It’s an environmental conference that has the attention of the world, and one Niagara College staff member is in the centre of it all.
Alan Unwin, chair of NC’s School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, has a leading role as conference chair of the Fifth World Conference on Ecological Restoration to be held in Madison, Wisconsin from October 6 to 11, 2013. Focusing on the theme ‘Reflections on the Past, Directions for the Future,’ the World Conference is expected to bring together more than 1,500 delegates from about 60 countries who are interested in the science and the practice of ecological restoration, including practitioners, researchers, planners/managers, students and volunteers.
The conference is organized by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) – an international organization that promotes ecological restoration as a means of sustaining the diversity of life on Earth. Unwin, a lifelong resident of St. Catharines who has been working at the College since the mid-1990s, has been involved with the organization since 2001 and has served on its Board of Directors and Executive.
Unwin began his involvement with the Society for Ecological Restoration when he was researching to develop content for Niagara College’s Ecological Restoration program. The upcoming World Conference, which Unwin and the committee has spent the past two years organizing, is Unwin’s second term as conference chair, following his first term in 2001.
“It’s exciting to be involved with the conference and the SER because it’s really about saving the planet. This is an organization that’s active in helping form policies on an international level, and has been influential with driving international change, and helping the profession grow,” he said. “As chair of Niagara College’s School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, my involvement with the World Conference and the SER helps me to see the bigger picture, understanding this growing field that our students are entering into and what their role is internationally. It also gives the college global exposure as a recognized partner of the conference.”
As chair of Niagara College’s School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, Unwin oversees the College’s Environmental programs including the Ecosystem Restoration graduate program which has been involved with numerous projects in the Niagara region over the past 15 years, recovering ecosystems that have been damaged, degraded or destroyed. Students in the program have been assisting General Motors with its efforts to restore natural areas at its St. Catharines Glendale property and certify a portion of the site facility under the Wildlife Habitat Council’s certification program for industry. They have also been involved in lagoon and wetland restoration projects at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, and have been instrumental in the Welland Campus’ Green Lung project that transformed the campus grounds into a sustainable landscape featuring a forested microclimate, additional green space and walking trails.
In addition to the Ecosystem Restoration program, NC’s School of Environmental Studies offers the post-secondary Environmental Technician and Renewable Energies Technician programs; as well as graduate programs in Environmental Management and Assessment, and Geospatial Information Systems – Geospatial Management.
“As a leader in environmental education and environmental innovation, Niagara College is proud of Mr. Unwin’s leadership overseeing the organization of the Fifth World Conference on Ecological Restoration,” said Niagara College president Dan Patterson. “Leading by example in helping to build not only an environmentally sustainable college community, but a better world, he is a wonderful role model to students enrolled in our environmental programs and our entire college community, as well as a testament to the level of expertise of those entrusted with educating tomorrow’s environmental leaders at NC.”
The conference will feature world-renowned keynote speakers including Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur and author of four national bestsellers; Margaret Palmer, professor at the University of Maryland and director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Centre; and Alvaro Agalde, founder of Costa Rica’s National Parks System who has been instrumental in protecting more than 5,000 square miles of parks and nature refuges, or about 25% of the country’s land area; and more. In addition to distinguished speakers, the conference will include symposia, training workshops, scientific sessions and field trips.
For more information about the Fifth World Conference on Ecological Restoration click here.
