Cedar Morton
Sr. Systems Ecologist | Nature-based Solutions Lead
Key skills: natural asset management, nature-based solutions, ecological modelling, economic valuation, multi-attribute optimization, water management & governance, climate change adaptation, participatory process design, GIS, social network analysis, land use planning.
Today’s environmental problems are complex, integrated, and inevitably lead to tradeoffs. Cedar works with clients to optimize environmental decision-making using state-of-the art tools for decision support. As a systems ecologist he brings an integrated skillset that includes advanced training in ecology, public policy, social sciences, economics, spatial analytics, and simulation modelling. As the Nature-based Solutions lead at ESSA, he focuses on three core areas: 1) natural asset planning and assessment, 2) economic valuation of ecosystem services, and 3) integrated simulation modelling of social and biophysical systems. Within these areas Cedar does ecological inventory/mapping, condition/risk assessment, baseline and future levels of service assessment, model building, and decision-support using indicator development, prioritization, tradeoff evaluation, and monitoring. A seasoned project manager, Cedar demands high quality, clearly communicated results, and excels at bringing together high calibre teams that give your project that extra edge.
Cedar holds a PhD in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University (SFU) where he studied the integration of fish conservation into international freshwater treaties using bio-economic modelling, multi-attribute optimization, and institutional analysis. During his Master’s degree (MRM), he focused on participatory land use planning, and during his BA in Geography (SFU) he studied freshwater governance and geospatial analysis. Two diplomas, one in Peace and Conflict Studies (Langara College) and another in Tourism Management (Vancouver Island University) complement Cedar’s environmental management education.