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July 2008 |
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Gene Likens – a scientist before his timeGlobal problems such as loss of biodiversity, climate change, destruction of forests, depletion of stratospheric ozone, air and water pollution and soil erosion are major issues in today’s community. But more than 40 years ago ecologist Gene Likens was part of a small band of scientists who sounded a clarion call for action to safeguard the world’s ecosystems. Since the 1960s Dr Likens, a distinguished US scientist has been a leading pioneer in the study of acid rain, which is mostly caused by human emissions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds which react in the atmosphere to produce acids. His work has influenced policy makers, guided and motivated scientific studies, and increased public awareness of human-accelerated environmental change. His findings were well-timed for the political mood of the times, making for interesting work - politically, as well as scientifically. “We now have a similar situation with water, where so much public attention is focussed on it and there is a fear for what will happen in the future,” he says. The current water challenge facing Australia has drawn Dr Likens to Australia as a Flagship Fellow with the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. The six-month posting which began in January 2008 will see Dr Liken present scientific lectures, review and advise on current and future work of the CSIRO-led Flagship, and visit project teams around Australia including Adelaide, Wodonga, Brisbane, Townsville and Darwin. “It seems and excellent opportunity,” he says. “I don’t know the answers but I have great experience that I can bring to these challenges.” “Such an environmental challenge requires scientific input and strong, wise management. “We have a debate which people can understand because it deals with issues which they are experiencing. As (former US President) Ben Franklin said: ‘You don't know the value of water until the well goes dry’.” Dr Likens says the current water crisis facing Australia is in many ways a microcosm of a problem common around the world, which is exacerbated, and perhaps sometimes initiated by climate change and population increases. “Australia has an opportunity to be a world leader and develop science to help with this serious problem, and export that know-how to the world, and is pursuing that opportunity,” he says. “Even though the land mass of the US and Australia are about the same, Australia has a total population about the same as that of New York State. I’ve been really impressed with how bright and original our scientists are here.” Dr Liken’s great passion is bringing an holistic approach to the big challenges now facing our river ecosystems. “In our changing world, interactions among the air, water, soil, plants, and animals around us are changing in complex ways that profoundly affect environmental quality, human health, and economic activity. “The ecosystem approach, used holistically to investigate these interactions, is the most powerful method for analyzing environmental change. “I would like to bring that approach to these efforts,” he says. Dr Likens facilitated a workshop in Canberra in April, bringing together key thinkers in ecosystems research and challenging them to think about the big questions and the complex challenges in our river ecosystems. A detailed report outlining the outcomes of the fellowship is expected to be available on our website in the near future. A global leader in his field, Dr Likens was granted his Ph.D. in 1962, co-founding the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In 1983 he founded the Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES) in Millbrook, New York, and he has been awarded a range of international honours, including election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1988, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in 1994 and the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 2000. He was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science in 2001. In 2007 Dr Likens stepped down as director of the IES and returned to full-time research. Contact:
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