News

The ASU Conservation Innovation Lab is proud to present thesis defenses for three of its honor students.

CIL is a partner initiative of the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes.

CIL is formed by an interdisciplinary and collegial group of ecologists, mathematicians, economists, geographers and conservation scientists who share a motivation to do research that has impact in the real world.

Some of the ASU-Conservation International professors of practice serve as mentors to CIL students, taking active roles in their committees as part of the ASU-CI partnership.

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The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is currently hiring a postdoctoral research associate to conduct research on boundary organizations practice.

This research has an application to multi-stakeholder (including corporations, agencies and policy makers) collaboration, communication and decision-making.

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For most people, the thought of Greece may elicit images of sandy beaches and beautiful buildings cascading toward the shore, but for Senior Sustainability Scientist Matei Georgescu, Greece means the opportunity to expand his research into the effects urbanization has on climate. To help him accomplish this, Georgescu has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Grant.

“A key objective of my Fulbright Award is focused on development of high-resolution data of climate output illustrating the magnitude of future extreme heat events for all of Greece,” said Georgescu, an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and affiliated faculty in Arizona State University's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes.

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ASU-Conservation International Professor of Practice David Hole, along with other conservation scientists, recently published a paper in Science Advances Magazine called “Evaluating the impacts of protected areas on human well-being across the developing world”.

Abstract:

Protected areas (PAs) are fundamental for biodiversity conservation, yet their impacts on nearby residents are contested. We synthesized environmental and socioeconomic conditions of >87,000 children in >60,000 households situated either near or far from >600 PAs within 34 developing countries.

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Senior Sustainability Scientist Joshua Abbott is a principal author of a new opinion paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled “Governing the recreational dimension of global fisheries.” Abbott is an associate professor in Arizona State University's School of Sustainability and an affiliated faculty in the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes.

The paper discusses the importance of recreational fisheries and the need to improve their management and their inclusion in fisheries policymaking. “Recreational fisheries deserve to be considered on equal footing with commercial fisheries, particularly in mixed coastal fisheries,” the authors argue.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcome Deputy Director Beth Polidoro and her team recently took part in a study investigating the health implications of eating fish from stock ponds around Phoenix.

According to their research, they found fish containing contaminants such as pesticides, chemicals, arsenic, aluminum and mercury exceeding levels recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.

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The ASU-Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is excited to announce its spring 2019 call for grant proposals.

There are two research foci: (1) Resilience, adaptive evolution and the effects of changing environments on plant, animal and microbial phenotypes, and community and ecosystem functions. (2) Integrating biological data with socio-economic models to sustain biodiversity during climate change and human development.

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The ASU Center for Sustainable Tourism of the School of Community Resources and Development and the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes will be hosting a public talk with Dr. Tracy A. Farrell to explore the impact conservation partnerships between NGOs and universities have on achieving positive conservation outcomes.

Farrell is the VP of strategies and fundraising for Conservation Internationa's Asia Pacific Division.

The talk, titled "Collaborative conservation: Weaving universities and non-profits together in the fight to save our planet," is part of the ASU-CI partnership.

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The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes team is excited to welcome our new administrative assistant, Susanne Hinrichs.

Susanne has a professional background in ecology, evolutionary biology and music, receiving her bachelor’s degree in 2006 from The University of Arizona.

Prior to working at CBO, Susanne worked as a research assistant for both Arizona State University and The University of Arizona. She also taught private music instruction in Phoenix for several years out of college.

Susanne will be assisting with managing daily operations of the center, including scheduling and events. She can be reached at susanne.hinrichs@asu.edu.

Welcome Susanne!

The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, the Natural Capital Coalition, Conservation International, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales have partnered to develop a Natural Capital Protocol Ocean Supplement.

The Natural Capital Protocol, developed by the Natural Capital Coalition, is a decision-making framework that enables organizations to identify, measure and value their direct and indirect impacts and dependencies on natural capital.

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A Thought Leader Series Piece

by Jack Kittinger

We know the challenges we face in conservation. Conservation is about human security — it's about people, communities, families — our children. Globally, we continue to neglect how important nature is to our survival and ability to thrive.

Even as our most pressing environmental problems multiply, our resources to combat them don't keep pace. We strive. We come up short. It's easy to look at the global scale of the challenges we face and feel overwhelmed — to want to give up.

But we don't and we can't.

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On February 27, 2019, former ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Postdoctoral Research Associate and Project Manager Anita Hagy Ferguson will be delivering a talk on the topic of wildlife corridors in the urban desert.

During this talk, Ferguson will address the importance of biological corridors, urban open spaces and collaborative regional planning to protect one of the most bio-diverse deserts in the world -- the Sonoran desert.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Postdoctoral Research Associate Lars Iversen and his family were recently interviewed by Nature for an article titled “One couple, two cities: How to handle an international career move.”

In this article, Iversen and his wife Mette Bendixen – a physical geographer and postdoctoral scholar at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder – share about their unique lifestyle and adapting to new career opportunities.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Postdoctoral Research Associate Lars Iversen recently co-authored a paper called “Promises and perils of sand exploitation in Greenland,” published in Nature Sustainability.

This article discusses future sand mining in Greenland and the potential impacts on the environment and local way of life. It is an attempt to discuss some of the challenges and conflicts between the protection of the local environment, climate change and the future economy of the Arctic.

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber’s work was highlighted in a recent The Economist article titled, “How to preserve nature on a tight budget: Saving species cheaply and effectively.”

Gerber's proposal on streamlining budgets for protection of  endangered species would allow an increase in the number and variety of species that are actually preserved if funds are allocated differently.

As stated in the article, “[Gerber] found that 139 of the 1,124 plants and animals with federal recovery plans in place got more than their fair share of public resources, as defined by USFWS recommendations. The surplus totalled $150m a year, more than a quarter of spending in the area. Re-allocated, this could bring nearly 900 currently underfunded plans up to budget.”

Click here to read the full article.

Over the past two-years, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Associate Director of Biodiversity Valuation and Assessments Beth Polidoro spearheaded a citizen science project titled “Community Monitoring of Pollutants in Urban Waterways and Recreational Fisheries in Metro-Phoenix.”

During this time, at least 14 undergraduate students were trained in field sampling, water quality monitoring and fish identification. In addition, more than 45 K-12 students from the Girl Scouts and Phoenix ZooTeens participated in sampling and training events.

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The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is partnering with the Natural Capital Coalition, Conservation International, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to develop a Natural Capital Protocol for the Oceans.

The Natural Capital Protocol for the Oceans will be a framework to help businesses answer questions such as: How does your business depend upon ocean resources? How is this ocean natural capital changing and what risks and opportunities does this present? Which resources, information or expertise do you need?

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ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Associate Director for Conservation Evidence Samantha Cheng was the lead author of a paper titled “A systemic map of evidence on the contribution of forests to poverty alleviation” published in the Environmental Evidence Journal.

Abstract:

Forests provide an essential resource to the livelihoods of an estimated 20% of the global population. The contribution of forest ecosystems and forest-based resources to poverty reduction is increasingly emphasized in international policy discourse and conservation and development investments.

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Written by Katie Surrey-Bergman

Three thousand miles by plane, two and a half hours by car over the high-altitude mountain ranges of Quito, an additional six and half more hours down the Amazon river by single-motor boat and we arrive at the tiny village of Gomatan, set between the riverside and the jungle which would be our home for three days.

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On Saturday, January 19, 2019, ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes team members participated in the OdySea Aquarium Conservation Expo.

This event, held in the courtyard outside the aquarium, brought together more than 40 local conservation-oriented organizations. Hundreds of families attended to interact with animal ambassadors, learn about conservation issues and engage in hands-on activities.

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