanding and reshaping stakeholder networks can promote more inclusive governance, equitable resource management, and contribute to more sustainable environmental outcomes. Across regions, this approach is already generating insights: 

In addition to publishing publicly available landscape-specific reports with recommendations for network interventions and stakeholder engagement, we have released a practical project handbook to guide others applying these methods to study network dynamics in other contexts. The handbook reflects our commitment to capacity building and knowledge sharing. Through this interdisciplinary effort, we enable the WA to better understand how past, present, and future interventions shape local networks while strengthening cross-Hub collaboration through shared methodologies.