Since 1997, the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) has enjoyed
the support of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program of the Division of
Environmental Biology of the US National Science Foundation. That support is
coming to an end, but the Baltimore Ecosystem Study will live on, due to the
desire of key partners who have been joined together for 20 years to increase the
understanding of Baltimore as a social-ecological system, and to improve its
livability, sustainability, and equitability.
The support of the LTER program has been instrumental in
helping BES establish a mission devoted to four major goals: 1) Pursue
excellence in social-ecological research in an urban system; 2) Maintain
positive engagement with communities, environmental institutions, and
government agencies; 3) Educate and inform the public, students, and
organizations that have need of scientific knowledge; and 4) Assemble and
nurture a diverse and inclusive community of researchers, educators, and
participants.
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| Nothing speaks to the future better than BES education. |
Although the NSF's LTER support has been crucial in bringing
BES to its current maturity, the contributions of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study
are too important to urban ecological science, to the jurisdictions of
metropolitan Baltimore, to the state of Maryland, and to federal resource
management agencies and compacts, to allow the effort to falter. Consequently, the partners and constituents
of BES are reorganizing as a consortium to maintain their shared research and
practical efforts, to seek additional sources of support, and to build on the
unique foundation of over two decades of interaction and problem solving.
Over the coming months, key partners, including Cary
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and
the USDA Forest Service, plan to work with leading non-governmental
organizations, local and state agencies to explore an inclusive governance structure and establish a complementary
strategy for building an ongoing funding base for the project.
BES has established and maintained unique, long-term data on
watershed function, the land cover of the urban region, the biological
diversity and biological community structure of the metropolis, and the role of
human decision making at household, community, and governmental levels as
interacting controls on the development and change of the urban region.
The integrated understanding generated by BES is crucial in
moving the Baltimore region toward the more sustainable future that jurisdictions
and communities so earnestly desire.
Resilience and equitability are important facets of the sustainability
visions and plans that exist in the region.
The Baltimore Ecosystem Study is very well poised to help the Baltimore
City, the five counties of the metropolitan area, and the larger Chesapeake
region to design sustainability goals and to provide the scientific basis for
evaluating progress toward meeting these goals.
BES -- sometimes characterized as the "Baltimore School
of Urban Ecology" -- is a distinctive, integrative approach to contemporary
urban ecology. The approach provides a
powerful platform to advance and apply scientific research, education, and
community engagement. Indeed, BES is an acknowledged exemplar for such integration
that has informed similar efforts around the world.
BES is adapting to a changing funding regime, but it is
also working to remain at the forefront of social-ecological research and
application. The partners making up BES
as a consortium are as committed as ever to making it an effective, ground-breaking
exploration at the frontier of urban ecological science and application.
Steward Pickett and Emma Rosi
