Elevating the human dimension in ecology—a call for action

Abstract

Humans have an enormous impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, and the services that nature provides. For the past 30 years, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) has expanded its emphasis on fundamental ecology to include the human dimensions of environmental change, in response to its members’ growing interest in the key environmental issues that define our times. These efforts include implementing pedagogical innovations in undergraduate education, expanding the human-focused content of ESA publications, facilitating career development, addressing the social and cultural dimensions of environmental issues, and providing mentoring programs that enhance the Society's role in human–environment interactions.

Since its founding over 100 years ago, ESA has defined its values and focused on being a trusted and accessible source of scientific knowledge regarding biological diversity and ecological systems. More recently, ESA's members have expanded their research questions to include the scientific foundations for effective environmental action and have emphasized providing a diverse community of ecologists with a supportive home to advance their careers. Now, a new ESA journal, Earth Stewardship, will extend the Society's publications to social–ecological researchers engaged in community-based stewardship and biocultural initiatives that co-produce solutions-oriented environmental stewardship across scales, from local to global. Other titles among ESA's existing journal portfolio are facilitating collections of articles that center not only on the importance of integrating cultural perspectives and diversity into research, but also on curricula to develop a well-trained environmental workforce.

Recently, ESA has inaugurated several sections and a chapter that mutually lead in integrating cultural, social, and human diversity into ecological research, teaching, and practice. ESA has also introduced new mechanisms in its governance to help ensure a more effective and cohesive ESA Council. These changes have fostered greater discussion among members on how best to improve the ways in which ESA can support ecologists of all backgrounds in their careers.

In 2020, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, ESA appointed a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Task Force and then in 2021, a permanent, separate ESA Diversity Committee to help implement the Task Force's recommendations. The DEIJ Task Force developed several recommendations from which the ESA Excellence in Ecology (EEE) Scholarship program emerged, to support early- to mid-career Society members. The EEE Scholarship program seeks to create a network of diverse, action-oriented ecologists whose professional activities center on effectively addressing today's environmental challenges through problem-solving. Now in its third cycle, the EEE Scholarship program has produced three cohorts of scholars who link their research to meeting the environmental needs of both the communities they collaborate with and the workforces they train.

The EEE Scholars exemplify ESA's commitment to elevating the human dimension in the practice of ecology, working locally and globally to enhance environmental problem-solving activities. They explore ways of fusing Indigenous knowledge with Western science to more effectively address many concerns, including human–wildlife interactions, community water quality and food security issues, the impact of urbanization on aquatic and wetland systems, the design of sustainable agricultural systems, and analyses of climate-change impacts. They are experts at community engagement and the translation of science into policy. They are also diverse ecologists who can be integrated into ESA leadership and connect their network of environmental professionals to help ESA advocate for—and inspire others to confidently pursue their career interests in—ecology. To ensure the sustainability of this new program and other diversity activities, ESA has launched the Equity and Excellence in Ecology endowment fund, through generous gifts from a group of founding donors.

To lessen or even eliminate harmful, sometimes devastating, human impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, many ecologists focus their research and teaching activities on the protection, preservation, and sustainable use of natural resources. We are deeply engaged in predicting global environmental change and concerned about preventing further loss of species and ecological integrity. We must unite our efforts, to enhance our effectiveness not only in solving problems in natural resource management, but also in training today's environmental workforce.

ESA's many efforts for enhancing access and inclusion in ecology and creating programs that meet our members’ career development needs have been successful, but there is much more to do. It is now time to raise our degree of support for ESA in promoting ecologists who elevate the human dimension in their work.

We—members and non-members of ESA alike, in all walks of life—can help to reinforce ESA's continuing efforts to advance the science and practice of open and inclusive ecology by supporting diverse researchers and practitioners throughout their careers. Together, we can make a difference.