Action for Adaptation Community Science webinar: Using historical and community science data to detect changes in bumble bee and vascular plant communities on Galiano Island, BC, Canada - Andrew Simon, Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research in the Salish Sea
Using case studies (bumble bee and vascular plants) on Galiano Island, Andrew explains how historical and community science data is being used to understand shifting baselines and detect biodiversity change at the local scale, which can complement initiatives happening at the larger provincial and national scale to develop a biodiversity observation network in Canada.
Andrew is a biologist and tireless advocate for community science, which he pursues as the curator of the Biodiversity Galiano project and co-founding director of the Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research in the Salish Sea (IMERSS). His research and collaborations span multiple taxonomic groups and communities throughout the Salish Sea, including the Squamish Environment Society's Wildlife Connectivity Project. Andrew holds a Masters in Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria and is currently a PhD student at the University of Alberta, where he is studying biodiversity change in relation to lichen symbioses.
In this webinar on How Community Science can inform Land Use Planning and Stewardship, held on 23 May 2024, local government, First Nations and scientists discussed various ways in which community science is being used for conservation.
Watch the talks by the other webinar speakers:
Mapping land cover using satellite and community science data in southwest British Columbia - Dr. Erin Crockett, postdoctoral fellow, Earth Observation and Spatial Ecology lab, University of British Columbia for the Action for Adaptation project(Link)
Community Science and monitoring biodiversity on municipal parkland - Pamela Zevit, Biodiversity Conservation Planner, City of Surrey (Link)
Use of community science to develop integrated species distribution models in the Howe Sound Biosphere Reserve - Katherine Andy and Andrew Simon, Squamish Environmental Society
This event is part of UBC Biodiversity Days.
Biodiversity Days is a month-long celebration every May that honours the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) hosted by UBC Botanical Garden in collaboration with SEEDS Sustainability Program.
Biodiversity Days is made possible with funding provided through the UBC Botanical Garden Community Outreach Fund and with funds from the SEEDS Sustainability Program.
This webinar was organized by Action for Adaptation, a collaborative project of the UBC Botanical Garden and the Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Partnership that is developing decision and policy support tools for local governments and First Nations on BC’s south west coast to support actions for climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation. www.actionforadaptation.ca