Response diversity as a sustainability strategy
Seminar organized by the University of Tokyo and IGES
Welcome to a seminar organized by the University of Tokyo and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), in which Professor Thomas Elmqvist will argue for the need to design response diversity in society.
Time: Mon 2025-03-03 13.30 - 15.30
Location: Room 419, Admin Building #2 (4F), The University of Tokyo & Online
Language: English
Financial advisers recommend a diverse portfolio to respond to market fluctuations across sectors. Similarly, in nature a diverse portfolio of species has evolved leading to ecosystem functions often maintained despite environmental fluctuations. In urban planning, public health, transport and communications, food production, and other domains, however, this feature often seems ignored. As we enter an era of unprecedented turbulence at the planetary level, Thomas Elmqvist argues that ample responses to this new reality — that is, response diversity — can no longer be taken for granted and must be actively designed and managed. He will outline what response diversity is, how it is expressed and how it can be enhanced and lost.
Register for the seminar here: forms.gle/wPxvaDxACUGZJwND7
About the speaker: Professor Thomas Elmqvist is a scholar in Natural Resource Management at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University. His research focuses on ecosystem services, urbanization, and resilience, emphasizing social institutions' roles. He has led international projects such as "Cities and Biodiversity Outlook" and "Urban Planet." Currently, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of npj Urban Sustainability. He has received awards like the BiodivERsA Prize (2018) and the Ecological Society of America’s best paper award (2019). He has also held visiting positions at Cornell University and the University of Tokyo.