Kyle Manley

My research examines how global change reshapes ecosystems and people as one interconnected system. Climate change, biodiversity loss, altered fire regimes, and urbanization do not affect nature and society separately: they transform coupled social–ecological systems and landscapes, often in ways that are hidden, unmeasured, and externalized onto communities. I use data-driven models and social and remote sensing data to make these impacts visible, tracing how global change alters both ecosystems and the connected social benefits, relationships, and risks.

I approach this through two separate, but complementary lenses. One focuses on non-material and non-market benefits of nature (i.e. cultural ecosystem services such as recreation, sense of place, and cultural identity) and how they are reshaped by disturbance, climate change, and land management. The other examines wildfire behavior, risk, and exposure in an increasingly human-shaped world, including how development patterns, infrastructure, and management decisions influence who is most at risk. Across both, my goal is to illuminate the often-overlooked social and relational dimensions of global change and to inform more just, resilient, and life-supporting futures.