厦门大学南强讲座：

The emerging science of historical ecology: what can it teach us? --A case study of a small port town on the south coast of England

新兴的历史生态学能教给我们什么？- 英国南海岸港口小镇的个案研究

时间：2009年2月23日（星期一） 19:00-20:30

地点：图书馆五楼南强报告厅

报告人：Brian Morton教授

国际著名的海洋微生物生态学家，英国国家自然历史博物馆生态学部科学顾问，联合国环境计划英国委员会委员。

1969年获得英国伦敦大学淡水生态学博士学位；自1970年起，在香港大学开展有关海洋生物、海洋生态与环境等学科的教学科研工作，曾任香港大学太古海洋研究所所长，生态学与生物多样性学系首席教授；2003年退休后，出于对自然科学的浓厚兴趣，在英国的家中开设实验室，继续开展科学研究。到目前为止，共发表、出版了有关生态学、海洋环境保护等领域的370多篇论文，9篇科学评论，20部专著，16个专著章节。

报告摘要：

A new science of historical ecology is emerging, particularly in the USA and in special relation to coastal wetlands that are globally considered to be endangered habitats.  The science collates data on modern habitats and merges these with information gleaned from charts, maps, photographs and other sources of historical information to produce a real picture of ecological change over time.  Having established what has changed, reasons are sought for how and why.  Such an approach allows us to better understand our ecological heritage and for decision makers and managers to better plan for restoration conservation so as to allow local communities to recreate lost, remnant, or vestigial habitats, even ecosystems – notably, again, wetlands. 

This talk is intended, through an examination of the history and coastal ecology of a virtually unstudied southern English downland river, its coastal port and associated beaches, to act as a general model to determine if historical ecology can reveal protection, conservation and, possibly, restoration, priorities.  At least, however, it may also help one local coastal township community better understand its historical ecological heritage.  It may, hopefully, also stimulate other communities to examine their historical heritage and local ecology in a new way.  And, thereby, come to a new appreciation of what they have lost and how they might recover it.

This study has now been published as follows and is available from Amazon.com:

Morton, B. The Historical Ecology of the River Arun and its Beaches at Littlehampton, West Sussex: 1,000 years of change. The Ray Society, London. pp. i-iv + 198, 38 colour plates, 53 figures.