Portrait of a researcher

Trees help fight climate change

Etienne Lalibert

FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCE

Professor

鈥�

Canada Research Chair in Plant Functional Biodiversity

Director, Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory ()

Thanks to advances in technology, plant researchers no longer have to worry about 鈥渕issing the forest for the trees.鈥� Aerial imagery and drones are enabling researchers such as the University of Montreal鈥檚 Etienne Lalibert to map vegetation remotely and at high resolution over vast areas. The result is a precise portrait of plant diversity throughout the year and under all conditions.

According to Lalibert, climate change and biodiversity loss are not separate problems: 鈥淚t is becoming increasingly clear that they are interconnected.鈥�

To prevent or at least slow global warming, it is imperative that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, nature has a way of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere: trees. We have to let plants 鈥渄o what they鈥檝e been doing for hundreds of millions of years,鈥� says Lalibert: absorbing CO₂ and storing it. 鈥淲e need to measure how much carbon is stored in plants and then increase it by restoring degraded ecosystems and changing forestry practices.鈥�

Lalibert has devoted the past 15 years to research. 鈥淚 want to continue doing research but I also feel the urgent need to act,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he situation is deteriorating fast and we need to find ways to use existing knowledge to optimize our solutions to climate change.鈥� Our survival is inextricably linked to that of the planet鈥檚 ecosystems.

How did you become interested in nature?

I have always loved the outdoors, perhaps because I grew up outside Montreal close to Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park. My earliest memories are of spending long hours in this large park. As a child, I felt a deep connection to the forest and this has stayed with me throughout my career.

What led you to study in New Zealand and then teach in Australia?

It was purely by chance. After finishing my bachelors in biology at McGill University, I worked in environmental education at the Montreal Botanical Garden, teaching children and adults about the importance of trees at the Frdric-Back Tree Pavilion. I then completed my master鈥檚 at the University of Montreal and published a number of scientific papers. This led to a scholarship to study at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand鈥檚 third largest city. After my Ph.D., I was offered a position at the University of Western Australia, so I moved to Perth with my young family. In 2015, a position opened up at the University of Montreal and we returned to Canada. But I still have ties to Australia鈥攐ne of my doctoral students is working on a reforestation project there.

Follow and his research on UdeMNouvelles