Department of Anthropology

Abstract:   In this talk, Joel will discuss the conservation story in the Albertine Rift, one of Africa’s foremost biodiversity hotspots, but also one of the most threatened due to land conversion and extraordinary human population growth. From his 16 years of research in Uganda, he will weave together land use history, perceptions from households surveys, infectious disease emergence with rainfall observations and land use change to provide a rich picture of a changing conservation landscape. Joel is passionate about conservation, and his pragmatic approach to understanding complex dynamics of people and parks has influenced conservation management. Joel will show lots of pictures, share the results of his work, and tell a story or two.

Bio:   Joel Hartter is a geographer who specializes in human dimensions of global change. He is an Associate Professor and Director for the Masters of the Environment Graduate Program at the University of Colorado. For the last 15 years, Joel’s research program focuses on climate change adaptation, demography and human migration, and human health in protected area landscapes. He has also worked on forest management, wildfire, and recreation management in communities of the western US. Currently, he has active projects in East and Southern Africa, Madagascar, South America, and the Inland West of the US.  In the past, Joel has worked for the National Park Service, as an engineer in the automotive industry, and started an international non-governmental organization focusing on girl’s and women’s education and training in Uganda. Joel holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Florida, MS in Forest Engineering from Oregon State University, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering and German from the University of Michigan.

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