What defines a healthy and productive ecosystem?

The health of our plant-based productive ecosystems emerges from interactions among plant communities, microbes in and on plants, external stressors, and the broader landscape context at a variety of spatial scales.

Knowing what defines the health of a productive ecosystem is crucial to understanding how to protect them; how to undermine the persistence of undesirable components such as pests, weeds and diseases; and how to monitor whether sustainable ecosystem productivity is improving.

In essence, a healthy ecosystem is one that is relatively resistant to change and can also reassemble/reorganise following disruption – meaning it is also resilient to change.

Pou 1: Titirangi

Project 1.1

Multi-scale integrators of ecosystem health

Learn more about Project 1.1

Pou 1: Titirangi

Project 1.2

Processes that promote ecosystem health across scales in the face of pathogen and pest attack

Learn more about Project 1.2

Pou 1: Titirangi

Project 1.3

A new framework to assess ecosystem health for Aotearoa New Zealand

Learn more about Project 1.3

Pou Leaders

Prof Jason Tylianakis

Prof Jason Tylianakis

Roles:

Researcher

Institution:

University of Canterbury

Dr Julie Deslippe

Dr Julie Deslippe

Roles:

Researcher

Institution:

Victoria University of Wellington