Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne

Degrees Received
M.Sc. 2003 – Dept. of Plant Science, McGill University/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Supervisors: Todd Capson, Timothy Johns
B.Sc. 2000 – School of the Environment, McGill University

Current Position
Ph.D. Candidate (started: 09/05) – Dept. of Geography, McGill University
Supervisors: Garry Peterson, Elena Bennett

Research interests
My research interests stem from my desire to link environmental science to decision-making at all levels and in all sectors. I have worked in many areas of environmental science, from developing natural pesticides, to studying the chemical links between insects and plants that show activity against human diseases, to environmental assessment.

My current work was inspired by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MAweb.org), which was a 4-year study of the world’s ecosystems and how ecological change impacts human well-being. I served as the co-coordinator of the subglobal assessment working group of the MA for 2 years. At the centre of this study was the concept of ‘ecosystem services,’ which are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems, such as freshwater, flood protection and aesthetic beauty. My Ph.D. work looks at ‘bundles’ of ecosystem services that are important in two primarily agricultural watersheds in Southern Quebec. I am interested in how they are distributed across the landscape, which services covary or conflict, and what their arrangements might tell us about current and potential landscape management.

I am also working with an NGO to develop a straightforward handbook for decision-makers in the public sector on how to incorporate the concept of ecosystem services in a variety of decisions-making contexts.

Honours and Awards
National Estonian Foundation of Canada scholarship - 2007
NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (Ph.D.) - 2005
Young Fellow Millennium Ecosystem Assessment - 2003
Office Quebec-Ameriques pour la Jeunesse (OQAJ) Fellowship - 2003
Organization of American States Fellowship (M.Sc.) – 2002

Publications
Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Capistrano, D. (in review). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: a multiscale assessment for global stakeholders. In Lawrence A. (Ed). Taking Stock of Nature. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Biggs, R., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Atkinson-Palombo, C., Bohensky, E., Boyd, E., Cundill, G., Fox, H., Ingram, S., Kok, K., Spehar, S., Tengö, M., Timmer, D., Zurek, M. 2007. Linking futures across scales: a dialog on multi-scale scenarios. Ecology and Society 10(2)

Gitay, H., Raudsepp-Hearne, C. 2005. Assessment Process. In: Multi-Scale Assessments: Findings of the Sub-Global Assessment Working Group (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Island Press, Washington.

Capistrano, D., Samper, C. Lee, M., Raudsepp-Hearne, C. 2005. Synthesis: Reflections and Lessons Learned. In: Multi-Scale Assessments: Findings of the Sub-Global Assessment Working Group (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Island Press, Washington.

Woodley, E., Ericksen, P., Reid, W., Cundill, G., Vicente, L., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Mogina, J., Olsson, P. 2005. Using Multiple Knowledge Systems in Sub-global assessments: Benefits and Challenges. In: Multi-Scale Assessments: Findings of the Sub-Global Assessment Working Group (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Island Press, Washington.

Reid, W., Mooney, H., Cropper, A., Capistrano, D., Carpenter, S, Chopra, K, Dasgupta, P, Dietz, T., Duraiappah, A., Kasperson, R., Leemans, R., May, R, McMichael, T., Pingali, P., Hassan, R., Samper, C., Scholes, B., Shidong, Z., Watson, R., Zakri, A.H., Ash, N., Kumar, P., Lee, M., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Thonell, J., Zurek, M. 2005. General Synthesis Report: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Island Press, Washington.

Presentations
I was the moderator for two similar panel discussions on incorporating multiple worldviews in international assessments at the following conferences: (1) Bridging Scales and Epistemologies: Linking Local Knowledge and Global Science in Multi-Scale Assessments (Alexandria, Egypt, March 17-20, 2004); and (2) IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok (November 19, 2004).

Other Interests
Being outside, surfing, scuba diving, growing tomatoes, eating

Contact Info
ciara dot raudsepp-hearne at mail dot mcgill dot ca