2023 ARCHIVES: Special Symposia
We’re pleased to announce the following organized symposia will be included in the program at the 2023 IALE-North American Annual Meeting.
An Organized Symposium is a series of integrated presentations that address aspects of a single topic or theme. Symposia are the scientific centerpiece of the meeting and will run concurrently with other technical sessions.
An Organized Symposium is a series of integrated presentations that address aspects of a single topic or theme. Symposia are the scientific centerpiece of the meeting and will run concurrently with other technical sessions.
Advances and Applications of Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) Research in Landscape Ecology
Contact: Miguel Villarreal, Research Geographer, USGS, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: William Kolby Smith, University of Arizona; Sasha Reed, U.S. Geological Survey; Lance Brady, U.S. Geological Survey; Matt Burgess, U.S. Geological Survey
Overview: Small Unoccupied Aerial Systems (sUAS; aka drones) have become increasingly popular research tools in the environmental sciences, allowing scientist to generate low-cost, high quality and high-resolution imagery with moderate effort. Very-high resolution sUAS image products and surface models are particularly suited for observing ecosystems at local-scales and are increasingly being used to fill a gap between field surveys and satellite remote sensing. Landscape ecologists have long depended on satellite and aerial remote sensing data to address questions about landscape structure, landscape function, and landscape change; However, we have been slow to embrace and exploit UAS technologies, perhaps due to the scale mismatch between sUAS data and landscape processes of interest. The purpose of this symposium is to generate ideas and discussions on how to better integrate UAS technologies into landscape-scale studies by 1) demonstrating innovative and successful research applications, 2) highlighting advances in UAS hardware, software, and sensor technologies, and 3) through frank discussion about the limitations and challenges of working with UAS data. We welcome presentations on any research application (i.e., wildfire, drought, climate change, landcover and vegetation changes, urban landscapes, wildlife studies) as well as technological and methodological advances (i.e., applications of hyperspectral and thermal-IR data, photogrammetry, scaling from UAS to satellite, open source and cloud-based workflows).
Contact: Miguel Villarreal, Research Geographer, USGS, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: William Kolby Smith, University of Arizona; Sasha Reed, U.S. Geological Survey; Lance Brady, U.S. Geological Survey; Matt Burgess, U.S. Geological Survey
Overview: Small Unoccupied Aerial Systems (sUAS; aka drones) have become increasingly popular research tools in the environmental sciences, allowing scientist to generate low-cost, high quality and high-resolution imagery with moderate effort. Very-high resolution sUAS image products and surface models are particularly suited for observing ecosystems at local-scales and are increasingly being used to fill a gap between field surveys and satellite remote sensing. Landscape ecologists have long depended on satellite and aerial remote sensing data to address questions about landscape structure, landscape function, and landscape change; However, we have been slow to embrace and exploit UAS technologies, perhaps due to the scale mismatch between sUAS data and landscape processes of interest. The purpose of this symposium is to generate ideas and discussions on how to better integrate UAS technologies into landscape-scale studies by 1) demonstrating innovative and successful research applications, 2) highlighting advances in UAS hardware, software, and sensor technologies, and 3) through frank discussion about the limitations and challenges of working with UAS data. We welcome presentations on any research application (i.e., wildfire, drought, climate change, landcover and vegetation changes, urban landscapes, wildlife studies) as well as technological and methodological advances (i.e., applications of hyperspectral and thermal-IR data, photogrammetry, scaling from UAS to satellite, open source and cloud-based workflows).
Analyzing Change and Diversity in Social and Ecological Landscapes with Agent-based Models
Contact: Emily Minor, Professor, University of Illinois Chicago, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Soraida Garcia, University of Illinois Chicago
Overview: Agent-based models (ABMs), also called individual-based models, provide a powerful approach for understanding the causes and effects of landscape heterogeneity. ABMs can represent landscapes in a spatially-explicit way and can incorporate the behavior and interactions of individual humans or other organisms with respect to the landscape. They have been used to predict land use change; to analyze policy or planning strategies; to simulate dispersal, habitat selection, and population trends of wildlife; to model spread and management of invasive species and diseases; and to examine outcomes of human-environment interactions. ABMs are especially well-suited for exploring complex systems.
In this symposium, we aim to bring together a diversity of researchers who use ABMs to address current topics in landscape ecology. From theoretical to empirical, and from simple to complicated, we examine the multitude of ways that landscape patterns interact with plants, animals, and people. Our goals are to share knowledge, present advances in agent-based modeling, discuss opportunities for using ABMs for conservation and management, and identify future research priorities.
Contact: Emily Minor, Professor, University of Illinois Chicago, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Soraida Garcia, University of Illinois Chicago
Overview: Agent-based models (ABMs), also called individual-based models, provide a powerful approach for understanding the causes and effects of landscape heterogeneity. ABMs can represent landscapes in a spatially-explicit way and can incorporate the behavior and interactions of individual humans or other organisms with respect to the landscape. They have been used to predict land use change; to analyze policy or planning strategies; to simulate dispersal, habitat selection, and population trends of wildlife; to model spread and management of invasive species and diseases; and to examine outcomes of human-environment interactions. ABMs are especially well-suited for exploring complex systems.
In this symposium, we aim to bring together a diversity of researchers who use ABMs to address current topics in landscape ecology. From theoretical to empirical, and from simple to complicated, we examine the multitude of ways that landscape patterns interact with plants, animals, and people. Our goals are to share knowledge, present advances in agent-based modeling, discuss opportunities for using ABMs for conservation and management, and identify future research priorities.
Citizen Science and PPGIS Approaches for the Study of Landscapes
Contact: Derek Van Berkel, Assistant Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Mark Lindquist, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Victoria Elizabeth Campbell-Arvai, Environmental Studies Program, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California; Ramiro Serrano Vergel, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Nathan Fox, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
Overview: Landscape ecologists have long used cutting-edge technologies (e.g., remote-sensing, simulation models) as well as, traditional field-based surveys and participatory methods for understanding how we impact and drive spatial patterns and processes. However, rising to the challenges of addressing accelerating urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss would benefit from techniques for better communicating important scientific discoveries, as well as, giving voice to and engaging with diverse interests and concerns regarding these stressors. Citizen science and public participatory GIS (PPGIS) are emerging as novel place-based and engaging techniques that can tackle these complex sustainability issues. PPGIS includes spatially explicit methods for capturing and using spatial information (e.g immersive and augmented reality, webmaps), while citizen science includes approaches for engaging the public in scientific research. The benefits of these techniques include, 1) enfranchising the public through formalized democratization of decision-making, 2) tapping into the considerable knowledge, input, and skills, from the public that benefits and complements scientific research, 3) capturing stakeholder management preferences in a practical and efficient ways, 4) attending to the plurality of knowledge of different stakeholders. Together, these approaches serve to create knowledge that is more likely to be perceived as legitimate and better aligned with potential users’ decision objectives. In keeping with the growing interest in democratizing the design, management, and governance of landscapes, this special symposium aims to give illustrative examples of citizen science and PPGIS tools that can serve to sustain involvement, communication, and input with and from a diverse public.
We seek and will showcase presentations by a diversity of participants, including career stage, disciplinary background, and experience in different sectors. Our goal is to encourage dialogue about how these technologies can be successfully integrated in landscape and management studies.
Contact: Derek Van Berkel, Assistant Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Mark Lindquist, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Victoria Elizabeth Campbell-Arvai, Environmental Studies Program, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California; Ramiro Serrano Vergel, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Nathan Fox, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
Overview: Landscape ecologists have long used cutting-edge technologies (e.g., remote-sensing, simulation models) as well as, traditional field-based surveys and participatory methods for understanding how we impact and drive spatial patterns and processes. However, rising to the challenges of addressing accelerating urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss would benefit from techniques for better communicating important scientific discoveries, as well as, giving voice to and engaging with diverse interests and concerns regarding these stressors. Citizen science and public participatory GIS (PPGIS) are emerging as novel place-based and engaging techniques that can tackle these complex sustainability issues. PPGIS includes spatially explicit methods for capturing and using spatial information (e.g immersive and augmented reality, webmaps), while citizen science includes approaches for engaging the public in scientific research. The benefits of these techniques include, 1) enfranchising the public through formalized democratization of decision-making, 2) tapping into the considerable knowledge, input, and skills, from the public that benefits and complements scientific research, 3) capturing stakeholder management preferences in a practical and efficient ways, 4) attending to the plurality of knowledge of different stakeholders. Together, these approaches serve to create knowledge that is more likely to be perceived as legitimate and better aligned with potential users’ decision objectives. In keeping with the growing interest in democratizing the design, management, and governance of landscapes, this special symposium aims to give illustrative examples of citizen science and PPGIS tools that can serve to sustain involvement, communication, and input with and from a diverse public.
We seek and will showcase presentations by a diversity of participants, including career stage, disciplinary background, and experience in different sectors. Our goal is to encourage dialogue about how these technologies can be successfully integrated in landscape and management studies.
Collaborative Indigenous Stewardship for Resilient Restoration and Climate Adaptation
Contact: Megan Jennings, Research Ecologist, San Diego State University, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Amber Pairis, Climate Science Alliance
Overview: Projections of climate change for southern California suggest the region will experience significantly warmer temperatures, more variable precipitation resulting in occasional high intensity flooding, more frequent and prolonged droughts, and more destructive fires due to drought and increased ignitions/dry fuel availability. For many Indigenous communities in the region, these changes are already threatening food security, public health, and culturally and ecologically significant resources, highlighting the urgency for resources and capacity to adequately address impacts and promote solutions. Indigenous communities and Tribal nations are working to prepare for and minimize the risks associated with extreme events and changing conditions. However, as historically underserved communities, there is an overall lack of resources to coordinate and collaborate on climate change research and planning. This symposium will explore how an intertribal collaborative in southern California is working to overcome these challenges to address key gaps in planning for climate adaptation and to develop restoration implementation strategies that will be resilient to the impacts of climate change. Presenters will discuss how recent research and planning efforts are centered around building capacity and knowledge to inform natural resource management practices and restoration efforts under shifting climatic conditions by integrating established research tools with traditional ecological and cultural knowledge. In addition, we will highlight the collaboration between Indigenous communities, academic researchers, and natural resource managers in a Tribally-driven process aimed at changing the paradigm of how adaptation and natural resource conservation is approached. The work of the collaborative that we will share serves as a transferable model for equity and inclusion in landscapes of change by bringing together western and traditional ecological knowledge with a focus on community priorities, local ecosystems, and holistic management, to safeguard the lands and cultures of southern California’s Indian tribes.
Contact: Megan Jennings, Research Ecologist, San Diego State University, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Amber Pairis, Climate Science Alliance
Overview: Projections of climate change for southern California suggest the region will experience significantly warmer temperatures, more variable precipitation resulting in occasional high intensity flooding, more frequent and prolonged droughts, and more destructive fires due to drought and increased ignitions/dry fuel availability. For many Indigenous communities in the region, these changes are already threatening food security, public health, and culturally and ecologically significant resources, highlighting the urgency for resources and capacity to adequately address impacts and promote solutions. Indigenous communities and Tribal nations are working to prepare for and minimize the risks associated with extreme events and changing conditions. However, as historically underserved communities, there is an overall lack of resources to coordinate and collaborate on climate change research and planning. This symposium will explore how an intertribal collaborative in southern California is working to overcome these challenges to address key gaps in planning for climate adaptation and to develop restoration implementation strategies that will be resilient to the impacts of climate change. Presenters will discuss how recent research and planning efforts are centered around building capacity and knowledge to inform natural resource management practices and restoration efforts under shifting climatic conditions by integrating established research tools with traditional ecological and cultural knowledge. In addition, we will highlight the collaboration between Indigenous communities, academic researchers, and natural resource managers in a Tribally-driven process aimed at changing the paradigm of how adaptation and natural resource conservation is approached. The work of the collaborative that we will share serves as a transferable model for equity and inclusion in landscapes of change by bringing together western and traditional ecological knowledge with a focus on community priorities, local ecosystems, and holistic management, to safeguard the lands and cultures of southern California’s Indian tribes.
Community Based Management: Weaving Land and Cultures Together for Managing our Natural Resources
Contact: Kristin Byrd, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Kusum Naithani, University of Arkansas; Yolanda Wiersma, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Falk Huettmann, University of Alaska; Kelly Guilbeau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Xavier Haro-Carrión, Macalester University; Kristin Byrd, U.S. Geological Survey
Overview: We propose to bring together a diverse group of speakers to share their experiences in community-based natural resource management. The case studies presented here will highlight the interdependence of community health on ecosystem health and diverse approaches to land stewardship. Special focus will be given to the projects where communities actively participate in the decision-making process for landscape design and conservation activities.
We will invite submission from:
Contact: Kristin Byrd, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Kusum Naithani, University of Arkansas; Yolanda Wiersma, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Falk Huettmann, University of Alaska; Kelly Guilbeau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Xavier Haro-Carrión, Macalester University; Kristin Byrd, U.S. Geological Survey
Overview: We propose to bring together a diverse group of speakers to share their experiences in community-based natural resource management. The case studies presented here will highlight the interdependence of community health on ecosystem health and diverse approaches to land stewardship. Special focus will be given to the projects where communities actively participate in the decision-making process for landscape design and conservation activities.
We will invite submission from:
- Multi-stakeholder collaborations that involve all participants, from communities, to government, to NGOs, and promote coordination among them.
- Indigenous communities’ perspective for land management.
- Livelihood improvement through land stewardship. Community managed agroforestry or linking environmental conservation to farm and community enterprises.
- Policy support and law enforcement for preventing illegal encroachment leading to ecosystem degradation.
- Shared responsibilities and decision-making among all stakeholders through joint natural resource management plans.
- Community-based monitoring, reporting, and verification of land use change, disturbance, and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Social justice and natural resource management: sustainable land management that is equitable and inclusive, and as a result improves community livelihood and environmental health.
Conservation Planning for a Changing Climate and Increasing Land Use Pressures
Contact: Amy Frazier, Associate Professor, Arizona State University, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Patrick Roehrdanz, Conservation International; Cameryn Brock, Conservation International
Overview: The world is at a tipping point in terms of biodiversity, with more than a million species threatened with extinction. Preventing biodiversity loss and maintaining ecosystem functioning on Earth is one of the grand challenges facing humankind. Protected areas are a primary instrument being used globally to conserve biodiversity, and area-based targets like protecting 30% of land by 2030 (“30 x 30”) have become a cornerstone of national and global policies. Yet conservation planning is complicated by climate change and land use needs as growing demand for food and energy production are likely to drive large scale land-use changes that will come in conflict with natural areas. Forecasting how land can best be allocated for area-based conservation, agriculture, and energy will be key to protecting biodiversity into the future. This symposium invites presentations on any topic related to current and future land use needs for both humans and biodiversity including area-based conservation, land use and land cover change, spatial planning and optimization, climate change, and decision-making. We welcome presentations focusing on equity, inclusion, and landscapes of change – the theme of this year’s meeting.
Contact: Amy Frazier, Associate Professor, Arizona State University, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Patrick Roehrdanz, Conservation International; Cameryn Brock, Conservation International
Overview: The world is at a tipping point in terms of biodiversity, with more than a million species threatened with extinction. Preventing biodiversity loss and maintaining ecosystem functioning on Earth is one of the grand challenges facing humankind. Protected areas are a primary instrument being used globally to conserve biodiversity, and area-based targets like protecting 30% of land by 2030 (“30 x 30”) have become a cornerstone of national and global policies. Yet conservation planning is complicated by climate change and land use needs as growing demand for food and energy production are likely to drive large scale land-use changes that will come in conflict with natural areas. Forecasting how land can best be allocated for area-based conservation, agriculture, and energy will be key to protecting biodiversity into the future. This symposium invites presentations on any topic related to current and future land use needs for both humans and biodiversity including area-based conservation, land use and land cover change, spatial planning and optimization, climate change, and decision-making. We welcome presentations focusing on equity, inclusion, and landscapes of change – the theme of this year’s meeting.
Forest Management Strategies for Climate Action
Contact: Caren Dymond, Senior Research Scientist, Government of British Columbia, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Flora Krivak-Tetley, University of British Columbia; Melissa Lucash, University of Oregon; Robert Scheller, North Carolina State University
Overview: From wildfires, to floods, pathogens, and hurricanes, our forests face a variety of challenges in the face of climate change. How can and should forest managers respond? What are the relevant theories, strategies, tools and metrics that will help managers adapt to and mitigate climate change? This symposium invites presenters who have looked climate change in the face and said, “game on''. We welcome a range of disciplines and approaches including empirical studies of long-term silviculture trials, future projections of different management strategies under various climate scenarios, or testing of applicable ecological theories. This session focuses on solutions that support natural resource managers by quantifying multiple ecological goods and services, including economic evaluations. and ecosystem carbon, to assess adaptation and mitigation under climate change.
Contact: Caren Dymond, Senior Research Scientist, Government of British Columbia, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Flora Krivak-Tetley, University of British Columbia; Melissa Lucash, University of Oregon; Robert Scheller, North Carolina State University
Overview: From wildfires, to floods, pathogens, and hurricanes, our forests face a variety of challenges in the face of climate change. How can and should forest managers respond? What are the relevant theories, strategies, tools and metrics that will help managers adapt to and mitigate climate change? This symposium invites presenters who have looked climate change in the face and said, “game on''. We welcome a range of disciplines and approaches including empirical studies of long-term silviculture trials, future projections of different management strategies under various climate scenarios, or testing of applicable ecological theories. This session focuses on solutions that support natural resource managers by quantifying multiple ecological goods and services, including economic evaluations. and ecosystem carbon, to assess adaptation and mitigation under climate change.
Leveraging Ecological Research Networks to Understand Socio-Ecological Systems from Landscapes to Continents
Contact: Meredith Steele, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Megan CattaU, Boise State University; Andrew Elmore, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; John Ocon, University of California, Los Angeles; John Quinn, Furman University
Overview: Current sustainability challenges demand integration of new knowledge of socio-ecological systems across a range of scales. Climate change, land cover change, biodiversity loss, and invasive species are driven through ecological and social linkages that cross regions and span the globe. Site level change provides insight into these issues, but cannot be fully understood without integrating the diversity of landscapes. Ecological research networks that span countries (ex. NEON) and continents (ex. Amierflux) provide site level data on ecosystems across large spatial extents that cover a range of SES types. Investment in these large efforts has increased in recent years and could play an important role in addressing current challenges. Landscape ecology plays a key role in upscaling this data to better understand the diverse socio-ecological systems that occur across local to continental scales. The symposium will bring together scientists, practitioners, and students to discuss utilizing ecological research networks, novel modeling concepts, and critical frameworks to conduct landscape science and answer relevant questions such as (i) How do ecological research networks facilitate a new understanding of human-environmental interactions?; (ii) What frameworks, strategies, and data sources help integrate the dynamics of multi-scaled complex systems?; and (iii) What tools and skill sets are available or in need of future development?
Contact: Meredith Steele, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Megan CattaU, Boise State University; Andrew Elmore, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; John Ocon, University of California, Los Angeles; John Quinn, Furman University
Overview: Current sustainability challenges demand integration of new knowledge of socio-ecological systems across a range of scales. Climate change, land cover change, biodiversity loss, and invasive species are driven through ecological and social linkages that cross regions and span the globe. Site level change provides insight into these issues, but cannot be fully understood without integrating the diversity of landscapes. Ecological research networks that span countries (ex. NEON) and continents (ex. Amierflux) provide site level data on ecosystems across large spatial extents that cover a range of SES types. Investment in these large efforts has increased in recent years and could play an important role in addressing current challenges. Landscape ecology plays a key role in upscaling this data to better understand the diverse socio-ecological systems that occur across local to continental scales. The symposium will bring together scientists, practitioners, and students to discuss utilizing ecological research networks, novel modeling concepts, and critical frameworks to conduct landscape science and answer relevant questions such as (i) How do ecological research networks facilitate a new understanding of human-environmental interactions?; (ii) What frameworks, strategies, and data sources help integrate the dynamics of multi-scaled complex systems?; and (iii) What tools and skill sets are available or in need of future development?
Projecting the Future of Forest and Rangeland Resources: Assessing the Response of Ecosystem Dynamics and Services to Future Climate and Socioeconomic Drivers
Contact: Kevin Potter, Assessment Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Claire O'Dea, USDA Forest Service; Kurt Riitters, USDA Forest Service; Jennifer Costanza, USDA Forest Service
Overview: The Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment process is a unique and integrated evaluation of forest and rangeland resources and ecosystem services across the conterminous United States, conducted every 10 years by the USDA Forest Service. It summarizes findings about the status, trends, and projected future of the Nation’s forests and rangelands and the renewable resources that they provide. The 2020 RPA Assessment considers four representative future scenarios of changing climate, growing human population, and changes in socioeconomic factors to the year 2070. This symposium highlights supporting research related to future forest and rangeland conditions and ecological provisioning at landscape scales. The results of the 2020 RPA Assessment indicate that land development will continue to threaten the integrity of forest and rangeland ecosystems. The combination and interaction of socioeconomic change, climate change, and the associated shifts in disturbances will strain natural resources and lead to increasing management and resource allocation challenges. At the same time, land management and adoption of conservation measures can reduce pressure on natural resources. While most of our planned talks focus on the RPA Assessment, we also welcome contributed talks from other national integrated assessments to emphasize the general need for and role of broad-scale forest and rangeland assessments in resource planning.
Contact: Kevin Potter, Assessment Program Manager, USDA Forest Service, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Claire O'Dea, USDA Forest Service; Kurt Riitters, USDA Forest Service; Jennifer Costanza, USDA Forest Service
Overview: The Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment process is a unique and integrated evaluation of forest and rangeland resources and ecosystem services across the conterminous United States, conducted every 10 years by the USDA Forest Service. It summarizes findings about the status, trends, and projected future of the Nation’s forests and rangelands and the renewable resources that they provide. The 2020 RPA Assessment considers four representative future scenarios of changing climate, growing human population, and changes in socioeconomic factors to the year 2070. This symposium highlights supporting research related to future forest and rangeland conditions and ecological provisioning at landscape scales. The results of the 2020 RPA Assessment indicate that land development will continue to threaten the integrity of forest and rangeland ecosystems. The combination and interaction of socioeconomic change, climate change, and the associated shifts in disturbances will strain natural resources and lead to increasing management and resource allocation challenges. At the same time, land management and adoption of conservation measures can reduce pressure on natural resources. While most of our planned talks focus on the RPA Assessment, we also welcome contributed talks from other national integrated assessments to emphasize the general need for and role of broad-scale forest and rangeland assessments in resource planning.
Remote Sensing of Landscape Change and Disturbance
Contact: Jitendra Kumar, R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: William W. Hargrove, USDA Forest Service; Forrest M. Hoffman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Shashank Konduri, National Ecological Observatory Network
Overview: Remote sensing has been a foundational tool for landscape ecology for decades, and it has been particularly critical for tracking disturbance and change over time. New platforms, sensors, and rapidly-evolving computational/machine learning approaches have led to continuous scientific progress, and progress is especially important as rates of disturbance and change are increasingly reshaping landscapes in predictable and novel ways. From national products and datasets, to monitoring landscape dynamics in near-real-time, to the integration of remote sensing with other datasets, remote sensing has carved out a pivotal role. While adoption of tools, approaches and technologies continues to lag cutting edge research, this divide presents opportunities for further research and collaboration. This IALE-NA symposium invites all practitioners to share their approaches and experiences using remote sensing methods to understand, detect, describe and monitor landscape change and disturbances through time.
Contact: Jitendra Kumar, R&D Staff, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: William W. Hargrove, USDA Forest Service; Forrest M. Hoffman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Shashank Konduri, National Ecological Observatory Network
Overview: Remote sensing has been a foundational tool for landscape ecology for decades, and it has been particularly critical for tracking disturbance and change over time. New platforms, sensors, and rapidly-evolving computational/machine learning approaches have led to continuous scientific progress, and progress is especially important as rates of disturbance and change are increasingly reshaping landscapes in predictable and novel ways. From national products and datasets, to monitoring landscape dynamics in near-real-time, to the integration of remote sensing with other datasets, remote sensing has carved out a pivotal role. While adoption of tools, approaches and technologies continues to lag cutting edge research, this divide presents opportunities for further research and collaboration. This IALE-NA symposium invites all practitioners to share their approaches and experiences using remote sensing methods to understand, detect, describe and monitor landscape change and disturbances through time.
Wildland Urban Interfaces in California: A Grand Challenge for Advancing Theories and Applications of Landscape Ecology
Contact: Darrel Jenerette, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Darrel Jenerette University of California Riverside and Emma Underwood University of California Davis
Overview: At the juxtaposition between highly and minimally developed lands, wildland–urban interfaces (WUIs) are increasingly conspicuous features across the planet and are hotspots of rapid environmental change. WUIs are centers of intense disturbance, production of ecosystem services, and threatened biodiversity while also locations of rapid development that can highlight extremes of social inequities. In this symposium, we look to explore cutting edge science and applications with the WUI of southern California. We organize the talks using a framework for WUIs that emphasizes three core concepts: socioecological; the vertical zone from bedrock to the vegetation canopy, and interactions with landscape connectivity and heterogeneity. The talks in this symposium include an introduction to this framework; social and ecological dimensions to the WUI dynamics; aquatic components within the WUI, trends in ecosystem services and the impacts of wildfire; and directions for land management in these landscapes. Our goal is to advance our understanding of WUI systems in California that are critical for societal sustainability and serve as a valuable model for advancing landscape ecology.
Contact: Darrel Jenerette, [email protected]
Co-Organizers: Darrel Jenerette University of California Riverside and Emma Underwood University of California Davis
Overview: At the juxtaposition between highly and minimally developed lands, wildland–urban interfaces (WUIs) are increasingly conspicuous features across the planet and are hotspots of rapid environmental change. WUIs are centers of intense disturbance, production of ecosystem services, and threatened biodiversity while also locations of rapid development that can highlight extremes of social inequities. In this symposium, we look to explore cutting edge science and applications with the WUI of southern California. We organize the talks using a framework for WUIs that emphasizes three core concepts: socioecological; the vertical zone from bedrock to the vegetation canopy, and interactions with landscape connectivity and heterogeneity. The talks in this symposium include an introduction to this framework; social and ecological dimensions to the WUI dynamics; aquatic components within the WUI, trends in ecosystem services and the impacts of wildfire; and directions for land management in these landscapes. Our goal is to advance our understanding of WUI systems in California that are critical for societal sustainability and serve as a valuable model for advancing landscape ecology.