UBC Professor John Richardson, along with his co-instructor Professor Scott Hinch, provides students with the opportunity to engage in what he calls “the most critical resource for sustaining humans” through their course on freshwater ecosystems.
Through their Aquatic Ecosystems course, Prof. Richardson and Prof. Hinch hope to change how we think about freshwater by shedding light on the things we can do to ensure it does not become even more limited than it is already.
“Water is critical to all of us,” says Prof. Richardson. “It provides drinking water and sustains the ecosystem services from freshwater ecosystems. We also use water to produce power in a form that allows us to recharge our many electronic devices and to have light. Water provides for agriculture, industry, and many of our recreational activities. Water is also at the heart of most human cultures in ways that transcend its utility values. Protecting water by carefully managing our land-use activities will contribute to the sustainability of society and the aquatic ecosystems on which we depend.”
For students interested in joining the conversation on water use and sustainability, this course offers a unique, first-hand look at how freshwater, and the ecosystems which it sustains, can be affected by land-use change, changes to water quality and warmer temperatures.
For more information check BIO 402 or FRST 386 at the UBC Student Services Centre. Visit or email the Sustainability Education Resource Centre at CIRS to find out how to integrate this course into your UBC degree.
UBC is developing its own Water Action Plan, which will help guide the university’s water management actions in the future.
For information on other sustainability-oriented courses and programs, visit the Sustainability Education Resource Centre or Email us for an advising appointment.