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Engineering Our Ecosystems

Why Does it Matter?

The better we understand ecology and the natural cycles of our world, the better we are able to protect them. Knowing, in advance, the potential impacts of human activity or natural phenomena (like floods or wildfires), can inform decisions we make and allow us to better conserve these ecosystems that we depend upon for our survival, avoiding changes to our world that might irreversibly alter these cycles.

Ecosystems also provide important natural services to both humans and the organisms that live in them, from regulating the climate and supplying food, to providing cultural value like the parks we visit, the forests we explore and the waterfalls that amaze us. If the natural cycles are disrupted, food webs can break down and the ecology of a habitat can change drastically, with severe consequences such as extinction of species or loss of these vital ecosystem services.

The better we understand our planet, the better we can preserve and protect it for generations to come.