Ecology Professor To Speak At Highstead On Conserving Natural Landscapes
Ecology Professor To Speak At Highstead
On Conserving Natural Landscapes
REDDING â Peter Ashton, a professor of ecology and past director of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University and recent recipient of the prestigious Japan Prize, will discuss his lifetime of research and exploration in a talk titled âTropical Forests and Biodiversity â A Global Perspective,â on Saturday, October 27, at 2 pm, at Highstead Arboretum.
Dr Ashton has devoted his life to studying and conserving natural landscapes worldwide. He will share his insights concerning forest ecology, management, and protection.
Dr Ashton became intrigued by tropical forests while on an excursion through the Amazon as an undergraduate at Cambridge University. His entire career has been motivated by a desire to understand these complex ecosystems and to apply this knowledge to their future conservation. One major accomplishment of Dr Ashtonâs work has been the development of a remarkable network of studies on immense swaths of pristine tropical forest to evaluate their characteristics and changes as a result of environmental change and human impacts. For this collaborative effort with the Smithsonian Institute, Dr Ashton received the prestigious Japan Prize earlier this year for his significant contribution towards understanding and conserving tropical forests.
Dr Ashton was a major force and inspiration in the founding of Highstead in 1982 and he continues as a board member in the development of the research and educational programs there. His talk will include reflections on the similarities and differences in conservation challenges facing tropical and temperate forests such as those in southern New England. Among other topics, he will discuss the opportunities and role that organizations like Highstead may have in addressing these challenges.
In addition to his academic positions, Dr Ashton has been president of the International Association of Botanical Gardens, a governor of The Nature Conservancy, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He and his wife Mary reside in Cambridge, Mass., and England where Peter works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
A $20 donation for the talk will support the Mary and Peter Ashton Fund for Tropical Forests.
Highstead Arboretum is at 127 Lonetown Road. Seating is limited and reservations are required; call 938-8809.