Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Economics

Speaker: Bill Kleindl, Assistant Research Professor, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University

Since the 1990 U.S. policy of no-net-loss (NNL) of wetland function and values, we have made advances that link wetland ecological structure to functions. However, we still lack measures of wetland values that meet regulatory needs. Work that links structure and functions to ecological services is beginning to form, but the path requires a synergy of ecologic and economic concepts. In his talk, Dr. Kleindl will introduce some of the challenges of these cross-discipline efforts, such as the need for each discipline to acquire new lexicon and to challenge long-held concepts under new applications.