Urban Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Policy: Meet the BES Lecturers
Abstract
We live in an increasingly urban world. By 2050, 70% of all people on Earth will live in cities, and so the conversion of natural areas to concrete jungles continues. Although the process of urbanization is highly destructive to wildlife habitat, many wildlife species persist in urban areas. Urban wildlife ecologists study these animals and their relationships to the built environment, ultimately in an effort to generate useful recommendations for sustainable urban development plans that target wildlife conservation. Dr. Joanna Coleman describes the scientific process of urban wildlife ecology and her findings and perspectives on urban birds and bats. She also discusses the importance of bat research and her future research plans in Southeast Asia.
Almost all environmental problems have human causes. However, biodiversity conservation has historically focused upon understanding ecological systems in isolation, neglecting the human social, cultural, and economic systems intimately linked to them. In recent decades, this gap has begun to be filled through conservation social science, an interdisciplinary field of inquiry which endeavours to understand these human systems and help develop environmental solutions beneficial to both people and the environment. In this lecture, Dr. Hastings talks about the space for social science in the conservation endeavour, and relays his experiences doing applied research in conservation around the globe.
Speakers:
Dr Joanna Coleman
BES Lecturer
Department of Biological Science
Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore
Dr Jesse Hastings
BES Lecturer
Geography
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
National University of Singapore