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Location
Zoom
Series/Type
, , , ,
Format
Online
Dates
  • February 6, 2025 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

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More than half the world’s people (and > 80% of Canadians) live in cities, and conversion to urban land is among the most irreversible and fastest growing forms of global change. This era of unprecedented urban growth has markedly changed ecosystem structure, function, and biodiversity, and consequently the ecosystem services that our health and well-being depend on. To work towards more sustainable, livable cities, it is important to understand where there are opportunities to manage cities for increased biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision.

This webinar will:

  • Discuss trends in biodiversity in cities
  • Discuss importance of urban nature for well-being
  • Discuss what cities should do to increase biodiversity across all neighborhoods

About the Speaker:
Carly Ziter is an Associate Professor, Concordia Biology Dept (Dec 2018 -); University Research Chair in Urban Ecology and Sustainability; Core Faculty Member, CERC Cluster for Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Communities and Cities.

Carly grew up in southern Ontario, in a house surrounded by fields (usually corn, sometimes soy) punctuated by small woodlots. In her mind, this mix of farmland, housing, and forest wasn’t an “ecosystem”; it was just where she walked the dog. Now, she realizes that these human-dominated landscapes are hard at work providing a multitude of ecosystem services we rely on, and she’s fascinated by how we can manage these areas better. When she’s not busy researching the intersection of landscape structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, Carly can be found enjoying the great outdoors, knitting, or supervising shifts at her community pottery studio.