Towards an understanding of socio-environmental conflicts over natural commons in the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

Abstract Socio-environmental conflicts over natural commons represent a growing challenge for sustainability governance, yet their dynamics remain poorly understood within complex Social-Ecological Systems (SESs). This study examines six emblematic conflicts in the Venice Lagoon (Italy), a complex SES undergoing profound transformations driven by land-use change and the privatisation of natural commons. Drawing on Ostrom’s SES framework and system thinking tools, we combine document analysis with semi-structured interviews to reconstruct conflict trajectories and identify recurring determinants across cases involving protected areas, rural landscapes, and abandoned islands. Our findings reveal a common rationale: public–private partnerships promoting redevelopment projects frequently clash with bottom-up initiatives affecting ecological integrity, cultural heritage and equitable access to natural commons. Conflicts are shaped by governance asymmetries, opaque decision-making and economic incentives linked to tourism, while ecological fragility and cultural values amplify contestation. Despite contextual differences, all cases exhibit procedural issues - such as lack of transparency - and substantial concerns related to habitat conservation and land-use change. Applying Ostrom’s SES framework in combination with system thinking theory enabled us to disentangle multi-level interactions between actors, governance systems, and ecological components, highlighting feedback loops between institutional arrangements and grassroots mobilisation. These insights underscore the need for conflict-sensitive governance prioritising transparency, inclusiveness and adaptive strategies to reconcile development with ecological resilience. Mechanisms such as collective management, legal recognition of ecosystems as rights-bearing entities and multi-level coordination emerge as promising pathways for mitigating tensions. While rooted in the Venetian context, our conceptual contribution offers broader applicability for studying socio-environmental conflicts in other SESs facing similar challenges of commons commodification.