Our goal for this seminar is to introduce ourselves and explain our interests and plans for our year in Oslo. We share a background in research science and public policy, and our current research and interests are driven by a desire to meet the information needs of decision makers. Our seminar will provide an overview of the scientific and policy issues that dominate the intensive agricultural ecosystems of the Midwestern United States where we work. We will present a brief overview of the field research we have conducted over the past several years, primarily dealing with the conservation and management of grassland passerines and shorebirds in an agricultural landscape.
During our year in Oslo our research focus will emphasize the synthesis of information to provide forecasts of ecological change for use in developing agricultural policy. As a starting point, we will review approaches for ecological forecasting from other ecology-based fields such as forestry and fisheries to improve methods for agricultural systems as well gleaning lessons from parallel developments in agri-environmental schemes across Europe. Our intent is to use this presentation as a starting point for engaging CEES researchers in discussion and collaboration on these topics.