Riva LabCarleton University

The Riva Lab is part of the Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada).

Led by Dr. Federico Riva, we develop research grounded in landscape ecology and conservation biology, with elements of biodiversity science, macroecology, biogeography, and complexity science.

We pursue solutions to real-world environmental challenges through ethical, rigorous, and collaborative science.

Our research investigates biodiversity change across spatial and temporal scales. We combine field ecology, remote sensing, and statistical models with theory to understand how species distributions, communities of species, and ecosystem functioning respond to human activities at local and landscape scales.

We work across taxa — from plants to animals, and from butterflies to large mammals — using “big data”, including data from participatory science initiatives.

Key areas of work in the lab include area-based conservation solutions to the biodiversity crisis, the study of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes, and the effects of climate change on the abundance and distribution of species.