Nigel A. D'souza

"Darwin gave us the first glimpse of the origin of species. We know now what was unknown to the preceding caravan of generations: that men are only fellow voyagers with other creatures in the odyssey of evolution. The new knowledge should have given us, by this time, a kinship with other fellow creatures; a wish to live and let live; a sense of wonder over the magnitude and duration of the biotic enterprise."

(Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac)

I believe that the reason for the success of any species has been their ability to establish relationships with, and to adapt themselves to, the environment in which they live while fully exploiting available resources. However, based on current environmental trends it is painfully obvious that the relationship between humans and their environment is far from symbiotic and is rapidly resulting in the reduction of both species biodiversity and abundance. Rising air, water and soil pollution, rampant deforestation, unchecked fishing and senseless massacres of wild animals for luxury rather than need, demand a solution. I believe that the answer lies in the study and implementation of a multidisciplinary approach, involving the fields of Ecology, Evolution, Conservation biology, Biochemistry, Modern Molecular Biology, Biotechnology as well as Economics, Law and Management Sciences in developing counter measures to enable maintenance, restoration and productive outputs of natural ecosystems.

I am currently working with Dr Mike McKay on a project aimed at understanding primary production in ice-covered Lake Erie.  For details follow the link bellow………