Join us from 12:00–1:30pm on 20 July in the Western Tower Boardroom at the University of Sydney for a compelling presentation exploring how transdisciplinary methods can deepen understanding and management of mangrove social‑ecological systems in a changing world. Understanding and predicting the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation and landscapes requires a retrospective approach, drawing on methods from various disciplines. This presentation demonstrates how the integration of tropical botany, very high-resolution sequential remote sensing combined with ground-truthing, socio-ecological and ethnobiological surveys, and historical archive research—followed by integrative analyses such as geographic information systems (GIS), social surveys, and discourse and social network analysis—can generate insights relevant both for advancing fundamental understanding of ecosystem functioning (e.g. health status, connectivity, resilience) and for informing ecosystem management (e.g. conservation, restoration, governance). Particular emphasis is placed on building capacity and resilience for mangrove social-ecological systems in an era of change and uncertainty.

Within this framework, particular emphasis is given to biodiversity change, climate change, ecological and ethological plant-animal interactions, and human-ecosystem relationships. A key focus is the development of early warning systems for ecological degradation, unsustainable exploitation practices, and the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge. The presentation also examines how conservation is communicated and perceived by the public, addressed in education, and integrated into the science-policy interface. This includes not only scientific publications, but also storytelling and social media analyses.

Historically, mangrove forests have served as a central model for this body of research. Work spans multiple spatial scales, from localized case studies across numerous countries (from west to east: Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, Jamaica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Philippines) to global macroecological analyses. Research is often conducted in collaboration with international partners and stakeholders across all sectors of society, including research institutions, the corporate sector, international organizations, citizen science initiatives, governmental bodies, and NGOs. These partnerships are also integrated into joint master’s programmes such as the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems (www.tropimundo.eu). The presentation concludes with an overview of scholarship opportunities in this field.