Talk summary:

Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable and threatened ecosystems across the globe. Given their declining status, significant effort has been devoted to their conservation and restoration. However, most efforts fail to meet stated goals because of an emphasis on practices rooted in an incomplete ecological understanding of these ecosystems. Due to traditional restoration approaches, a knowledge gap exists in our current understanding of the factors that maintain the health and functioning of coastal wetlands. Further, conservation practices that aim to protect ecosystems often fail to consider local values, knowledge systems, and needs, an oversight which can cause conflict and impact conservation outcomes. In this talk, I will share research that aims to fill in our ecological knowledge gaps and promote the inclusion of cultural values and community-centered conservation interventions.

Bio:

My name is Alex Moore (they/them), and I am an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. I completed my PhD at the Yale School of the Environment where my research focused on how predator-prey interactions impact the health and functioning of wetland ecosystems. At UBC, I am expanding upon on this work by branching out into new wetland ecosystems while exploring the cultural implications of habitat restoration and conservation. Through this work, I hope to engage in the co-creation of knowledge and sustainable solutions with local communities most directly impacted by conservation practice and policies.