Mammals of Nova Scotia

Climate Change

Mammals of Nova Scotia

How are humans reshaping the wild lands around us, and what will the consequences be? Nova Scotia’s mammals can guide us toward the answer.

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The facts

Why the research is important

Why the research was important

Nature gives humans so much, from food and water to income and temperature regulation. Climate change is already reshaping these crucial services.

This expedition provided a truly rare opportunity—the chance to help untangle the connections among a variety of plant and animal species in one wild environment.

Nova Scotia’s forests, like other forests around the world, are hugely important to the health of the living things in and around them. Forests take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen, which we obviously all depend on. The wild lands of Nova Scotia also provide food and shelter to a wealth of wildlife. However, Nova Scotia’s biodiversity is under threat from climate change and from human–wildlife conflicts over resources like crops and timber. To keep at-risk species thriving, researchers must monitor habitats like these forests over the long term to gain a thorough understanding of how they work and change.

Learn about some of North America's most iconic species

Volunteers tracked wildlife.

But why does biodiversity matter? Why do we need to protect the many forms of life in the forests of Nova Scotia and other fragile ecosystems? Losing species diminishes the richness of the world around us because it means the fabric of life begins to unravel and weaken—often in ways we cannot immediately see, but that will ultimately cost us money, health, and happiness.

About the research area

Nova Scotia, Canada, North America & Arctic

Daily life in the field


This is a summary:

The Scientists


Senior Research Associate, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford University

ABOUT Christina Buesching

Dr. Christina Buesching is a behavioral ecologist who's research centers around the questions of why animals behave the way they do, how animals modify their behavior to accommodate changing environmental conditions, and how animals communicate their behavioral intentions to others.



Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food


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