Gary became the head of the Department of Biology at University of Southern Denmark in 2019, after being a head of studies at Roskilde University. He brings nearly 30 years of experience in a wide range of aquatic ecology, biostatistical, ecotoxicology and environmental science research areas. He has worked in a variety of habitats and environments from lakes to coastal oceans, including marginal habitats such as tidal freshwater marshes, salt marshes, and mangroves.
WHY ARCADIA?
I have several personal and professional goals in the project. I am interested in being part of a interdisciplinary team working on exploring, implementing and assessing nature-based solutions to environmental challenges, both in our local region and across a European (and global scale).
I am especially interested in the links between the ecological structure (including biodiversity) and function of NbS’s in relation to the multiple ecosystem services they provide. I am also interested in issues of trade-offs between such benefits and how they can be considered and resolved in a collaborative and consensus-based way.
WHY US ARCADIA AN IMPORTANT PROJECT TO BE A PART OF FOR SDU?
The ARCADIA project is important to our organisation (SDU) for several reasons. First of all, it is an interesting interdisciplinary scientific topic that is relevant for us as a research organization that fits well with our research expertise in applied aquatic ecology, climate change and biodiversity.
It is also important for us to participate in our regional consortium which is built around a multi-actor collaboration working towards a common goal of improving environmental quality in our freshwater and marine ecosystems the face of climate change and other pressures.
Finally, it is exciting to participate in this large EU mission project addressing climate challenges via natural and nature-based solutions. We hope to both contribute to and learn from experiences across the range of this large European consortium.
