News

On April 10, 2020, Issues in Science and Technology published an article by ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber titled “A Global Strategy for Preventing the Next Pandemic.”

While the media and the public are focusing on the wildlife trade as the main factor for COVID-19, Gerber believes it is only one part of the equation. In this publication, she explains how environmental degradation has contributed to the transition of disease from animals to humans.

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The ASU Conservation Innovation Lab and the S.W.A.T. Lab invite you to participate in a research study about single-use plastics (SUP) and effective policymaking.

To participate, all you need to do is complete a 10-minute survey.

This survey aims to determine the SUP footprint of ASU affiliated individuals by evaluating weekly use and disposal of single-use plastics. The SUP footprint will serve as a referral tool for institutions and governments when designing plastic-related policies that are shaped specifically to the city’s plastic consumption, management and perception.

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On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 4-5 p.m., David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow Stephanie Borelle  will be presenting a talk titled "Plastic Futures: plastic emissions and the impact of mitigation strategies for reducing plastic pollution."

Marine litter is a complex socio-ecological problem, with numerous land-based and sea-based sources, impacts and many proposed solutions. Diverse strategies are necessary to meet place-based goals, but there should also be quantitative evidence or calculated evaluation to inform which individual mitigation strategies will be the most effective in specific contexts, whether they are achievable, and if they are enough to meet their plastic pollution reduction targets.

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On February 24, 2020, the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes hosted a presentation titled “The past, present and future of coral reefs,” by Assistant Research Professor Katie Cramer. Cramer’s presentation focused on her recent publication exploring a 3000-year record of coral reef degradation to investigate the role of human and natural disturbance.

Cramer is a marine conservation ecologist and Oceans Science Fellow at Conservation International. She joined the center in November 2019 as part of the ASU-Conservation International partnership.

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In September 2016, the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes became an official partner of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. As of February 2020, we are proud to announce the center is an official IUCN member.

Many of the research projects we conduct revolve around ecosystem restoration, reversing the global biodiversity crisis and improving human wellbeing. The IUCN membership provides an exciting platform to interact with other organizations around the globe to discover and implement solutions to alleviate environmental challenges.

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On February 22, 2020, the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes participated in ASU Open Door at the Tempe campus.

Every year, ASU hosts this event for the local community to explore the university's campuses while participating in hundreds of interactive activities facilitated by faculty, students and staff.

The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes' activities included a “which fish is which?” poster designed to help identify mislabeled seafood, an ocean conservation facts poster board, a jungle-themed large print puzzle for children and a new activity of marine biodiversity Jenga.

Monterrey Bay Aquarium pocket-size seafood watch guides were handed out to participants, along with other fun participation incentives.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber gave a short interview offering advice to up-and-coming ecologists with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) titled “Essential Skills for Early Career Ecologists.”

NCEAS is one of our key partners. Its mission is to provide support to ecologists and other conservation scientists to accelerate discoveries about the natural world and humanity’s part in it.

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The Conservation Solutions Lab, a multi-partner collaboration led by Chemonics International and ASU, organized a summit in Kenya on February 11-14, 2020 in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association.

This event was held at the Mt. Kenya Safari Lodge in Nayuki, Kenya.

The purpose of this summit was to propel movement from community engagement to community-led conservation solutions in Africa.

Forum participants dialogued about the central role of communities for conservation success. They discussed current challenges and impacts to generate new ideas for future communities in driving sustainable conservation outcomes in East Africa and beyond.

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ASU-Conservation International's Assistant Research Professor Katie Cramer will be delivering a talk on Monday, February 24, 2020, titled "The past, present and future of coral reefs."

This talk will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the School of Life Sciences, C-wing, room 202 (LSC 202), ASU Tempe campus.

Coral reefs provide vital ecosystem services to humanity but are imperiled globally due to local and global human disturbances. Despite broad scientific consensus on the anthropogenic activities responsible for the coral reef crisis, this knowledge has not been effectively translated into policy and management actions to reverse reef declines.

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The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is currently hiring a postdoctoral research associate to lead the development of a decision tool for assessing pesticide risk for species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The ESA requires explicit consideration of the potential pesticide impacts on threatened and endangered species. However, this process is currently hindered by agency limitations on resources, data and inter-agency coordination.

The postdoctoral research associate will work with the stakeholders to bring a decision-theoretic approach to the problem and identify bottlenecks that can be enhanced by explicitly incorporating efficiency and developing robust and transparent decision support techniques to achieve efficiency, both now and into the future.

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On Saturday, January 18, 2020, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes’ employees represented Arizona State University at the third annual OdySea Aquarium Conservation Expo, held in the aquarium's courtyard.

Over 40 local organizations were featured, sharing their conservation efforts. Activities included live animal interactions, pet adoptions (two dogs), didactic games, raffles and sustainable fish sampling by the aquarium's chef (1,500 samples).

Close to 9,000 people attended this event and many of them donated much-needed supplies to support conservation efforts in the region. The aquarium was also able to raise funds to support its education and conservation initiatives.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber and School for the Future of Innovation in Society’s Innovation in Global Development PhD program student Chris Barton attended GreenBiz 2020 to present a micro-session on “Biodiversity and Profitability: Mapping the natural environment's influence on your firm's profitability."

The GreenBiz conference took place on February 4-5 at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, convening sustainable companies to advance the intersection between technology, sustainability and business.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Assistant Research Professor Katie Cramer recently co-authored a paper in Ecography titled the “Millennial‐scale change in the structure of a Caribbean reef ecosystem and the role of human and natural disturbance.”

Abstract:

Caribbean coral reefs have transformed into algal‐dominated habitats over the past half‐century, but the role of specific anthropogenic drivers is unresolved due to the lack of ecosystem‐level data predating human disturbance.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber joined Defenders of Wildlife as one of their science advisors to help expand the organization’s scientific capacity, guiding science-based conservation policy that protects wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife is a non-profit conservation organization with a mission to protect all wild animals and plants in their natural environments. Through policy and innovative solutions, they envision a future where wildlife thrives.

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On Saturday, January 18, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes staff, faculty and volunteers will participate in the OdySea Aquarium Conservation Expo.

This free event is open to the public. It includes fun and family friendly conservation-oriented activities for people of all ages. The expo takes place in the courtyard of the aquarium.

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Are you a graduate student who is passionate about conserving nature? Do you sometimes wonder about the most effective way to influence change? Are you ready to take your communication and leadership skills to the next level? If so, the Graduate Certificate in Environmental Communication and Leadership (ECL) may be for you.

The ECL graduate certificate is a compilation of key courses designed to train graduate students in honing their leadership skills and communicating environmental science to the general public, stakeholders and decision-makers.

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On December 5, ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber shared her insight on identifying key priorities in biodiversity efforts through a high-level conversation on Politico.

This talk called “Nature in Crisis” was joined by Rep. Raúl Grijalva from The House Committee of Natural Resources, Linda Krueger from The Nature Conservancy, and Nick Juliano from Politico, moderating the talk.

Much of the conversation addressed the dire consequences from the findings of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services global assessment, stating 1 million species of the estimated 8 million species of plants and animals on Earth are threatened with extinction.

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On December 5, 2019, the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes hosted Lucas Mariacher, the Zero Waste coordinator in the City of Phoenix.

Zero waste is an educational outreach program aiming to achieve zero waste by 2050. To achieve this goal, Mariacher discussed the common misconceptions about recycling and how to recycle properly.

“Arizona landfills produce 47 million cubic feet [of waste] per day, with landfills being the third largest producer of methane in the United States,” Mariacher explained.

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On December 5, 2019, students from the ASU Graduate Certificate in Environmental Communication and Leadership (ECL) presented their group projects to representatives of the SEEOP Argo Research Sailing Vessel and the City of Phoenix’s Zero Waste initiative.

The core course in the ECL curriculum is taught by Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director and School of Life Sciences Professor Leah Gerber. Some of the training conservation students receive as part of this certificate includes honing leadership skills and learning how to address non-scientific audiences and stakeholders for increased reach and impact.

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The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes team is excited to introduce you to their new member, Project Manager Alice Letcher.

As the center's project manager, Alice will be in charge of developing and implementing projects, partnerships and strategies to further our strategic goals.

Alice has a professional background in geology and isotope geochemistry. Prior to joining the center, Alice worked for the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU for two years, as a research specialist and then project manager in the W. M. Keck Foundation Laboratory for Environmental Biogeochemistry.

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