Biological
diversity (BIODIVERSITY) encompasses the variety of natural life forms on Earth
from tiny viruses to enormous blue whales and massive ancient trees, but also to
other levels of biological organization (habitats, genes, etc).
The Centre
for Biodiversity Research is a joint venture of four departments within the
Faculty of Sciences. It lies at the core of UBC’s stated mission for the
coming century: to find better ways to live sustainably, and to solve
challenging problems of the information age. The Centre is a key to this mission
because modern human society is pre-empting the habitats and resources needed by
other organisms. Biodiversity loss is challenging to map and quantify, and it
matters for ethical, economic, and ecological reasons. Our Centre’s mission
is to find solutions to minimize this loss.
Over 340 Canadian species and subspecies are now recognized as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Canada and other nations are committed by the 1993 Rio Convention to protect biodiversity without the knowledge base to fulfil this commitment.
Our objectives
are to assess the biodiversity of Western Canada and conduct research nationally
and internationally to i) provide advice to stakeholders on the risks of losing
biodiversity, ii) train experts in biosystematics, and iii) promote public
understanding of the value of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss.
The Centre’s key assets include its location in Canada’s most biologically diverse province, its extensive biological collections, and its internationally renowned staff of 43 outstanding researchers. The Centre is made up of 43 faculty in the Departments of Botany, Earth and Ocean Sciences, Microbiology, and Zoology in the Faculty of Science. Zoology is the largest contributing department with 21 faculty. The biological collections of the departments of Botany and Zoology (see above) are a core part of the Centre. The Centre is already engaging in, or plans to begin, the following activities:
· Working with other regional centres to catalogue the biological diversity of Canada
· Training experts in identifying and categorizing species (biosystematics)
· Promoting public understanding of the value of biodiversity and the results of its loss.
· Establishing a chair in biosystematics to explore the variety, distribution and evolutionary origins of all Western Canadian organisms using all appropriate techniques, particularly the most recent tools of molecular biology and computation.
· Providing postgraduate and professional training in taxonomy and biodiversity, to help address the worldwide shortage of expertise is this critical area.
· Exploring how species function in ecosystems and communities.
· Determining how losses of species impair ecosystem function.
· Using mathematical and other models to identify and prioritize areas for conservation.
· Using quantitative models to help select and manage conservation reserves.
·
Offering seminars, lectures, and continuing
studies courses
·
Developing
museum/exhibits open to the public
·
A biodiversity
postdoctoral fellowship program (one current fellow)
·
Administering research
funds dedicated towards the study of the endangered Vancouver Island Marmot
Research in
the Centre covers four key areas:
·
The identification of new organisms
using modern molecular methods
·
Understanding the processes leading to
extinction of populations and species
·
Devising and implementing strategies to
prevent these losses.
·
Working with social scientists to
understand how citizens value biodiversity and ecological services.
Scientific and Public Education.
Training of young scientists is essential for the longterm expertise of Canada.
The public is increasingly concerned about environmental health and conservation
of biodiversity. We shall fulfill this aspect of our mission by public lectures,
short courses, and by interpreting media coverage of conservation concerns.
The
Centre will provide interest groups with impartial
advice on the risks of biodiversity loss associated with planned
development. Our research will contribute to science-based policy actions.
The
Centre will provide benefits to
Canada through its reference collections, knowledge and research on
biodiversity, and advice to corporations and public institutions on species at
risk, invading species and environmental trends.
Our
initial fundraising goal is to raise
$7 million to endow:
·
A chair in biosystematics, who will
become the new director of the Centre. This goal has already been reached with
the award of a $3m Canada Research Chair in Biosystematics.
·
Curation of UBC’s biological
collections and Centre staff. Two curators/research associates, who are also
skilled communicators, will look after collections and conduct outreach programs
·
Storage and maintenance of data bases
describing organisms, their distribution, and sites being considered for
conservation action
·
A two-year postdoctoral fellowship in
biodiversity research
A new building to house the Centre, and perhaps other facilities, is being planned through application to the Canadian Fund for Innovation with the help of the UBC Faculty of Science. This building will contain research laboratories, offices, space for the biological collections, a theatre for public lectures, and a display area for exhibits to inform the public.