HUH Seminar Series - David Moreno Mateos

Date: 

Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Online; Registration Required

David Moreno Mateos
Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Title: The recovery of ecosystem complexity from ancient human impacts

Abstract:
Major efforts are being implemented worldwide to restore ecosystems. However, the outcomes of restoration are uncertain. This uncertainty may be rooted in our lack of understanding on the reassembly of ecosystem complexity. Understanding how organisms rebuild their interactions and how functions derived from those interactions emerge is key to both evaluate past and design future restoration. This is particularly relevant at the timescale at which ecosystem recovery operates, which may range from centuries to millennia. Drawing from meta-analytical and empirical data, we will explore current patterns of ecosystem recovery of simple and complex attributes, why restored and undisturbed ecosystems are different, and particularly, why recovery may be much longer than previously reported. Finally, we will hypothesize potential actions we can use to accelerate the recovery process that will bring more resilient and resistant ecosystems back.

Norse settlement in Western Greenland
Norse settlement in Western Greenland. The lighter green patch shows today a hay-field abandoned about 650 years ago. This field was in use for about 350 years. The difference in color is due to the persistent signal of agricultural impacts on plant community composition. Credit: David Moreno Mateos

 

Host Lab: Kramer   

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