SYLVIA L. R. WOOD
Current Position
Postdoctoral fellow - Designing agroecological interventions for phosphorus control in Southern Quebec - Universite de Quebec en Outaouais / ISFORT
- Dr. Jerome Dupras
Degrees Received
Postdoctoral fellow (2014-2016) - Bioversity International & Columbia University Earth Institute
Dr. Fabrice DeClerck, Dr. Shahid Naeem, Dr. Cheryl Palm
Postdoctoral fellow - Designing agroecological interventions for phosphorus control in Southern Quebec - Universite de Quebec en Outaouais / ISFORT
- Dr. Jerome Dupras
Degrees Received
Postdoctoral fellow (2014-2016) - Bioversity International & Columbia University Earth Institute
Dr. Fabrice DeClerck, Dr. Shahid Naeem, Dr. Cheryl Palm
- Ph.D. in Agroforest Ecology and Livelihoods (2014) -Dept. of Geography, McGill University
- Supervisor: Dr. Jeanine Rhemtulla
- M.Sc. in Forest Ecology (2007) - Dept. of Forest Sciences, UBC ;
- Supervisor: Dr. John S. Richardson
- B.Sc. in Biology (2005) - 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
Selected Awards
University of McGill Alexandra Irwin Cowie Fellowship - 2013
University of McGill Warren Fellowship in GIS and Development - 2010, 2011
NSERC Ph.D. Alexander Graham Bell Postgraduate Scholarship - 2009/2010
University of McGill Lorne Trottier Fellowship - 2009
NSERC M.Sc. Postgraduate Fellowship - 2005/2006
University of British Columbia Entrance Scholarship - 2005
NSERC Undergraduate Research Award - 2003
Contact Information:
Sylvie.wood@gmail.com
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
- Analysis of Tradeoff tools to evaluate sustainable agricultural intensification
- Bridging Agriculture and Conservation agendas in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals
- Impacts of asset poverty, land-use history and landscape context on ecosystem function in tropical peasant farming systems
- Ecosystem service trade-offs of commercial crop adoption in swidden farming systems
- Shifts in plant diversity and soils structure from agricultural land-use legacies
- Understanding interactions of landscape context and agricultural management on biodiversity
Selected Awards
University of McGill Alexandra Irwin Cowie Fellowship - 2013
University of McGill Warren Fellowship in GIS and Development - 2010, 2011
NSERC Ph.D. Alexander Graham Bell Postgraduate Scholarship - 2009/2010
University of McGill Lorne Trottier Fellowship - 2009
NSERC M.Sc. Postgraduate Fellowship - 2005/2006
University of British Columbia Entrance Scholarship - 2005
NSERC Undergraduate Research Award - 2003
Contact Information:
Sylvie.wood@gmail.com
