D. Scott Rinnan

My research lies at the intersection of three fundamental flavors of ecology: quantitative ecology, macroecology, and conservation ecology. I use a wide variety of quantitative methods to understand broad biological patterns in space and time, and interpret these patterns to better understand how we can direct conservation efforts more effectively. I find a great deal of beauty in the relationships of natural processes and phenomena, and the wealth of information that we can infer about the world from simple observation.

In my BGC research I use spatial planning to identify places in need of conservation in support of comprehensive global biodiversity protection in both the terrestrial and marine realms, and design metrics and indicators to track progress toward these goals. Much of this research is undertaken in association with the Half-Earth Project (https://www.half-earthproject.org/), and is intended to inform and support the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for conservation. One important aspect of this work stems from the geographic variability and political inequities in the burden of conservation, necessitating individualized conservation targets and goals at the national level as well as the species level.