DEIJ

ESA DEIJ Initiatives Leading to Transformational Impacts

By Carmen Cid, Chair, ESA Diversity Committee Diverse environmental perspectives that integrate social and ecological knowledge are needed to manage today’s complex environmental problems for a sustainable future. This calls for relevant programs and sustained resources to build ESA’s capacity to strengthen Equity and Excellence in Ecology. How Is ESA Contributing to That Goal? We are transforming the Society by…

Let’s Talk about Diversity! Celebrating the Human Dimension in Ecology

Whenever we do a search for the word “diversity” in ecology journals, many articles pop up focusing on “biodiversity” but rarely does one refer to “human diversity” in ecology. The fact that ecologists focus their research and teaching on biodiversity conservation but rarely include “human diversity” in their discussion prompts us to elevate the discussion of the human dimension in…

SEEDS 25th Anniversary – A Celebration of a Community

A look back on 25 years of ESA’s SEEDS program.

Standing up against anti-Asian racism

Qianna Xu and Lin Jiang reflect on recent violence against Asian communities and provide resources for practicing anti-racism and allyship.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice is the work of all

ESA President Kathleen Weathers reflects on where ESA is as a Society, and a community, on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.

ESA Statement in Support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities

The Ecological Society of America condemns the escalating pattern of crimes occurring in our country over the past year against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Advancing Science through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

By Kathleen Weathers, Pamela Templer, and Catherine O’Riordan “To fulfill ESA’s mission to advance the science and practice of ecology, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color must be fully supported throughout their careers.” -DEIJ Task Force Recommendations At its November 2020 meeting, the Governing Board of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) unanimously endorsed the recommendations submitted by the Task…

A call for action: It’s time to integrate environmental justice into applied ecology research

by Gillian Bowser and Carmen R. Cid “The Somebody Else’s Problem field…relies on people’s natural predisposition not to see anything they don’t want to, weren’t expecting, or can’t explain.” -Douglas Adams, 1982[1] When is the right time to act on environmental justice, diversity and inclusion? For the last three decades, the Ecological Society of America membership has elevated the human…

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice – Let’s Get to Work

“If you don’t have diverse representation in positions of power and authority to make change, how can you expect real change?”
Participant, ESA Listening Session on DEIJ Action Steps October 7, 2020

Time for Action: ESA initiates a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) task force

Racism and prejudice continue to harm communities of color. ESA stands firm in its commitment to challenge and break down inequities in our community of scientists and practitioners of ecology. Today, we reach out to you with an update towards fulfilling the commitment made in the June 2020 letter to the community. At that time, ESA pledged to redouble its…

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Blog Series #2: Speaking of Race

By Pamela Templer, VP of Education and Human Resources, ESA and Teresa Mourad, Director of Education and Diversity Programs, ESA “I can’t breathe.” These last words uttered by George Floyd galvanized protests against the ongoing racism embedded in the systems and culture in the United States of America and galvanized a movement that demanded critical self-reflection. We all know that…

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Blog Series #1: The ESA-SEEDS Campus Chapter Program: Engaging the Next Generation of Diverse Environmental Leaders

In honor of Kendra Chan by Jasjeet Dhanota, SEEDS Co-President with Kendra Chan, UC Davis (2014–2015) The Ecological Society of America’s SEEDS program (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) is proud to announce a major gift from Ms. Vicki Moore in honor of her daughter, Kendra Chan, to support SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapters, which are active on over…