Developing the conceptual foundations for conserving biological diversity in a rapidly changing and uncertain world requires understanding of the linkages among the drivers of species distributions, ecological systems, economic activities, and land-use change. Despite common objectives and recognition of the need for this integration, research in each of these areas commonly proceeds independently. Support for the Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Landscapes (BCDL) Research Coordination Network will enable a 5-year interdisciplinary program of collaboration directed towards coordinating research in ecology, economics, policy, land-use, and operations research needed to catalyze the development of an interdisciplinary conceptual framework for biodiversity conservation. The BCDL Network will: (1) identify important gaps in theory and data that limit our ability to plan for new biological reserves and anticipate future patterns of habitat distribution in human-dominated landscapes; (2) coordinate the development of new tools and methods that link ecological, economic and land-use change dynamics, and incorporate key uncertainties into conservation decisions; (3) develop a successful clearing house for tools and other resources needed to advance the scientific basis for biodiversity conservation; and (4) train a cadre of graduate students and early career scientists in quantitative interdisciplinary methods relevant to understanding and conserving complex ecological systems within a dynamic framework.
The BCDL Network addresses a fundamental limitation of current conservation and development approaches and will bridge the gap between conservation and land use change theory and practice. The Network will provide interdisciplinary training opportunities for graduate students and early career scientists and is committed to increasing participation in the Network by under-represented communities.
