BIOCOMPLEXITY--INCUBATION ACTIVITY: Models and meta-networks for interdisciplinary research in biodiversity risk assessment

Colby College, Waterville ME

Investigators

Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that activities associated with our increasingly urban-industrial society are causing global environment change and may not be sustainable. One of the major impacts is the decline of many animal and plant species. An interdisciplinary group of biologists and social scientists will work together to better understand how roads, disease, pollution, war, hunting, and other activities affect the long-term survival of endangered species. Computer models and other research tools will be developed in a series of workshops to better understand and explain these relationships. An important goal is to build an international network to encourage future research and application of these new tools and concepts. This project has national and international significance. To conserve the world's most threatened species it is necessary to understand how they can survive in landscapes dominated by people. Historically, biologists studying plants and animals have not often worked closely with social scientists. This project is a valuable opportunity for researchers from different disciplines to share their expertise and to develop tools that can be used to create effective and sustainable conservation strategies for endangered species in the United States and around the world.