Leader: Frank Davis

Contributed by Frank Davis

Name:  Frank Davis

Job: Professor, University of California Donald Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

Where do you work? Santa Barbara, California, USA

Degree(s): B.A., Magna Cum Laude, Williams College and a Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

Describe your work/research: I have been at UCSB since 1982, first in the Department of Geography and more recently at the Bren School. Between 1995 and 1998 I served as Deputy Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, a National Science Foundation Center at UCSB that sponsors synthetic, interdisciplinary ecological research.

In my research and teaching I try to keep one foot in field ecological studies and the other in computer-aided regional conservation planning. I'm a naturalist at heart, and I have collaborated with some terrific ecologists on landscape-scale studies of the fire ecology of chaparral communities and the ecology and management of California oaks. I've always been fascinated by spatial patterns in nature and most of this research tries to understand how vegetation pattern is created by and in turn regulates ecological processes like wildfire, plant establishment and community development. At the same time I have worked with talented geographers and conservation biologists on methods for mapping biodiversity over large areas and for bringing that information together with information on land use and land management to identify species and communities at risk and to locate areas of high priority for additional conservation efforts.
This combination of interests has landed me in a number of state and regional conservation assessments. For example, I spent eight years directing the California Gap Analysis Project, three years as a science team member on the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project, and three years as science team leader for the California Legacy Project. All of these efforts focused on developing and synthesizing scientific information to help set conservation and ecosystem management priorities over large public and private land areas in California.

What inspires you in your work?
Since earliest childhood I've always spent a lot of time outdoors and I have a deep curiosity about and reverence for the mystery, diversity and complexity of nature. Scientific research has many rewards. Moreover, I have the pleasure of interacting with lots of people who inspire me with their knowledge, creative ideas and their sense of purpose.

What are the highlights of your career accomplishments?
In 1991 I created the UCSB Biogeography Lab as a place for students and research scientists to study the ecology, distribution and conservation of species and ecosystems. Since then, the lab has conducted dozens of research projects, supported the education and training of dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and supported many efforts and initiatives in conservation planning, environmental policy and ecosystem management. While not a "highlight" in the narrow sense of the word, the lab has been a central part of my career for the past 16 years.

Why is the Global Mediterranean Action Network exciting to you?
In March 2007 The Nature Conservancy of California organized a workshop for conservation scientists and program leaders from the world's Mediterranean-climate regions. It was an incredibly energizing meeting for me. While I had met some of the scientists before or at least read their papers, I had never really appreciated how science and policy were coming together in these different cultures to create similar or contrasting conservation solutions. Much like the comparative ecological research on Mediterranean-climate ecosystems over thirty years ago produced new insights into species' adaptations and ecosystem function, a Global Mediterranean Action Network for conservation science and policy promises to raise the level of understanding of conservation needs and opportunities across the Mediterranean biome.

What are your favorite species and/or landscapes?
The landscapes of the Central Coast of California hold a special place in my imagination — their magical scenery, textured landscapes and extraordinary biological richness and endemism. It's hard to pick favorites but the species in my backyard come to mind. Everyone should have the pleasure of watching white-tailed kites hunting voles over a coastal grassland, listening to a chorus of coyotes, or wandering through a grove of venerable valley oaks.

What gives you hope?
Aldo Leopold lamented that "one of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds." Too true. But at some point I realized I could not be a pessimist and also be a parent and a teacher (much less get a good night's sleep). So I pay special attention to the good news. I like to think of myself as an optimistic conservationist who sees the glass as 20% full.

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
Put me in a trout stream or a coral sand flat, hand me a fly rod, and I'm content.