Project
Incorporating landscape structure and spatial relationships in ecosystem service modelsHumans rely on the natural environment to provide us with many benefits, such as the ability to grow crops or the availability of clean water. However, human activity is increasingly degrading the ecosystems that we rely on for these important services. My research focuses on developing and improving models that describe how and where these ecosystem services are provided in order to increase scientific understanding and improve policies for conservation and sustainable development. Specifically I am interested in where ecosystem services are produced and how ecosystem service provision is related to spatial associations between and among ecosystem services and features in the broader landscape. I will use GIS, remote sensing, and spatial statistics to improve our understanding of ecosystem services from a spatial perspective. Some of the questions I am studying include evaluating the strengths and limitations of current ecosystem service models, developing new techniques for measuring the provision and use of ecosystem services through the application of remote sensing technology, and exploring how spatial characteristics of landscapes affect their ability to supply multiple ecosystem services with a focus on the Montérégie region in southern Quebec.
