Shaping the future: A view from conservation and management

Background/Question/Methods

Because our communities and environments are changing in vast and complex ways, so must we as an integral field of science. Building capacity in a society that is culturally diverse and one that is becoming increasingly globalized and urbanized is no easy task and requires reflection and preparation. We as ecological professionals must be prepared to stimulate, communicate, and garner support from communities with diverse backgrounds in order to collectively combat the environmental challenges of the 21^st century. Frankly, the demography of our field (across all sectors) is grossly misrepresentative of our present and projected ethnic composition. The lack of participation by minorities in ecology and other STEM disciplines is apparent. And despite continued and belabored discussions about this realization and monetary initiatives aimed to combat this problem, we seem to only barely be changing the “face” of ecological practitioners.

Results/Conclusions

In preparing for the future, we must be strategic and build allies with individuals from diverse backgrounds; we need new blood, creative and novel ideas, and interdisciplinary approaches. Two useful strategies for diversifying the field of ecology include: increasing exposure of under-representative communities and building partnerships with minority-serving institutions. Perhaps previously access to natural environments and wild animals was problematic. But now with the wildland-urban interface expanding and becoming more prevalent across the landscape, urban youth and city-dwellers are being exposed. How might we as ecologists capitalize on the change in landuse patterns to build environmental literacy and create advocates of conservation? Given the occurrence of minority-serving institutions, agencies and other universities alike would greatly benefit from investing in building these partnerships. Ecology by definition encompassing multiple interactions and inherently places a value on diversity, as uncertainty about the future mounts, security and progression for the field of ecology will become more attainable through cultural inclusion.