Can working landscapes work for conservation?

Accelerating rates of land conversion for agriculture, development, and resource extraction have challenged us to identify creative ways to sustain biodiversity, protect ecosystem services, and support human health and well-being within “working landscapes.” This challenge becomes urgent when we consider that in many regions, persistence of the most vulnerable species and ecosystems requires sustainable management of privately-owned and multi-use lands. Fortunately, there are a growing number of tools and approaches that can be used to identify, monitor, and incentivize key conservation actions. Prof. Amanda D. Rodewald of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University will highlight examples showing new ways that private sector investments and public-private partnerships can improve sustainability of tropical and temperate agroecosystems and achieve positive social and ecological outcomes at regional, national, and international levels.

The talk will be followed by a reception and lunch with Grad students and Post-docs from IRES, Biodiversity Research Centre and Faculty of Forestry.