RESEARCH & TEACHING

Alana’s research brings together forests, species at risk, and science policy to support better decision-making about natural resources.

She is an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies. Find her lab website, including current research projects and information for prospective students, at westwoodlab.ca. She is also a member of the Atlantic Forest Research Collaborative.

Alana’s past roles have included as a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellow at Natural Resources Canada, the Science & Policy Analyst for the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, the Research Coordinator for Evidence for Democracy, and a contributing scientist to the Boreal Avian Modelling Project. Her PhD investigated the habitat of bird species at risk in Maritime forests (featured in the CBC documentary Birds At Risk).

CURRENT COURSESIMG_8012

Click on the course number for the most recent syllabus.

ENVI5001/MGMT4705 Environmental Assessment

ENVI5005 Field Skills for the Environmental Sciences

ENVI5050 Special Topics: Forest Ecology & Management

ENVI5504/MGMT4505 Management of Natural Resources and the Environment

PAST COURSES

BIOL2601 Flora of Nova Scotia

BIOL4451 Forest Ecosystems Field Course (University of Winnipeg)

ENV1600 Human-Environmental Interactions (University of Winnipeg)

ENVI5505 Biophysical Dimensions of Resource and Environmental Management

MGMT2305 Ethics & Social Responsibility

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0024.JPG
Photo by Donna Kurt, UWinnipeg student BIOL4451

EDUCATION

Dalhousie University – Biology, Ph.D

University of Winnipeg – Applied Environmental & Forest Ethics, B.Sc. Hons

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Some favourites! See full list on ResearchGate or Google Scholar.

Westwood, A.R., Barker, N.K.S., Grant, S., Amos, A., Camfield, A., Cooper, K., Dénes, F.V., MacDonald, C., McBlane, L., Schmiegelow, F.K.A., Simpson, J.I., Slattery, S., Sleep, D., Wells, J., Whitaker, D. 2020. Towards actionable, coproduced research on boreal birds focused on building respectful partnerships. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 15: 26.

Westwood, R., Westwood, A.R., Hooshmandi, M., Pearson, K., LaFrance, K., Murray, C. 2020. A field-validated species distribution model to support management of the critically endangered Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) butterfly in Canada. Conservation Science & Practice: e163.

Westwood, A.R., Otto, S.P., Mooers, A., Darimont, C.T., Hodges, K.E., Johnson, C., Starzomski, B.M., Burton, C., Chan, K., Festa-Bianchet, M., Fluker, S., Gulati, S., Jacob, A.L., Kraus, D., Martin, T., Palen, W.J., Reynolds, J.D., Whitton, J. 2019. Protecting biodiversity in British Columbia: Recommendations for species at risk legislation. Facets 4: 136-160.

Westwood, A.R., Olszynski, M., Fox, C.H., Ford, A., Jacob., A.L., Moore, J.W., Palen, W.J. 2019. The role of science in contemporary Canadian environmental decision-making: The example of environmental assessment. UBC Law Review 52(1): 243-292. Full-text at SSRN.

Westwood, A.R., Reuchlin-Heugenholtz, E., Keith, D. 2014. Re-defining recovery: A generalized framework for assessing species recovery. Biological Conservation 172: 155-162.

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Canada Warbler in New Hampshire