ESA Vision 1 Informing Decisions with Ecological Knowledge Bernadette Rabel Jennifer Prell Lindsey Dymond Tom Tonkin

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ESA Vision 1Informing Decisions with Ecological
KnowledgeBernadette RabelJennifer
PrellLindsey DymondTom Tonkin
Prepared for BIO 344 - Ecology at Wilkes
University 1 October 2004
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Why should society know about ecology?

• What can happen today can effect population and
  ecosystems in the future.
• The science can and should play a greatly
  expanded role in ensuring a future in which
  natural systems and the humans they include
  coexist on a more sustainable planet.
• Society does not realize that as a human race we
  have virtually altered all of the Earths
  ecological systems.

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Two main areas for informing decisions with
ecological knowledge

• A. Integrate advances in ecological knowledge
  into policy and management decisions that affect
  ecological sustainability
• B. Promote a thoughtful public today and educate
  future generations so that the public can use the
  best ecological knowledge when making individual
  choices about sustainability

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A. Integrate advances in ecological knowledge
into policy and management decision that affect
ecological sustainability

• The users of ecological knowledge often do not
  understand the full range of information or
  conceptual insights that ecologists might
  provide.
• Ecology is relatively new discipline, and still
  suffers in some circles from not being recognized
  as a real science.
• Over the years,ecologists have created a huge
  knowledge base, that they do not know how to
  advertise its availability
• Information that is presented is not
  comprehendible to nonscientists.

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Action 1 Establish an international network of
Centers for the Ecological Implementation of
Solutions (CEIS)

• Ecologists should cultivate relationships with
  more thoughtful reporters and editors because
  others lack interest.
• By linking groups of scientists together with
  management and decision makers to help figure
  out shared problems such as forest management,
  agriculture, or wetland restoration.
• The goal is to improve integration of ecological
  knowledge and to inform the direction of
  ecological research

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Action 2 Build on programs that serve as honest
brokers of information and use rapid response
teams to assist decision makers

• ESA could initiate partnerships to develop a
  program based in Washington D.C so this way
  ecologists could have an impact on input and
  testimony on legislation.
• The intent would be to assess and emphasize the
  quality of ecological science underpinning the
  legislation.
• Having ESA members in Washington would allow
  elected officials to call on the team to rapidly
  provide high quality independent ecological input
  and testimony for legislation.

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Action 3 Increase the number of ecologists
within the government agencies who make decisions
of others related to ecological sustainability

• Ecologists employed in positions that require
  frequent interaction with the public will have
  opportunities to educate the public on issues of
  ecological sustainability.
• Fellowships and internships could be designed
  specifically to place promising early career
  ecologists on congressional staffs and in federal
  agencies.
• Agency functions that conduct research should
  have an ecological component in helping agencies
  develop position descriptions and advertise
  openings across the ESA membership.

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B. Foster a thoughtful public today and educate
generations of tomorrow so that the best
ecological knowledge informs individual choices
about sustainability

• The campaign would seek to increase awareness
  about ecological sustainability and explain the
  sustainability issues affecting the quality of
  peoples lives and those of future generations
• People will also learn that the concerns about
  sustainability include much more than the
  charismatic mega issues such as climate change
  and species extinction
• The next fifty years will be a period of great
  change in ecosystems worldwide

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Action 4Develop a major public information
campaign to bring issues of ecological
sustainability before the public

• Parts of the campaign issues of broad public
  concern and help audiences understand the
  scientific basis for solving problems of
  ecological sustainability
• National awareness of what ecological
  sustainability is and how each citizen is
  connected will require a coordinated and
  prolonged campaign of internet, TV, and radio
• Ex commercials during the super bowl, newspaper
  or news on the radio and TV, pop-ups

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Action 5Work with diverse public, nonprofit, and
religious organizations to better integrate
ecological knowledge into relevant outreach and
public campaigns

• The ESA can encourage the integration of
  contemporary and rigorous ecological knowledge
  into this movement by providing speakers on
  ecological issues of local and national
  significance.
• The ESA could facilitate the involvement of
  ecologists by building working relationships
  between the ESA governing board and then
  matchmaking between each organizations needs
  and expertise from across the ESA

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Action 6 Establish internationally coordinated
ecology education programs

• Develop and deliver professional developmental
  programs for K-12 educators related to ecological
  sustainability
• Expand the TIEE, FIRST, or similar undergraduate
  faculty support and enhancement programs for
  ecology education- with a special focus on
  ecological sustainability
• Analyze and participate in curriculum standards
  and textbook development for ecology in K-12 and
  undergrad education
• Increase diversity among ecology educators
  nationally and internationally
• Establish a Web-based e-library that provides
  up-to-date access to advances in research and
  education on ecological sustainability.

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Action 7 Work with the United Nations to declare
an International Decade of Ecology Education as
part of the Decade of Education for sustainable
development

• Organize and implement a series of Ecology
  Education Conferences, bringing together
  professional science and education societies to
  identify advances, gaps, and frontiers in
  education related to ecological sustainability
• Publish and widely disseminate proceedings from
  the education conferences.

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Why we should care

• Deforestation
• Global Warming
• Running out of natural resources
• Water Contamination
• Air Pollution

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Deforestation

• Carbon Cycle
• From 1850 to 1990, 122 billion tons of carbon
  released due to deforestation
• Less capacity to hold water and transpire it back
  to the atmosphere
• Biodiversity

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Natural Resources

• Fossil Fuels are non-renewable
• Fossil fuels are used to fuel cars, make plastic
  even used to recycle.
• Burning fossil fuels is hazardous to humans
  health and to the environment.
• Releases 6 billion metric tons of carbon into air
  every year

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Global warming

• largely the result of emissions of carbon dioxide
  and other greenhouse gases from human activities
  including industrial processes, fossil fuel
  combustion, and changes in land use, such as
  deforestation
• warming will also cause additional sea-level
  rise that will gradually inundate coastal areas,
  changes in precipitation patterns, increased risk
  of droughts and floods, threats to biodiversity,
  and a number of potential challenges for public
  health 

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Water Contamination

• 1.5 billion people lack clean drinking water
  worldwide
• 5 million deaths per year can be attributed to
  waterborne diseases

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Air Pollution

• Smog
• Acid Rain

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How this affects N.E PA/ Wilkes

• Wetlands
• Mine site restoration
• American Heritage Rivers

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Wetlands

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Mine site
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American Heritage Rivers
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Summary

• We must move ecology ahead since it is an
  important role in our existing world and our
  future.
• If vision is successful, ecologists assist in
  policy decisions and business decisions.
• our population will better understand our
  dependence on ecological services.
• Scientists could work together to create more
  useful information systems and research tools.

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• The vision is obtainable, but actions need to be
  taken now!
• The right information must get into the hands of
  the right people and at the right time in a form
  they can understand.
• The tasks in the vision will not move forward
  unless there is structure that will take us from
  data, to outreach, to application.

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References

• http//www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms/scho-ecol/env/resto_e.h
  tm
• http//www.dailyitem.com/archive/2004/0920/local/s
  tories/10local.htm
• ESA vision www.ESA.org/ecovisions
• http//hawky.net/photo/4th_of_july_2001/canoeing/t
  n/the_wetlands.jpg.html
• http//www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/html/fos
  sil_fuel/fossil_fuel_green.html
• Krantz, D. and Kifferstein, B. Water Pollution
  and Society
• Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues In Science.
  http//www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/ELSI.html