NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Dr. Paula Prist, Senior Programme Coordinator of the Forest and Grasslands Unit at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will present on restoring forests to reduce the spread of disease on Feb. 12 as part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series.

 

Prist will talk about how forest restoration can be implemented in order to provide positive outcomes for human health.

 

According to a press release:

 

A biologist by training, Prist holds a master's, doctorate and post-doctorate in landscape ecology from the University of São Paulo, with a sandwich period at Columbia University and the University of Queensland. Her line of research focuses on trying to understand how to create healthy landscapes for people, with a focus on multifunctional landscapes that can mitigate climate change, provide ecosystem services and also provide positive health outcomes. Her long-term plan is to contribute to the development of high-quality research to understand how conservation can contribute to the maintenance of human health and how the management of tropical landscapes can be done to create landscapes with low risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases and high maintenance of human health.

 

Prist worked with EcoHealth Alliance for four years and was a Co-Lead Author of the next IPBES Nexus. Currently she leads the IUCN thematic group of human health (300 - 1000 members), is a member of the International Program Officer for the Future Earth One Health group and part of the STAR-IDAZ & GloPID-R - One Health Working Group.

 

Presentations occur every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation (FCSI) Room 121. 

 

Prist's lecture will occur via zoom.

 

Each presentation is free and open to the public. Podcasts will be posted online following each presentation. 

All lectures will be recorded and can be replayed on the MCLA ENVI Youtube Channel and broadcast on Northern Berkshire Community Television Channel (NBCTC) 1302 at the following times: