General introduction to the workshop
Eco-augmentation: shaping future ecosystems
Ecosystems are energy systems comprised of both biotic entities - animals, plants and micro-organisms – and their physical environment. In an era marked by climate change, rapidly transforming environmental conditions and an accelerating science and technology landscape, deliberately and strategically enhancing ecological systems through human intervention can be used to regenerate ecological functions and restore biodiversity in a process of ‘eco-augmentation’. Beyond restoration, eco-augmentation can also be used to design novel sustainable or transient ecological systems with original functions.
We recognise that to date, the discourse around ecosystem change and geo-engineering has focused on the immediate and pressing challenges of the Anthropocene-driven climate crisis and ecosystem degradation, with an emphasis on encouraging policy uptake through the generation of irrevocable evidence. Less well discussed are how rapidly evolving changes to the planet, combined with the increasing ability to reach habitats we have never explored before, are providing more opportunities than ever for comprehensively understanding and ultimately designing diverse ecosystems.
Future advances in our understanding of the components of ecosystems, their interactions and evolutionary dynamics, combined with progress in genomics, synthetic biology and data science, will allow novel interventions at the scale of entire ecosystems. Given these possibilities, breakthroughs that enable the deliberate modification of the global ecosystem will alter how we perceive the relationship between humanity and the Earth.
Following an introductory framing keynote highlighting how we can think about humanity’s future on the planet, the conference will focus on eco-augmentation using three interrelated themes: ‘Reading and writing ecosystems’, ‘Transitioning ecosystems’, and ‘Hacking co-evolution’. The following programme can also be consulted on our website and a description of each session is provided below.
The main guiding question for the conference remains the same: can we anticipate new scientific disruptions in the area of eco-augmentation, and what are their implications for our future?
Aim of the annual Villars High-Level Anticipatory Workshops
In order to keep pace with science and technology and its implications, GESDA organises anticipatory workshops with a wide range of leading experts across a broad range of research topics each year, with the outcomes of these workshops feeding directly into the next edition of the Radar.
The highlight of these meetings is an annual in-person workshop in Villars, where we take the time to dive deep into one of the scientific themes in the Radar, in person and over a period of several days. Villars High-Level Anticipatory Workshops aim to obtain the diverse perspectives of a wide range of experts in the field, and as such bring together leading researchers to facilitate in-depth discussions regarding anticipated developments over the next 5, 10 and 25 years. The outcome of these discussions will be formulated into a report which will be published as part of the Radar, and form the basis of further discussions about the implications of the future of research in this area and potential for action in the present at the yearly high level GESDA Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit.
Afternoon
The discussion will take place under Chatham House Rules (meaning no quote will be attributed to a particular individual). During the discussion, we are not looking for consensus, but each perspective should have scientific merit. Differing viewpoints can all be included in the final report. A scientific writer will be present throughout the meeting to capture the discussion and subsequently write the workshop report.
About GESDA – Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator
GESDA is an independent foundation initiated by the Swiss Federal Government and the City and Canton of Geneva, with a mission to anticipate the next generation of cutting-edge scientific advances, bring them to the attention of world leaders, and catalyse concrete action by leveraging the strengths of the International Geneva ecosystem. Our mandate is to develop an instrument of anticipation and action by favouring public-private partnerships of international scope and projects which:
- provide solutions to current and future technological challenges,
- turn them into opportunities,
- and widen the circle of beneficiaries of advances in science and technology.
GESDA does this by:
- Anticipating the possible scientific breakthroughs that will impact the world, highlighting their potential impact for people, society and the planet;
- Accelerating discussions (with politicians, diplomats, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, NGOs, citizens) to develop global initiatives to ensure everybody benefits from future scientific advances;
- Translating solution ideas into concrete projects by brokering coalitions for implementation via an impact fund, in collaboration with multilateral institutions.
Science anticipation
With the rapid pace of science and technology breakthroughs driving significant changes to our world and how we live in it, having agency over our future has never been more important. One of the tools we have for this is anticipation, through which we can use our assessment of what might happen in the future to direct action in the present. GESDA aims to enable this process of anticipation by laying out in its Science Breakthrough Radar the possibilities scientists envisage for the future. In this way, GESDA aims to act as an honest broker between the scientific community and society to encourage open debates about how we wish to shape the future and what opportunities for action can be taken today.