Science Revealed Dean’s Lecture Series – TRU Newsroom
Dr. Fiona Schmiegelow, Ph.D.
Landscape Conservation in the Anthropocene – Enhancing Resilience to Combat Uncertainty
Dr. Greg Anderson, Dean, Faculty of Science is pleased to invite TRU faculty, staff and students as well as members of the Kamloops and greater community to the next lecture in his Science Revealed Dean’s Lecture Series.
Ecosystems around the world are experiencing unprecedented rates of human-caused change. Land alteration and conversion are compounded by accelerating pressures due to climate change, creating highly uncertain futures for natural systems and the broad range of ecological and cultural values they support. Most policy and planning processes are focused on reactive responses to immediate problems rather than the broader issues of cumulative effects and climate change. Adopting an integrative, systems-based approach to addressing these challenges requires that we think proactively over large areas and long-time frames to maintain integrity and enhance resilience in the face of dynamic change During her lecture, Dr. Fiona Schmiegelow will explore these issues and emerging models of conservation through a Canadian lens, including the contribution of Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives.
Dr. Fiona Schmiegelow has been a professor of wildlife and landscape ecology at the University of Alberta since 1997 and currently sits as Dean of Applied Science and Management at Yukon University. Her research addresses conservation and management of northern systems, spanning consideration of wildlife species needs, through to major drivers of landscape change, and the dynamics that connect them across scales. The goal of this work is to identify innovative approaches to sustaining resilient socio-ecological systems in the context of changing climates and governance structures. Fiona’s approach is highly collaborative, involving a wide range of partners from government and non-government organizations, and the private sector. She has chaired and contributed to numerous regional, national and international science committees and advisory panels concerned with biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use, and actively engages in related planning processes.