Invasion biology was formalized in the 1960s to 1980s and has since become one of the most active research fields in ecology and one of the most influential ones in environmental policy. In recent years however increasingly dissent among experts and stakeholders characterises the field. Christoph will review the fascinating history of invasive species research and policy as a basis for discussing lessons learnt for plant sciences that effectively engage with the novel ecological realities and societal challenges of the Anthropocene. Specifically, Christoph will address four overarching challenges confronting the plant sciences in the Anthropocene.
i. Real-world complexities: We live on a full planet where any human activity has immediate and far-reaching side-effects, and we live on a planet characterised by rapidly changing and novel ecologies. Understanding and predicting the context-dependent behaviour of real-world ecological systems – whether wild or man-made ecosystems or biotechnological innovations in outdoor settings – is a key scientific challenge of our time.
ii. Natural and social sciences divide: The Anthropocene is characterised by socioecological systems that can only be understood through interdisciplinary collaborations of natural, social and cultural scientists.
iii. Orientation crisis: Normative thinking about nature and human-nature relationships is experiencing as phase of ambiguity and transformation. A clarification of our place as humans in nature will depend on bringing into conversation culturally-rooted ways of engaging with nature, including those that evolved from indigenous cultures, with the modern biological sciences.
iv. Knowledge-action gap: We must urgently find ways to support effective and ecology-based action of manifold actors to address the interlinked crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, resource depletion and associated social crises.
Based on lessons learnt from successes and failures of invasive species research and policy in dealing with these four interlinked challenges, Christoph will end the talk with a call for action: while the 20th century was an era shaped by physics, chemistry, and associated engineering solutions, the 21st century must become a century of ecology, nature-based solutions and associated social innovations. This will require a wholesome transformation of the research and development system of universities.
