Humans increasingly dominate Earth and our activities have become the chief force of global change.  In this epoch of upheaval, traditional mid-20th century conservation philosophy and practices require rethinking. Let us examine some thorny issues including: conservation planning, protected areas, wilderness, social justice, matrix management, postmodern and “new” ecology, ecosystem services, biodiversity offsets, restoration ecology, grizzly bear management, role of predators, species at risk, GMOs. If climate change has altered the rules, how should we regard peripheral species, exotic invasive species, novel ecosystems, assisted migration?  Can nature conservation be revamped, and how might that apply to northern British Columbia?

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream and Blue Jeans. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.