Workshop: Abrupt grass-woodland transitions: Determinants and consequences for ecosystem services - December 15-17, 2012 in Maldonado, Uruguay

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Our understanding of abrupt transitions in ecological systems has grown dramatically in recent years as a result of the discovery of new mathematical tools and characteristics of ecosystems that yield early warning signals. While new statistical tools may help predict tipping points, identifying best actions to avoid or to take in the face of them requires more detailed understanding of the systems themselves. Water limited ecosystems include a variety of grasslands, shrublands, and open and closed-canopy forests with a range of woody vegetation. Many grasslands and savannas worldwide are undergoing rapid shifts in dominance from herbaceous to woody plants driven by social and economic, as well as environmental and ecological factors. The objective of this workshop, cofunded by NSF's Biological Sciences Directorate and Office of International Science and Engineering, is to synthesize current understanding of the transition from grasslands to woodlands, its coupled social and ecological determinants, and the consequences for the provisioning of ecosystem services. The meeting is sponsored by the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies, an international research institute in Uruguay. Though mainly foucsed on the state of the science, the last day of the workshop will be open to the general public, focusing ing on policy makers, conservation organizations and industry representatives from the private and public sectors in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Products will include a synthesis paper co-authored by all participants, multiple scientific papers, and the public session. All of the presentations and results from the workshop will all be archived and made freely available on the Institute's web page. Grasslands, shrublands and savannas cover about half of the land on Earth and while characterized by low precipitation, represent about a third of the productivity on land and contain a third of the human population. Dry land systems produce a range of ecosystem services that are expected to change as the systems shift. The one day conference with decision makers has already attracted substantial local and regional interest. And this project will also support a graduate student from Arizona State University as an active participant and workshop organizer.