In the past few decades, there has been an increasing call for scientists to continue traditional productive research careers while actively engaging in education, public outreach, and policy development. One of the key concepts used to link science to societal needs is that of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services include the multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems and for which human demand exists. The concept is inherently interdisciplinary linking earth, natural, and social sciences with the humanities.Despite the growing use of the ecosystem service concept in scientific papers, evidence suggests that public understanding remains limited.
Results/Conclusions
Here I argue that the cultural values of the scientific community are one of the reasons behind this divide. To this end, I first conduct literature analyses to ascertain the degree of inter-disciplinary research about ecosystem services. Second, I evaluate public involvement for scientists with the greatest number of citations on the ecosystem services. Third, I explore opportunities for interdisciplinary training and outreach in top-ranked ecology programs. I conclude that public understanding of the ecosystem service concept and societal engagement on the management and conservation of natural ecosystems could be greatly improved by changing the nature of training in ecology and the value we place on specific scientific outcomes.
