Revolutionary action ecology: Concepts, challenges and actions for a new generation of ecological citizen-scientists

Background/Question/Methods

The perceived focus of the field of ecology on “natural” and “undisturbed” habitats has resulted in more than a few allegations that we are prone to try to pretend that humans don’t exist. Thus, the idea goes, we end up accepting “fantasy over reality” by attempting to study ecosystems as if they were isolated from the earth’s 6.7 billion people, and as a result have limited political, economic, or ecological impact (McNeil, 2000; Daly and Farley, 2011). But within the field, there is a struggle to identify proper forms and avenues of engagement—should academic ecologists engage in advocacy? How can we effectively integrate our work with policy, social sciences and the humanities, while remaining “scientific” and ecologists proper? How do we balance local involvement and the demands of applied science with the passion for, importance of, and comparable clarity of basic research? This presentation will review developments and insights from political ecology, ecological economics, and other transdisciplinary approaches to lend insight on some potential paths forward for “action ecology”—ecological research that leads to social action.

Results/Conclusions

Ecology need not blaze a new trail in effecting change, but rather should intensify work with other academic fields grappling with the difficulties of transgressive research. To do this, we must acknowledge the pitfalls of technocratic and “knowledge-diffusion” models that often work to limit our practical effectiveness within community and policy contexts. Thus, in this introductory presentation, I will argue that a) ecologists should more broadly consider the approach of “action research”—adaptive research with the decisive involvement of and feedback from community stakeholders in an iterative, cyclical practice; b) ecologists wishing to effect action will need to develop a “toolkit” of social, political, and cultural approaches in order to establish and sustain transdisciplinary collaborations; c) these steps will require the delicate enterprise of pushing against established norms in natural science and academia, but d) as citizens as well as scientists, we have neither the responsibility nor the luxury to remain within these norms. If we are to be part of the revolutionary changes the world needs to address the grave, existential challenges that face us, we must accept that such a revolution means changing ourselves, too.