The future of ecological economics requires renewed appreciation on the insights built upon from its rich heritage. This sub-theme explores the state of the art of ecological economics’ classic areas of focus: social metabolism, national and regional material and energy accounting, bioeconomic modelling, nature’s plural and relational values, and policy approaches such as ecological taxation and payments for ecosystem services. We also encourage reflections regarding future research agendas, philosophical defense of the discipline’s goals, new methods for broader engagement, and challenges and opportunities for the discipline going forward. 

• – Conceptualizing society-nature relationships
  – Modelling of socio-ecological systems
  – Planetary boundaries and thresholds
  – Evolutionary shifts in human-nature relations
  – Ecological Economics in the Anthropocene
  – Nature benefits to humans, or ecosystem services
  – Society’s metabolism, material flows, and footprint analysis
  – Scenarios of desirable and undesirable futures
  – Teaching ecological economics
  – Normative foundations for research
  – Social and cultural ecological restoration and management

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Subthemes