ritchie-combatingecosystem-2021.pdf (13 MB)
Combating ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic
journal contribution
posted on 2021-01-01, 00:00 authored by Dana M Bergstrom, Barbara C Wienecke, John van den Hoff, Lesley Hughes, David B Lindenmayer, Tracy D Ainsworth, Christopher M Baker, Lucie Bland, David M J S Bowman, Shaun T Brooks, Josep G Canadell, Andrew J Constable, Katherine A Dafforn, Michael H Depledge, Catherine R Dickson, Norman C Duke, Kate J Helmstedt, Andrés Holz, Craig R Johnson, Melodie A McGeoch, Jessica Melbourne‐Thomas, Rachel Morgain, Emily NicholsonEmily Nicholson, Suzanne M Prober, Ben Raymond, Euan G Martin Ritchie, Sharon A Robinson, Katinka X Ruthrof, Samantha A Setterfield, Carla M Sgrò, Jonathan S Stark, Toby Travers, Rowan Trebilco, Delphi F L Ward, Glenda M Wardle, Kristen J Williams, Phillip J Zylstra, Justine D ShawGlobally, collapse of ecosystems—potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function—imperils biodiversity, human health and well‐being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km2, from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic ‘presses’ and/or acute ‘pulses’, drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5–17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles—abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three‐step assessment and management framework (3As Pathway Awareness, Anticipation and Action) to aid strategic and effective mitigation to alleviate further degradation to help secure our future.
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Journal
Global Change BiologyVolume
Early ViewIssue
Online Version of Record before inclusion in an issuePublisher
Wiley-Blackwell PublishingLocation
Chichester, Eng.Publisher DOI
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ISSN
1354-1013eISSN
1365-2486Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2021, John Wiley & SonsUsage metrics
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