Gaspé shrew (Sorex gaspensis) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 14

Biographical Summary of Report Writers

Born in England, Dr. David Anthony Kirk immigrated to Canada in 1989 and since then has worked as a self-employed research ecologist. He has completed 12 previous COSEWIC status reports (6 full reports and 6 updates). Most of his current research focuses on monitoring biodiversity (including species at risk) at broad scales; he also works on the effects of farming and forestry on plants, invertebrates and birds. Outside Canada, his research ranges from studying the effects of introduced hares on vegetation and avifauna of islands in the Seychelles and conservation of maquis vegetation in North Africa, to resource partitioning among sympatric vultures in South America. He has published more than 25 scientific papers, in addition to numerous technical reports; his literature reviews are on subjects ranging from the impacts of genetically modified organisms on Canadian biodiversity, to evaluating the economic value of birds as predators of pests in farmland, the effects of Double-crested Cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus on Carolinian island vegetation, and ways to mitigate predation by mesopredators on turtle and other species at risk.

Dr. Jennie L. Pearce was born in Australia and immigrated to Canada in 1999. In both countries her research has focused on spatial modelling of the distribution and abundance of wildlife; her Ph.D. was on the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix. She is particularly interested in testing the accuracy of spatial models and how these can be used for solving landscape management concerns, such as conservation of endangered species, managing forests in an ecologically sustainable framework and allocating resource extraction industries over landscapes. She is also interested in the use of bioindicators for sustainable forest management, particularly for large and small mammals (including wolverine Gulo gulo and shrews), amphibians, carabid beetle and spider communities. She has published more than 25 scientific papers in this area, as well as participated in numerous workshops and conference proceedings.

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