A review of the application and evolution of the DPSIR framework with an emphasis on coastal social-ecological systems

•Definitional discrepancies of the DPSIR categories are important limitations.•The perceived limitations of the DPSIR framework were not always correct.•The DPSIR framework is a useful tool for analysing environmental problems.•Recommendations are forwarded to overcome its limitations.

The applications of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework were reviewed for several Social-Ecological Systems (SES), with an emphasis on the coastal environment. The evolution of DPSIR was traced from the Stress-Response framework to its present form. Discrepancies in the definitions of the DPSIR's information categories are presented. The application of the framework was explored both as a discrete tool and combined with other methods for different coastal and estuarine systems and biodiversity. The overall merits and limitations of the DPSIR framework are discussed in a critique. Several recommendations are suggested for refining the framework to overcome its limitations. Finally it is concluded that an updated DPSIR framework is a useful adaptive management tool for analyzing and identifying solutions to environmental problems.