Toward a research agenda for actionable ecological science

Abstract

Since January 2025, the content and process of science in the US have been subject to much discussion and debate. This ferment has caused many of us to think deeply about the value of our science and how it benefits society.

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has a long history of developing community-wide, consensus agendas for ecological research that provide societal benefits. In 1991, the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative developed a framework to prioritize ecological research topics related to global change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable ecological systems. In 2002, the Ecological Visions Project further updated and advanced community research priorities in ecological sustainability; and later, in 2009, the Earth Stewardship Initiative focused on the actionability of ecological science by identifying the knowledge needed for global stewardship.

To consider the future of ecology in the current social and political context of science in the US and beyond, we now have a new initiative: the ESA Task Force to Establish a Research Agenda in Actionable Ecological Science (hereafter, “task force”). While contemplating ways to bring the ESA community together to discuss a future research agenda, the task force—composed of a small group of ESA members—posed pressing questions: How has ecology as a discipline contributed to societal and environmental problem-solving in the past? Are decision-makers and the general public aware of these successes? What are current best practices for conducting actionable ecological research? What are the most urgent and important societal challenges that can be informed by advances in ecological science? How can we foster dialogue across a broader group of ecologists and practitioners outside the task force?

To address these questions, the task force held a Special Session at the 2025 ESA annual meeting in Baltimore and developed a survey asking ESA members to rank choices associated with three overarching questions:

(1) What are the most urgent research directions in ecology for climate adaptation and/or mitigation?

(2) What are the most urgent research directions in ecology to address habitat and biodiversity loss?

(3) What are the most urgent research priorities for helping to ensure a fair distribution of ecological amenities and benefits?

Although we intend to publish a more detailed analysis, including methods and results, from the survey elsewhere, here we briefly summarize the initial 56 responses received. Most respondents (61%) were from a college or university, followed by 20% from non-profit organizations, and 9% from the federal government. With respect to career stage, 33% of respondents self-identified as mid-career, 25% as early career, 18% as students, and 21.5% as retired and/or emeritus. Some key responses from those initial participants are provided below:

Holistic solutions that consider and address multiple, interacting issues – Natural climate solutions with climate, habitat, and social co-benefits were the highest-ranked research priority in the survey, and topics that focused on interactions among threats of climate change, biodiversity/habitat loss, and environmental justice were prioritized. Respondents emphasized the need for integrated research among socioenvironmental threats, as well as among the social and natural sciences.

Mitigating threats to ecosystems, habitat, and biodiversity – Scalable renewable energy solutions that do not endanger habitats were a highly ranked research topic that reflects an emerging area of actionable ecological research. In addition, testing solutions for mitigating species and ecosystem threats such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change, invasive species, and/or over-exploitation emerged as a high priority.

Community-led and community-engaged solutions – Such solutions were ranked in the top three priorities in response to all ranked-choice questions. In the area of addressing habitat and biodiversity loss, incorporating Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) was the second most highly ranked topic.

An expansive approach to ecological science integrated with other disciplines – While the survey was designed with inter- and transdisciplinary topics and applications of ecology in mind, respondents expanded these topics even further and added research priorities related to economics, human behavior, public engagement, policy and governance, and human health. Each successive community research agenda—from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme to the Sustainable Biosphere Initiative and the Earth Stewardship Initiative—has pushed the boundary of ecology further outside the confines of the biological sciences. The survey responses here support this trend.

We are excited by these results! They show that ecology is a vibrant, evolving discipline that provides a wide range of benefits to society. Our survey is still open, and we welcome you to respond! In the coming months, we look forward to further discussion with scientists, practitioners, and community members about how ecology can discover and test new solutions to both emerging and long-standing problems. We will hold an in-person event—Research Priorities for Actionable Ecology: A Cross-Sector Town Hall—on Tuesday July 28 at the 2026 ESA annual meeting in Salt Lake City and subsequent virtual sessions not only to foster dialogue but also to identify barriers to advancing cutting-edge science. Together, we will work as a community to develop and implement consensus agendas for ecological research that address the challenges we face today, while looking toward a better and more vibrant future for all.