Nature Nanaimo April Meeting

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Thursday, April 18th, 2019
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Nature Nanaimo presents: Using DNA to help conserve the Vancouver Island marmot with Jamie Gorrell

Many species of plants and animals are declining globally at an alarming rate, and these populations will need our help to recover from these declines. We are now facing hard decisions about which species will perish and which species we will attempt to save despite not always knowing exactly how to proceed. At the same time, zoos are facing renewed pressure from the public to minimize animals in captivity even though captive breeding remains the default strategy to precipitous species declines. I will address the biological challenges of conserving endangered species and my current research priorities to conserve the Vancouver Island marmot.

Dr. Jamie Gorrell is a faculty member in the Biology Department at Vancouver Island University. He typically studies wild mammals to understand how animal behaviour influences genetic diversity and how this information can be used to help conserve species for the future. Jamie has studied several terrestrial species but has a particular affinity for members of the squirrel family.