10 February 2020: In the wake of this summer’s devastation, renowned Landscape Ecologist and Conservation Biologist Professor David Lindenmayer AO will explore the environmental impacts of landscape transformation--with a special emphasis on fires and logging— at the sold-out tenth anniversary instalment of the annual Krebs Lecture at the University of Canberra (UC).
Hosted by the UC Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), From Landscape Transformation to Ecosystem Collapse – Key Insights from Long-term fire, Forest and Biodiversity Research is on Tuesday 18 February at 6.30pm.
A leading global expert in natural resource management, conservation science, and biodiversity conservation, Professor Lindenmayer works with the Australian National University’s Fenner House.
His research has spanned over 37 years, with areas of expertise including integrating farm production and environmental management, terrestrial ecology, wildlife and habitat management, environmental monitoring, fire management, zoology and forestry sciences.
Both nationally and globally, we are subjected to major landscape transformations, says Professor Lindenmayer.
“We are now at the point of starting to see how these transformations interact with biodiversity, the consequences of which are very important,” he said. “We’re talking about the relationships between climate change and logging and fire, and how these things affect systems in the long run, potentially triggering the collapse of ecosystems.
“When it comes to the fires, climate change is important – and has exacerbated the situation we are finding ourselves in – but the history of forest management is equally important.”
The University of Canberra’s IAE Director Dr Janine Deakin hopes that the lecture will spark informed discussion and lead to solutions to avoid ecosystem collapse in areas affected by this season’s bushfires.
“Lecture attendees will not only come away with a better understanding of how landscape changes impact biodiversity, but also the complexity of the issues and perhaps new things to consider when discussing the impacts of the current fires,” Dr Deakin said.
The annual Krebs Lecture series was created to link scientists, policymakers and the public in discussions around environmental science. It is named for IAE Thinker in Residence Charles Krebs, Emeritus Professor at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s foremost ecologists.
Professor Krebs says that it is crucial to bridge the divide between scientists and policymakers, in order for far-reaching policy decisions to be informed and beneficial in both short- and long-term.
“I think that we have come to a time of people being increasingly well-informed on environmental issues, and something like this year’s fire devastation in Australia pushes these issues even more to the forefront,” he said.
“David is well-known around the world for his work in environmental management and biodiversity conservation, and I think we can all look forward to a lecture with great relevance, resonance and insight – which will hopefully translate into greater discussion and policy.”
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Suzanne Lazaroo, Communications Officer
0409 140 415, or suzanne.lazaroo@canberra.edu.au
Katarina Slavich, Media Officer
0408 826 362, or katarina.slavich@canberra.edu.au