Research summary
The world’s growing population is increasing our need for food and resources-and our growing use of these is threatening the diversity of aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide, such as drinking water. It is estimated that 80% of the world’s population now faces water security risks. Despite this, we still lack a clear framework to understand, interpret and predict how land-based human activity affects aquatic ecosystems.
As Canada Research Chair in Cross-ecosystem Linkages, Dr. Eric Harvey is working to better understand and predict how changes in land use and landscape configuration influence the biodiversity and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. He and his research team are investigating how disturbances caused by human activity can spread through the landscape and eventually influence the gain or loss of essential aquatic ecosystem services that impact water quality. Ultimately, their research will help address the important conservation challenges that increasingly confront policy-makers and resource managers.