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30th Macaulay Lecture - Lessons For Ecology, Conservation And Society From The Serengeti

Lecture Abstract: 

The most serious problem facing human society today is that the ecosystems in which we live are becoming unsustainable.Species are being lost and resources are being consumed at unprecedented rates-but just how much can we lose? The Serengeti ecosystem in East Africa has been well studied for nearly 50 years. Protected areas such as these act as ecological baselines where human-induced change is kept to a minimum. Lessons from these baselines are vital in understanding other areas of the world.In this talk Professor Sinclair will draw on almost half a century of his own research, demonstrating its relevance to the way society must manage their own systems for long-term sustainability.

Speaker Details

Professor Tony Sinclair

Tony Sinclair’s career has focused on what makes ecosystems work. He has carried out field experiments in all corners of the globe, and he has applied his findings to both wildlife conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.These studies have now covered over 40 years and have been brought together in four books on the Serengeti ecosystem. Until recently, Tony was Director of the Centre for Biodiversity Research, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Location

The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute
Craigiebuckler
AB15 8QH Aberdeen
United Kingdom
GB

About the Lecture

Dr Thomas Bassett MacaulayThe annual T.B. Macaulay Lecture is held to honour the vision of Dr Thomas Bassett Macaulay, President and Chairman of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, whose benefaction founded the original Macaulay Institute for Soil Research in 1930. He was a descendant of the Macaulays from the Island of Lewis and his aim was to improve the productivity of Scottish agriculture. This vision continues today in its successor the James Hutton Institute, a world leader in land, crop, water, environmental and socio-economic science.