Humans have great ability to affect ecological changes at global scales, yet have had limited success in managing or predicting the outcomes. This failure is worrisome as human populations grow and press the limits of ecological resources and services. Scientific disciplines that should provide insight into solving global problems, including ecology, conservation biology and restoration ecology, have generally looked to the past for guidance about the future. However, it is increasingly recognized that high rates of current change require new perspectives and broader vision. Unfortunately, there have been few efforts to synthesize what is known about managing change into the future and the conservation challenges that result. This conference will bring together international, national and regional leaders from the relevant management and scientific communities to address current and anticipated future conservation and management challenges, using the southeastern United States as a case study for developing a regional conservation plan. This region has noteworthy biological diversity, rapidly increasing human populations, rapid urbanization, long history of commodities production, and mostly privately owned land with critically important, but sparse public land.
Future regional conservation efforts must include diverse interests with the common goal of blending economic and ecological well-being. This conference builds on the Jones Center mission to understand, demonstrate and promote excellence in natural resource management and conservation in the southeast. It is an interdisciplinary partnership between the Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station, The Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia, and the Department of Defence Strategic and Environmental Research Development Program. Participants will identify gaps in current knowledge and develop strategies for managing social, political, economic and ecological systems to deal with critical conservation challenges. Focus will be on the synthesis of understanding at regional to international scales, applications of science to regional planning, and prioritization of approaches to meet regional conservation challenges. Outcomes and anticipated products of the conference will reflect and benefit from the breadth of the participants.
