The lecture is free to attend and open to all, but registration is required in advance
Abstract:
Tropical rainforests are “more complex than the space station and more connected than the internet.” Yet they are under threat. Roughly one half of the world’s forests have been logged and agricultural expansion is rapidly pushing back forest frontiers. Understanding and predicting the fate of the many thousands of species in these remarkable habitats represents one of ecology’s greatest challenges.
New research is finding that damaged rainforests retain remarkable stores of biodiversity and are surprisingly resilient ecosystems. But that resilience comes at a cost. Insects are losing their dominant position in the web of life, and time lags between human actions and their ecosystem consequences mean that our actions today will resonate for decades to come.
Biography:
Rob Ewers is Professor of Ecology at Imperial College London. In his inaugural lecture he will discuss the impacts of logging and agricultural expansion on tropical ecosystems, and examine ways to minimise the environmental legacy arising from today’s decisions.