Removing institutional barriers to long-term fieldwork is critical for advancing ecology

Kasim Rafiq; Neil R Jordan; J Weldon McNutt; John Neelo; Nina Attias; Dee Boersma; Meredith S Palmer; Jennifer Ruesink; Briana Abrahms

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.003

Removing institutional barriers to long-term fieldwork is critical for advancing ecology

Trends Ecol Evol. 2024 Dec;39(12):1059-1062. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.003. Epub 2024 Nov 14.

Authors

Kasim Rafiq¹, Neil R Jordan², J Weldon McNutt³, John Neelo³, Nina Attias⁴, Dee Boersma⁵, Meredith S Palmer⁶, Jennifer Ruesink⁷, Briana Abrahms⁸

Affiliations

¹ Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana; Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana.
⁴ Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres, Campo Grande, Brazil.
⁵ Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁶ Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁷ Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁸ Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Botswana Predator Conservation, Wild Entrust, Maun, Botswana.

PMID: 39547845
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.10.003

Abstract

Long-term fieldwork is essential for ecology and conservation, but is hindered by institutional barriers, such as the publish-or-perish culture of academia, and funding limitations. Here, we discuss these challenges and propose strategies to overcome them, such as broadening evaluation metrics and supporting inclusivity, to advance scientific insight and societal equity.

Keywords: diversity, equity, and inclusion; field biology; fieldwork.

MeSH terms

Conservation of Natural Resources*
Ecology*