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Alison Mize

ESA receives $213,500 NPS award to support Science Communications initiative

By the ESA Education and Diversity Office “Science isn’t finished until it’s communicated.” ~ Sir Mark Walport, UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser. As we continue to face extreme stress from changes in climate and related environmental issues, we are challenged to look toward solutions that increasingly call for public understanding and support. The National Park Service (NPS), with its mission…

ESA Urges All Nations to Take Climate Action at COP28

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) calls on world leaders attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to pledge immediate action to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions to limit rising global temperatures initially to 2.0⁰ C and eventually below 1.5⁰ C above pre-industrial levels.

IPBES global report achieves global consensus on the impacts invasive alien species and the need for coordinated global action

Guest Post by Dr. Laura A. Meyerson For the last 4.5 years, I have had the honor of working with a core team of 86 experts from 47 countries to help produce a global assessment of invasive alien species. The report was launched on September 4, 2023, in Bonn, Germany by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services…

A group of 7 or 8 people walking together down a sidewalk.

Interview with expert witness, Steven Running, in Montana children’s climate lawsuit

Dr. Steven Running is a Professor Emeritus of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at the University of Montana. Running received a Ph.D. (1979) in Forest Ecology from Colorado State University. His primary research interest is the development of global and regional ecosystem biogeochemical models integrating remote sensing with bioclimatology and terrestrial ecology. He has published over 270 scientific articles and two…

Advancing Science through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

By Kathleen Weathers, Pamela Templer, and Catherine O’Riordan “To fulfill ESA’s mission to advance the science and practice of ecology, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color must be fully supported throughout their careers.” -DEIJ Task Force Recommendations At its November 2020 meeting, the Governing Board of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) unanimously endorsed the recommendations submitted by the Task…

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice – Let’s Get to Work

“If you don’t have diverse representation in positions of power and authority to make change, how can you expect real change?”
Participant, ESA Listening Session on DEIJ Action Steps October 7, 2020

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Blog Series #2: Speaking of Race

By Pamela Templer, VP of Education and Human Resources, ESA and Teresa Mourad, Director of Education and Diversity Programs, ESA “I can’t breathe.” These last words uttered by George Floyd galvanized protests against the ongoing racism embedded in the systems and culture in the United States of America and galvanized a movement that demanded critical self-reflection. We all know that…

ESA Council Votes to Accept New Bylaws

Dear ESA Members, I am pleased to announce that the ESA Council approved new Bylaws for the Society to replace ESA’s constitution. The Bylaws go into effect March 1, 2020. The Council’s vote supports the decision made last fall by the general membership to accept the new governance documents. Read the blog post from last November for more details on…

ESA joins other scientific societies in opposing potential Trump executive order

Blogpost by Osvaldo Sala, ESA President On December 18, ESA joined 125 other societies in sending a letter to address a potential Trump administration executive order that would require all papers produced by federally funded research be made freely available immediately upon publication. While ESA supports open data and facilitates the accessibility of its science content to the broadest…

ESA Joins with the Portuguese Ecological Society to Celebrate Ecology Day 2019 on September 14

Celebrate Ecology Day 2019 on September 14 #ecologyday The Ecological Society of America is joining its international sister societies to celebrate a world Ecology Day September 14. You may still register an event up to Sept. 14 even though the date in the flyer above says July 31. ESA will be doing an online social media event Sept. 14 to…

ESA Communicating Science Workshop – Travel Awards Available

ESA Member Opportunity Attend the Inaugural ESA Communicating Science Workshop **Travel Awards of up to $200.00 will be given to each attendee as a supplement for travel costs.** RSVP now Reserve your spot now. November 2, 1:00pm-5pm – November 3, 8:00am-4pm Bowie State University Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Nursing 4000 Jericho Park Road, Bowie, MD 20715-9465 Attend and…

ESA and AAAS Comment to Interior in Support of the 27 National Monuments Under Review

July 7, 2017 Mr. James Cason Monument Review, MS–1530 U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW. Washington, DC 20240 Dear Mr. Cason, On behalf of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Ecological Society of America (ESA), we are submitting these comments in response to the opportunity for public comments regarding the…

COP16 Dispatch: Week 2 From the Classroom to the Conference Floor, A Student’s Journey in Biodiversity Diplomacy

At COP16, Alexa Theodoropoulos balanced schoolwork with engaging in key biodiversity discussions. She witnessed the urgency of action and the crucial role of youth in shaping global commitments. While progress was made, she emphasizes that accountability is essential and that students have a responsibility to ensure these goals lead to real change.

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COP16 Dispatch: Week 2 Open Source and LLMs, Reflections from the Back Row of COP16

Cristian Román shares unique insights from attending COP16 in Cali, Colombia, exploring the interplay of science, policy, and equity. Highlights include challenges with proprietary biodiversity tools, ethical concerns surrounding AI in policy compliance, and academia’s role in negotiations, raising critical questions about accessibility, collaboration, and power dynamics.

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COP16 Dispatch: Week 2 How Does Science Participate in the Biodiversity Convention? The Case of Invasive Species at COP16

At COP16 in Cali, October 2024, Alejandra Osejo-Varona, PhD Candidate in Anthropology at Rice University, shares insights on how scientists and decision-makers collaborated to address invasive alien species (IAS). The conference presented scientific tools and assessments, such as the IPBES report and IUCN toolkit, to guide the implementation of Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

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COP16 Dispatch: Week 1 From the talk to the World, Women Scientists Discuss Citizen Science

Women scientists and community leaders are reshaping conservation through citizen science, integrating Indigenous knowledge, and advocating for policy change. At COP16-Columbia, Cindy Julianty and Tanya Majdumar showcased how grassroots initiatives led by women empower local communities, preserve biodiversity, and ensure sustainable conservation efforts. Their stories highlight resilience, innovation, and a call for global action.

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The Ecological Society of America is a community of 9,000 scientists, researchers, decision makers, policy managers, and educators who are dedicated to understanding life on earth. We are an advocate for ecology and a voice for ecologists. ESA strengthens connections within and outside our community to support your work and promotes ecological science. As our discipline expands its boundaries with new ideas, new experimental tools, and the recruitment of young scientists, we hope you will join us!