Ecology and Environmental Science in the Universities

Abstract

There are several environmental problems that mankind will face in the future, however, loss of biological diversity, degradation of ecosystems, environmental pollution and contamination, and global change are the most significant among them. These increasing environmental problems call for strengthening of such research areas as ecosystems analysis and modelling, conservation and evolutionary ecology, restoration ecology, ecology of global change, ecological biotechnology, and ecological economics. The new generation of ecologists will require the capability to predict, plan and manage the environment and resources. Universities must create centres for ecology and environmental science for training and research. A national institute of ecology, with long-range research programmes on permanent study sites and linked with various ecology centres, needs to be established.