Rethinking Ecology is an open access journal that aims at fostering both forward thinking and the publication of novel ideas in ecology. The term ecology in this instance should be understood in the broadest sense, and contributions including (but not limited to) evolution, ecophysiology, environmental sciences, global change biology, human ecology and decision ecology are all welcome. To achieve these aims, the journal exclusively publishes perspective papers with an emphasis on new hypotheses and bold ideas. As opposed to other journals, contributions to Rethinking Ecology are not commissioned. We believe that novel ideas do not arise from direct invitations and we are committed to enable authors to publish their best ideas and perspectives, regardless of their seniority, their publication track record and their country of origin.