Synergies between food production and nature protection—what are some ways forward for sustaining landscapes?

Sarah Gergel, Professor of Landscape Ecology & Conservation at the University of British Columbia Food insecurity is often addressed from an agricultural perspective, yet forests provide important and unique contributions to nutrition in many regions. The contributions of forests to nutrition are quite varied, flowing through surprisingly complex pathways. Furthermore, the extent to which the availability of nutritious forest foods depend on the type, amount, and configuration of forests is largely under-appreciated. Here, we explore some of the ways remote sensing can better characterize forest-nutrition linkages. In a project supported by SESYNC (the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center), this inter-disciplinary dilemma connects perspectives of ecologists, agronomists, nutrition experts, and anthropologists. Understanding these linkages helps in identifying new synergies where protecting and restoring forests can also support healthy people and livelihoods.