Overview

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Ecosystems are as dynamic and complex as the plant, animal, microbial and the nonliving components of which they are made. Humans are an integral part of most every ecosystem--not only are we agents of change, we are consumers of ecosystem goods and services that range from the provisioning of food, fuel, fiber, and fresh water to the regulation of processes that affect air quality, climate, erosion control, and human diseases. CSREES Ecosystem Program goals are to increase the scientific and public understanding that human well-being is inextricably linked to the sustainable use and management of ecosystems.

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In Focus

• Texas AgriLife Extension Service PDF report spotlights sources of increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition and impacts on native species and ecosystem balance.
• CSREES awards $4.6 million to 13 universities and research labs to develop strategies for management, control, and elimination of weedy and invasive species.
• The CSREES Ecological Goods and Services Working Group focuses on stewardship of healthy working land ecosystems and benefits to human health and livelihood.
• CSREES pilots REE NET, a new project opportunity to coordinate research networking activities.
• CSREES assesses longer-term agriculture research as a strategy to achieve integrated, practical solutions, while maintaining agricultural productivity.
• USDA conservation programs help private landowners conserve and enhance their natural resources, including soil, air, water, plants, and animals.


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Partnerships

• CSREES participates in the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program in partnership with Commerce, Energy, Interior, EPA, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
• CSREES coordinates with the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) Section on Ecology.
• CSREES collaborates with the U.S. Department of Energy and with NASA in the North American Carbon Program (NACP), focusing on carbon cycle science research.


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Events

• Competitive Grants Grantsmanship Workshops, Washington, DC/Salt Lake City, UT, September/October, 2008.
• Air Pollution and Climate Change at Contrasting Altitude and Latitude, International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Murten, CH, September 7-12, 2008.
• Integrative Thinking for Complex Futures: Creating Resilience in Human-Nature Systems, Human Ecology Society Conference, Bellingham, WA, September 10-13, 2008.


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Selected Results and Impacts

• With CSREES funds, North Carolina researchers are working to improve understanding of how conservation benefits watersheds.
• Using a CSREES grant, researchers in Delaware are showing how modifying chicken diets can reduce waterway pollution.
• With a CSREES small business grant, a Washington company created an environmentally-friendly solution to the problem of soil erosion.


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Resources

• Consequences of Ecosystem Change for Human Well-being, CSREES. Discussion paper including recommendations for funding portfolios for ecosystem services.
• Invasivespecies.gov, NAL, USDA. Comprehensive, online information system facilitating access to and exchange of invasive species data and resources.
• Agroecology in Action, UC-Berkeley. Videos, reports, abstracts, presentations, and web-based courses on agroecology.


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Contacts

Michael A. Bowers

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Last Updated: July 1, 2008