Episode 9 - Biodiversity and the Role of Insects
In this episode, Sustainable Futures sits down with Assistant Professor Scott Macivor of the University of Toronto to discuss the critical role of insects in the natural world, how climate change affects insect communities and populations, and the ways in which green roofs and green infrastructure can support and enhance those communities in our urban environments. Join us for a conversation on biodiversity and its role in our society, how insects support and influence the natural environment, and how we can develop comprehensive ecosystems.
Guest
Scott MacIvor
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto - Scarborough
Scott MacIvor is an urban ecologist in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His work focuses on how to support biodiversity conservation through urban planning and design, and how community ecology and biodiversity can be used as a template for urban greening to improve ecosystem service delivery.
In particular, he works to understand how people influence the ecology and diversity of plants and pollinators, and the interactions between them. In his Biodiversity of Urban Green Spaces (BUGS) Lab, he and his students examine these relationships at different taxonomic and geographic scales and at the intersection of other exciting topics in urban ecology including invasive species management, urbanization gradients, heterogeneity and environmental filtering, pollination for urban crops, and the design of green infrastructure, including green roofs.
Host
Steven Peck, GRP, HASLA
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Steven spearheaded the first green roof demonstration project on Toronto City Hall 20 years ago and the mandatory green roof policy in Toronto a decade ago. This innovative policy has resulted in more than 6 million additional square feet of green space across the city. Due to Steven’s work, GRHC has helped to win green roof policy victories in San Francisco, Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; and Denver, Colorado. Steven also founded Green Infrastructure Ontario coalition to bring together organizations that share an interest in the protection and development of green infrastructure in Ontario. In 2007 he co-founded the World Green Infrastructure Network, an international organization that promotes the use of green infrastructure around the world.
