The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association is pleased to sponsor the Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan’s (Sask PCAP) Native Prairie Speakers Series webinars. Join speaker James Paterson, Ph.D. (he/him), Research Scientist, Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, Ducks Unlimited Canada, as he speaks about Supporting conservation decisions with a biodiversity mapping and assessment tool. 

About this Webinar: Land use change is the largest driver of biodiversity loss, but society has solutions to address this threat, including habitat protection, habitat restoration, and policy changes. Scientists can support these solutions by filling in knowledge gaps of where actions can benefit the most species. We used species distribution models to develop a Biodiversity Mapping and Assessment Tool for conservation practitioners, partners, and scientists to identify biodiversity hotspots and places where protection and restoration will have the largest benefits. I will share more about our tool and how to use it, including case studies of how we tested the biodiversity benefits of Conservation Easements, identified hotspots for different taxa, and identified the primary land cover changes affecting biodiversity in Prairie Canada. You can read more and try it out here. 

About the Speaker: James Paterson is a research scientist in biodiversity at the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, the science arm of Ducks Unlimited Canada. He completed his PhD at the University of Ottawa, his MSc. at Laurentian University, and his BSc. in Zoology at the University of Guelph. Prior to joining Ducks Unlimited Canada he was a Liber Ero Fellow at Trent University. The goal of his research program is to explain spatial and temporal variation in biodiversity, and to improve the application of conservation interventions, such as habitat protection and restoration.

PCAP’s Native Prairie Speaker Series is a monthly webinar about prairie conservation or species at risk.

Hosted by: Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, Stewardship Coordinator, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan