Ecosystem services: Determining the full value of the land

Image by Free-Photos, Pixabay, CC0

Jenna Finley, Biology & Life Sciences editor   On January 5, 2021, researchers at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and the universities of British Columbia, Carleton, and McGill released a ground-breaking study that expands our understanding of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are important but overlooked aspects of conservation and protection research. Ecosystem services are […]

Continue reading


A rare encounter with a rare species

NCC Allison Patrick at NB Hog Island

Allison Patrick, Nature Conservancy of Canada, guest contributor As a conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Fredericton, I spend each summer working in some of the most beautiful parts of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. One of my favourite areas in New Brunswick is Belleisle Bay, a long narrow branch […]

Continue reading


Three lessons about nature from your old Christmas tree

Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada, guest contributor People living in the Northern Hemisphere have brought trees and boughs into their homes during the winter for thousands of years. The evergreens that we decorate with during Christmas can represent a celebration of holidays and a reminder that spring will come again. I’m a Christmas tree […]

Continue reading


Charismatic organisms, “lost causes”, and conservation priorities

Alina C. Fisher and Tanya Samman, Environmental & Earth Sciences co-editors It’s no coincidence that the logo and mascot for the World Wide Fund for Nature (known as the World Wildlife Fund in Canada and the USA) is a panda, and that baby seals are now associated with Greenpeace. Pandas and seals are cute and […]

Continue reading


Faune en dépérissement: Est-ce que les ambitions de conservation de l’objectif 1 du Canada protègent efficacement notre biodiversité unique?

Alina C. Fisher et Tanya Samman, Co-éditrices, Environnement et sciences de la terre Que vous vient-il à l’esprit lorsque vous pensez aux parcs canadiens ? De vastes espaces de nature sauvage ? Un endroit où faire de la randonnée ou du camping ? Le mandat de Parcs Canada est de s’assurer que des aires naturelles […]

Continue reading