Navigating the complexity of ecological stability

Human actions challenge nature in many ways. Ecological responses are ineluctably complex, demanding measures that describe them succinctly. Collectively, these measures encapsulate the overall 'stability' of the system. Many international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, broadly aspire to maintain or enhance ecological stability. Such bodies frequently use terms pertaining to stability that lack clear definition. Consequently, we cannot measure them and so they disconnect from a large body of theoretical and empirical understanding. We assess the scientific and policy literature and show that this disconnect is one consequence of an…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: NE/I009280/2, NE/I009280/1, NE/N005996/1, NE/M020843/1, NE/L011840/1
• QU
  Queen's University Belfast
• HE
  Higher Education Authority
• TC
  Trinity College Dublin
• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: DFG Hi848 18‐1
• AN
  Agence Nationale de la Recherche

  Awards: 11-IDEX-0002, ANR-11-IDEX, ANR-11-IDEX-0002, ANR-10-LABX-41, 11-IDEX-0002-02, ANR-11-IDEX-0002-02, ANR-10, 10-LABX-41
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Awards: 31003A_159498, 121090
• IR
  Irish Research Council
• QU
  Queen's University
• CN
  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
• UZ
  Universität Zürich
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/M020843/1, NE/N005996/1, NE/I009280/1, NE/I009280/2, NE/L011840/1
• ER
  European Regional Development Fund