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ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes announces new Professors of Practice

September 19, 2016

Night view of desert cactus silhouette and starsAs part of the recently established Knowledge Partnership with Conservation International (CI), ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes (CBO) is thrilled to announce six of CI’s leading scientists will join ASU as part-time Professors of Practice (PoPs) by January 2017.

CI-CBO Professors of Practice will be on campus for at least two months per year and available to engage with CBO Faculty Affiliates in research and teaching. ASU students will also have new applied research and field opportunities across CI’s global field sites.

We expect that this novel approach to co-production will not only spur innovation, but will lead to measurable and practical solutions to pressing conservation challenges. Stay tuned for upcoming networking events to engage with the PoPs!

ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes joins IUCN Red List

View Source | September 7, 2016

Dr. Leah Gerber from ASU-CBO signs IUCN Red List Partnership During the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes became an official partner of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

The Red List is the world’s standard for quantifying species extinction risk and is used around the world to inform policy, planning and conservation action.

Through this partnership, ASU joins a group of global leaders charged with devising strategies for species conservation and biodiversity decision-making. It is one of only three universities in the world to join forces with IUCN Red List to help guide the scope and application of scientific data.

Partnership expands global biodiversity science and training

View Source | September 7, 2016

Two women and two men sit behind a table, signing a documentDuring the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes signed a knowledge partnership with Conservation International to expand global biodiversity and conservation science and training. This new partnership is the first of its kind between a large American public university and a U.S.-based international conservation nonprofit.

The knowledge partnership focuses on sustainable production methods – more specifically transitioning agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture producers through science, engagement and technology.

As part of the partnership, six scientists from CI’s Moore Center for Science will become professors of practice at ASU, conducting research and teaching. ASU scholars will co-develop research with CI and apply it in the field through conservation projects.

The partnership also focuses on training the next generation of conservation leaders, as well as bringing aboard two postdoctoral fellows.

ASU's CBO joins WBCSD in knowledge partnership

View Source | September 7, 2016

Two men in suits shaking handsDuring the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes signed a knowledge partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to promote sustainable development through the global business community.

As WBCSD’s second global knowledge partner, ASU benefits by having access to the largest network of world-class companies engaged in social and environmental sustainability, while having exposure to real-world problem-solving opportunities, events, internships and job opportunities.

Having a seat at the table on substantive discussions with global companies will allow ASU to shape the way that businesses approach their sustainability practices.

Three new partnerships promise better conservation outcomes

View Source | September 2, 2016

Two men and two women smile as an agreement is signedFurthering ASU's commitment to translating knowledge in action, its Center for Biodiversity Outcomes joined three powerful international partnerships over the summer of 2016.

The center's new partners include names you might recognize: the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List and Conservation International.

These partnerships respectively seek to promote sustainable development through the global business community, devise strategies for species conservation and biodiversity decision-making, and expand conservation science and training to the next generation of conservation leaders – aims that will put ASU's wealth of sustainability research and expertise to good use.

At the forefront of global biodiversity policy

View Source | August 20, 2016

Researcher sitting at the end of a boat looking out on the ocean where a whale tail is visible.As biodiversity is depleted, ASU oceanographer Leah Gerber – director of the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes – guides a United Nations panel that helps policy makers navigate scientific literature on the topic.

Gerber was named coordinating lead author of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a panel of scientists who will review the massive body of scientific literature around biodiversity and ecosystem services. The panel will organize the combined knowledge into a report that is both relevant and accessible to those who make decisions that impact plant and animal life.

The first authors’ meeting took place in Bonn, Germany, in August of 2016.

Ideal research opportunity in Brazil for ASU students

August 10, 2016

Aerial view of the AmazonIf you are a graduate student and want to further conservation efforts in the Amazon while building relationships that could lead to future collaborations, explore the ASU Global Development Research (GDR) Program in Brazil. This program was created through a partnership between Arizona State University and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). All research, travel and living expenses are paid.

For more information, click here.

Scientists aim to identify key biodiversity areas

June 21, 2016

269799326_248e9466f2_zThe Science for Nature and People (SNAP) working group on Ecosystem Services and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) aims to identify sites that significantly contribute to global biodiversity.

In April 2016, the group met to develop recommendations and guidelines for documenting ecosystem services in KBAs, and how these areas influence human well-being. This group is a collaboration of scientists from The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes (CBO), the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Coming Soon: Hugh Hanson Seminar welcomes Jessica Hellmann

June 21, 2016

hellmann 2014 (1)On September 28, 2016 (time and location TBD), the Hugh Hanson Seminar Series welcomes Jessica Hellmann.

Dr. Hellmann is the director of the Institute on the Environment and a professor in the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior department at the University of Minnesota.

Her research focuses on environmental response to climate and other environmental changes, and how humans and ecosystems can respond and adapt to these changes. She also engages with the public to educate and implement strategic plans.

Solving wicked conservation problems

June 16, 2016

The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes presents the brown bag event Social-Ecological Modeling to Solve Wicked Conservation Problems on Tuesday, June 21.

Theoretical ecologist Matthew Holden and conservation economist Katrina Davis are postdoctoral research fellows at the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Dr. Holden is especially interested in determining the most cost-effective management actions when conservation benefits depend on how humans modify their behavior in response to policy. Dr. Davis's current research examines how to integrate expert and stakeholder preferences for marine ecological features by incorporating non-market valuation into marine spatial optimization.

A warm welcome to Kelly Gravuer, recipient of a NatureNet Science Fellowship

June 7, 2016

KellyGravuer_FieldworkKelly Gravuer is a recent recipient of the Postdoctoral NatureNet Science Fellowship. In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Center For Biodiversity Outcomes, Kelly will investigate how food production areas can assist in climate mitigation. She emphasizes that sustainable solutions must include ecological and sociological considerations.

Kelly states, "This project will result in actionable strategies for bolstering the sustainability of California’s cropland and rangeland climate mitigation programs, and serve as a model for comprehensively assessing the social and ecological dimensions of proposed mitigation programs on working lands."

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Accounting for biodiversity

May 26, 2016

World Business Council for Sustainable Development logoThe Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is excited to announce a new project investigating how businesses manage biodiversity concerns and opportunities in their operations. This project, started in conjunction with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), looks to define what the business community needs in order to achieve their biodiversity goals. Highlighting these needs will help the academic and business communities collaboratively develop appropriate tools to better measure and monitor biodiversity.

On June 22-23, 2016, WBCSD, IUCN and CBO will hold a planning and scoping workshop in Geneva, Switzerland to address mainstream biodiversity measurement, valuation and reporting for business to help companies better understand their impact on biodiversity. The workshop will build on the Natural Capital Protocol Project to provide guidance on qualitative, quantitative and monetary valuation of natural capital dependencies and impacts, and to create a framework to inform future standards applicable at different organizational levels, to all business sectors, and across all geographies.

Exploring emerging trends in conservation

May 10, 2016

Whale swimming underwaterJoin us on Monday, May 16, 2016 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in Wrigley Hall, Room 481 as the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes presents the next installment of the Biodiversity Event Series, Emerging Trends in Conservation.

Conservation is continuing to evolve as new opportunities and threats present themselves, calling for new insights, tools, models and lessons. Leading experts from Conservation International will discuss emerging trends in conservation from a variety of perspectives including oceans, wildlife, protected areas, agriculture, and ecosystem services measurement, valuation and accounting.

Central Arizona Conservation Alliance Biodiversity Fellowship

View Source | May 5, 2016

CAZCA picThe Center for Biodiversity Outcomes announces the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance (CAZCA) Biodiversity Fellowship for the 2016-2017 academic year. The award is available to one graduate student in the amount of $12,000. The award recipient will conduct high-priority research topics, which will support the vision of CAZCA to promote the study and restoration of our regional desert mountain preserve system.

The student will collect relevant GIS layers and conduct conductivity analyses while working closely with The Connectivity and Habitat Blocks working group of the CAZCA to help identify key conservation areas outside of the current preserve.

Applications are due by June 15, 2016, and the recipient will be notified no later than July 1, 2016. See application directions here.

It is highly advised to meet with the working group chair Scott Sprague, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and CAZCA’s program lead Stacie Beute to discuss your ideas and ensure that your proposed research aligns with the research priorities of the alliance.

CBO faculty affiliate faculty can be found here.

Attention Wildlife Students and Young Professionals

April 5, 2016

Logo of state of Arizona and a quail on a branchSave the date for this exciting opportunity to participate in The Arizona Chapter of The Wildlife Society's (TWS) Wildlife Techniques Workshop on April 23, 2016!

The main courses take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the bat mist netting will be held after dark. Anticipated topics include capture/trapping techniques, darting/leg holds/propane net guns, CODA net gun, bat ID and mist netting, radio-telemetry and GPS at Horseshoe Ranch. Camping is permitted Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, and offers time for informal networking.

This event is free, but a $5 annual membership fee to TWS is requested. Space is limited to 60 people. RSVP must be received by April 8. To reserve your spot, contact Holly Hicks at 623-236-7499, or hhicks@azgfd.gov.

Scientists combat accelerating biodiversity loss

April 5, 2016

Glass of water with painting of nature in the background
A glass of fresh drinking water. © The Nature Conservancy and Kent Mason.

The Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) to address scalable solutions to global challenges at the intersection of nature conservation, sustainable development and human well-being.

The Ecosystem Services and Key Biodiversity Areas Work Group principle investigators, Dr. Leah Gerber and Dr. Penny Langhammer, et al. are working to incorporate ecosystem services and human well-being benefits into Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) developed by The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Click here for more information on the KBA partnership between CBO and IUCN.