André Desrochers is a Quebec scientist with expertise in

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

. As of 2015, he has worked for almost thirty years in these research areas. Since the mid-1990s, he also worked to promote environmental conservation through various organizations.« Loin d'un débat rationnel »
/ref>

Academic background

After studies in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxemb ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, he obtained a doctorate in zoology at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in the UK. After three post-doctoral internships – in zoology at the University of Cambridge for the first (1991), the other two at Laval University, including one in the biology department (1992–1993) and the other in the

plant sciences Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

department (1993–1994) – he was a visiting scholar at the department of

and systematic of the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

(2001–2002) and at the

Cornell Lab of Ornithology The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It is housed in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuar ...

in the United States (2008–2009). He is a fellow of the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...

Professional activities

His work focuses primarily on impacts of forestry practices on the behavior, ecology and rapid evolution of birds and mammals.

Statistical modeling A statistical model is a mathematical model that embodies a set of statistical assumptions concerning the generation of sample data (and similar data from a larger population). A statistical model represents, often in considerably idealized form, ...

is a recurring theme in his work. His areas of expertise are: *

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

; *

spatial analysis Spatial analysis or spatial statistics includes any of the formal techniques which studies entities using their topological, geometric, or geographic properties. Spatial analysis includes a variety of techniques, many still in their early deve ...

; *

animal ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...

(

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

); *

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

; *

landscape ecology Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems. This is done within a variety of landscape scales, development spatial patterns, and organizati ...

; * protection of species of fauna and flora Specifically, his works are grouped into three sub-disciplines of ecology: *

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

; * winter landscape ecology; * peatland bird ecology He has published over 120 scientific articles and reports which have been cited over 4000 times in the scientific literature. Regarding books, he participated in the drafting of fifteen books, alone or in collaboration with other authors.« cef-cfr.ca »
/ref> Besides this research, he also serves on the technical committee of the Boreal Avian Modelling Project (BAM), an international research project. He currently teaches at Laval University Québec, and is director of graduate studies in forestry. Since 2000, he has devoted most of his work at the , Université Laval research and teaching forest, the largest one of its kind in the World. In 2004, he organized the largest annual scientific meeting of bird scientists in North America, the

Meeting. This congress was under the auspices of Laval University and united for the occasion the

Society of Canadian Ornithologists The Society of Canadian Ornithologists, or Société des Ornithologistes du Canada, is an ornithological non-profit organization serving Canada’s ornithological community. It was founded in 1983, and is a member of the Ornithological Council. Th ...

to its American counterpart. He is also member of the following research groups: * Centre for Forest Research (CEF-ULAVAL); * Industrial Research Chair of the

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

(NSERC) in Peatland; * Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG) From 2003 to 2006, he led the " Centre de recherche en biologie forestière " (Research Center in Forest Biology) (CRBF). Founded in 1985, the CRBF merged in 2006 with the "Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Forestière interuniversitaire" (Interuniversity Research Group for Forest Ecology) (GREFi) to form the "Centre d'études de la forêt" (Centre for Forest Research) which is composed of some 60 researchers in 11 universities of Quebec. He has been member of the scientific council of

Bird Studies Canada Birds Canada (formerly Bird Studies Canada) is Canada's national bird Conservation movement, conservation organization. Birds Canada began as the ''Long Point Bird Observatory'' in 1960, changing its name in 1998 to reflect the growing national ...

(1997–1999), the board of the

(1997–2001) and the North American board of governors of the

Society for Conservation Biology The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an 501(c)(3) non-profit international professional organization that is dedicated to conserving biodiversity. There are over 4,000 members worldwide, including students and those in related non-academ ...

(2001–2004).

Species studied

The bird species he studied include the

Eurasian blackbird The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does n ...

snow goose The snow goose (''Anser caerulescens'') is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed ...

black-capped chickadee The black-capped chickadee (''Poecile atricapillus'') is a small, non-migratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a passerine bird in the tit family, the Paridae. It is the state bird of Massachusetts and ...

, boreal chickadee,

alpine accentor The alpine accentor (''Prunella collaris'') is a small passerine bird in the family Prunellidae, which is native to Eurasia and North Africa. Taxonomy The Alpine accentor was described by the Austria naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1769. ...

white-throated sparrow The white-throated sparrow (''Zonotrichia albicollis'') is a passerine bird of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. Etymology The genus name ''Zonotrichia'' is from Ancient Greek (, ) and (, ). The specific ''albicollis'' is from Lati ...

Bicknell's thrush Bicknell's thrush (''Catharus bicknelli'') is a medium-sized thrush, at and . One of North America's rarest and most localized breeders, it inhabits coniferous mountain tops and disturbed habitats of the Northeast. While very similar in appeara ...

ovenbird The ovenbird (''Seiurus aurocapilla'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family (Parulidae). This migratory bird breeds in eastern North America and winters in Central America, many Caribbean islands, Florida and northern Venezuela. ...

pileated woodpecker The pileated woodpecker (''Dryocopus pileatus'') is a large, mostly black woodpecker native to North America. An insectivore, it inhabits deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the ...

. In mammals, his research has focused particularly on the

American marten The American marten (''Martes americana''), also known as the American pine marten, is a species of North American mammal, a member of the family Mustelidae. The species is sometimes referred to as simply the pine marten. The name "pine marten" ...

and the

Siberian flying squirrel The Siberian flying squirrel (''Pteromys volans'') is an Old World flying squirrel ranging from the Baltic Sea in the west, throughout Northern Asia to the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the east. It is the only species of flying squirrel in Euro ...

Bibliography

For a more complete overview
Centre for Forest Research

Books

* André Desrochers, ''Repenser la conservation de l’environnement'', Québec, Presses de l'Université Laval, 2022, 268 p.

Book chapters

* Rochefort, L., Desrochers, A., Graf, M., Lavoie, C., Poulin, M., Price, J., Strack, M. et Waddington, M. (2011) Northern peatlands. (chap. 9) In Wetland Habitats of North America: Ecology and Conservation Concerns. (Batzer, D.P. et Baldwin, A.H., Eds.) Berkeley, CA, États-Unis, University of California Press * Desrochers, A. (2009) Aménagement des habitats de la faune. (Chap. 18) In Manuel de foresterie, 2e éd. (Ordre des ingénieurs forestiers du Québec, Éds.) Québec, Éditions MultiMondes, p. 771-798 * Desrochers, A. et Belisle, M. (2007) Edge, patch and landscape effects on chickadee movements. (Chap. 15) In Ecology and Behavior of Chickadees and Titmice: an integrated approach. (Otter, K.A., Eds.) New York, US, Oxford University Press, pages 243-261 * Desrochers, A., Otter, K.A., Belisle, M. et Olson, J.R. (2007) Landscape ecology, behavior, and conservation issues. (Chap. Synopsis IV) In Ecology and Behavior of Chickadees and Titmice: an integrated approach. (Otter, K.A., Eds.) New York, US, Oxford University Press, pages 293-298 * Desrochers, A. et van Duinen, G.A. (2006) Peatland fauna. (Chap. 5) In Boreal Peatland Ecosystems. (Wieder, R.K. et Vitt, D.H., Éds.) Berlin, Germany, Springer-Verlag, pages 67–100 * Desrochers, A. (2003) Bridging the gap: Linking individual bird movement and territory establishment rules with patterns of distribution in fragmented forests. (chap. 5) In Animal Behavior and Wildlife Conservation. (Festa-Bianchet, M. et Apollonio, M., Eds.) Washington, DC, US, Island Press, pages 63–76 * Desrochers, A. (2001) Les oiseaux: diversité et répartition. (Chap. 6) In Écologie des tourbières du Québec-Labrador (Payette, S. et Rochefort, L., Éds.) Québec, Canada, Les Presses de l'université Laval, pages 159-173 * Desrochers, A. et Huot, J. (1996) Conséquences des mesures actuelles relatives à la conservation de la faune forestière au Québec. In L'utilisation durable des forêts québécoises: de l'exploitation à la protection. (Cantin, D. et Potvin, C., Eds.) Québec, Canada, Les Presses de l'université Laval, pages 145-153 * Desrochers, A. et Magrath, R.D. (1996) Divorce in the European Blackbird: seeking greener pastures? (Chap. 9) In Partnerships in birds: The study of monogamy. (Black, J.M., Eds.) New York, US, Oxford University Press, pages 177-191 * Desrochers, A., Haddad, S., Savard, J.-P.L. et Calme, S. (1996) Impact de l'exploitation des tourbières sur l'avifaune. In La restauration des tourbières exploitées: le développement d'une stratégie intégrée au Québec. (Rochefort, L. et Quinty, F., Eds.) Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada, université Laval, pages 37–51 * Desrochers, A., Calme, S., Savard, J.-P.L. et Haddad, S. (1996) Les patrons de distribution des oiseaux des tourbières du Québec méridional. In La restauration des tourbières exploitées: le développement d'une stratégie intégrée au Québec. (Rochefort, L. et Quinty, F., Éds.) Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada, université Laval, pages 51–55 * Haddad, S. et Desrochers, A. (1995) Impact de l'exploitation des tourbières sur l'avifaune des sites naturels avoisinants. In La restauration des tourbières exploitées: le développement d'une stratégie intégrée au Québec. (Rochefort, L. et Quinty, F., Eds.) Sainte-Foy, QC, Canada, université Laval, pages 19–23 * Calme, S. et Desrochers, A. (1995) Les patrons de distribution des oiseaux des tourbières du Québec méridional. In La restauration des tourbières exploitées: le développement d'une stratégie intégrée au Québec. (Rochefort, L. et Quinty, F., Eds.) Québec, Canada, université Laval, pages 23–27 * Desrochers, A. (1995) Mésange à tête brune. In Les oiseaux nicheurs du Québec: Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec méridional. (Gauthier, J. et Aubry, Y., Éds.) Montréal, Canada, Association québécoise des groupes d'ornithologues, Société québécoise de protection des oiseaux, Service canadien de la faune, Environnement Canada, pages 738-739 * Desrochers, A. (1995) Mésange à tête noire. In Les oiseaux nicheurs du Québec: Atlas des oiseaux nicheurs du Québec méridional. (Gauthier, J. et Aubry, Y., Éds.) Montréal, Canada, Association québécoise des groupes d'ornithologues, Société québécoise de protection des oiseaux, Service canadien de la faune, Environnement Canada, pages 734-737 * Desrochers, A. et Brodeur, J. (1994) Impact des variations naturelles et artificielles des caractéristiques de tourbières sur les populations d'oiseaux et d'arthropodes. In La restauration des tourbières exploitées: le développement d'une stratégie intégrée au Québec. (Rochefort, L. et Quinty, F., Eds.) Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada, université Laval, pages 15–34

Articles published in proceedings

* Falardeau, G., Savard, J.-P.L. et Desrochers, A. (2000) Strip-cutting: nest success and bird response to strip regrowth. In Ecology and conservation of forest birds. Fredericton, N.B., Canada. (Diamond, A. W. et Nettleship, D. N., Eds.) Society of Canadian Ornithologists, pages 115-125 * Desrochers, A., Lavoie, C., Pellerin, S. et Poulin, M. (2000) Bog conservation: a Canadian perspective. In 11th International Peat Congress. Québec, QC, Canada. (Rochefort, L. et Daigle, J. -Y., Eds.) International Peat Society, p. 1027-1033 * Lavoie, C. et Desrochers, A. (2000) Scientific tools for peatland conservation. In 11th International Peat Congress. Québec, QC, Canada * Desrochers, A., Hannon, S.J., Belisle, M. et St. Clair, C.C. (1999) Movement of songbirds in fragmented forests: Can we "scale up" from behaviour to explain occupancy patterns in the landscape? In Proceedings of the 22nd International Ornithological Congress, Durban. Johannesburg. (Adams, N. J. et Slotow, R. H., Eds.) BirdLife South Africa, pages 2447-2464 * Savard, J.-P.L. et Desrochers, A. (1997) Diversité faunique dans les tourbières du Québec méridional. In Compte rendu du onzième atelier sur la petite faune. Duchesnay, QC, Canada. (Desrosiers, A., Eds.) Gouvernement du Québec, ministère de l'environnement et de la faune, pages 82–92 * Desrochers, A. (1996) Action locale, pensée globale et biodiversité. In L'Être humain, l'animal et l'environnement: dimensions éthiques et juridiques. Montréal, Québec, Canada. (Leroux, T. et Létourneau, L., Éds.) Éditions Thémis, pages 431-437 * Desrochers, A. (1996) Placer les milieux humides dans un contexte écologique régional : le cas des tourbières. In États généraux du paysage. Québec, QC, Canada. (Anonyme, Eds.) Association de corps professionnels québécois, p. 64

Other activities

For several years (2013–2020), he has been vice-president of the

Regroupement QuébecOiseaux The Regroupement QuébecOiseaux Association (formerly the Quebec Association of ornithologists groups) was founded in 1981. This non-profit organization brings together the birdwatchers organizations in Quebec. Its objectives are to "promote the d ...

and a member of its board of directors, an NGO formerly known as "Quebec Association of ornithologists groups", whose aim is to "promote the study of birds and ensure their protection and their habitats" while allowing people to enjoy the field of ornithology in Quebec. He is also responsible for the EPOQ-eBird committee. In the 1990s, he was a member of a group of about ten volunteers who gave birth to the "Fondation pour la protection du patrimoine naturel" for the Quebec City region. One of the main achievements was the creation of the Parc des Hauts-Fonds in

Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures is a city in central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint Lawrence River, adjacent to Quebec City. The town was founded in 1691 by three families (Desroches, Racette, Couture). It was merged with Quebec City on January 1, 2002 ...

. For the past five years (2015–2020), he has been responsible for the Christmas Bird Census in Quebec City. This activity is part of the

Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide pop ...

of the

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

, an old institution over 100 years, sponsored in Canada by

. He is a member of the " Club des ornithologues de Québec" since 1978. In May 2019, he created the Tendances Ornithologiques du Québec website, which went online the following month. For each season, the site presents a summary of bird species observed in each region of Quebec from various amateur ornithologists' clubs. In addition to presenting lectures from time to time, André Desrochers continues to inform the public of his observations of Quebec ornithology through his opinions and analyses by keeping a blog on the eBird Québec portal.

Militancy

Environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, André Desrochers has served for the Union Québécoise pour la Conservation de la nature (now Nature Québec). He was vice-president of the latter organization from 1993 to 1997, and interim president in 1993. He has also presided Stratégies Saint-Laurent in 1993–1994. He has served on a Task Force for Canada's former Environment Minister

Sheila Copps Sheila Maureen Copps (born November 27, 1952) is a former Canadian politician who also served as the sixth deputy prime minister of Canada from November 4, 1993, to April 30, 1996, and June 19, 1996, to June 11, 1997. Her father, Victor Copps, ...

, to help develop what is now Canada's

Species At Risk Act The ''Species at Risk Act'' (SARA) (the ''Act'') is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological D ...

(SARA). In the blogosphere, Desrochers is known for his non-consensual writings. Formerly alarmed by global warming, he has lately become a vocal "lukewarmer", making accusations of attempting to thwart debate on the causes of climate change and the associated policy consequences. A self-described

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

, Desrochers says he actively promotes the use of the

scientific method The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific m ...

and contests the "alarmism" and

misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...

in current environmentalist discourse.« rcinet.ca »
/ref>

References

External links

American Ornithologists' Union

Society of Canadian Ornithologists

Centre for Forest Research

Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG)

Regroupement QuébecOiseaux

ebird Québec
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desrochers, Andre Canadian ecologists Canadian ornithologists Academics from Quebec Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Scientists from Quebec 20th-century Canadian scientists 21st-century Canadian scientists Université Laval alumni Academic staff of Université Laval