October 3, 2003

Studying Ecosystems: the Messy Intersection Between Science and Politics

By MALCOLM G. SCULLY

John W. Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, wrote recently in The Auk, a journal of the American Ornithological Union, "A paradox for conservation is that knowledge is always incomplete, yet the scale of human influence on ecosystems demands action without delay."

The paradox hits home almost daily to anyone who tries to keep up with the literature in conservation biology and ecosystem science -- and who reads the headlines about the environmental

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