Excerpt from GEOSS *Strategic Plan:
The state of Earth observations for application to ecosystems and ecological forecasting are less mature than for many of the other societal benefits. While a number of activities exist, which are based on years of international and national collaboration, many more needs are awaiting to be addressed. It is now widely recognized that ecosystem forecasting is critical to reducing environmental threats, maintaining a healthy economy, and to sustaining a wide range of ecological services upon which society depends. Forecasting species and environmental changes represent a formidable challenge, in that the basic mathematics and modeling approaches for such forecasting are still in their infancy. Ecosystem complexity and scaling issues increase error and uncertainty in forecasting. Ecological forecasting requires the acquisition of a wide range of environmental data, depending upon the scale (from micro to macro) of the initiative. Most systems will also require extensive tools to be developed, or at the very least, enhancements to existing models.

SERVIR Ecology Links

• Land Cover
• Observation/ Prediction
• Ecoregional Assessments