Insights from ecosystems under threat
Early landslide detection, the role of humans in grassland ecosystems, and emergence of new seasons
Ecosystem conservation was in the spotlight this month, with the International Day for Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. Researchers from Northwestern University have now found that burned land areas cause water to flow much faster and in greater volume compared to unburned land. They developed a physics-based numerical model to predict areas susceptible to landslides, which will enable evacuation in vulnerable areas before it’s too late.
Savanna conservationist Abraham Dabengwa spoke to us of his work in grassland and savanna biomes where fires, large herbivores, and humans are involved in the development and maintenance of these ecosystems in Africa and beyond. “Many people find it difficult to reconcile the fact that indigenous people and herbivores shaped present ecosystems, especially as the prevailing narrative is that people are bad for the environment. These backward and unreflective ideas in ecology, conservation, and science marginalises indigenous communities and harm ecosystems they aim to protect,” he explained in EGU’s Geotalk blog.
Lastly, among the many studies that investigate the changes in seasons, scientists are now looking at the emergence of whole new seasons – created by anthropogenic effects on our planet. The ‘haze season’ is being increasingly discussed in Indonesia and Malaysia, and mainly attributed to peat burning. This has led to trans-boundary disputes between nations as the haze drifts across the region, affecting the health and wellbeing of millions of people.