SYLVIA L. R. WOOD
Science Officer - Future Earth
I am the Science Office at the Montreal Hub of Future Earth working on Science-based Pathways to Sustainability and engagement with our scientific community to coordinate scientific efforts towards a sustainable future.
Degrees Received
I am the Science Office at the Montreal Hub of Future Earth working on Science-based Pathways to Sustainability and engagement with our scientific community to coordinate scientific efforts towards a sustainable future.
Degrees Received
- Postdoctoral fellow: Designing agroecological interventions for phosphorus control - Universite de Quebec en Outaouais / ISFORT - Dr. Jerome Dupras
- Postdoctoral fellow: Biodiversity and Conservation Initiative - Bioversity International & Columbia University Earth Institute; with Dr. Fabrice DeClerck, Dr. Shahid Naeem, Dr. Cheryl Palm
- Ph.D. in Geography: on Agroforestry and peasant livelihoods- McGill University; Supervisor: Dr. Jeanine Rhemtulla
- M.Sc. in Forest Ecology - Dept. of Forest Sciences, UBC ; Supervisor: Dr. John S. Richardson
- B.Sc. in Biology - Dept. of Biology, Queen's University; Supervisor: Dr. Raleigh Robertson
Research Interests
My research interests arise from the recognition that the livelihoods of millions of people are intimately dependent on human-managed landscapes and the ecosystem services they provide. Human land-use can result in the creation of highly persistent changes to the structure and ecological function of affected landscapes which can last for decades to millennia. Although many ecologists are now re-examining modern landscapes in the context of environmental history, few consider how modern land-use practices may be creating new legacies and their implications for type and quality of resources available in the future.
This understanding of human-environment relationships in agricultural landscapes is particularly relevant as the world works towards the Sustainable Development Goals which will guide the global development agenda for the coming decades. People often assume that there is always a strong trade-off between agriculture and conservation agendas. My work focuses on bringing forth ecological understandings of the mutually beneficial relationships that can be had by integrating conservation and agricultural management practices to support healthy, vibrant agroecosystems and landscapes.
In my PhD research, I assessed the ecological outcomes of increasing land-use intensity in a tropical swidden-fallow agroforestry system of Peru. Specifically, I examined the impact of repeated cultivation and fallow management on the provision of farmer-essential ecosystem services and biodiversity during tropical fallow periods. This researched was focused on understanding how socio-economic drivers, particularly landownership, affect land management practices and effect changes in ecological structure and function. I used spatial analysis, farmer interviews and ecological field data to evaluate progressive changes in forest composition and soil properties across the landscape.
Current Projects
Contact Information:
Future Earth
Montreal Hub Office
1250 Guy st.,
Montreal, Canada
Sylvia.wood@futureearth.org
My research interests arise from the recognition that the livelihoods of millions of people are intimately dependent on human-managed landscapes and the ecosystem services they provide. Human land-use can result in the creation of highly persistent changes to the structure and ecological function of affected landscapes which can last for decades to millennia. Although many ecologists are now re-examining modern landscapes in the context of environmental history, few consider how modern land-use practices may be creating new legacies and their implications for type and quality of resources available in the future.
This understanding of human-environment relationships in agricultural landscapes is particularly relevant as the world works towards the Sustainable Development Goals which will guide the global development agenda for the coming decades. People often assume that there is always a strong trade-off between agriculture and conservation agendas. My work focuses on bringing forth ecological understandings of the mutually beneficial relationships that can be had by integrating conservation and agricultural management practices to support healthy, vibrant agroecosystems and landscapes.
In my PhD research, I assessed the ecological outcomes of increasing land-use intensity in a tropical swidden-fallow agroforestry system of Peru. Specifically, I examined the impact of repeated cultivation and fallow management on the provision of farmer-essential ecosystem services and biodiversity during tropical fallow periods. This researched was focused on understanding how socio-economic drivers, particularly landownership, affect land management practices and effect changes in ecological structure and function. I used spatial analysis, farmer interviews and ecological field data to evaluate progressive changes in forest composition and soil properties across the landscape.
Current Projects
- Science-based Pathways towards a sustainable futures
- Bridging Agriculture and Conservation agendas in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals
- Understanding interactions of landscape context and agricultural management on biodiversity
Contact Information:
Future Earth
Montreal Hub Office
1250 Guy st.,
Montreal, Canada
Sylvia.wood@futureearth.org
