David Salisbury
This month's Sustainability Champion is David Salisbury, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography and the Environment. David has taught at University of Richmond for 10 years. Read about his research in the Amazon and his experience with human and environmental needs in sustainability in our full interview with him below.
What kind of topics do you research and teach on?
I teach courses that focus on the intersection of environmental studies, global studies, and geography. You could call it international environmental geography. A lot of my classes address sustainability. As far as my research, I concentrate on resource conflict, indigenous people, conservation, and development in the Amazon borderlands, specifically along the border of Brazil and Peru.
How does your experience with the discipline of geography impact the way you view the topics that you research and teach?
Geography is at the heart of all these big social and environmental issues that I encounter in my work. Spatial analysis is vital when thinking about how to solve problems and maximize the potential of the earth as a finite space with increasing pressures and demands on every square centimeter. For me and for my students, we're better equipped to address big challenges if we're able to engage with the world's space, place, and scale.
How have you seen human needs and environmental needs interact over the course of your research?
Human needs and environmental needs are almost always in conflict with one another. Sometimes there may be harmony in a particular space or moment in time, but that's not the situation forever. A good example of this was a time I helped map a proposed national park in the Amazon rainforest. We flew over the treetops in a helicopter and, as I registered points on a gps, I was struck by how little I knew about who might be living under the canopy. That area is a national park now and that impacts the people who want to use the natural resources there. My collaborators and I have also worked helping Indigenous peoples obtain title to their lands. At the moment, the best barrier against deforestation in the Amazon are indigenous territories. Indigenous peoples want to defend and protect their lands. But it's impossible to say how long human interests and environmental priorities will continue to align. Indigenous people also deserve territory regardless of the environmental gains.
How do you collaborate with indigenous peoples when you do research?
I try to listen closely to what indigenous peoples are interested in when I'm doing research, I want to understand their challenges and their goals. Once I get to know them, I may be helpful to them. On one trip, we took part in a climate change workshop involving 75 indigenous participants from Peru. We facilitated a climate change declaration that indigenous representatives presented during the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Do any of your classes connect sustainability topics in Richmond with those you've encountered in South America?
One class I teach takes a field trip into the city to see one of the Civil War monuments along Monument Avenue. The particular monument we visit commemorates a Civil War hero who wrote about appropriating the Amazon for the United States. So while we're there, we have an Amazonian picnic and talk about connections between Richmond and the Amazon.
I've also taken students to do research in South America. We've looked at a lot of different topics, including fisheries, titling, and the impact of roads. It can be a difficult research environment because a lot of locations are very remote, much of the food is new to students, and the climate is different, but some students really thrive.
What is an upcoming class that you’re excited about?
Dr. David Kitchen and I are going to be teaching a senior seminar on energy. We'll take time to look at the benefits and implications of University of Richmond's decision to go solar, along with how solar energy compares with other options available. We also plan to invite different constituencies in to talk about solar from a variety of perspectives, like community owned solar or a large energy company. It's important to us that our students understand all of those different viewpoints. During the class, we'll also visit the future site of Spider Solar in Spotsylvania.
What is one thing you really hope students walk away from your classes with?
Sustainability has impacted my life and I think about it all the time. I hope that when my students leave my classes, they leave with an appreciation for the cultural and biological diversity that's all around us. I also hope they're able to better understand how to creatively and rigorously tackle big challenges like climate change. Sustainability in my life is a big opportunity for personal growth and I want my students to see the world's big challenges as opportunities to lead fulfilling lives actively engaged with real problems.
Thank you David for all you do to support sustainability on campus! Do you know someone who should be showcased as a Sustainability Champion? Let us know at sustainability@richmond.edu.