WATERLOO - Wilfrid Laurier University will host a leading expert in the field of biodiversity conservation for the 2024 Anne Innis Dagg lecture.

Wildlife biologist Justina Ray, president and senior scientist of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada since its incorporation in 2004, will present "A Personal Perspective on the Promises and Perils of the Single-Species Approach for Addressing Biodiversity Loss" on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Senate and Board Chamber on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

"We are very excited to welcome Dr. Justina Ray as the next speaker in the Anne Innis Dagg Lecture Series," said Matthew Smith, Department of Biology chair and professor. "Like Dr. Innis Dagg, Dr. Ray's research focuses on large mammal conservation. She has worked in diverse habitats and on diverse species, ranging from African and Asian tropical forests, to northern boreal landscapes and the caribou and wolverine that inhabit them. As an appointed member of numerous government advisory panels, she is helping to shape policies on land use planning and species at risk in Canada. We look forward to learning from her experiences in these vital areas of conservation."

Ray's lecture will explore the critical connections between biodiversity, climate, human well-being, and economic prosperity, drawing from her experiences as a conservationist, biologist, and policy advisor.

Established to honour the ground-breaking work of its namesake, zoologist Anne Innis Dagg, the lecture series celebrates Dagg's achievements by inviting notable Canadian women studying animal biology to share their work. Presented by Laurier's Department of Biology and the Laurier Centre for Women in Science, this year's lecture is the third in the series.

Laurier is also hosting a travelling exhibit called the Anne Innis Dagg Exhibit: Musings of a Scientist, Feminist, Activist, which features artifacts and writings associated with Dagg's career as a wildlife biologist and her fight for gender equity in STEM fields. On display until mid-March, the free, public exhibit is located on the 3^rd floor of the Science Building on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

Registration is open for Ray's March 7 lecture. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The lecture runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a reception to follow from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is a free, public event.