Directors' Message

Director’s Message:

On the need for a center to address unprecedented losses of biodiversity

by Ellen Ketterson and Alex Jahn

We live in an unprecedented era, witnessing the greatest loss in global biodiversity in recorded history. This irreparable loss of natural variety, from genes to ecosystems, is resulting in the loss of ecosystem services including pollination and pest control. This loss is also increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases crossing from wildlife to humans. Such complex, multi-faceted issues require informed, science-driven solutions at both local and global scales.

To meet the challenge of declining biodiversity, a group of scientists and scholars at Indiana University have established the Midwest Center for Biodiversity (MCB). The mission is to understand the causes of biodiversity loss and to formulate feasible solutions.

Similar centers exist on other university campuses, some on the East Coast (e.g., at Yale University, Temple University), the West Coast (UC-Santa Barbara), and the southern US (University of Florida, University of Texas), but to date there has been no university-based center in the Midwest that is specifically addressing loss of midwestern biodiversity. By basing our center at a large university, we can draw on experts in a wide variety of disciplines, from the social, life and health sciences, to engineering and the arts, all to address the challenge of preserving biodiversity.

MCB will promote:

Impactful world-class research to offer practical solutions to biodiversity loss.
Engagement with local communities, public agencies, and private industry by harnessing the ubiquity and charisma of birds to call attention to the issues.
Development of research synergies across disciplines in the life sciences, social sciences, humanities, media, law and engineering at IU, and collaborations with other universities.
Connection with students to train the next generation of conservationists, who as professionals will be focused on understanding how to best conserve our natural resources.

Because all life is interconnected, the center will also address other regions. Birds, bats, and butterflies that breed in Canada and winter in Mexico need safe transit that we will strive to ensure. Biodiversity loss is a global as well as a local challenge.

For those who grew up in Indiana, we know how much change has occurred over the last few decades in our state and across the Midwest. MCB will give us the opportunity to work together to put the power of science to the task of stemming the unraveling of our ecosystems. We look forward to working with you! Please know that the most powerful thing you can do is talk with your neighbors. People respond to those they know and trust. If you can contribute financially to this effort, we will be able to do more. And of course, feel free to contact us, we’d love to hear from you!

Sincerely yours,

Ellen Ketterson and Alex Jahn

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Directors' Message