MacrosystemsEDDIE

MacrosystemsEDDIE

Macrosystems EDDIE develops stand-alone, modular classroom activities for undergraduate students that use publicly-available, long-term, & high-frequency datasets to explore ecological forecasting concepts through the lens of macrosystems ecology.

Module 8: Using Ecological Forecasts to Guide Decision Making

https://serc.carleton.edu/eddie/teaching_materials/modules/module8.html

Summary

Because of increased variability in populations, communities, and ecosystems due to land use and climate change, there is a pressing need to know the future state of ecological systems across space and time. Ecological forecasting is an emerging approach which provides an estimate of the future state of an ecological system with uncertainty, allowing society to preemptively prepare for fluctuations in important ecosystem services. However, forecasts must be effectively designed and communicated to those who need them to make decisions in order to realize their potential for protecting natural resources.

In this module, students will learn the basic components of an ecological forecast; how ecological forecasts can be used to aid in decision-making; and how visualizations of ecological forecasts can impact decision-making.

The overarching goal of this module is for students to understand how forecasts are connected to decision-making of stakeholders, or the managers, policy-makers, and other members of society who use forecasts to inform decision-making.