Urban areas are not always recognized for their biodiversity, however recent work has shown that many cities host a critical array of plant and animal life. With over half of the global human population living in urban areas, communities must find tools and strategies to promote coexistence with urban biodiversity in order to support sustainable development efforts. In this first webinar in the Urban Stories miniseries, panelists from Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Toluca, Mexico highlighted how they are working to conserve biodiversity in each of their cities, including using tools such as the Singapore Biodiversity Index.
This event is part of the Salazar Center’s Urban Conservation Stories webinar series. Each of the three events in the series is focused on a core theme: biodiversity, water in arid environments, and landscape connectivity. Experts from across North America will share their important work that can allow cities to contribute to national conservation targets, while creating thriving urban environments. Learn more about the other events.
Michelle Barton, Biodiversity Program Manager, City of Los Angeles Sanitation & Environment
Michelle Barton, M.S. is an Environmental Supervisor with LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) and manages the City of LA’s Biodiversity Program. She recently completed the baseline measurement of the brand new LA Biodiversity Index and facilitated the creation of the first Healthy Soils Strategy for the City of Los Angeles. Michelle earned her B.S. in Biology from UCLA in 2010 and her M.S. in Biology from CSULB in 2016.
Julia Murphy, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of San Antonio-Office of Sustainability
Julia Murphy, AICP, LEED AP ND, is the City of San Antonio Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer working on the city’s first climate action and adaptation plan, focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, green infrastructure, and air quality. Murphy has been an invited speaker at state, national and international events and has published articles about natural resource conservation initiatives in the Texas Hill Country.
Karina Avila, Jefa, Departamento de Forestacion del Municipio de Toluca; Chief, Forestry Department of Toluca City, Mexico
Karina is currently Chief of Forestry in the city of Toluca. She is the former Director of Environment, and Director of Climate Change in Toluca City, Mexico. She also coordinated the Red Metropolitana de Monitoreo Atmosferico and was a technical assistant to the Cooperacion Alemana al Desarrollo Sustentable (GIZ). She participated in the meeting of experts to update the Singapore Index as a contribution to the technical notebooks of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Dates
| Date | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 9, 2022 | 12:00 pm | 1:00 pm |
Contact Information
If you have any questions about this webinar, please reach out to Shoshanna Dean at [email protected].
Key Themes
- Biodiversity
- Climate adaptation
- Community-based conservation
- Connectivity
- Urban nature
Sarah is the co-founder and executive director of the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC), a nonprofit dedicated to managing New York City’s 20,000 acres of forests and wetlands. The NAC is a pioneer in the field of urban conservation, using data and science to develop new ways to manage urban natural areas so that they provide recreation opportunities for diverse users, protect biodiversity, and provide environmental benefits. Sarah has a MEM from the Yale School of the Environment.
Laurel is involved in the development of the national program and National Urban Parks Policy. Laurel has a Master’s in Public Administration and joined Parks Canada in March 2020 after a decade spent working in the charitable sector on local and national-scale community development initiatives. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Laurel has had a lifelong passion for outdoor spaces and for connecting people with nature – and now enjoys sharing those passions with her husband and 2-year old daughter.
Jeremiah oversees both the US- and Mexico-based organizations within Cuenca Los Ojos. Originally from San Antonio, his career began in in private law practice focused on water law, farm and ranch real estate law, and estate planning for agricultural families. Prior to joining CLO, he served as the conservation director for the California Rangeland Trust. 
Alan has spent his career in the Middle Rio Grande working to find interdisciplinary connections that bring new perspectives and possibilities to difficult situations. He has been writing and lecturing on the link between environmental degradation and cultural depression and the notion that mental health and environmental health are one and the same. 
A native of the San Luis Valley, Armando was raised on a farm and ranch near Capulin, Colorado. Most recently, Valdez worked as an Assistant Professor of Management and the Director of the Health Care Administration Program in the School of Business at Adams State University, and he currently serves as a member of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors. 
Barbara serves as a leader in the team designing the Laredo- Nuevo Laredo Binational Conservation Park, and for her, the power of architecture is expressed in its impact on the human experience. She believes that strategic and thoughtful design with the user’s experience as the priority can influence people’s decisions and connections to others and the environment. 
Dr. Tracy serves as Director of the Colorado Water Center and as professor in the department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. Dr. Tracy has led research initiatives on understanding and developing sustainable water management practices in a wide range of hydro-climatological systems across the western United States. 
