The UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration designation is intended to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and reviving ecosystems around the world for insects, plants animals and all other forms of life on the planet.

Researchers offer ideas to reimagine, recreate and restore our relationship with the environment 

On World Environment Day (June 5), the United Nations will officially announce that the years 2021 to 2030 will be designated the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. This global designation is intended to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and reviving ecosystems around the world and moving toward a sustainable future.

UBCO experts are available to comment on how to restore and protect ecosystems, rewild gardens and create sustainable consumer behaviour to help achieve a greener relationship with the environment.

Ecosystem restoration

Dr. Adam Ford 
Assistant Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Canada Research Chair in Wildlife Restoration Ecology

• Wildlife connectivity and road ecology
• Human-wildlife conflict
• Restoring wild food security
• Indigenous-led restoration

Dr. Karen Hodges
Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

• Post-fire and post-logging ecosystem restoration
• Grassland restoration 

Nancy Holmes
Associate Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

• Using art to raise awareness of wild pollinators: Border Free Bees
• Empowering communities to engage in solutions for habitat loss
• Transforming urban sites into pollinator pastures 

Dr. Bob Lalonde
Associate Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

• Strategies to improve insect diversity in an urban setting

Dr. Astrida Neimanis
Associate Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

• Water, wetland and oceans restoration
• Human imagination of and relationships to damaged ecosystems
• Arts-sciences collaborations on restoration

Dr. Rebecca Tyson
Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

• Restoring agricultural landscapes for wild bees

Waste management

Dr. Cigdem Eskicioglu or Dr. Abbas Milani
Professors, School of Engineering

• Development of biodegradable single-use surgical gloves

Sustainable building practices

Dr. Lukas Bichler
Associate Professor, School of Engineering

• Clean energy technology
• Sustainable batteries

Dr. Solomon Tesfamariam
Professor, School of Engineering

• Management of aging infrastructure
• Building with sustainable products such as tall timber 

Sustainable living

Dr. Aleksandra Dulic
Associate Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

• Media for social change
• Sustainable water practices
• Human-water relationships in the Okanagan
• Indigenous-led restoration initiatives 

Dr. Annamma Joy
Professor, Faculty of Management

• Pollution generated by wine and fashion industries
• Wine and fashion industry sustainability

Dr. Nathan Pelletier
Assistant Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science and Faculty of Management
NSERC/Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Research Chair in Sustainability

• Agricultural practices that rebuild healthy soil
• Ecological impact of food production

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

UBCO researchers weigh in on heart mechanics, mating behaviour and the best romance novels

UBC Okanagan faculty put their hearts into research and teaching. To mark Valentine’s Day, they are highlighting their expertise on matters of the heart—from what makes it tick to how to keep the emotions pumping.

Advances in biomedical engineering and understanding of cardiovascular disease

Researchers from the School of Engineering and the Faculty of Health and Social Development are working on the development of mechanical heart valves and believe they are on the cusp of improving heart function.

A team of researchers at UBCO’s Heart Valve Performance Lab has developed a way to improve mechanical heart valves so they will match the real thing closely.

“Our goal is to create mechanical heart valves that perform consistently and seamlessly inside the human body,” explains Dr. Hadi Mohammadi, an associate professor at the School of Engineering. “The way blood travels through the body is unique to a person’s physiology, so a ‘one-size-fits-all’ valve has been a real challenge.”

Mohammadi adds that such advances in biomedical engineering can lead to innovative solutions for complex health issues such as heart disease.

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An international research group at UBC, Harvard University and Cardiff Metropolitan University has discovered how the human heart has likely adapted to support endurance physical activities. For this, Dr. Rob Shave has taken an evolutionary step backwards by comparing the human heart’s structure and function with our closest ancestors, the great apes.

“We hope our research will inform those at highest risk of developing hypertensive heart disease,” says Shave, director of UBCO’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences. “And ensure that moderate-intensity endurance-type activities are widely encouraged in order to ultimately prevent premature deaths.”

According to Shave, cardiovascular disease is an ongoing global concern and that his research will further the understanding of how to improve the quality of lives of those affected.

Spiders need hearts too

It may be at odds with their creepy reputation, but spiders also have hearts.

“Spider hearts are actually in their abdomens,” says Dr. Matt Nelson, a lecturer in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science and resident spider expert. “Unlike our hearts, spider hearts are just tubes with arteries on either end and valves to prevent backflow. Hemolymph, their blood equivalent, is pumped out into the body cavity when the heart contracts; when [the heart] relaxes, hemolymph flows back into the heart through tiny holes called ostia. Often spiders have a mark on top of their abdomen called a heart mark.  The heart is right under that mark.”

Nelson adds that it’s important to understand the differences between species in order to better understand the role they all play in maintaining ecosystems.

Researchers explore how romance in the wild impacts wildlife populations

Animal courtship rituals, where an animal ‘struts’ its stuff for a partner, vary widely. As part of their research, graduate students of Dr. Adam Ford, assistant professor in the Faculty of Science, has observed some of these different mating strategies.

“Male cougars will spend three to 10 days with their prospective mate playing, as well as sharing meals and time together,” says Siobhan Darlington, an ecology doctoral student co-supervised by Ford and Dr. Karen Hodges. She explains that cougars can mate year-round, unlike many wild animals.

Fellow doctoral student and deer specialist Chloe Wright agrees. “Mule deer usually mate only in the fall and the pregnant doe will spend the winter months gestating, or supporting the growth of her fetuses. During the breeding season, male deer use their antlers to establish a hierarchy by fighting other male deer. The winner usually gets his pick of the females.”

Both researchers add that these rituals are all important in understanding how wildlife populations are maintained, how predator-prey interactions unfold and, most importantly, how sustainable wildlife protection practices can help ensure that our environments stay healthy and resilient.

What is the best romance read?

“Literature and the arts help us better appreciate the human experience,” says Dr. Marie Loughlin, associate professor of English in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

“Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to delve into one of the most important human emotions and reread foundational examples of literature, like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.”

She adds that her heart lies with books about the love of literature such as 84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff, which recounts a lifelong love affair with books. She also recommends A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel. “This captures the long history of our love of books and reading from antiquity to the present,” she suggests.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Currently there are more than 1,600 active research projects underway at UBCO.

UBCO stories you may have missed in 2019

UBCO Okanagan has grown to a student population of more than 10,000. With this growth, has come new research opportunities—currently there are more than 1,600 active projects. UBCO researchers are challenging established assumptions, innovating solutions and creating new knowledge that will have broad impacts on our society. Here are some of the accomplishments reached in 2019.

Promoting resilient environments

UBCO biologists have discovered a new source of carbon dioxide in lake water that is used for irrigation. Their findings have practical applications for agriculture-based communities in arid regions. For more

Ecologists from UBCO and the University of Alberta have developed non-invasive methods for tracking animals, using DNA found in their feces, saliva and hair. These approaches will provide improved understanding of wildlife migration and population trends. For more

Supporting healthy people

UBCO has joined with international partners to determine how the human heart has adapted to engage in endurance physical activities. The findings will bring new insights to the international effort to reduce hypertensive heart disease—one of the most common causes of illness and death in the developed world. For more

UBCO researchers partnered with an international research team to complete 15 major scientific studies in Peru’s Cerro de Pasco to better understand how high altitude affects newcomers and Indigenous populations. This research is relevant for people who suffer from low oxygen health conditions including those with lung or heart disease. For more

A new Faculty of Medicine Research Centre, the first such facility outside the Lower Mainland, was established at UBC Okanagan. The Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management will serve as a provincial leader for research, knowledge translation and exchange in the urgent research field of chronic diseases. For more

Developing emerging technologies

UBC Okanagan researchers have discovered a new class of anti-ice surface coatings. These low interfacial toughness (LIT) materials ease the force required to remove ice from large areas, such as car windshields. For more

Researchers at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering have developed a low-cost sensor that can be interlaced into textiles and composite materials. While the research is still ongoing, it may pave the way for smart clothing that can monitor human movement. For more

Building thriving communities

UBCO researchers were involved in an international study which found that people are more charitable if allowed to quickly claim tax credits for their donations. Their findings showed that changing the deadline for donations so they land close to tax time increased contributions by nine per cent. For more

Thanks to a visiting international fellowship, a UBCO professor is collaborating with the University of Exeter to promote and disseminate environmental humanities research. This field speaks to the interconnectedness of climate change, factory farming and human health. For more