Human societies rely on many services provided by healthy freshwater ecosystems, including improved water quality, productive fisheries, aesthetic amenities and flood management, amongst others. In urban and suburban areas, these services are often impaired due to contamination, channel alteration and other human impacts. The causes and consequences of these impairments are not well known, particularly in the context of feedbacks on ecosystem function. The Third Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology will bring together ecologists and other scientists from around the world to advance our basic understanding of urban streams, and develop approaches to apply this understanding to improving management of freshwater resources. This third meeting (SUSE3) focuses on improving our mechanistic understanding of impacts of urbanization on streams, and in particular how these mechanisms vary around the globe due to differences in climate, civil infrastructure, historical land use, and natural ecosystem characteristics. Participants will report on recent research and take part in a series of targeted discussions aimed at synthesizing this knowledge and guiding future research.
An improved mechanistic understanding will help managers and communities identify the most effective and economically efficient methods for restoring and protecting stream ecosystems. To facilitate the translation of scientific research into management action, the organizers will establish a web-based platform to communicate the research results of this symposium and future urban stream studies. The SUSE3 meeting will also include a training session devoted to scientific communication to improve the ability of scientists to communicate with broad audiences. The goal is to increase the rate of dissemination of scientific information and enhance pathways of communication between researchers and urban stream managers, policy makers and the general public, thereby improving the ecological condition of urban freshwater ecosystems and ensuring that they continue to provide services valued by society.
