People | CHANS Lab

Principal Investigator

Kai Chan

I am a sustainability and conservation scientist interested in social-ecological systems with a values lens. I do modeling and empirical research related to ecosystem services and cumulative impacts. I am particularly interested in transformative solutions involving supply chains and social norms, and in that context also applied environmental ethics, ecosystem-based management, and environmental assessment (e.g., LCA, EIA).

Postdoctoral Research Associates

Nathan Bennett

I focus on research that interrogates various aspects of the complex relationship between the environment and human society with a solution-oriented lens. My current work focuses on management and governance of marine protected areas, adaptation of communities to climate change within the context of multiple stressors, and the use of participatory methodologies to facilitate adaptation.

Edward Gregr

My research on ecosystem services is situated at the intersection of marine and human ecology. I use a variety of methods to classify marine ecosystems and characterise the corresponding ecosystem services. I also explore how the abundance and distribution of these services are influenced by management, and how human impacts can be mitigated.

Matthew Mitchell

My research focuses on understanding how to design and manage human-dominated landscapes for people and nature. I focus on how the arrangement of different land uses and habitats across landscapes affects biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Graduate Students

Cameron Bullen

I am primarily interested in marine ecosystem services and how they have changed on the coast of BC.

John Driscoll

I’m interested in the ecological consequences of optimizing fisheries for food production, rather than economic return.

Alejandra Echeverri

I am interested in understanding people’s perceptions and attitudes towards wild animals and how persuasive communication can be used for conservation.

Harold Eyster

I’m interested in examining how conservation can adapt to changing human-nature relationships.

Maayan Kreitzman

I study ecosystem services and ecosystem impacts at the meeting point of evolution and ecology, mostly in agricultural systems. I also study the agronomy and ecosystem properties of woody perennial agriculture.

Rocío Lopez de la Lama

I am interested in untangling what drives people to engage in nature conservation, mostly in the context of values, motivations and socio-ecological dynamics.

Graham McDowell

I study how changes in high mountain snow/glacial hydrology propagate through interlinked socio-ecological systems, and aim to develop principles for responding to changes that are both socially and ecologically tenable.

Rumi Naito

My research interests include human behavior and behavior change in conservation and land use in tropical landscapes, collaborative decision-making, avoided deforestation, biodiversity conservation, tropical fire ecology, and ecosystem services.

Aspen Ono

I seek to understand immigrant use, perceptions, and value of public “greenspace” and how those perceptions and values can be leveraged to encourage immigrant engagement in sustainability initiatives.

Jonathan Taggart

I am interested in the ways in which qualitative tools, particularly visual and narrative methods, may be used to engage communities in resource management decision making processes and express preference for ecosystem services.

Research Technicians

Lab Alumni

Daniel Karp (Postdoctoral research associate)

Current position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Davis.

Paige Olmsted (PhD)

PhD Thesis, 2017: For love or money : harnessing environmental values and financial incentives to promote conservation stewardship

Gerald Singh (MSc, PhD)

Masters Thesis, 2010: Effects of sea otters on nearshore ecosystem functions with implications for ecosystem services

PhD Thesis, 2016: Understanding and assessing cumulative impacts to coastal ecosystem services

Sarah Klain (MSc, PhD)

Masters Thesis, 2010: Navigating marine ecosystem services and values

PhD Thesis, 2016: Wind of change : offshore wind farms, contested values and ecosystem services

Jordan Tam (PhD)

Masters Thesis, 2010: Understanding preferences for climate change adaptation for protected areas : the psychology of individual risk perceptions

PhD Thesis, 2016: Understanding adaptation and social-ecological change in Chilean coastal communities

Ally Thompson (MSc)

Masters Thesis, 2015: Effects of linear barriers on African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) movement in a transfrontier conservation area

Jordan Levine (PhD, 2008 – 2014)

PhD Thesis, 2014: An even less convenient truth: Addressing the challenge of sustainable development through an integration of cognition and culture

Cathryn Clarke Murray (Postdoc 2012 – 2013)

I am a marine ecologist broadly interested in the interaction of human and natural systems. My research follows two major themes: ecosystem-based management and ecology of invasive species. Currently: Senior Aquatic Biologist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Theraesa Coyle (RA, on and off 2009 – 2013)

I am interested in how uncertainty affects management decision-making and the role that ecosystem-based approaches can play in mitigating the impact of manager’s imperfect knowledge of natural resources.

Rebecca Goldman Martone (Postdoc, 2008 – 2012)

Currently: Marine and Coastal Resources, British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development

Russell Markel (Postdoc, 2010 – 2012)

Currently: Captain and Owner/Operator of OuterShores Expeditions

Megan Mach (PhD, 2007 – 2012)

Currently: Communication and Outreach Postdoctoral Research Fellow at DataONE

PhD Thesis, 2012: Research on marine coastal impacts to promote ecosystem-based management: Nonnative species in northeast Pacific estuaries

Maria Espinosa Romero (MSc, 2008 – 2010)

Espinosa-Romero, M. J., K. M. A. Chan, T. McDaniels and D. M. Dalmer (2011). “Structuring decision-making for ecosystem-based management.” Marine Policy 35(5): 575-583. url

Espinosa-Romero, M. J., E. J. Gregr, C. Walters, V. Christensen and K. M. A. Chan (2011). “Representing mediating effects and species reintroductions in Ecopath with Ecosim.” Ecological Modelling 222(9): 1569-1579. url

Currently: Coordinator of the Midriff Islands Program, Community and Biodiversity (COBI)

Lara Hoshizaki (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Chan, K. M. A., L. Hoshizaki and B. Klinkenberg (2011) “Ecosystem Services in Conservation Planning: Targeted Benefits or Co-benefits/Costs?” PLoS ONE 6(9): e24378. url

Currently: Organic Farming

Veronica Lo (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Lo, V., C. Levings, K. M. A. Chan (2012). Quantifying potential propagule pressure of aquatic invasive species from the commercial shipping industry in Canada. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 64(2):295-302. url

Currently: Programme Assistant, Biodiversity and Climate Change Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme

Penny White (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Currently: Project leader for the Metlakatla First Nations, consultant and photographer