M2L2
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M2L2 – Mitchell Multifuncti​onal Landscape Lab

CONNECTING PEOPLE AND NATURE

Think about your daily routine and how much it relies on natural ecosystems and biodiversity. People around the world depend on ecosystems for food, clothing, fresh air, clean water, places to recreate, mental health, and cultural expression. At the same time, human decisions and actions impact ecosystems, how they function, the biodiversity (or species) they contain, and how we benefit from them. How can we manage different landscapes to ensure these benefits are sustainably and equitably supplied and that the organisms and ecosystems that underlie them are effectively protected and conserved?

MISSION STATEMENT

In the face of widespread human-caused degradation of natural ecosystems and loss of biodiversity there is an urgent need to identify ways to conserve both biodiversity and nature’s benefits to people. Our lab works to better understand how to sustainably and equitably manage landscapes for both people and nature. With our research we strive to inform decision-making and empower conservation leaders.

We research the social-ecological processes that affect ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people, with a specific focus on urban and agricultural systems. We integrate diverse interdisciplinary approaches including landscape ecology, ecosystem service science, conservation ecology, field studies, socio-ecological modelling, and mapping. 

We value respect, trust, inclusivity, equity, and diversity, and feel a strong responsibility towards future generations. We commit to creating a working environment and engaging in research that demonstrates these key values. Our focus is on using multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and the co-design of research projects with stakeholders to work collaboratively and inclusively on these issues.
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We recognize the countless Indigenous ways of knowing that continue to shape and steward the land upon which we live and work, but that have historically been excluded by academia and other colonial institutions. We also acknowledge that the University of British Columbia is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. We commit to a process of continual learning and reflection in order to respectfully engage with Indigenous peoples and contribute towards reconciliation.

RESEARCH
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Find out about the ideas and challenges that motivate us, the questions we ask, how we answer them, and where we work.
PUBLICATIONS
RECENT NEWS
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Browse and find links to the papers and reports that we've published.
​November 14, 2022 - New paper led by Dr. Chris Lawley at Natural Resource Canada investigating the overlap between rare earth metal deposits (required for EV batteries) and biodiversity/ecosystem service hotspots in Canada is now out in Earth Science, Systems and Society.

October 28, 2022
 - Congrats to Dan Forrest on being selected as a UBC Public Scholar! Dan will be working with Prof. Kai Chan, Jo Fitzgibbons, and Dana Johnson on co-constructing a mutualistic city of Vancouver. 

September 2, 2022 - New paper with Tahia Devisscher on urban ecosystem services, forest structure, and multifunctionality in Maple Ridge, BC, now out in Landscape and Urban Planning!  

June 4, 2022 - Welcome Aaron Aguirre to the lab! Aaron is joining us as a new MSc student working on urban bats in Metro Vancouver. We're excited for you to join us!

January 15, 2022 - Finally published work from my PhD after 10 years! Contrasting effects of landscape structure on crop pests, parasitoids, and hyperparasitoids in Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment.
Banner photo credit: UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
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