Emerging Environments29 Mai 2025

#47 Elevating plant life in conservation research and practice with Jenny McCune

In this episode we are chatting with plant community ecologist, Professor Jenny McCune of the University of Lethbridge. The goal of Jenny's research is to determine what factors drive the patterns and long-term dynamics of plant community diversity and composition within landscapes dominated by humans. Her research group uses field surveys of forests, grasslands, or savannahs to identify which plant species are present and compare this data to data from past surveys, or from paleoecological data. These comparisons allow her group to assess how plant communities have changed, and how those changes are related to human activities or natural disturbances like storms and fires. Jenny’s research also focuses on the conservation of plant species at risk.

With Jenny we talked about where her passion for plants comes from and why plants seem to be underrepresented in conservation teaching and practice. We also revisit the concept of ecological integrity in the context of Jenny’s work, which involves the relationship between conservation translocation and the integrity of local ecosystems. A lot of Jenny’s recent research is focused on post-fire ecological recovery, and she shared some findings from her work on this in Western Canada. We wrapped up our chat with some reflections on how we teach conservation, and what strategies can be effective for conveying the complexity of environmental management in Canada.

Jenny's website: https://jlmccune.weebly.com/

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Episoder(53)

#52 What is evidence in conservation science and practice? A conversation with Steve Cooke

In this episode we are speaking with Professor Steve Cooke of the Department of Biology and the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science at Carleton University. Steve’s research group ...

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#51 Wildlife vet for Uganda's critically endangered mountain gorillas: Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

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#50 It's all happening at the Toronto Zoo! A conversation with Dolf Dejong

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#49 Is hydrogen the energy source of the future? a conversation with Joe Romm

Today we are speaking with Joseph Romm, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media. Joe holds a PhD in physics from MIT and has authore...

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#48 Climate science in the crosshairs with Adam Sobel

In this episode we are speaking with Adam Sobel, Professor of Applied Physics, Mathematics and Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Adam is an atmospheric and climate scientist and...

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#46 The epitome of deregulation: calling Ontario's Bill 5 into question with Connie O'Connor

Today we’re releasing a special episode in response to recent changes to environmental policy in Ontario. To understand these changes and their implications we had a conversation with Dr. Connie O’Con...

12 Mai 202538min

#45 Examining the intersection of energy, carbon and climate change in Canada with Nicholas Rivers

Today, we are chatting with Dr. Nicholas Rivers, Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on the economics of Canadian environmenta...

7 Mai 202558min