Canada is facing a biodiversity crisis and it’s occurring at unprecedented rates with an estimated 1 million species facing global extinction. The crisis particularly targets reptiles, one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates in the world and the most endangered in Canada. Continued reptile declines are the result of multiple stressors, including land use and climate change, which continue to accelerate resulting in changes that are unprecedented in human history.
Dr. Chantal Markle was recently named Canada Research Chair in Wildlife Ecohydrology and Global Change. In addition, she has received a $76,000 investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation's John R. Evans Leaders Fund to advance her work.
Her work aims to advance our understanding of the effects of disturbances on the resilience and vulnerability of reptile habitat to support evidence-based policies for the conservation and management of species at risk. To do this, a unique interdisciplinary and multi-scale assessment will be used to:
- Understand how wildfires impact the use and function of reptile habitat.
- Assess the effects of extreme winter weather events and summer drought conditions on reptile habitat across multiple scales.
- Test new habitat restoration strategies in landscapes facing multiple disturbances.
By understanding the changing environmental conditions and how it impacts habitat suitability, global reptile declines could be halted and reversed, positioning Canada as a leader in biodiversity conservation.
Ultimately, failure to address the biodiversity crisis will be costly as declines in ecosystem biodiversity negatively impact food production, human health, and water quality, posing direct and indirect socio-economic consequences. Biodiversity loss remains a key challenge in wildlife conservation and the cumulative interaction among multiple threats requires transformative conservation and management strategies that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Dr. Markle joins eight current chairholders in the Faculty of Environment. Listed in alphabetical order by last name, they are:
- Sarah Burch - Sustainability Governance and Innovation
- Jennifer Clapp - Global Food Security and Sustainability
- Brian Doucet - Urban Change and Social Inclusion
- Christine Dow - Glacier Hydrology and Ice Dynamics
- Kelsey Leonard - Indigenous Waters, Climate and Sustainability
- Juan Moreno-Cruz - Energy Transitions
- Michelle Rutty - Tourism, Environment, and Sustainability
- Maria Strack - Ecosystems and Climate
The Canada Research Chairs program stands at the centre of the Government of Canada's national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. It aims to attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers, to reinforce academic research and training excellence in Canadian postsecondary institutions.