Dave Helmers sits down with me and gives the skinny on how he turns U.S. Census data into ecologically relevant products for answering some of the most pressing questions in land-change conservation science.
Land Use
Land use change is currently the largest threat to biodiversity, and exacerbates the detrimental effects of climate change. We are interested in novel types of land use change, such as housing growth in the WUI, and widespread land abandonment after socioeconomic shocks, and how such changes affect biodiversity.
Hot moments for biodiversity conservation
When it comes to creating protected areas for conservation, ecologists tend to focus on the where. However, to establish new protected areas, the question of when may be just as important.
Housing development is eroding the value of protected lands
Locations in and around natural areas are especially appealing for housing development. Unfortunately, this development may have undesirable consequences.
Can your decisions make a change?
What if someone told you that you could be of great help to science in general and conservation in particular and have fun at the same time? Forward Trails is a Massive Multiplayer Online Game that allows you to do just that!
Monitoring of deforestation and forest degradation in Mexico
Carlos Ramirez Reyes develops a way to monitor deforestation in Mexico using satellite images from 1990 to present.
Mapping forest dynamics in the Carpathians
The availability of multitemporal, dense time series of Landsat imagery opens new possibilities for tracking forest dynamics in areas of complex landcover in Europe
People's attitudes toward protected areas
Protected area conservation is dependent to some extent on the goodwill of communities living around them. This is especially true in a developing country context, where people can pose a threat because they rely on these areas for their day to day needs, such as fuelwood and food. Teri Allendorf is working to understanding how local residents value the protected areas they live near.
Forest pattern change in Mexico's Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve
Dr. Oscar Cardenas is working to better understand patterns of forest change in the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve to develop more effective management tools addressing a range of issues from biodiversity conservation to sustainable development programs and epidemiological applications.
Why shrubs substitute for meadows?
Jodi Brandt studies mountain ecosystem succession in China. This loss of alpine pastures affects both people and biodiversity. Which factors are responsible for these changes?
Habitat connectivity of European Bison in the Carpathians
Landscape connectivity analysis could help to bring back the almost extinct population of European Bison in the Carpathians. Elzbieta Laszczak research on habitat connectivity indicates where to fill the gaps for successful connection of different bison herds thereby reducing inbreeding.