Dr. Tomek Falkowski, Honors College

Name:

Dr. Tomek Falkowski

Title:

Assistant Professor

Department:

Honors College

Describe your research in about 200 words.

I am an applied ecologist who takes an interdisciplinary lens to study socioecological systems, thereby understanding how we can restore reciprocal relationships between ecological and human communities, for the benefit of both. My research spans diverse landscapes and cultures, from investigating Maya wetland management at Lake Atitlan to studying the carbon dynamics of traditional milpa agroforestry in Chiapas, Mexico. These studies highlight how Indigenous stewardship practices not only enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services but also sustain local communities over generations without degrading the environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, my focus expanded to urban community gardens in New York State, revealing their critical role in providing biophysical and cultural benefits during crises. Recently, my work has shifted again to explore how biochar production can support rural economies and evaluate climate-resilient forest restoration strategies in northern New Mexico. The intention for all this work is to inform policy frameworks that integrate traditional ecological knowledge into ecosystem management strategies, promoting holistic approaches to sustainability that foster cultural diversity and ecological integrity, emphasizing the potential synergies between these two objectives.

What’s the most interesting thing you have learned from a student?

I am always impressed by students’ ecological knowledge they have learned from their families and communities. For example, a Dine student taught me about the myriad gifts and functions sunflowers offer in southwestern agroecosystems, which is a lesson I’ve taken to heart in planning every season’s garden since then.