Kai Ming Adam Chan is a Canadian ecologist and professor at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(UBC). He is a faculty member at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and holds a

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

(Tier 1) in Re-Wilding and Social-Ecological Transformation. Chan's work focuses on

applied ecology Applied ecology is a sub-field within ecology that considers the applied science, application of the science of ecology to real-world (usually management) questions. It is also described as a scientific field that focuses on the application of conc ...

sustainability science Sustainability science first emerged in the 1980s and has become a new academic discipline. Similar to agricultural science or health science, it is an applied science defined by the practical problems it addresses. Sustainability science focuses ...

, and

environmental ethics In environmental philosophy, environmental ethics is an established field of practical philosophy "which reconstructs the essential types of argumentation that can be made for protecting natural entities and the sustainable use of natural resourc ...

Education

Chan earned a BSc in Ecology from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1997. He later attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he received a MA in 1999 and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 2003 in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His doctoral dissertation, titled ''The Effects of Slightly Leaky Prezygotic Isolating Barriers and the Use of Phylogenetic Tree Shape to Study Diversification'', was supervised by Simon A. Levin.

Research interests

Chan’s research examines the interactions between human societies and ecological systems, with an emphasis on

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

and conservation. His work has contributed to the study of

ecosystem services Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from Ecosystem, ecosystems. The interconnected Biotic_material, living and Abiotic, non-living components of the natural environment offer benefits such as pollination of crops, clean ...

, particularly in relation to the social and cultural factors that shape how individuals and communities value nature. He has been involved in developing the concept of relational values, which considers how environmental decisions are influenced by social relationships, identities, and responsibilities. He directs the Connected Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) Lab at UBC, which conducts interdisciplinary research integrating natural and social sciences. Research areas include biodiversity conservation,

ecosystem-based management Ecosystem-based management is an environmental management approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including humans, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services in isolation. It can be ...

, environmental ethics, and sustainability transitions. The lab also engages with stakeholders and communities in the context of environmental planning and policy.

Publications and contributions

Chan has published extensively on topics related to

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

conservation biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an i ...

, and

, including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports. His research has appeared in academic journals such as ''

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

'', ''

Nature Sustainability ''Nature Sustainability'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio. It was established in 2018. The editor-in-chief is Monica Contestabile. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted and indexed in: ...

'', ''

Ecology Letters ''Ecology Letters'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Wiley and the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Peter H. Thrall is the current editor-in-chief, taking over from Tim Coulson (University of Oxford). The ...

'', and ''

Conservation Biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an i ...

''. He is known for his contributions to the study of cultural ecosystem services and for his role in developing the concept of relational values. This work has informed policy discussions related to

and

environmental governance Environmental governance are the processes of decision-making involved in the control and management of the environment and natural resources. These processes includes government, business and civil society. Environmental governance may also refe ...

. He served as a founding Lead Editor of People and Nature, a journal of the

British Ecological Society The British Ecological Society is a learned society in the field of ecology that was founded in 1913. It is the oldest ecological society in the world. The Society's original objective was "to promote and foster the study of Ecology in its widest ...

, which focuses on interdisciplinary research exploring relationships between people and the natural environment. Chan has been active in international science-policy initiatives, notably as a Coordinating Lead Author for the

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental organization established to improve communication between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It ...

(IPBES). His work with IPBES has included global assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the integration of diverse value frameworks into environmental policy processes. In addition to his academic contributions, Chan has authored opinion articles for Canadian media outlets such as ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'', and the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', where he has written on topics including climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainability policy. In 2023, Chan delivered a TEDx talk titled "Special Agents, Rubik’s Cubes, and How to Solve the Climate Crisis" at TEDxSurrey. In the talk, he explored the complexity of the climate crisis and argued that mitigating it will require transformative change across social, political, and ecological systems.

Community engagement and advocacy

Chan is a co-founder of CoSphere (Community of Small-Planet Heroes), a public engagement initiative focused on

environmental sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

. The project supports collaboration among researchers, policy actors, and the general public on challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. CoSphere emphasizes science communication, community engagement, and the role of ethical and social considerations in ecological decision-making.

References

External links

CHANS Lab at UBC

Kai Chan at Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

CoSphere – Community of Small-Planet Heroes

Google Scholar profile

ResearchGate profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Kai University of Toronto alumni Princeton University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Canadian ecologists 21st-century Canadian philosophers Canadian ethicists Environmental ethicists