Human Impacts on Ecosystems From Fisheries to Forests: Data Informing Decisions

Humans are altering both marine and terrestrial ecosystems in substantial ways, but the impacts themselves are not well understood. This is due at least in part to the challenge of collecting representative and reliable data. The ocean environment, for example, makes it difficult to observe species interactions and population dynamics directly. Yet a fairly complete understanding of these processes is essential for effective management and policy. Forests and wildfires present another challenge for the science-based decision-maker. Wildfire is a naturally occurring event; but with increased human presence in and near forests, the risk to human life and property is increasing, and effects on the habitats of forest-dwelling species are also changing. Mitigating the effects of increasing wildfire hazards, while recognizing its important ecological role, requires a deep understanding of the fire regime and how it is evolving. Data for modeling are often mismeasured and subject to size-biased sampling effects. In this session, stochastic modeling and inferential techniques for resolving some of these issues are described, and the speakers demonstrate how these methods are being presented to policymakers and translated into science-based policies.