In this symposium, we discuss new approaches towards a sustainable future, focusing on the conflicts of resources, values, and governances among stakeholders across time and space. Behind the current understanding of the local tragedy of commons there exist trans-spatial issues such as local, national and global scale conflicts/synergy, as well as trans-temporal issues encompassing past, present and future, which need to be identified and solved. Analysis of the conservation and development of natural, social and institutional capitals is key to new directions of research. In particular, water and water-related issues under the conditions of climate change and shortage of land will be highlighted with scenario developments, and with the use of integrated indices and socio-ecological-economic models