The SCCP hosted two lunchtime webinars on February 12 and 24, 2025 as part of the Conservation Connections+ webinar series. Watch them on the SCCP’s YouTube Channel.
Feb 12, 2025: Mapping and modelling ecosystem services at multiple scales for decision-making
Around the world, ecosystems, species, and people are facing numerous interacting pressures that are negatively impacting biodiversity and ecosystem services. In the face of these challenges, the idea of multifunctional landscapes – those that can simultaneously provide a balanced suite of benefits while also conserving biodiversity – has recently become an increasingly popular subject of study and practice. However, what do we know about current patterns of landscape multifunctionality, the drivers of these patterns, and how these vary across spatial scales? Research will be presented on multifunctionality with a focus on national-scale mapping of multiple ecosystem services and their hotspots across Canada, landscape-scale studies of urban multifunctionality in Metro Vancouver, and some examples demonstrating how this knowledge is already being used to inform decision-making.
Presenter: Dr. Matthew Mitchell, Assistant Professor cross-appointed in the Department of Forest Resources Management in the Faculty of Forestry and Applied Biology in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Mitchell is an applied landscape ecologist with a focus on understanding how to manage human-dominated landscapes, including agricultural and urban areas, for people and nature. His research focuses specifically on how landscape structure and human actions impact biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services.
Feb. 24, 2025: The South Coast Conservation Land Management Program (SCCLMP) and Their Current Restoration Projects
What is the South Coast Conservation Land Management Program (SCCLMP) and what work are they doing in BC? This presentation will introduce SCCLMP (not to be confused with the SCCP), touch on where they work throughout the province, and how they work with partners to conserve wild habitat. Through this discussion, two current projects will be focused on: Western Painted Turtle monitoring in Pitt Addington Marshes WMA and Coastal Sand Ecosystem (CSE) restoration planning in Boundary Bay WMA. These topics will focus on at-risk species and ecosystems, the ups and downs of our land management efforts, and potential solutions for challenges going forwards.
Co-Presenters: Megan Goard (SCCLMP Field Operations Lead), Alison Martin (SCCLMP Coordinator)
Alison graduated from the SFU/BCIT Masters of Ecological Restoration Program in 2021. Since then, she has been working for the South Coast Conservation Land Management Program supporting field operations and restoration projects. In 2024, Alison moved into the Coordinator position where she oversees habitat enhancement and restoration efforts from invasive species management to wetland restoration. Alison works with the program’s partner organizations to provide input and support for projects that fall within conservation lands on the South Coast. Prior to her current position, she spent four years working with Metro Vancouver Regional Parks and received a BA in Geography and diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems at the University of Victoria.
Megan joined Ducks Unlimited Canada in September of 2024 and is currently the Field Operations Lead for the South Coast Conservation Land Management Program. As a new member of the team, she is thrilled to be acting as the on-the-ground person managing eleven wildlife management areas and numerous other conservation lands via restoration efforts and habitat conservation techniques. Prior to her current position, Megan spent a year and a half working in invasive plant management with Diamond Head Consulting and received a BAS in Ecology and International Development and a certificate in Environmental Conservation from the University of Guelph.