The conservation of biodiversity has become a focus of 21st century biology, yet all too often its social dimensions have been ignored. Invasive species have become my focal case study for exploring these dimensions, a focus that derives from my long-standing experience with them as a biologist, as well as their importance in the field of conservation biology and increasingly, in public policy. My approach to this complex problem is transdisciplinary, and includes papers that view it through the lenses of biology, communication, linguistics, and philosophy. My research has deconstructed some popular assumptions about invasive species and our framing of them, yet have also constructively sought alternative ways to conceptualize them. My students, post-docs, and I have conducted a series of projects on stakeholder perceptions of invasive species.
In addition to my past research and publications, my rich experiences with invasive species include a post-doctoral fellowship in the “biological invasions” IGERT (IGERT being NSF’s “flagship interdisciplinary training program,” http://www.igert.org) at the University of California at Davis; a recent visiting fellowship at the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; my role as chair of the board of the Invasive Species Centre here in Canada; and my membership on the editorial board for the influential journal, Diversity and Distributions. I was the only foreigner invited to two workshops that brought academics and managers together to re-evaluate how they conceptualize invasive species management in their respective countries: i) a special session at the Weed Science Society of America meetings in Baltimore, MD, and ii) a workshop on the “social life of invasive plants” in Australia.
Please take a look at my research papers on this topic. I am also available for challenging and engaging keynote lectures on this topic to help your organization understand its subtleties in order to approach it more comprehensively.
