Sackler Forum Nov 2018
Climate Change and Ecosystems
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Climate change is increasingly threatening the viability and resilience of natural ecosystems and human societies. While there is a growing understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, much less is known about how ecosystems can best be managed to enhance their resilience to climate change, and how ecosystem management can be a strategy for more general adaptation to change. Ecosystem management and restoration has the potential to contribute “nature-based solutions” to both the causes and consequences of climate change. However, the effectiveness, scalability, and magnitude of different strategies need to be explored and evaluated.
This Sackler Forum examined the latest science on how climate change can affect terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems (often in interaction with other factors), in particular addressing current research frontiers such as effects of changes in climate variability and extremes; interactions among multiple stressors; thresholds and the potential for abrupt change; and multi-trophic interactions. The Forum also considered scientific understanding of opportunities to assist and manage ecosystems to enhance both their resilience and societal resilience to climate change. The meeting explored science and policy dimensions to this challenge, drawing on examples across a range of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems. A key output was identification of priority avenues for scientific research and policy advice and implementation.
Thursday, November 8
Welcome and Introduction 
Diane Griffin National Academy of Sciences
Venki Ramakrishnan, The Royal Society
Threats and Challenges
This session examined the latest science on how climate change can affect terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems (often in interaction with other factors). In particular, it aims to move beyond long-established narratives to address current research frontiers such as effects of change in climate variability and extremes; interactions among multiple stressors; thresholds and the potential for abrupt change; and multi-trophic interactions.
Keynote 1: Managing Forest for Carbon and Co-Benefits
Chris Field, Stanford University
Keynote 2: Aquatic Ecosystems and Climate Change: A Growing Suite of Threats for Already Challenged
Environments
Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution
Keynote 3: Tipping Points in Climate and Biosphere Function
Tim Lenton, Universty of Exeter
Presentations and Panel Discussion (Introduction):
What new understanding is emerging around the threats that climate change poses to diversity? A focus on poorly understood phenomena, emerging threats, and complex interactions.
Moderator: Martin Solan, University of Southampton
Interacting Stressors, Compound Disturbances, and Abrupt Change in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Monica Turner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Impacts of Climate Change on Wild Species: Complexities and Surprises
Camille Parmesan, University of Plymouth
Impacts of Climate Change on Terrestrial Distributions of Biodiversity
Richard Pearson, University College London
The Eye of the Storm: Recovery Rate Versus Time Between Extreme Events and Tipping Points for Coral Reefs
Steve Palumbi, Stanford University
Opportunities
This session focused on scientific understanding of the opportunities to assist and manage ecosystems to enhance both ecosystem resilience and societal resilience to climate change and ocean acidification. The Forum explored science and policy dimensions to this challenge, drawing from examples across a range of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems.
This session focused on scientific understanding of the opportunities to assist and manage ecosystems to enhance both ecosystem resilience and societal resilience to climate change and ocean acidification. The Forum explored science and policy dimensions to this challenge, drawing from examples across a range of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems.
Keynote 4: Moving Times for the World's Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chris Thomas, University of York
Chris Thomas, University of York
Keynote 5: A Solutions-Based Approach for Coral Reefs Under Ocean Acidification: Adaptation and Mitigation
Rebecca Albright, California Academy of Sciences
Rebecca Albright, California Academy of Sciences
Presentations and Panel Discussion:
What opportunities are there to manage ecosystems under climate change? What is the potential for ecosystem management to facilitate adaptation to climate change, and what are the challenges?
Moderator: Kate Brauman, University of Minnesota
What opportunities are there to manage ecosystems under climate change? What is the potential for ecosystem management to facilitate adaptation to climate change, and what are the challenges?
Moderator: Kate Brauman, University of Minnesota
Improving Land Stewardship to Deliver Climate Mitigation and Resilience
Bronson Griscom, The Nature Conservancy
Nature-Based Approaches to Managing Climate Change Effects in Urban Ecosystems
Sarah Hobbie, University of Minnesota
Agriculture, Climate Change, and Biodiversity
Pete Smith, University of Aberdeen
Building Marine Protected Area Networks to Mitigate and Promote Adaptation to Climate Change
Callum Roberts, University of York
Friday, November 9
Solutions and Practical Applications
This session focused on linking the challenges and opportunities to explore how ecosystems can provide potential for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Science and policy based solutions were explored, drawing from examples across a range of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems. It looked at practical and implementable ways of taking advantage of the opportunities highlighted in the Opportunities section of the program.
Keynote 6: Time for Nature? Understanding the Value of Limits to Nature's Capacity to Support Human Development in a Warming World
Nathalie Seddon, University of Oxford
Keynote 7: Managing Working Landscapes for Multiple Ecosystem Services
Elena Bennett, McGill University
Keynote 8: Functional Diversity in the Face of Large-Scale Environmental Change
Sandra Díaz, Córdoba National University
Presentations and Panel Discussion:
What are the policy and research priorities that can facilitate ecosystem adaptation to climate change, provide nature-based solutions to climate change, and enable these to work at scale? What are the main barriers and how can they be overcome?
Moderator: Bhaskar Vira, University of Cambridge
Climate Adadptation Services for Transformative Adaptation
Sandra Lavorel, National Center for Scientific Research
Making Nature Count: Rewriting Economic and Political Rules to Account for the Value of Ecosystem Services
Stephen Polasky, University of Minnesota
The Amazonia Third Way Initiative: The Role of Technology to Unveil the Potential of a Novel Tropical Biodiversity-based Bio-economy
Carlos Nobre, Institute for Advanced Studies- University of Sao Paulo
Social Policy and Research Priorities to Promote Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change
Andrew Norton, International Institute for Environment and Development
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