Eminent conservation biologist and bird population biology expert William Sutherland will be the guest speaker at this year’s Odum Ecology Lecture.
Sutherland is a professor at the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He will speak on “Predicting the Ecological Impact of Environmental Change.” The presentation begins at 11:15 a.m., Feb. 3 in the ecology building’s auditorium.
Sutherland has done extensive research on the habitat requirements of birds, with special focus on how human disturbance, climate changes and other factors add to extinction risk. He is currently studying shade-grown coffee in Mexico to understand its effect on biodiversity and examining how the changes in agricultural practices in Romania and Western Europe impact specific bird species.
An afternoon panel discussion on conservation evidence will be held at 3 p.m. in the Ecology Auditorium. Patricia Adair Gowaty, UGA Distinguished Research Professor of Ecology, will serve as moderator. Panelists in addition to Sutherland include Carol Couch, director, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and UGA faculty members Bob Cooper, forest resources; Steve Hubbell, plant biology; and Ronald Pulliam, ecology.
