Spring 2014 Seminar Series: Sustaining Wildlife and People on a Fast-Changing Planet

David Woodruff of the University of California San Diego will discuss "Bioengineering: Sustaining Wildlife and People on a Fast-Changing Planet," at Duke University from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.During the lecture, Woodruff will briefly review some of his own research on the evolution, distribution and conservation of animal species including his pioneering use of noninvasive genotyping to study elephants and chimpanzees in Africa, and genetic erosion in fragmented populations of mammals in Southeast Asia. He will also show how sea level changes in the latter region have shaped the biogeography of today¿s biota and how on-going sea level rise constitutes a previously unrecognized threat to regional protected areas and biodiversity. Given that planetary sustainability (including biodiversity conservation) is the paramount challenge of the 21st century he will suggest that bioneering offers a better approach than engineering for both the conservation of nature and the well being of humans. This talk is part of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and the University Program in Environmental Policy seminar series featuring leading experts discussing a variety of pressing environmentally focused topics.