Postcards from the Field: Nayna Khalatkar

Shell Conservation Intern Nayna Khalatkar

Greetings from Toronto!

My name is Nayna Khalatkar. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Windsor in 2005 and recently finished an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Information Systems from the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS) in Nova Scotia.

I have always wanted to work for NCC because I admire its efforts to protect biodiversity-rich landscapes. Being offered the Shell Conservation Internship just made my day because it is a fantastic opportunity to learn how theoretical knowledge that I learned while at University is being applied to save Canada’s natural masterpieces.

Map of biodiversity values for Canada’s prairie parkland ecoregions

I am the 2006 Biodiversity Information Technician and my position is part of the Science and Conservation Strategies Department at NCC’s National Office. Using ecological data from across Canada and GIS techniques, I’m assisting with biodiversity mapping and ecoregional planning for the entire country. This will enable NCC to identify priority areas for conservation through its Conservation Blueprint program.

One of my tasks is to work with GIS data from the four prairie-parkland ecoregions – Aspen Parkland, Mixed Grasslands, Moist Mixed Grasslands and Cypress Uplands – that are located in the southern halves of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These ecoregions are divided into more than 100 ecodistricts and, using polygon layers representing protected areas and conservation lands, I’m assessing the Conservation Risk Index, which is the ratio of habitat protected to habitat loss, for each ecodistrict. This information can help NCC direct its conservation work where it is most needed.

I hope that being a Shell Conservation Intern is just the beginning of a long relationship with NCC.

Nayna Khalatkar

More 2006 Ontario postcards>>