A biodiversity scientist with work experience in Australia as well as North America, Professor Chris Martine is nothing short of passionate for plants and their habitats. He explores restoration and their relationship with people, as well as how to transfer that knowledge to the public in an understandable way.

Regarding biohabitat restoration around the Bucknell farm, Martine emphasizes the importance of letting it regrow and transform into diverse habitats (with an awareness that invasive species could inflict issues). He notes that restoration projects are seen by many as short-term, when they need to be viewed as long-term – problematic because most are constantly changing. 

There is a lot of unknown when it comes to these projects, to which Martine brings up a “time-stamp element”; when we are restoring, what exactly are we restoring it to? How do we know what the target should even be? 

To these complex questions, he offers, “What we rely on is talking to natural historians, botanists, and scientists to get a sense of what an individual natural community looks like.” It is also necessary not just to dig into the area’s past, but keep in mind that for a lot of habitats, its future holds changes.

The scientist identifies numerous spots around campus that are ripe for biohabitat restoration, including the Grove, Bucknell Landing, the Greenway, or anywhere that has a stream. He affirms the notion that it is our job as humans to be “stewards” of nature: “We are part of nature, but consciousness comes with a bit of responsibility.”

In addition to doing scientific research, he spends a lot of time thinking about scientific communication, or the best way to deliver this content to the public. He poses the question, “if we are not translating what we are doing into a digestible thing, who is going to do it?”, and explores connecting with an audience through his YouTube channel (Plants are Cool, Too!).