title: Environmental myopia: a diagnosis and a remedy.
abstract: Long-term ecological observation affords a picture of the past that uniquely informs our understanding of present and future ecological communities and processes. Without a long-term perspective, our vision is prone to environmental myopia. Long-term experiments (LTEs) in particular can reveal the mechanisms that underlie change in communities and ecosystem functioning in a way that cannot be understood by long-term monitoring alone. Despite the urgent need to know more about how climate change will affect ecosystems and their functioning, the continued existence of LTEs is extremely precarious and we believe that dedicated funds are needed to support them. A new non-profit organization called the Ecological Continuity Trust seeks to provide a solution to this problem by establishing an endowment that will be specifically earmarked to sustain LTEs as a scientific tool for the benefit of future generations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silvertown
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tallowin
authors.forename: Carly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Sally A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Power
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Emmett
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Grime
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morecroft
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buxton
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poulton
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jinks
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bardgett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057231:Climate Change; D004463:Ecology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D012107:Research Design; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom