Risa Smith is a founding director of the Galiano Conservancy, the volunteer warden of the Galiano Ecological Reserve and current  chair of the Islands Trust Conservancy.  She is an ecologist who currently works on  the protected areas/biodiversity/climate change nexus, producing reports, assessments and issue papers for the World Commission on Protected Areas and other national and international organizations. She has led many ‘state of the environment’ and ‘state of biodiversity and ecosystems’ assessments for provincial and federal governments and international organizations. Risa’s personal interests include ecosystem resilience, natural history, impacts and adaptation to climate change, social justice, gardening, solar energy and kayaking.  Risa is committed to the potential for the Galiano Conservancy Association to have a positive impact on natural history education, restoration of damaged ecosystems, protection of special places and reconciliation with the First Nations of the Gulf Islands area.