Speaker   Prof. Nicholas Dickinson (Lincoln University, New Zealand)
Session Chair   Prof. Wong Ming-Hung
Date and Time   11 May 2017 (Thursday) 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Venue   D3-G-03, Tai Po Campus
Language   English

Abstract
A major scientific challenge in New Zealand is to maintain and develop successful international trade in agricultural production within a landscape that is shared with unique biodiversity and alongside booming tourism, whilst also assuring compatibility with multiple environmental agenda, that include maintenance of clean waterways and mitigation of climate change.  This presentation describes field-based research projects in agroecology; at the interfaces of farming and the environment. These research activities are concerned with phytoremediation and ecological remediation of degraded and contaminated soils associated with agriculture, in the context of nutrients and metal pollutants and particularly in relation to innovative uses for plants and land reclamation.

About the Speaker
Ph.D. University of Keele in 1980, Lecturer in Botany, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya (1981-1985); Liverpool John Moores University, UK:  Senior Lecturer (1986-), Reader (1998-), then Professor of Environmental Biology (2003-).  Currently Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand (since 2010). Head of the Ecology Department (2010-2017). Teaching interests in subject areas of environmental biology, applied ecology, ecotoxicology, botany and environmental science. Research activities concerned with phytoremediation and ecological remediation of degraded and contaminated soils associated with agriculture, urbanization and industry, in the context of nutrients and metal pollutants and particularly in relation to innovative uses for plants and land reclamation. 100+ publications, in more than 20 international journals.