• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international, non-governmental organization that provides the World Heritage Committee with technical evaluations of natural heritage properties and, through its worldwide network of specialists, reports on the state of conservation of listed properties. With more than 1000 members, IUCN was established in 1948 and is located in Gland, Switzerland. The IUCN is considered to be the leading authority on the natural environment, providing scientific research and expertise to governments and civic groups.Particularly noteworthy is the IUCN’s Red List of Ecosystems, which assesses the risk of ecosystem collapse.
  • Liette Vasseur is currently deputy chair of the Commission on Ecosystem Management at IUCN. She also is vice-chair for North America and Caribbean Region. She oversees a portfolio of six of the 31 thematic and specialist groups of this Commission and co-leads the one on Biodiversity and Climate Change Policy and Practice. Previously she led the Ecosystem Governance and the Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate change Thematic Groups.Co-Editor in Chief of Botany (journal of the Canadian Science Publishing since 1929).Member of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility committee (2020-present): Canadian Botanical Association (CBA)
• Chair of the IUCN Advisory Committee on Knowledge Management. Appointed by IUCN Council. June 2024—
• UNESCO Global Multistakeholder Advisory Committee for Women and Girls in Science. Appointed by the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences. May 2024 –
• Member of the Advisory Committee of the IUCN Academy. October 2023 –
• Coordinating Lead Author with Cecilia Conte, Chapter 6: Interactions among climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. In Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment: A regional assessment of scientific knowledge and policy options (North America). Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Led by United State Geological Survey, in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Mexico’s La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO). October 2023—
• Nature Canada. Member of the Board of Directors. October 2023 – present.
• National Strategic Advisory Committee of the MEOPAR Strategic Science Fund. December 2023—

Examples of previous implications

As the topic of women has also been a point of focus in her international research, she is involved in some women’s organizations:

• She is the Past-President of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT).
• Member of the Transitional Leadership Committee of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve (2019-2022)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network (the organization managing the UNESCO Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Region) (2022-2024)
• Member of the Science and Stewardship committee of the Niagara Land Trust. (March 2012—2019)
• Associate Editor, Botany (since 1998); Associate Editor in Chief, Journal of Biosafety (since 2011).

Liette Vasseur’s research program is highly interdisciplinary and links issues such as community-based ecosystem management, climate change adaptation and resilience and sustainable agriculture, and rural and coastal communities.

In Canada, it includes impacts of extreme events on ecosystems and coastal communities, use of alternative technologies and climate change in sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem/landscape sustainable development, climate change adaptation and resilience in Niagara rural communities and Canadian coastal communities.

In China, her work is located at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou. It focuses on sustainable agriculture, examining issues such as pest and habitat management, diversification of agroecosystems, genetics of pest and crop species, and alternative technologies.

In Ecuador, the research is being conducted with two universities. With the University of the Amazonian State, Puyo, it pertains to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and climate change. With ESPOCH (Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo), Riobamba, the research targets the rural communities living in the Chimborazo and that are climate change to develop sustainable solutions in agriculture and economic activities as well as contribute to the conservation of the paramos.

Vasseur has produced more than 100 publications and more than 200 presentations as a researcher. Read more here.

• Brock University Distinguished Research and Creative Activity Award, October 12, 2018.
• Nominated for the Michael Plyley Graduate Mentorship Award, Brock University, April 2017.
• UNESCO Chair – Community sustainability: from local to global. April, 2014. (Renewed: 2018).
• Minjian Scholar, Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. January 1^st, 2011 (tenure 3 years), Renewed March 2014 (for 3 years).
• Volunteer Recognition – Southern Gulf of St-Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability. June 15, 2012, Shippagan, NB.
• Recipient of the Latornell Pioneers Award, Ontario Conservation. November 2011.
• The Patricia Roberts-Pichette Award (Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network of Environment Canada; “presented to those who have demonstrated enthusiastic leadership and commitment to advancing ecological monitoring and research in Canada). January 2000.

As part of her role of UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, Liette Vasseur has key leadership positions in two global organizations:

International Union for Conservation of Nature

• Based in Switzerland, the IUCN is considered to be the leading authority on the natural environment, providing scientific research and expertise to governments and civic groups.Vasseur is vice-chair for North America of IUCN’s 14-member steering committee of the Commission for Ecosystem Management. She oversees a portfolio of six of the 30 thematic and specialist groups of this Commission.
  

  Lead of the ecoysystem governance Thematic Group of the Commission on Ecosystem Management.

  Within the ecosystem governance group, she is currently collecting case studies of ecosystem governance in different countries to better understand specific environmental protection measures that can help other communities in the world create their management plans. The group is now doing a survey to gradually develop a more stringent definition of ecosystem governance and its principles.