Scott Harrison

Education

• BSc, Biology, University of British Columbia
• MSc, Zoology, University of British Columbia
  
• PhD, Ecology, University of British Columbia

Biography

Scott Harrison is a terrestrial ecologist interested in applying the concepts of ecological resilience and Adaptive Management to improve the sustainable use of natural resources. His research has focused on wildlife and the ecosystems that support wildlife populations. Scott has studied a variety of species but is particularly interested in large carnivores and the dynamics of predator-prey systems. His landscape-level research with comparative treatments provided field data to support quantitative population models in an Adaptive Management framework so that decision-makers could test the effects of different resource-use scenarios. To help practitioners apply ecological research to land-use decisions, he co-edited the book, “Conservation Biology Principles for Forested Landscapes”. Scott has conducted fieldwork in all regions of British Columbia and, as part of his post-doctoral studies at the University of Oxford, provided guidance and field assistance to numerous projects on five continents.

Along with his ecological research, Scott draws on his experiences in business and government to examine the suite of ecological, economic, and social opportunities and constraints that drive decisions about resource use. In government, he worked in the research, operational, and policy units of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. In business, he worked in Environmental Risk Management to improve corporate sustainability and performance. Scott served as a Liaison Delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development - a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. Scott was lead author for Chapter 2 in the book, “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Business and Enterprise” – a project sponsored by the United Nations to outline the economic benefits provided to corporations by biodiversity and ecosystem services.