Ecological surprises challenge science and society. While the nature and timing of abrupt changes in ecological organization and function remain poorly understood, emerging evidence points to the existence of regime shifts across a variety of ecosystems worldwide. By drawing on examples from kelp forests, ancient clam gardens and the Pacific herring fishery in British Columbia, Canada, I will discuss key characteristics of coupled human-ocean systems and factors that confer their resilience, that is, their ability to learn, re-organize and adapt in the face of sudden change.

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 or Blackboard Elluminate. More information will be posted about the presentation as it becomes available.

Past NRESi colloquia and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.