The world has entered a period of mass extinctions that must be halted. Dr. Kerr's primary research seeks to discover specific causes for biodiversity decline and degradation of ecosystem function. An integral part of this work involves discovering how the environment affects biodiversity. This approach integrates remote sensing tools, field ecology, and computer-based models and has led to major discoveries around endangered species conservation, climate change impacts on biodiversity, and fundamental determinants of biodiversity for virtually all species. These discoveries have been used to improve conservation activities by resource extraction industries as well as in National Parks, among other areas.