Different ways of knowing: ESA and its adaptation to multicultural complexities

Background/Question/Methods

As a scientific society, ESA has been dedicated since its inception in 1915 to data-driven approaches for understanding the structure and function of ecological systems. Founders and members were and are passionate about observing, documenting, analyzing, and (therefore) being able to predict the behavior of ecological systems at various levels of organization. By the last quarter of the 20^thcentury, the science of ecology was confidently engaged in the analysis and prediction of ecological states at a diversity of spatial and temporal scales. One key ESA concern has always been conservation and preservation of natural environments. However, now fueled by global increases in population, affluence, and technology, both the spatial extent and the rate of unraveling of contemporary ecosystems have been increasing rapidly. In what ways has ESA responded to this shifting socioecological landscape?

Results/Conclusions

One early strategic response was the creation of a new journal, Ecological Applications, that encouraged ecologists to think in terms of the policy relevance of their research, as well as to initiate research to explicitly address policy concerns. Many ecologists began to more broadly consider humans as integral components of earth’s ecosystems, both in terms of our forcing function as a keystone species, but also in terms of the marked and markedly uneven societal consequences of our cumulative ecological footprint. Alliances between ecological scientists and local communities began to emerge. During the 1990s, community organizations and NGOs were increasingly present as co-authors and co-presenters at annual meetings. The emergence of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge section, with its focus on the relevance of place-based indigenous knowledge, was rapidly followed by the emergence of the Environmental Justice section, with its attention to ethical dimensions of environmental disarray. Both sections continue to be grounded in the practical and ethical importance of (human) community-based research. ESA, necessarily sensitive to gender concerns due to the high proportion of female members, also began to focus on what was initially framed as outreach to underserved communities, primarily students. The development and elaboration of the SEEDS program (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity, and Sustainability), however, quickly took on a life of its own as student leadership began to articulate perspectives that complement and expand traditional ways of framing ecological research. All of these directions can be expected to serve ESA well as it studies and serves the complex ecologies of the 21^st century.