The Centre for Ecosystem Resilience & Adaptation (ERA) will involve experts from natural, physical, and social sciences and focus on multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in order to to determine how ecosystems are or are not resilient under natural and human caused disturbance and  to determine how both humans and ecosystems can be adapted to disturbance.

ERA will integrate policy and governance with the technical and quantitative analyses and evidence provided by natural and physical sciences. Embedded within this, ERA will address conservation and restoration in ecosystems, protected areas and a socio-ecological approach to ecosystem stewardship and management.

The Director is Stephen Murphy of the Department of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo. The Associate Directors are Derek Armitage and Dan McCarthy – also of ERS.