Global ChangeIntersection of Nature and Culture

What should every citizen know about ecology?

Friday, November 13th, 2009

That’s the title of a new paper¹ by a team of ecologists in the current issue of Frontiers in Ecology (subscription required).  They offer several suggestions for the ongoing conversation on environmental literacy.

Here’s their framework for ecological literacy (in a nutshell, excerpts and paraphrases)…

(1) possession of scientific habits of mind in ecology (i.e., those that promote the ability to reason about ecological science and issues):

• People need a level of literacy sufficient to enable them to evaluate scientific claims in ecology, which requires knowledge of the process of science and how uncertainty is handled in science.
• They need to have a general comprehension of the process of science.
• People need to be aware that scientific claims have varying levels of confidence attached to them.

(2) understanding of ecological connectivity and key concepts:

• Biotic and abiotic factors interact to influence species distributions.  This requires an understanding of several key concepts:

organisms
species concepts
evolutionary processes
regional and global processes
population dynamics
population interactions
biodiversity
food webs
trophic levels
energy flow
productivity
biogeochemical cycling
allocation/tradeoffs

• Models are used as descriptors and predictors of ecological processes.
• Evolutionary theory is the framework for understanding ecological connections.
• Ecologists, like other scientists, may interpret ecological processes in the context of their own cultural background.
• Ecological literacy allows people to understand connections between themselves and ecological processes, and can help them make informed decisions about environmental issues.

(3) appreciation for the links between human actions and the environment

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These are good points.  However,  I think the list errs a bit too much on population and community levels and not enough on ecosystems.  Systems thinking needs to be emphasized more because it’s key for understanding climate change and issues of nutrient cycling (e.g., nutrient pollution and carbon emissions/sinks).

It would be great to see a similar list compiled by sociologists, historians, artists, political scientists, philosophers, geographers, etc.  This would make a useful roundtable discussion topic at  the next Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences meeting.

Related posts:

• Why don’t people engage climate change?  Overview
• Why don’t people engage climate change?  Problem 1: Environmental Literacy

¹Jordan, R. et al (2009) What should every citizen know about ecology? Frontiers in Ecology 9(7): 495-500.
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