The rapid pace and far-reaching potential of ecological change in the face of globalization and climate change is creating stress within ecosystems all over the world. There is an ever-increasing threat of extinctions of species, communities, and ecosystems along with the biodiversity services and functions that they support. Understanding the complex effects of ecological change at many scales (local to global, recent to historical) on biodiversity is thus of critical importance for predicting human-mediated changes to the environment, conserving biodiversity heritage and sustaining global economies. The CRC in Global Ecological Change recognizes the increasing international stature of ecological problems and their solutions. The research program will highlight similarities and differences between ecological events and practices on different continents with a view to fostering knowledge exchange. It will also provide tools for the application of emerging interdisciplinary theories, improved quantitative methods and predictive simulation models to the preservation, recovery and restoration of perturbed and vulnerable forest ecosystems worldwide.
