If not all species can be saved, how do we decide which ones to save?
This question is more relevant than ever, as we live in the Anthropocene, a geological age characterized by human activity having a dominating influence over Earth's ecosystems and living organisms.
Dr. Schaffer-Smith has technical expertise in remote sensing and geospatial analysis. Her research has spanned a variety of topics, including modeling the spread of wind-driven fires, assessing habitat connectivity for endangered species, analyzing global tropical deforestation dynamics and exploring methods to quantify linkages between coupled social-ecological systems.
The ASU-Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute partnership is currently accepting applications from graduate students interested in learning about tropical science in Panama.
Students can apply to attend the Tropical Ecology and Conservation Boot Camp, which runs January 13-February 6, 2019 or the ASU Tropical Biology Study Abroad Course, which runs June 4-21, 2019.
Courses and application details are available here.
Applications close Monday, October 15, 2018 at 5 p.m. AZ time.
Mountain snowpack is melting earlier, leaving water regulators searching for new approaches and farmers concerned about the risk to their crops. To help stakeholders find solutions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday awarded $4.9 million to an interdisciplinary team of researchers from five institutions in three states, including Arizona State University.
Mountain snowpack and rainfall are the primary sources of water for the arid western United States, and water allocation rules determine how that water gets distributed among competing uses. But earlier melting of mountain snowpack is altering the timing of runoff, putting additional pressure on reservoirs to meet the needs of agricultural water rights holders.
Over the next five years, scientists from ASU will join researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno; Desert Research Institute; Colorado State University and Northern Arizona University to use a new $4.97 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to explore different aspects of this issue:
The goal of the workshop was to develop a proof of concept “That the wealth of academic research and practice on biodiversity indicator development is directly relevant to businesses who are seeking to identify or develop biodiversity indicators,” as stated by the organizers.
A Science magazine story was published today titled “Should it be saved?” It addresses the various debates surrounding approaches to endangered species protection – in particular how decisions are made regarding funds allocation for recovery efforts.
A related story, titled “How triage became a dirty word,” was also published. This story reflects on insights shared by ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber on this topic.
The session is the first in a series of four-presentations on organizing for biodiversity conservation in the age of extinction. These events are an initiative of the ASU Center for Biology + Society, as part of their Conservation Series. This particular segment on biodiversity conservation is also sponsored by the School of Life Sciences Ethics program.
The presentation is titled “Casting Biodiversity Conservation as a Budget Allocation Problem,” and will take place in the seminar room at the Zoology department.
The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes recently secured two grants, one with the Electric Power Research Institute and one with Monsanto, to develop respective tools that will help enable each organization to estimate the range of potential operational, reputational, legal and regulatory risks associated with compliance with the U.S. Endangered Species Act for their respective industries.
The Endangered Species Act mandates that the US federal government take actions to conserve threatened and endangered species and their associated ecosystems. Critical the success of the ESA is engaging with the private sector to build understanding how biodiversity conservation and business practices can be complementary and synergistic.
The Greater Mekong is Southeast Asia’s longest river, supporting the livelihoods of around 300 million people across the region. Deforestation, poorly operating dams and fisheries management are some of the major threats to the river. This article studies the link between hydrology and fisheries and provides recommendations for improving fishing and dam development relations.
ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes faculty, students and partners have been busy advancing cutting-edge research that supports biodiversity conservation understanding and decision-making. We present you some of their most recent publications:
Ayers, A. L., Kittinger, J. N., and Vaughan, M. B. 2018. Whose right to manage? Distribution property rights affects equity and power dynamics in comanagement. Ecology and Society. 23(2):37. PDF.
In September 2016, ASU partnered with Conservation International to train the next generation of conservation leaders, while protecting the nature people need to thrive. This partnership was established via the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and the CI Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science. Today, it was announced that the Moore Center’s senior vice president, Dr. Daniela Raik, would transition as the new senior vice president for the organization’s Americas Field Division. Dr. Mike Mascia who currently leads the Social Science Program, is stepping in to fulfill her previous role.
We take the opportunity to thank Dr. Raik for her vision and leadership, which were instrumental in establishing the ASU-CI partnership.
ASU welcomes Dr. Mascia and looks forward to continuing our work together to advance this very important partnership.
The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is currently hiring a Senior Management Research Analyst – Biodiversity in Business to lead the center’s work on biodiversity in the business sector.
This individual will join a vibrant and growing interdisciplinary team of faculty and non-academic partners to develop and implement a portfolio of projects that address the multiple aspects of environmental and non-market valuation within the business landscape.
As part of the ASU-Conservation International partnership, CI will work with Arizona State University and other key international universities to develop training on environmental innovation and sustainability and on entrepreneurship in nature-based sectors to advance this initiative.
ASU undergraduate students who have a love for nature and the environment can join Nature at ASU. This student-led organization helps connect students with education and career opportunities in a variety of related fields.
Their mission is to build, unite and empower an inclusive community of students to study and protect Earth’s biodiversity and its wild habitats.
The two-day symposium will take place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 a.m. to 5 p.m. AZ Time) at the Charles Darwin International Convention Center. Live coverage will be available via the Galapagos Science Center’s Facebook page.