I am a conservation scientist, adventure enthusiast and PhD candidate at the University of Victoria. My early research experiences around the globe exposed me to the complexities of interrelated social and ecological systems and motivated me to delve into conservation science that recognizes humans’ important role in global ecosystems, engages communities directly in conservation and supports Indigenous Nations and individuals reasserting their knowledge and rights. My MSc work at the University of Victoria bridged Indigenous knowledge and ecological science through a community-engaged, Indigenous-led approach to conservation in partnership with Central Coast First Nations in their territories.
I began my PhD in 2017. My current research interests include: the intersections of Indigenous and western sciences, Canadian environmental policy and the role human values play in our relationships with wildlife and, ultimately, conservation conflicts and collaborative ways to transform them.
I am also an avid communicator of science and share my research results, conservation science stories, and experiences as a scientist widely via public speaking and online platforms. I am a Canada Vanier Scholar, Raincoast Conservation Fellow, National Geographic Explorer, dog mom, avid hiker and peanut butter aficionada.
Visit my personal website at https://laureneckertconservation.com/
Publications:
Reid, A. J., Eckert, L. E., Lane, J. F., Young, N., Hinch, S. G., Darimont, C. T., … & Marshall, A. (2021). “Two‐Eyed Seeing”: An Indigenous framework to transform fisheries research and management. Fish and Fisheries, 22(2), 243-261.
Reid, A.J., Eckert, L.E., Hanna, D. E. L. (2020) Rethinking Fisheries Leadership: Working with and from within Indigenous Communities. In Lessons in Leadership: Integrating Courage, Vision, and Innovation for the Future of Sustainable Fisheries. Eds. William Taylor, Andrew Carlson, Abigail Bennett, and C. Paola Ferreri. https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874608.ch64
Darimont, C. T., Hall, H., Eckert, L., Mihalik, I., Artelle, K., Treves, A., & Paquet, P. C. (2020). Large carnivore hunting and the social license to hunt. Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13657
Carlson, A. K., Taylor, W. W., Cronin, M. R., Eaton, M. J., Kaemingk, M. A., Reid, A. J., & Trudeau, A. (2020). A Social–Ecological Odyssey in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. Fisheries, Vol. 45, No. 5 (May 2020), 238-243
Eckert, L. E., Claxton, N. X., Owens, C., Johnston, A., Ban, N. C., Moola, F., & Darimont, C. T. (2020). Indigenous knowledge and federal environmental assessments in Canada: applying past lessons to the 2019 impact assessment act. FACETS, 5(1), 67-90. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0039
Eckert, L., Ban, N., Tallio, S. C., & Turner, N. (2018). Linking marine conservation and Indigenous cultural revitalization: First Nations free themselves from externally imposed social-ecological traps. Ecology and Society, 23(4).
Eckert L.E., Ban N.C., Frid A., and McGreer M. (2017). Diving back in time: Extending historical baselines for yelloweye rockfish with indigenous knowledge. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 2017;19. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2834
Ban, N. C., Eckert, L., McGreer, M., & Frid, A. (2017). Indigenous knowledge as data for modern fishery management: a case study of Dungeness crab in Pacific Canada. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 3(8), 1379887.
Ban, Natalie C., Charlotte Whitney, Tammy Davies, Elena Buscher, Darienne Lancaster, Lauren Eckert, Chris Rhodes, Aerin Jacob. (2017). Conservation actions at global and local scales in marine social-ecological systems: status, gaps, and ways forward. In: Conservation for the Anthropocene Ocean. Eds Phil Levin, Melissa Poe. Elsevier Publisher
Eckert, L. (2013). Preferential foraging behavior of forest deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilius) on native and non-native Picea seeds. Scientia: Undergraduate Journal of Scientific Research, University of Notre Dame 4: 19-22.