Backing Ecologists to Succeed and Thrive (BEST) in Crisis Zones: Inspirations From the 2024 ESA Annual Meeting

Published: 2025
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
ISBN/ISSN: 0012-9623

Ecologists worldwide are striving to study and investigate the impacts of global environmental changes on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Nevertheless, this goal is challenged by many obstacles, including conflicts and wars that are spreading in many regions around the world. Ecologists who are living and/or working in these crisis-affected areas suffer much hostility, risks of loss of life, destruction of research facilities, and career disturbances, all of which significantly hinder ecological research, creating great data and research gaps that might bias our understanding of the ecological processes. Therefore, supporting ecologists from conflict-affected zones is crucial and can substantially advance ecology and ecological understanding.