Conservation Biology Institute

06/18/2025

If you're interested in using data driven tools and geospatial technology to facilitate sustainable recreation planning and management, check out the Conservation Biology Institute's webinar in the Advancing Trails Webinar Series on June 26th at 10:00 am PT/ 1 pm ET / 5pm GMT!

This webinar will showcase a custom online application created to support collaborative decision-making and data-driven evaluation of trail sustainability, developed by the Conservation Biology Institute in partnership with the US Forest Service and the Deschutes Trails Coalition: https://consbio.org/projects/trails-assessment-and-planning-tool-for-oregon-and-washington/

The prototype system facilitates tracking and visualizing important trail information and synthesizes spatial data into quantitative metrics covering physical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions of trail sustainability. Information summarized in the interface can be explored via interactive maps, augmenting critical on-the-ground knowledge of field crews and local managers. This application offers decision-makers and their partners a transparent means to evaluate the sustainability of both existing and proposed trails and is targeted for expansion to additional US National Forest lands.

To learn more and register, click here: https://www.americantrails.org/training/data-driven-decision-support-for-sustainable-trail-planning-and-management

Connecting and transforming communities through the power of trails.

03/26/2025

The officially launched last week with an inaugural webinar, moderated by Conservation Biology Institute's Dr. Alexandra Syphard.

Our webinar panelists (Dr. Owen Price, Dr. Alejandro Miranda, Dr. Jon Keeley, Dr. Stijn hantson, Dr. Susan L. Cutter, and Dr. Mauro González) shared, compared, and analyzed the evident ecological and human impacts on these extreme :
Australia - (2019-2020)
Chile - (2024)
United States - (2025)

In case you missed it, watch the webinar recording on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syXMeL-LEIE

Please join us for the next webinar in our series (planned for late June). To stay informed on this and other forthcoming events, sign up here: https://globalwildfirecollective.org/ -informed

Hosted by Dr. Alexandra D. Syphard, the Global Wildfire Collective's first webinar, Ecological & human causes and impacts of three extreme wildfire events, c...

03/19/2025

Socioeconomic and health impacts from wildfire are increasing across many parts of the globe. A growing body of research suggests that certain measures can be taken locally, within properties and communities, to reduce human impacts from wildfire. Studies also indicate that socially vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected by wildfire - both because they are more exposed to wildfire and because they are more susceptible to wildfire impacts.

Learn more about research efforts aimed at better understanding and addressing social vulnerability to fire by joining the Global Wildfire Collective webinar on March 20th! Hear from Dr. Susan Cutter, Carolina Distinguished Professor and Director of the Hazards Vulnerability & Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina.

Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8fqZxJ2vSne3Fx-z0Q3VZA #/registration

Alexandra Syphard
Jon Keeley
Stijn hantson
Lluís Brotons
Alejandro Miranda
Iokiñe Rodríguez
Robin Jones (she/her)
Karl Peet

CREAF
Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2
Bomberos Cali 119
Pacific Power

03/17/2025

The 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, burned an estimated 24.3 million hectares, destroyed over 3,000 buildings (including 2,779 homes), killed at least 33 people. In addition to the human impact, the fires were devastating to biodiversity in the region, with an estimated 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs killed or displaced.

Learn more about the complex set of human, landscape and climactic conditions that led to this destructive fire by joining the Global Wildfire Collective webinar on March 20th! Hear from Global Wildfire Collective's charter member, Dr. Owen Price, Associate Professor and Director in Bushfire Risk Management, at University of Wollongong, Australia, whose work has been instrumental in understanding the causes and impacts of the Black Summer fires.

Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8fqZxJ2vSne3Fx-z0Q3VZA #/registration

Alexandra Syphard
Jon Keeley
Stijn hantson
Lluís Brotons
Alejandro Miranda
Iokiñe Rodríguez
Robin Jones (she/her)
Karl Peet

CREAF
Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2
Bomberos Cali 119
Pacific Power



Image Source | https://tinyurl.com/2s3vux99

03/13/2025

On January 7, 2025, what would become California's most destructive fire in history started just outside the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. A perfect storm of the ignition site's proximity to housing developments, high winds and drought conditions led to 29 deaths, 16,000 structures burned and estimated economic losses of up to $275B. Humans and wildlife across the region were exposed to high levels of VOCs in smoke and water sources were contaminated.

Learn more about the complex set of human, landscape and climactic conditions that led to this destructive fire by joining the Global Wildfire Collective webinar on March 20th! You'll get to hear from our charter members, Dr. Jon E. Keely and Dr. Alexandra D. Syphard who study the wildland urban interface in Mediterranean climates such as Los Angeles.

Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8fqZxJ2vSne3Fx-z0Q3VZA #/registration

03/11/2025

In early February 2024, Chile’s Valparaíso region experienced its deadliest wildfire in history, burning 160,000 acres, damaging or destroying more than 14,000 buildings and killing at least 112 people.

Learn more about the complex set of human, landscape and climactic conditions that led to this destructive fire by joining the Global Wildfire Collective webinar on March 20th! You'll get to hear from our charter members, Dr. Mauro González and Dr. Alejandro Miranda.

Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8fqZxJ2vSne3Fx-z0Q3VZA #/registration

03/07/2025

This month's CBI newsletter is full of great information for anyone and everyone, especially those affected by recent governmental policies and wildfire.

Read all about it in our our March 2025 newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e901bd0429f3/cbi-newsletter-march-2025

03/04/2025

We invite you to join the Global Wildfire Collective’s inaugural webinar in its wildfire science & ecology series:

When: March 20, 2025, 2:00pm-3:30pm Pacific Time (21:00-22:30 GMT)
Title: Ecological & Human Causes and Impacts of Three Extreme Wildfire Events (Australia, Chile, Los Angeles)
Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8fqZxJ2vSne3Fx-z0Q3VZA

CBI’s Dr. Alexandra Syphard will moderate a discussion between international scientists that have studied the ecological and human causes and impacts of these three extreme wildfire events as well as the opportunities and challenges in recovery from these extreme events:

Australia: Black Summer bushfires (2019-2020)
Dr. Owen Price, University of Wollongong, Australia

Chile: Valparaíso wildfires (2024)
Dr. Mauro González, Universidad Austral de Chile

United States: Los Angeles wildfires (2025)
Dr. Jon Keeley, USGS / UCLA Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, US

Ecology and post-fire recovery:
Dr. Stijn Erik R. Hantson, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia

Wildfire recovery and social vulnerability:
Dr. Susan L. Cutter, University of South Carolina, US

The Global Wildfire Collective facilitates scientific and strategic collaboration among research scientists, national policymakers, local communities and firefighting agencies to enable wildfire resilience and recovery for ecological and social systems.
Learn more here: https://globalwildfirecollective.org/



Image Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/world/australia/bushfire.html?utm_source=CBI+Master+List&utm_campaign=388a86c4eb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_02_28_06_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-388a86c4eb-327593028

02/27/2025

To our friends that have recently lost jobs in environmental and conservation science fields: Consider becoming an Associate at Conservation Biology Institute, especially if you have ongoing or planning projects, and a track record of successful proposal development. As a CBI Associate, you can leverage the CBI brand and institutional infrastructure to obtain and manage grant-funded projects within an established and reputable non-profit organization. Learn more and apply at https://consbio.org/associates/







NRCS photo by Tracy Robillard https://www.flickr.com/photos/nrcs_oregon/43031112351