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Ecological
sustainability in a world of constant change: Developing a new research agenda
for ESA
Monday, August
8, 1 PM - 2:30 PM, Meeting Room 517a, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Gaius Shaver (gshaver@mbl.edu),
Clifford Duke, Nancy Grimm
Description: Join
us for a discussion of the fundamental science of ecological sustainability, and
of gaps in the science that must be filled to solve pressing environmental
problems:
• Is there a set of
fundamental ecological concepts that can be applied to diverse “sustainability
science” questions, or must we deal with them separately?
• Is “ecological
sustainability” at its core an equilibrium concept, and if so how can it be
reconciled with the nonequilibrium dynamics that dominates much of today’s
research?
• What are major
intellectual barriers to interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability,
including the social sciences?
• The
engineering-ecology interface: How
can we use ecological knowledge in engineering of sustainable ecosystems?
This discussion will
begin the development of a research agenda for sustainability science, following
up on the call by the Ecological Visions Committee for “Innovative and
Anticipatory Research”. This will be a continuing effort to involve the ESA
membership directly in the process.
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