The paper "Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability in Social–ecological Systems" by Brian Walker, C. S. Holling, Stephen R. Carpenter, and Ann Kinzig explores the evolution of the concept of resilience and its application in social–ecological systems (SESs). The authors argue that the future trajectories of SESs are determined by three key attributes: resilience, adaptability, and transformability. Resilience is defined as the system's capacity to absorb disturbances, reorganize, and retain its function, structure, identity, and feedbacks. It has four components: latitude, resistance, precariousness, and panarchy. Adaptability refers to the ability of actors within the system to influence resilience, primarily through management. Transformability is the capacity to create a fundamentally new system when existing conditions become unsustainable. The paper emphasizes the importance of these attributes in sustainability science, shifting the focus from seeking optimal states to resilience analysis, adaptive resource management, and adaptive governance. The authors use examples from various regions to illustrate how these attributes interact and influence the dynamics of SESs, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding of cross-scale effects and the importance of adaptive cycles.The paper "Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability in Social–ecological Systems" by Brian Walker, C. S. Holling, Stephen R. Carpenter, and Ann Kinzig explores the evolution of the concept of resilience and its application in social–ecological systems (SESs). The authors argue that the future trajectories of SESs are determined by three key attributes: resilience, adaptability, and transformability. Resilience is defined as the system's capacity to absorb disturbances, reorganize, and retain its function, structure, identity, and feedbacks. It has four components: latitude, resistance, precariousness, and panarchy. Adaptability refers to the ability of actors within the system to influence resilience, primarily through management. Transformability is the capacity to create a fundamentally new system when existing conditions become unsustainable. The paper emphasizes the importance of these attributes in sustainability science, shifting the focus from seeking optimal states to resilience analysis, adaptive resource management, and adaptive governance. The authors use examples from various regions to illustrate how these attributes interact and influence the dynamics of SESs, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding of cross-scale effects and the importance of adaptive cycles.