Inability to Anticipate or Prevent Ecosystem Tipping Points
We lack the models and infrastructure to monitor and predict how ecosystems behave under stress or when they might collapse, as well as what metrics to use to determine that restoration is effective. We need to understand the underlying dynamics, feedback loops, and thresholds that lead to ecosystem degradation/ collapse, as well as to secure essential systems like pollination.
Foundational Capabilities (3)
Develop comprehensive, high-quality datasets and predictive models to better understand and forecast animal movements and biodiversity shifts.
Use advanced computational and theoretical models that capture how species interact, cascade through ecosystems, and ultimately influence stability or collapse. These models will help identify key feedback loops and thresholds, enabling targeted intervention before degradation accelerates.
Develop monitoring techniques to detect early-warning indicators—such as critical slowing down—that suggest an ecosystem is approaching a tipping point.
Establish robust, scalable networks for real-time ecological monitoring using integrated technologies. Deploy sensor arrays that combine soundscapes, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, and satellite data fusion to continuously assess ecosystem health across diverse regions.
Secure and restore pollination services critical to food systems and biodiversity. This involves:
• Building ecological models that map plant–pollinator interactions and forecast vulnerability or collapse points.
• Deploying global pollinator monitoring systems using visual, acoustic, and eDNA sensors paired with AI to track pollinator diversity and behavior.
• Designing landscape-level interventions such as habitat corridors, floral resource planning, and pesticide regulations to boost wild pollinator recovery.
Pollination is critical for food systems and biodiversity, yet global pollinator populations are in sharp decline, and we lack robust ways to track, model, or supplement pollination services at scale. We need to:
• Build ecological models that map plant–pollinator interactions and predict vulnerability or collapse points.
• Deploy global pollinator monitoring infrastructure: networks of sensors (visual, acoustic, eDNA) and AI models to monitor pollinator presence, diversity, and behavior across ecosystems and crop systems
• Design and deploy landscape-Level Interventions for Pollinator Recovery: large-scale habitat corridors, floral resource planning, and pesticide regulations to recover wild pollinators.