Stan Boutin

Biography

Dr. Boutin, currently a professor in the University of Alberta’s Department of Biological Sciences, was Alberta Biodiversity Conservation Chair (2013-2018) and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Integrated Landscape Management (2001-2013). Dr. Boutin has made important contributions to conservation and management of the boreal forest, including the development of innovative forest management practices and new strategies for the conservation of woodland caribou. His applied research is designed to allow stakeholders to make ecologically informed land-use decisions.

Dr. Boutin currently serves as Science Co-Director of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, an organization that tracks over 2,000 species across the province and independently reports on the state of biodiversity at regional scales. He has also worked closely with the forestry and energy sectors in Alberta since the mid-nineties. He was Director of Science and Technology for Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. from 1997 to 1999.

Dr. Boutin is also a co-lead of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council-funded CREATE program, Environmental Innovation. The program enhances Canada’s prosperity through innovative environmental assessment, monitoring and management. Environmental Innovation trains the next generation of natural resource consultants, managers, land use planners, and policy makers to improve Canada’s ability to develop its natural resources while maintaining rigorous environmental standards.

Dr. Boutin has authored nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications and has served on the editorial boards of five different journals. He has been awarded The Wildlife Society Publication of the Year in Wildlife, Ecology and Management three times (2018, 2017, and 1996). He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2006 and in 2017 he was awarded the J.Gordin Kaplan Award for Excellence in Research (University of Alberta’s Highest Research Honour). In 2009, he was awarded the Romanowski Medal from the Royal Society of Canada for scientific work relating to environmental problems, and in 2010 he was awarded the William Rowan Distinguished Service Award from the Wildlife Society for outstanding contributions to the management and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat in Alberta. In 2018, he received the Merriam Award from the American Society of Mammalogists, which honours outstanding contributions to mammalogy through research, teaching and service.

He received a B.Sc. (Zoology) from the University of Alberta in 1977, a M.Sc. (Zoology) in 1980, and a PhD (Zoology) in 1983 from the University of British Columbia.