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Symposium 17. Revolutionary Ecology: Defining and Conducting Stewardship and Action as Ecologists and Global Citizens

2011; Ecological Society of America; Volume: 92; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1890/0012-9623-92.4.415

2327-6096

ESA,

Forest Management and Policy

Symposium 17 was organized by M. Jahi Chappell, Colibrí Sanfiorenzo-Barnhard, Melissa Armstrong, and Ricardo J. Colón-Rivera. The report was written by Ricardo J. Colón-Rivera, Spatial Sciences Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, Melissa Armstrong, Education and Diversity Programs, Ecological Society of America, Colibrí Sanfiorenzo-Barnhard, Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Jennifer Gardner, Cornell University; M. Jahi Chappell, Washington State University, Vancouver. “Revolutionary action ecology: concepts, challenges and actions for a new generation of ecological citizen-scientists” Rachel Bezner-Kerr, University of Western Ontario; Sieglinde Snapp, Michigan State University; Lizzie Shumba, Zacharia Nkhonya, Rodgers Msachi, Enoch Chione, all at Ekwendeni Hospital, Malawi. “The challenges of promoting agrodiversity during a new Green Revolution: learning from and working with farming communities in northern Malawi” Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University. “Research and policy impact: Synergisms in action-oriented ecology” Jorge Ramos Jr., Arizona State University. “Chutes and ladders on students' pathways to planetary stewardship” Eugene C. Hargrove, University of North Texas. “Stewardship vs. citizenship” The theme of the 96th ESA meeting, Earth stewardship: preserving and enhancing Earth's life-support systems, was undoubtedly the most relevant topic of discussion among the thousands of ecologists who made their way to the Austin Convention Center in early August 2011. During the week of the meeting, a number of talks, sessions, and workshop explored the role of ecologists in actively shaping a new science agenda focused on achieving social change (Earth stewardship). In the same vein, if Earth stewardship is a “call to arms for ecologists,” as described by the ESA, Symposium 17 of the meeting, entitled “Revolutionary Ecology: Defining and Conducting Stewardship and Action as Ecologists and Global Citizens,” focused on how to answer the call. In essence, the revolution is a call for ecologists to become action ecologists, engaging in ecological research that catalyzes social action to improve environmental conditions and societal welfare, and for the system of training and rewarding ecologists to align with this purpose. The symposium, one of the many stewardship initiatives developed by SEEDS students and alumni during the meeting, argued that Earth stewardship requires the integration of an established field of practices known as action research. The working nature of the action research framework presents a “dual commitment…to study a system and concurrently to collaborate with members of the system in changing it in what is together regarded as a desirable direction” (Gilmore et al. 1986). Thus, to embrace the practice of Earth stewardship we must first embrace action ecology's approach to understanding the complex problems confronting the Earth. A diverse lineup of speakers discussed the philosophical aspects of becoming stewards, the necessary actions implied in this process, and the challenges we must address to engage, train, and reward action ecologists. At the center of the transition between “traditional ecology” and the ESA's call to “action ecology” lies the ecologist, as a citizen, dealing with dilemmas such as involvement in policy advocacy, balancing efforts between applied and basic research, and delivering a desired research product as a working professional (e.g., social change vs. number of publications) (Nelson and Vucitech 2009). With these issues in mind, Jennifer Gardner (1), Ph.D. student from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University, stressed the need for transdisciplinary approaches to global problems and explored insights from such approaches (political ecology and ecological economics, among others) to analyze the potential pathways to action ecology. Gardner discussed the principles that dictate action ecology, the debate about the nature of advocacy by scientists, and argued for the importance of engaging advocacy as responsible citizens. Of all of the necessary actions we must take as ecologists to become Earth stewards, the action of advocacy is unavoidable. As citizens first and scientists second, ecologists have a responsibility to engage in advocacy in a justified and transparent manner (Nelson and Vucitech 2009). Gardner adds to this discussion by pointing out that not engaging in advocacy is not similar to being neutral and that “in fact, by not engaging, an ecologist can actually be supporting the policy that is bad.” As an excellent example of the transdisciplinary approach of action ecology, Dr. Rachel Bezner-Kerr (2), from the Department of Geography of the University of Western Ontario, presented her study on agro-diversity, health, and nutrition in the farming communities of northern Malawi. In these communities, authorities established fertilizer and hybrid seed subsidies to promote a model of high-input, intensive agriculture that resulted in higher yields. However, little attention was given to the implications on biodiversity or social resilience brought by a different agricultural strategy. Working directly with local farming communities in two sites, Bezner-Kerr gathered both social and ecological knowledge by surveying over 200 farm households, interviewing 80 farmers, and gathering 200 soil samples. There was a conscious effort to involve the community, including marginalized members, into the research process, including the very generation of the questions. Findings indicated that crop diversity and the use of locally available technologies were important variables in building healthy soils and promoting food sovereignty. This intersection between societal concerns and science as a means to make positive contributions in the world is at the crux of action ecology. We may know a lot about agricultural systems, but what do we know about agro-ecological methods that can increase production and income for the farmers in an environmental sustainable way? Addressing the question of “what actions are important to ecology,” Dr. Paul Ehrlich (3), ESA Eminent Ecologist and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology, discussed the fundamental ways an ecologist can increase the potential impact of his or her research. The first action is to conduct research with obvious policy implications or research that will broadly change our understanding of the world. Ehrlich invited symposium participants to ask themselves, “If my research yields the results I hope for, will it make a difference in the world?” We can no longer answer “no” to this question, and continue on the path of doing research to simply increase our understanding of nature. In an action ecology framework, research is focused on resolving issues that affect society, or on aspects of nature that will fundamentally influence the way we address societal issues. “To be an ecologist and not take action is nonsensical.” In that context, Ehrlich encouraged scientists to ensure their research is of the highest quality and interest in the scientific and public realms. It is the public, after all, that funds the majority of ecological research. Action ecology will increase access to resources, students, and collaborators, as well as enhance the status of science and attract opportunities to participate in policy discussions and public education. It broadens the ecology discipline so there are more points of connection, and ecology as “the queen of the sciences” is in an excellent position to lead the way given our inherent nature in making connections. In addition to research-related efforts, Ehrlich discussed the importance of collaborating with NGOs and other institutions in their conservation efforts. Engaging in these relations can allow the ecologist access to new opportunities for research and education. These new opportunities create a positive feedback by contributing to the previously discussed actions: shifting the focus of ecological research to create results that will influence policymaking. If we are expecting that ecologists in the 21st century engage in “Earth stewardship” activities that promote a holistic approach, where ecological research and social action are equally important, than we must ask ourselves: are students engaged while in school? Are they being trained to become engaged? And are they being supported by academia to start or continue to be engaged? Jorge Ramos (4), a Ph.D. student from Arizona State University, SEEDS alumnus, and member of the ESA Student Section, presented some answers to these pressing questions. Mr. Ramos conducted a survey of ESA's Student Section to understand students' thoughts about Earth stewardship, what their motivation is to do or not do “Earth stewardship” activities, and the challenges they face within academia. A total of 278 students participated in the survey, and more than half (58.3%) said they were not involved in “Earth stewardship” activities. This finding is consistent with results from a previous survey (Salguero-Gomez et al. 2009) that found that 77% of students (N = 260) thought that these types of activities were the least important. It is encouraging to know that 87.9% of the students who conduct these activities do it because they think it's important. However, some challenges they face, such as no support from advisor or places for outlet, are things that can and should change in academia if we are to expect future ecologists to be stewards as well as scientists. Students were asked what would make them increase their involvement in stewardship activities; many of the things mentioned (benefit dissertation, required by grad program, substitute for RA/TA) are actions that can be done at a local level within each university. However, there are some things mentioned, like academic merit (44.6%), that need to be addressed by the profession as a whole (Uriarte et al 2007, McDade et al 2011). Furthermore, if funding agencies (i.e., NSF) are requiring that we conduct broader impacts in funded projects, then we need to figure out how to reward those actions. Coming up with clear arenas for publications of “Earth stewardship” activities is a necessary step toward defining how to evaluate and reward these actions. Universities need to start producing leaders who have a clear understating of the importance of social action, leaders who fill the gap between academia and society, and not make the gap wider than it already is. The final speaker was Dr. Eugene C. Hargrove (5) from the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas. Hargrove provided a cultural and social perspective on Earth stewardship. Hargrove pointed out that the positive connotation of the word “stewardship” is limited only to cultures of three major religions—Christianity, Judaism and Islam—and people not affiliated with these groups might misinterpret a collaboration approach presented under the banner of stewardship. Rather than an environmental message, they may feel that it is colonizing or imperialistic. Conducting action ecology requires knowledge of the factors that influence human behavior. In this case, culture, language, and religion might influence the way people perceive an environmental initiative. Hargrove proposed the use of the religiously neutral term “environmental citizenship” as a way to avoid cultural backslash and ensure clear communication of the environmental message to a broader spectrum of cultures. Aspects of society such as culture and religion can easily be ignored by traditional approaches to ecological research. This talk was an example of the valuable input of other disciplines to ecology. The symposium concluded with an open discussion between attendees and the panel of speakers. Discussion centered on questions the symposium was addressing: What is an action ecologist? Do we all need to be action ecologists? Is citizenship an appropriate substitute for stewardship? Can we trust established institutions to make environmental policy that will ensure our future? How much impact is the traditional way of activism having on global issues? Is action ecology worth the effort? Where do we begin? These questions were asked and discussed with different points of view. For example, an argument was made against the word “citizen” because of the negative implications it might present to people with immigration problems or noncitizen status in the United States. The quality and energy of the discussion that concluded the symposium was a clear sign that ecologists are always eager to discuss their role in society, and that the field of ecology continues to evolve. 1) An action ecologist is a scientist who conducts ecological research that leads to social change. This goal is achieved by forging collaborations with other disciplines, stakeholders, and any sector of society that is part of the socio-ecological system and conducting research in an iterative, cyclical practice. 2) Important actions when designing a research project include considering the social and policy implications of the desired results, understanding the human dynamics of the socio-ecological system, and joining efforts with groups of society that share a conservation goal to create new opportunities for research and the eventual implementation of its results. 3) Students play a vital role in the present and future of action ecology. An integration of the action ecology framework into the early stages of an ecologist's education will help shape the field and create a new generation of ecologists who have a strong understanding of how to conduct action research. Furthermore, it is necessary to evaluate and modify the current academic reward system to ensure that the products of action-oriented research are encouraged and valued at the professional level.