From our seas to our savannas, animals must now cope with dynamic environments that are undergoing unprecedented rates of change. How do animals make decisions in the face of such changes, and what are the consequences of those decisions for animal populations and humans alike? In an era of extraordinary environmental transformation, answering these questions is a critical component of both biodiversity conservation and human well-being. By integrating field ecology, earth observation, animal bio-logging technology, and big data analytics, I aim to lead a radical new approach to uncover how species’ responses to environmental change create unforeseen feedbacks in the complex socio-ecological systems in which we live. Such interdisciplinary, eco-informatics-based inquiry promises to push the boundaries of ecology and revolutionize the study of human-wildlife interactions in a rapidly changing world.