2020 Distinguished Landscape Practitioner Award
Sarah Gergel
Sarah Gergel
Dr. Sarah Gergel, Professor of Landscape Ecology & Conservation at the University of British Columbia, Fellow of the AAAS, and Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion for the Faculty of Forestry was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Landscape Practitioner Award by the North American Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (NA-IALE) at their annual meeting this May (the meeting was held virtually this year). This honor is bestowed to individuals who have made outstanding contributions over a period of years to the application of the principles of landscape ecology to real-world problems.
The nominators for Dr. Gergel’s award noted that “Dr. Gergel’s book, Learning Landscape Ecology, co-edited with Monica Turner, has been fundamental to the development of our field. I know many colleagues who have used both editions in their teaching and found that the practical tools therein have helped enhance their teaching and effectively train the next generation of landscape ecologists.” Another nominator stated “ Notably, this book emphasizes proper interpretation and critical thinking rather than simply how to run programs.”
Additionally, another set of nominators mentioned that “Dr. Gergel’s research to date on the most vulnerable forested ecosystems, river floodplains, and the development of indicators has been ground breaking. Her innovative use of geospatial data in the application of aerial photography and imagery, especially in a historical context, has allowed her to shape the theoretical bounds and push the technical limits of the landscape ecology field.”
When asked what motivated her to practice landscape ecology, Dr. Gergel said “My first inspiration in landscape ecology was when I began working for Professor Larry Harris at the University of Florida while I was an undergraduate student. He wrote an early classic book in landscape ecology called The Fragmented Forest.” She has taken that early inspiration and applied it widely. She now is focusing on links between landscape diversity and human health, gaining a better understanding and incorporating indigenous perspectives into the discipline and into academia as a whole, and harnessing free and open data to further the practice of landscape ecology.
Sarah holds a MSc and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida.
Dr. Sarah Gergel, Professor of Landscape Ecology & Conservation at the University of British Columbia, Fellow of the AAAS, and Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion for the Faculty of Forestry was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Landscape Practitioner Award by the North American Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (NA-IALE) at their annual meeting this May (the meeting was held virtually this year). This honor is bestowed to individuals who have made outstanding contributions over a period of years to the application of the principles of landscape ecology to real-world problems.
The nominators for Dr. Gergel’s award noted that “Dr. Gergel’s book, Learning Landscape Ecology, co-edited with Monica Turner, has been fundamental to the development of our field. I know many colleagues who have used both editions in their teaching and found that the practical tools therein have helped enhance their teaching and effectively train the next generation of landscape ecologists.” Another nominator stated “ Notably, this book emphasizes proper interpretation and critical thinking rather than simply how to run programs.”
Additionally, another set of nominators mentioned that “Dr. Gergel’s research to date on the most vulnerable forested ecosystems, river floodplains, and the development of indicators has been ground breaking. Her innovative use of geospatial data in the application of aerial photography and imagery, especially in a historical context, has allowed her to shape the theoretical bounds and push the technical limits of the landscape ecology field.”
When asked what motivated her to practice landscape ecology, Dr. Gergel said “My first inspiration in landscape ecology was when I began working for Professor Larry Harris at the University of Florida while I was an undergraduate student. He wrote an early classic book in landscape ecology called The Fragmented Forest.” She has taken that early inspiration and applied it widely. She now is focusing on links between landscape diversity and human health, gaining a better understanding and incorporating indigenous perspectives into the discipline and into academia as a whole, and harnessing free and open data to further the practice of landscape ecology.
Sarah holds a MSc and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida.
