Even the worst disasters leave behind a surviving community. The purpose of this conference is to understand the resilience of both ecosystems and human communities, and the relationship between the two. How do communities rebound, under what conditions is rebuilding more or less successful, what are the long term costs of disasters, and what opportunities are created in their wake? The conference is jointly organized by John Logan (S4) and Osvaldo Sala (ECI), and speakers include a range of disciplines, from sociology to history to marine biology. Every panel will seek to contrast theories and concepts from the perspective of natural and social scientists.