This tutorial provides an overview of the socio-environmental research and problem solving approach. Learning goals for this tutorial include:

• Explain why addressing environmental problems requires both natural and social science perspectives.
• Explain why a systems perspective is important for studying environmental problems.
• Summarize what the process of socio-environmental synthesis involves and why this research approach is important.

In the Appendix of this Tutorial is a brief description of concept maps, general guidelines for creating concept maps, and references about concept mapping.