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$5.5M support for new Canadian ecosystem service network

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) ensures Canadaā€™s working landscapes remain biologically diverse, resilient, and adaptive
Published: 4 September 2019

Protecting Canadaā€™s vast wealth of natural resources, which contribute significantly to our national economy, will depend on our ability to manage ecosystems and all the services they provide for human well-being now and in the future. Leading sustainability scientist, Elena Bennett, a professor in the School of the Environment and Department of Natural Resource Sciences at ŗ«¹śĀćĪč, has assembled a network of researchers to ensure that Canadaā€™s working landscapesā€”land actively used for production of resources such as foodā€”remain biologically diverse, resilient, and adaptive.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has announced $5.5 million for NSERC ResNet: A network for monitoring, modeling, and managing Canadaā€™s ecosystem services for sustainability and resilience, to conduct research through a partnership between academics, industry and government organizations. Funded by the Strategic Partnership Grant Program, contributions from ŗ«¹śĀćĪč and partners bring the total investment to more than $9 million over five years. NSERC ResNet brings together 26 co-applicants from 11 universities, 30 collaborators, and 17 partner organizations.

ā€œŗ«¹śĀćĪč is very proud to lead this vital network, which will ensure Canada pioneers the adoption of technologies and policies that allow humans to thrive while protecting the ecosystem services of global landscapesā€, said Martha Crago, Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation. ā€œThank you to the Government of Canada for this significant investment and congratulations to Professor Bennett.ā€

Bennettā€™s network of researchers will monitor and model ecosystem servicesā€”the benefits people obtain from natureā€”in a six working landscapes across Canada, including in Quebec. In addition to food, energy and timber, Bennettā€™s research will focus on ecosystem services such as carbon storage, flood regulation, recreation and spiritual enhancement . In each landscape, NSERC ResNet will launch a series of investigations, co-designed with local industry, government, NGO, and Indigenous partners and other stakeholders, into the provision, modelling, and governance of multiple ecosystem services in Canadaā€™s important working landscapes.

ā€œIā€™m thrilled that NSERC has given me the opportunity to work with this truly exceptional and diverse team of academic, government, and industry scientistsā€, said Professor Elena Bennett. By working together in a series of landscapes across this vast country, we will be able to find the common threads that link Canadaā€™s working landscapes to improve their resilience and sustainable management.ā€

The goal of the five-year project is to transform Canadaā€™s capacity to monitor, model, and manage its working landscapes and all the ecosystems services they provide for long-term well-being and shared prosperity of all Canadians. The researchers will support this goal by delivering an ecosystem services dashboard and a series of models to measure Canadaā€™s progress in its sustainability goals.

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PHOTO: Alex Tran

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