Matt’s research focused on spatial assessments of ecosystem services and biodiversity at the urban fringe. While his graduate research was based out of the University of Arizona,  Matt took the opportunity to study at the University of Queensland  for a portion of the 2009 summer and collaborate with Dr. K. Wilson.

Urban expansion is driving rapid land use change, impacting the capacity of an ecosystem to support  human well being and native species assemblages while incurring social and economic costs as well.  How can urban form conserve ecosystem services  while minimizing the cost of growth?  This question has increasing significance as cities rapidly expand.  In collaboration with Dr. Wilson, Matt was exploring various ways of answering this question while also assessing spatial trade-offs between biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation at the urban fringe.

Associate Researcher, University of Arizona, 2009

Email: mskroch@email.arizona.edu