Presented by the Centre for Coastal Science and
Management and Continuing
Studies in Science and
Environment at Simon Fraser
University
For more information visit: www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science
Reservations recommended as seating is limited. To reserve a seat visit, www.sfu.ca/reserve
Hosted by:
Faculty of Environment &
Faculty of Science
Simon Fraser University
Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings, Vancouver, BC
Dr. Ken Ashley, Instructor, Ecological Restoration Program, BCIT
Introduction by Leah Bendell, Director, Environmental Sciences, and Professor,
Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Abstract:
By most metrics, except those under the influence of the fossil fuel industry, their lobbyists and Petro-Governments, the planet is under increasing ecological pressure, and is currently experiencing a “6th Great Extinction” of species. What’s different this time, is that the species extinctions are not caused by asteroids, comets or any natural causes, but by the cumulative ecological footprint of ~ 7 billion humans and their associated technologies. In such a world, where continuing human population growth is predicted to reach 7.5 to 10.5 billion by the year
2050, can the science of ecological restoration play a meaningful role in restoring degraded ecosystems, or is this merely ‘green window dressing’ on the road to continuing loss of ecosystem form and function? This lecture examines the emerging field of ecological restoration, reviews some interesting ecological restoration projects in British Columbia, and provides some closing thoughts on the topic.
Bio-Sketch:
Dr. Ashley received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at UBC in the Zoology Department, specializing in aquatic ecology, and an M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. at UBC in the Faculty of Applied Sciences in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He worked for the Ministry of Environment in the Fisheries Research and Development Section on the UBC campus from 1979 to 2005, initially as a project biologist, and eventually as Section Head for Fisheries Restoration and Bioengineering. While in this position he conducted a set of large-scale adaptive management experiments, and is internationally recognized for his research in the design, operation and effects of hypolimnetic aeration systems, lake/reservoir fertilization, and stream/river enrichment. Ken transferred to the Greater
Vancouver Regional District from 2005 to 2007 as Senior Engineer and was the project lead for the Environmental Management team, with responsibility for raw drinking water quality, and monitoring the environmental effects of wastewater discharges from the regions five wastewater treatment plants. Ken returned to the Ministry in 2008 as Secretary to the Living Rivers
Program, and then resigned due to the direction the government was heading. Ken is currently teaching at BCIT in the Ecological Restoration Degree Program, is an Adjunct Professor in Civil
Engineering at UBC, and is a senior scientist at Northwest Hydraulics in North Vancouver.