Media Advisory 10-005
NSF Forum to Address "Ecosystem Services" in a Changing World
Results from Long-Term Ecological Research show importance of resources and processes supplied by ecosystems
Earth's clean air depends in large part on processes in forests.
February 22, 2010
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
Humans are sustained by a multitude of processes and resources in the environment around us. These benefits are called "ecosystem services," and include products like clean drinking water and the provision of foods such as crops and spices.
On Thursday, March 4, the National Science Foundation (NSF) will host a symposium titled, "Ecosystem Services in a Changing World: Perspectives from Long-Term Ecological Research." The meeting is the ninth such annual NSF symposium to address topics in long-term ecological research (LTER).
Ecosystem services are grouped into four main categories: provisioning, such as the production of food and water; regulating, as in control of climate and disease; supporting, such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination; and cultural, including spiritual and recreational benefits.
As human populations grow, so do our demands on these ecosystem services. Our global footprint is becoming ever larger, with increasing impacts on the benefits ecosystems provide.
It's important, say LTER and other scientists, to understand how ecosystem services are responding in a changing world, so these ecosystems may be managed in ways that sustain life on Earth.
Presentations at the symposium will address ecosystem services in agricultural systems, in temperate forest harvest systems and in residential landscapes. Also covered will be subjects such as changing urban water supplies in the tropics, the impacts of marine reserves on fisheries, and the implications of wildfires on human subsistence.
Scientists from several of NSF's 26 LTER sites will talk about new ways of conducting research on--and thinking about--ecosystem services.
NSF's LTER network spans the Arctic to the Antarctic to the tropics. The sites represent Earth's major ecosystems, and include grasslands, forests, tundra, urban areas, agricultural systems, freshwater lakes, coastal estuaries and salt marshes, coral reefs, coastal zones and the open sea.
| Who: | LTER Scientists |
| What: | Symposium on ecosystem services and long-term ecological research |
| When: | Thursday, March 4, 8:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. |
| Where: | National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 110, Arlington, VA 22230 |
| Detailed Agenda: | |
| 8:30 to 8:45 | "Welcome and Opening Remarks," Todd Crowl, NSF Division of Environmental Biology |
| 8:45 to 9:10 | "Overview of Ecosystem Services," Steve Carpenter, North Temperate Lakes LTER Site |
| 9:10 to 9:35 | "Ecosystem Services and Agricultural Systems," Scott Swinton, Kellogg Biological Station LTER Site |
| 9:35 to 10:00 | "Ecosystem Services in Temperate Forest Harvest Systems," Barbara Bond, H.J. Andrews LTER Site |
| 10:00 to 10:25 | "Changing Preferences for Ecosystem Services Over Time," Christopher Boone, Baltimore Urban LTER Site |
| 10:25 to 10:40 | Break |
| 10:40 to 11:05 | "Ecosystem Services in Residential Landscapes: Perceptions, Tradeoffs, and Cross-Site Research Opportunities," Kelli Larson, Central Arizona-Phoenix Urban LTER Site |
| 11:05 to 11:30 | "Changing Urban Water Supplies in a Tropical Context," Fred Scatena, Luquillo LTER Site |
| 11:30 to 11:55 | "Social and Ecological Impacts/Implications of Marine Reserves on Trap Fisheries," Hunter Lenihan, Santa Barbara Coastal LTER Site |
| 11:55 to 12:20 | "Ecosystem Service Impacts/Implications of Fire Regime on Human Subsistence," Terry Chapin, Bonanza Creek LTER Site |
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Forests play an important role in providing abundant clean water.
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Old-growth forests are reservoirs of huge amounts of carbon above and below ground.
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Recreation is becoming increasingly important as an ecosystem service.
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Wildfires have doubled in Alaska in recent decades, affecting indigenous communities.
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Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, email: cdybas@nsf.gov
Related Websites
NSF LTER Network: www.lternet.edu
NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences: http://www.nsf.gov/bio
NSF Directorate for Geosciences: http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=GEO
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