TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ECOSYSTEMS:
SYSTEMIC RISK AND THE PUBLIC GOOD
A National Academies Symposium
On the Science and Policy for Managing the Living World
Two Centuries after Darwin
Hosted and Cosponsored by the American Association for the
Advancement of Science
Cosponsored by DIVERSITAS
February 11-12, 2009
Introductory Remarks
Welcome and Introduction by the Session Chair
Peter Crane, John and Marion Sullivan University Professor, University of Chicago;1 Chair, U.S. National Committee for DIVERSITAS, NAS
Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and the Global Decision Making
Harold Mooney, Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University; Chair, DIVERSITAS Science Committee
Reflections on Biodiversity and Its Future
Peter Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
Biodiversity and Global Environmental Change
Achim Steiner, Director, United Nations Environment Program [via prerecorded video]
1 All affiliations reflect the speakers’ positions at the time of the symposium.
SESSION 1 — Biodiversity and the Public Good
Charles Darwin Meets the Biodiversity Crisis: Advice for the New Administration
Michael Donoghue, Vice President and G. Evelyn Hutchinson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
Don’t Touch Those Dials! Microbes Made This Planet Habitable for You
Paul Falkowski, Board of Governors’ Professor of Marine and Geological Sciences, Rutgers University
Biodiversity Implications of Rapid Evolution
Andrew Hendry, Associate Professor of Biology, McGill University
Questions and Discussion
Bioinformatics: Inputs for the Sustainable Management of Natural Capital
José Sarukhán, Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Darwin’s Fishes: Why Should We Care About Marine Biodiversity?
Mary Glackin, Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere
Valuing Nature: Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity
Steve Polasky, Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics, University of Minnesota
Questions and Discussion
Concluding Remarks on the Morning Session
Cristián Samper, Director, National Museum for Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
SESSION 2 — Trade, Pests, and Pathogens in the 21st Century
Introductory Remarks by the Session Chair
Justin Ward, Vice President for Business Practices, Conservation International Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
Trade and Invasive Species: A Global Perspective
Charles Perrings, Professor of Environmental Economics, Arizona State University
Trade and the Spread of Animal and Human Pathogens
Ann Marie Kimball, Professor of Epidemiology and Health Services, University of Washington, and Director, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Emerging Infections Network
Risks of Invasive Species from International Trade
Christopher Costello, Associate Professor, Resource Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Questions and Discussion
Control of Invasive Species in Forests
Ann Bartuska, Deputy Chief, U.S. Forest Service Research and Development
Risk Assessment and Risk Management of Aquatic Invasive Species
David Lodge, Professor of Biology, University of Notre Dame
Trading Blows: Can We Control Invasive Species Through Trade Agreements?
Mark Lonsdale, Chief of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Canberra, Australia
Questions and Discussion
The Color of Green: The Next Inconvenient Truth
Jerome Ringo, President, the Apollo Alliance
SESSION 3 – Climate Change, Energy, and 21st Century Ecosystems
Welcome and Introductions by the Session Chair
Ann Kinzig, Associate Professor of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
Preserving Biodiversity: Any Messages for Climate Policy Making?
Stephen Schneider, Professor of Biology and Codirector, Center for Environmental Science and Policy, Stanford University
Climate Change, Deforestation, and the Future of Tropical Forests
Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science, Oxford University Center for the Environment
Mountain Biota and Global Change
Christian Körner, University of Basel, Switzerland
Questions and Discussion
Functional Diversity, Ecosystem Services, and Global Change
Sandra Díaz, Senior Permanent Research Fellow, Argentine National Council of Scientific and Technical Research
The Biofuel, Food, and Environment Trilemma
David Tilman, Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor, University of Minnesota [Professor Tilman was not able to attend the symposium; a summary of his talk was given by Ann Kinzig.]
Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth
Larry Schweiger, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Wildlife Federation
Questions and Discussion
Reinventing the Global Economy to Protect Biodiversity Trade, Infrastructure, and Carbon
Bruce Babbitt, Former Secretary of the Interior
SESSION 4 – Food, Agriculture, and 21st Century Ecosystems
Introductory Remarks by the Session Chair
Thomas Lovejoy, Biodiversity Chair, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Agricultural Systems and Ecosystem Services: Trade-offs or Synergies?
Alison Power, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
Biofuels and Agricultural Sustainability
Philip Robertson, Professor of Ecosystem Science, Michigan State University
Marine Fisheries: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
Boris Worm, Assistant Professor in Marine Conservation Biology, Dalhousie University
Aquaculture and Marine Resources: Can There Be a Salmon in Every Pot?
Rebecca Goldburg, Director, Marine Science, Pew Environment Group, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Agriculture and Agricultural Landscapes in the Twenty-first Century
Rodney J. Brown, Dean, College of Biology and Agriculture, Brigham Young University
Questions and Discussion
SESSION 5 – Biodiversity: International Institutions, Science, and Policy
Introductory Remarks by the Session Chair
Thomas Lovejoy, Biodiversity Chair, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
International Environmental Cooperation in the Twenty-first Century
Scott Barrett, Professor of Environmental Economics, Johns Hopkins University
The Daily Planet—An Exploration of How, on a Fast-Changing Earth, the Shrinking Media Can Continue to Cover Environmental Change and Help Build Informed Policy
Andrew Revkin, Environment Reporter, The New York Times
Ten Million Places at the Table: Translating Biodiversity Issues from Science to Policy
James P. Collins, Associate Director for Biological Sciences, National Science Foundation
Questions and Discussion
Concluding Comments on the Day: Advocacy and Policy
Rodger Schlickeisen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Defenders of Wildlife
Concluding Remarks and Thanks
Peter Crane, John and Marion Sullivan University Professor, University of Chicago; Chair, U.S. National Committee for DIVERSITAS, National Academy of Sciences
