Matthew Bowker is an Associate Professor in the School of Forestry and Associate Director of the Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, both at Northern Arizona University. He is an ecologist drawn to the soil - the world's largest reservoir of biodiversity. In his talk at the 11th annual Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Conservation Symposium he describes the outsized effect that biocrusts have on their environments and other biological communities, as well as exciting new techniques that are being used to hasten biocrust recovery where it has been lost.
About Santa Barbara Botanic Garden's Annual Conservation Symposium
At the Garden's annual conservation symposium, we bring conservation heroes and engaging experts together with students, land managers, conservation practitioners, and educators. Over the course of a day we examine one pressing environmental challenge from various angles, then a panel discussion further illuminates how we can all contribute to a better future. Participants leave with the knowledge and energy to take our conservation mission – to conserve native plants and habitats for the health and well-being of people and our planet – further than ever before.
The 2024 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Conservation Symposium was presented by the Nakashima-Rennie Family and sponsored by Arroyo Seco Construction.