New applied approaches are needed to address urgent, global environmental issues. Practitioners, scholars, and policy makers alike call for increased integration of natural and social sciences to develop new frameworks for better addressing the range of contemporary environmental issues. From a theoretical perspective, social–ecological systems (SES) offers a novel approach for enhancing sustainability science and for improving the practice of environmental management. To translate SES theory into action, education and training programs are needed that focus on the application of SES approaches across the education and professional spectrum, from K-12 to graduate training to agency management. We developed a training framework that serves sustainability practitioners by building their capacity to apply SES approaches to real world problems and decision-making. The framework uses a SES-based environmental management approach based on a systemic worldview, transdisciplinary thinking, co-development of knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive governance. The social–ecological systems training and education program (SESTEP or “see-step”) framework was designed to provide SES training opportunities as a response to the need expressed by senior directors of US federal land management agencies. The core of the framework is a 12-step SES heuristic that provides a diagnostic tool for practitioners as they work through a SES case-study issue or problem. The curriculum provides adaptable and tailored professional development training for sustainability professionals to enhance sustainability science in practice. The evaluation of the inaugural course indicates achievement of positive course learning outcomes consistent with advancing sustainability science in practice.

需要新的应用方法来解决紧急的全球环境问题。从业者，学者和政策制定者都呼吁加强自然科学与社会科学的融合，以开发新的框架来更好地解决当代环境问题。从理论上讲，社会生态系统（SES）提供了一种新颖的方法来增强可持续性科学并改善环境管理的实践。为了将SES理论转化为行动，需要开展教育和培训计划，这些计划应侧重于SES方法在从K-12到研究生培训再到机构管理的整个教育和专业领域的应用。我们开发了一个培训框架，通过建立他们将SES方法应用于现实世界问题和决策的能力为可持续性从业者提供服务。该框架基于系统的世界观，跨学科思维，知识的共同发展，利益相关者的参与和适应性治理，使用基于SES的环境管理方法。社会生态系统培训和教育计划（SESTEP或“看见步骤”）框架旨在提供SES培训机会，以回应美国联邦土地管理机构高级主管表达的需求。该框架的核心是12个步骤的SES启发式方法，可为从业者解决SES案例研究问题时提供的诊断工具。该课程为可持续发展专业人士提供适应性强和量身定制的专业发展培训，以增强实践中的可持续发展科学。对就职课程的评估表明，与实践中可持续科学的发展相一致，课程取得了积极的学习成果。