Ecological Society of America

- Solutions for a nitrogen-soaked world

Nitrogen is both an essential nutrient and a pollutant, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion and a fertilizer that feeds billions, a benefit and a hazard, depending on form, location, and quantity. Agriculture, industry and transportation have spread nitrogen liberally around the planet, say sixteen scientists in the latest edition of ESA's Issues in Ecology series, "Excess Nitrogen in the U.S. Environment: Trends, Risks, and Solutions," with complex and interrelated consequences for ecological communities and our dependence upon the resources they provide, as well as human health.

Conference to develop ecologically-based conservation strategies for a future of global change, Feb 27th - March 1st, 2012

Ecosystems are shifting under pressure from human activities, invasive species, and a changing climate, presenting hard philosophical and practical choices for conservation strategy. Should we preserve parkland as time capsules of past and current wilderness, or embrace changing species ranges and demographics to encourage new diversity as new ecosystems form? On Feb 27th through March 1st, 2012, eighty scientists, policy makers and resource managers will meet at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to challenge assumptions and explore potential solutions at the Ecological Society of America’s second conference on Emerging Issues, Developing Ecologically-Based Conservation Targets under Global Change.

• For more information, to attend the conference or to arrange phone interviews with participants, contact Liza Lester at llester@esa.org.
• Access ESA's scientific journals. For free access, contact Liza Lester at llester@esa.org.
• Find an expert source on our Rapid Response Team.

ESA provides periodic and invitation-based communications training workshops for scientists. Ecologists learn how to describe their research directly and succinctly and to respond to tough questions from the press.