Land-use changes have now attained global significance in terms of extent, intensity, and Earth system consequences. Understanding the relationship between global land changes, ecosystems, and climate is of vital importance. My research program aims to use Earth system observations and global ecosystem & climate models to understand how changes in the land, interacting with climate change, modifies global ecosystem structure and function and human well-being.
What is the current extent and intensity of human modification of our planet? How do land use changes such as tropical deforestation and agricultural expansion/intensification alter food production, water resources, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and climate? What are the feedbacks in the human-environment relationships, and where are the thresholds and surprises? Are humans altering the Earth system in a way that will jeopardize our ability to continue deriving resources in the future? These are the types of question that are addressed in my research program.
We are in the Department of Geography at McGill University. We can be found on the 5th floor, in the Global Land and Water lab, shared with Prof. Bernhard Lehner.