SEFS Professor of Practice Phil Levin to direct first-ever US National Nature Assessment

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SEFS Professor of Practice and lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy in Washington state Phil Levin was appointed by the Biden-Harris Administration to direct the first-ever U.S. National Nature Assessment.

“Successful conservation, especially in the face of an uncertain climate, is built on the knowledge and collaboration of tribes, stakeholders, scientists, natural resource managers and local leaders. We all have a stake in — and can contribute to — a sustainable future,” Levin said. “This collaboration will be key to the success of the National Nature Assessment, enabling us to develop a holistic understanding of nature in the United States.”

Migrations in Motion: An Animated Map of Climate-Driven Species Movement

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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recently developed an incredibly cool animated map that depicts how more than 2,900 species of birds, mammals and amphibians might migrate in response to rising sea levels and temperatures. The flow model, called Migrations in Motion, draws from research published in Ecology Letters in 2013, “Projected climate-driven faunal movement routes,” which Professor Josh Lawler coauthored with Professor Julian Olden from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, former SEFS grad student Aaron Ruesch (’11, M.S.), and Brad McRae, a senior landscape ecologist with TNC.

The map drew some immediate press coverage, including in Wired, which rightly calls the animation “mesmerizing, if unsettling” in its story, “Here’s Where Species Will Flee Because of Global Warming.”

Unlike the idle screengrab below, the actual map pulses with color and activity. Take a look!

Image of Migrations in Motion © The Nature Conservancy.

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