ESA Sustainability Science Initiative
The ESA Sustainability Science Initiative, supported by the Science Office, is intended to develop a series of activities to examine and articulate the intellectual foundations for a new sustainability science. It began formally with a special session, “Ecological Sustainability in a World of Constant Change: Developing a New Research Agenda for ESA,” organized by Vice President for Science Gus Shaver, President Nancy Grimm, and Science Director Cliff Duke at the 2005 Annual Meeting. A Steering Committee led by Gus Shaver and including Terry Chapin, Cliff Duke, Ann Kinzig, Debra Peters, and Osvaldo Sala is planning an NSF-sponsored workshop “Ecological Foundations of Sustainability in a Constantly Changing World” to be held at Woods Hole, Massachusetts in March 2007. This workshop will review recent advances in ecological theory and identify how those advances can improve our understanding and achievement of sustainability. The workshop will also set the stage for a symposium at the 2007 ESA Annual Meeting, a larger international workshop to be cosponsored by ESA, UNESCO, and SCOPE, and several publications. Products of these efforts will be posted here as they become available. Additional resources related to sustainability science are provided below.
ESA’s Sustainability Science Award recognizes the authors of the peer reviewed paper published in the past five years that makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences. Additional information about nominations for the award can be found at www.esa.org/aboutesa/awards.php (click on Sustainability Science Award) and a list of award winners is located at www.esa.org/history/awards.php (click on Sustainability Science Award (2004 - ).
The Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable (SRR) is a collaborative partnership of rangeland scientists and managers, ecologists, sociologists, economists, policy and legal experts, environmental advocates, and industry and user group representatives. The mission of the SRR is to promote social, ecological, and economic sustainability of rangelands through the development and widespread use of the criteria and indicators for rangeland assessments, and by providing a forum for dialogue on sustainability of rangelands. Science Director Cliff Duke is a member of the SRR and represents ESA at meetings.
The Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable (SWRR) brings together representatives of federal agencies, state governments, interstate councils, nongovernmental organizations, and corporations to further the understanding and decision making needed to sustain the quality and availability of the nation's water resources, and the communities, businesses and ecosystems that depend on them. Science Program Assistant Devon Rothschild is a member of the SWRR and represents ESA at meetings.
Sustainability Links
The following links provide additional information about sustainability science.
