Randy Swaty is an ecologist at The Nature Conservancy with an interest in conservation science, landscape ecology, mycorrhizal fungi, and LANDFIRE state and transition modeling.
[1:00] Defining wildlife habitat and how to protect it
[7:15] Complexity
[10:45] Beavers, Woodpeckers, and Mistletoe
[18:30] The Landfire Project: Satellite mapping of vegetation and the terrestrial environment
[30:45] Soil, Fungi, Biomimicry
[36:15] Ecosystem change
[42:15] Climate change
[46:30] Measures of ecosystem health
[50:45] Plantations and problems of scale
[55:15] Landfire’s challenges
[1:03:45] Landfire’s priorities
[1:05:15] Crowdsourcing, citizen science, and “gamify-ing” nature
[1:08:45] Two cliffhangers: Conservation Data Lab and working with students/young professionals
[1:09:45] Randy’s current enthusiasm