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  • Encouraging Master of Sustainability Student Participation in Conferences

    Wednesday, June 09, 2021 | By

    Once per term, the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre offers a travel award to assist Master of Sustainability students who wish to present their research at conferences with expenses, such as conference registration fees. This term, two SSAS students received the award and presented at two different online conferences before they complete their studies.

    Pulkit Garg (second from bottom left row) presents his research at the FOSS Research Colloquium.

    Pulkit Garg presented at Brock University’s Faculty of Social Sciences Research Colloquium in December 2020. His presentation, “Reviewing the Options for the Agricultural Sector to Adapt to Climate Change: Case Study of the Niagara Region, ON” consisted of MRP research he completed in the SSAS program under the supervision of Dr. Liette Vasseur. This was the second conference Pulkit has participated in, with the first being the International Conference on Sustainable Development that was held virtually in New York City in September 2020.

    Pulkit said of his presentation at the colloquium, “I couldn’t have asked for a better learning experience during this pandemic. The colloquium gave me an ideal platform where I could present my findings and lend impetus to my work while learning from other presenters in the process”. He also described “the feeling of pride and honour I experienced in representing my supervisor, the sustainability program and the ecology lab” as a highlight of the experience.

    Jessica Zugic presents her research at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly.

    At the end of April, Jessica Zugic presented her research at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly. The conference took place during the last two weeks of April, with Jessica’s presentation session taking place on April 27th, 2021. Jessica’s presentation about the short-term impacts of a partial harvesting technique on carbon sequestration and growth of a red pine plantation in southern Ontario, was based on thesis research she completed (and successfully defended) under the supervision of Dr. Michael Pisaric. This was Jessica’s fourth conference during her time in the SSAS program.

    Both Jessica and Pulkit mentioned the positive influence the SSAS program had as they prepared for their presentations. Jessica mentioned the weekly emails sent by the SSAS program as being influential in her decision to attend this conference, and added, “The SSAS program has always promoted different conferences and meetings that students could attend, thus encouraging students to present their research and get involved in the academic community”. Pulkit echoed these statements and added “the blend of field projects coupled with course work [in the SSAS program] taught me resilience and the importance of openness to feedback and continuous learning, along with research/analytical capabilities”.

    We are very proud of these students, both of whom will be graduating from the SSAS program in June 2021.

    Categories: Applied Research, Blog, Conferences, SSAS Program

  • Earth Day: Robyn Bourgeois, Acting Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement at Brock

    Wednesday, June 09, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributors: Savannah Stuart and Allison Clark

    On Earth Day especially, we must look to and honor Indigenous People’s traditional knowledge, ways of knowing, and relationship with the land. Indigenous Peoples were the first stewards of this land and far before colonization, they lived sustainably and in harmony with the land and continue to do so. As the climate crisis unfolds, people across the world are attempting to understand what sustainability truly means and how we can shift our societies towards more sustainable ways of living. There is much that can be learned from Indigenous Peoples, and their voices must be lifted and followed. This Earth Day, the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) asked Dr. Robyn Bourgeois, Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement and Associate Professor for the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, to present her work surrounding the intersection of environmental and social justice.

    Preceding Dr. Bourgeois’ talk was a presentation from a group of undergraduate students taking part in a directed readings course. As Applied Health Science students, they focused their course on decolonizing health and cultural safety. The students created an experiential learning experience, where they were able to engage with Indigenous communities and Elders. The students built their own learning objectives and course culture which revolved around the “four R’s”: respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and relationships. These students found that the relationships they formed together and with Elders, enhanced their understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada, while also allowing them to take part in a transformative learning experience.

    Dr. Bourgeois continued the Earth Day event with a presentation on the intersection between violence against the environment and violence against Indigenous women. She began with a welcoming song from the Mi’kmaq Territory in Nova Scotia, which helped create a safe space for the heavy discussion that was to follow. Dr. Bourgeois is a mixed-race Cree woman and a professor within the department of Women and Gender Studies at Brock. She studies Indigenous feminism, violence against Indigenous women and girls, and Indigenous women’s political activism and leadership.

    Using traditional Indigenous knowledge, Dr. Bourgeois described how Indigenous women face dangers associated with colonialism, systemic racism, and sexism. One perspective that may be new to many is how the environment is related to these issues. Meaningfully addressing gender-based violence offers a resilient pathway to solve the genocidal climate change issue we are facing. As Dr. Bourgeois said in her presentation, “people will not respect the land until they respect women”, reminding us that environmental issues and Indigenous issues are very much connected and should be addressed together.

    For decades, people have been requesting investigations into missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The “Highway of Tears”, a remote highway in northern British Columbia, has been the location of many missing and murdered Indigenous women, beginning in the 1970s. This highway is the gateway to much of northern British Columbia’s extractive industries. Only recently, this highway was provided with secure cellphone service. Moreover, those following Indigenous rights and recent pipeline protests may be familiar with red dresses hung throughout sites of proposed developments. These red dresses pay tribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women and act as a reminder that the extraction of natural resources has been associated with increased violence and harm against Indigenous women.

    Social justice issues can transcend boundaries and manifest in both physical and non-physical ways. Dr. Bourgeois explained that colonialism is no exception, and pulling from examples of her own experiences, informed the audience on how harmful conditioned colonial perspectives influence the way in which Indigenous women are treated in society.

    To begin addressing gender-based violence and environmental violence, further awareness and education is needed.  At the end of her presentation, the audience asked Dr. Bourgeois for additional resources to further educate themselves and raise awareness of the issues she discussed. This list will be provided in the coming weeks on our blog and on our social media channels. To watch Dr. Bourgeois’ talk, please click here.

    Categories: Blog, Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Event, SSAS Student Contributor, Uncategorised

  • First Year Reflection

    Wednesday, June 02, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Savannah Stuart

    As our first year in the Master of Sustainability Science and Society program (SSAS) comes to a close, it offers time to reflect. My fellow classmates and I certainly did not envision our first year of graduate school to be amidst a global pandemic. This tumultuous crisis created many changes to our learning and research and presented us with new challenges. It truly tested our abilities to be creative and problem solve, abilities which are necessary to being a sustainability scientist.

    Through it all, there is absolutely no other way that I would have wanted to spend this past year. The program and our professors did a tremendous job of communicating with students and advocating for student’s wellbeing during a difficult time, which I feel much gratitude for. Our classes were rich in content and thought-provoking discussion, and our small class size enabled us to form strong connections and friendships.

    The culture created in each of our classes allowed for open discussion, where each person’s perspective was listened to and valued. This is a truly incredible aspect of this program, and aids student’s learning and absorption of typically heavy and hard to discuss topics such as climate change. Our classes pushed us to challenge our views, integrate new perspectives and ways of knowing, and taught us how to become stronger critical thinkers and communicators.

    My perspective and understanding of sustainability science have grown and expanded throughout this program. I went into this program with the perspective that in transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, disciplines pertained only to academic disciplines. This program has proven to me that I was wrong; transdisciplinary work often takes place across fields in academia, industry, and public sectors, thus proving a practical feature of research and literature in sustainability science. I believe the ESRC demonstrates this beautifully through their community partnerships. By working across academic, industry, and public disciplines, one is ensuring that knowledge transfer is happening at a greater scale and speed, as the research informs practical use on the ground.

    I was able to observe work completed within one of Brock’s community partnerships with the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) through my year-long research assistantship. The research assistantship offered through the SSAS program enriched my academic learning and allowed me to develop transferable skills and gain professional experience. Additionally, I saw the incredible and important work that can be done in sustainability science when academic institutions develop community partnerships.

    Through this program, I now have a greater understanding of the holistic approach that sustainability research offers. In working with my supervisor on my research, I have been reminded to look at the project from multiple lenses and consider the contribution it could make to the research field and beyond. Sustainability science inherently requests this of us, tackling timely and novel global issues, and I am looking forward to continuing my learning experience in the second year of this program.

    Categories: Blog, Program Reflections, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor

  • First Year Experience in the SSAS Program

    Wednesday, May 26, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Jillian Booth

    The end of my first year in the Sustainability Science and Society (SSAS) Program here at Brock University is approaching quickly. It seems like only yesterday I was attending orientation, and, in few weeks, I will be starting my co-op placement (equally as scary). In this blogpost I will be reflecting on my first-year experience as a whole: my experience, what I have learned, and the opportunities I received.

    My first year in the SSAS program exceeded all expectations and hopes I had going into the program. I immediately felt supported by both the faculty and students which was essential for my success during these unprecedented times. Even though we were in an online setting my cohort was able to find new ways to build strong, long-term connections through class discussions, online study hours, virtual trivia games, and yoga sessions. I find myself constantly bragging to my family and friends about how I got to be a part of such an intelligent group of staff and students who all shared the passion of making this world a better place for now and future generations.

    Initially, when I found out that our first year would be online like any other student I was upset, as I would not get the same experiences or opportunities that have previously been available through the program. I was quickly proven wrong as there were multiple opportunities where I met experienced professionals working within the field of sustainability through speaker sessions, workshops, and webinars. I was also able to work with professionals in my area of research through my major research paper, my research assistantship, and even through course projects. From these experiences, I was able to receive direct advice and feedback on how to build a successful career while already building strong network connections with professionals in the field of Sustainability.

    Before starting this program, I hoped that I would learn from multiple disciplines and gain knowledge to help transition to use a more transdisciplinary perspective, as I come from a natural science background. Although, this is an ongoing learning process I was constantly challenged through my course work and class discussions to not only view complex environmental issues through different perspectives my challenge my own. This was achieved not only through the transdisciplinary staff working in the SSAS program but also through the students from public health to natural science to psychology. Where no perspective was thought to be wrong or right but rather essential to determining solutions for a more sustainable future.

    The biggest lesson I have learned so far is to challenge yourself to do new things as the program is a safe place to ask questions and gain feedback. From this, I contributed more in class, constantly asked questions, and was comfortable reaching out to professors for advice and guidance. This confidence also helped to build my professional portfolio as I started to build network connections, take on new roles in volunteer positions, and started applying to present at conferences. These efforts resulted in securing an ideal co-op position that aligns with my career aspirations perfectly and will provide me with transferrable skills that I can use throughout the rest of my professional career. I can’t wait to see what opportunities will arise in my second year for myself and my colleagues.

    Categories: Blog, Program Reflections, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor

  • Master of Sustainability Year-in-Review

    Wednesday, May 19, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Mikellena Nettos

    To sum it up – this program deeply changed my life. I have learned so much and met so many amazing people that inspire me every day. I can truly say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life so far and I know I will take what I have learned and bring it with me for the rest of my life.

    First semester I was enrolled in Environmental Sustainability Education & Foundations of Sustainability. In Environmental Sustainability Education (SSAS 5V80) – I truly learned the effect the environment can have – not only on your mental health – but on your capacity to learn. Dr. Xavier showed us how ESE can induce empathy for nature and for people and I think this will be the way we overcome the climate crisis – empathy. Did you know 20% of the world has empathy? That’s it – and I think it is because of individualism that capitalism pushes onto modern society. To combat the crisis, we must come together and share empathy for people and the planet – put aside our differences and put the earth first. This then led me to creating a group to try and promote a sense of community around sustainable values. I now have 35 people in my community group and 143 followers on my Instagram page where I promote clean-ups, started a sustainable book club, and discuss various topics about sustainability to educate and come together with my followers.

    The second semester was hard and pushed me to my limits. The course load during the pandemic was a lot to balance. From working as an RA, to being enrolled in Project Management (SSAS 5P03) and Climate Change Adaptation (SSAS 5P12) – all while trying to secure a co-op and write my proposal. I had a few breakdowns coupled with COVID-19 isolation – but I never gave up because I love sustainability. It truly has lit my heart on fire. In Dr. Blythe’s Climate Change Adaptation – the conversations I was able to have with my cohort on diverse topics really gave me hope for the future of our planet. Additionally, the book review gave us the opportunity and freedom to study any aspect of sustainability. I chose “All We Can Save” and that book really changed my life. It’s so inspiring but very sad at the same time. It has taught me so much and I truly hope there is a course developed around analyzing it because it is very eye opening to the severity of our climate emergency.

    My research is also something I am very passionate about – and I am so lucky to have Dr. Blythe as my supervisor – she is such an inspiration. I am looking forward to mapping the proximity of environmental hazards and environmental benefits to minority communities in Ontario and Dr. Blythe plans to assist me in knowledge mobilization once my research is complete! This will hopefully influence the government to take environmental racism seriously and protect vulnerable populations. The reason I chose this topic is because I believe we need to protect and elevate everyone if we are to solve the climate crisis and that starts with those who are affected by it the most.

    While the pandemic has definitely caused some stress and our cohort was not able to meet in person – I have still made amazing connections with people I will hopefully continue to share the sustainability space with, and I am so glad that I chose this path. I really want a future career in sustainable community engagement – I want to spread the word of a sustainable future alongside Mother Earth’s allies to sustain a thriving future for everyone on the planet.

     

    Categories: Blog, Program Reflections, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor

  • My Experience in the Master of Sustainability Program 2020-2021

    Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Allison Clark

    I accepted my admissions offer to the Master of Sustainability program in February 2020, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was expecting all courses to be taught in person and was looking forward to building connections with faculty members and students at Brock. After several months of lockdowns, it became apparent that the 2020-2021 academic year would take place virtually. While I understood the importance of working from home during the pandemic, I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to undertake graduate studies in person. Nevertheless, I knew the Master of Sustainability program was the right fit for me, so I began my studies in September 2020.

    From the comfort of my home in Nova Scotia, I spent the past two terms completing courses pertaining to sustainability, science and society. Required courses focused on the foundations of sustainability science, research methods for environmental inquiry, and transdisciplinary research in practice. Through these courses, I was able to better understand the complex social-ecological issues we are faced with as sustainability scientists. As an elective, I enrolled in a directed readings course with my supervisor, Dr. Michael Pisaric. This course allowed me to engage with literature pertaining to my thesis topic, investigating the impacts of climate change on vegetation in the Canadian Arctic. I also audited a climate change adaptation course taught by Dr. Jessica Blythe, where I was able to learn about climate adaptation at the academic, municipal, and corporate levels. Despite these courses being entirely virtual, each of my professors cultivated incredible, open, and engaging learning experiences. Having small class sizes allowed me to build connections with my classmates and professors – both of whom have encouraged and supported me every step of the way.

    As a graduate research assistant, I worked on the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Initiative, a partnership between Brock University and the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC). My co-worker, fellow student, and now friend, Savannah Stuart, was also assigned to this position. Together, Savannah and I focused most of our time developing a Climate Change Readiness Plan for the NPC. We received constant support from our supervisor, Dr. Ryan Plummer, who guided us through the planning process. Through this position, I was able to develop my leadership, communication, teamwork, and qualitative research skills.

    Through my thesis research, I have been able to foster my passion for Arctic ecology and climate change. With the help of Dr. Michael Pisaric, I formulated a successful thesis proposal, which will guide me through my research in the terms to come. My proposed research requires me to complete in-person laboratory analyses, which will be done in the Water and Environment Laboratory at Brock. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, I was not able to work on this aspect of my research during the Fall or Winter terms. Luckily, I was recently approved to work in the laboratory. With this approval, I made the big move from Nova Scotia to Ontario so that I could continue with my research.

    Overall, faculty and staff within the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre have created an incredibly supportive and engaging learning environment, which is no small feat during a pandemic. I have already learned more than I could have ever imagined going into this program. I am eager to continue in the program through my thesis research. In doing so, I have no doubts that I will have support from those within the Sustainability program at Brock.

    Categories: Blog, Program Reflections, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor

  • Master of Sustainability – My First Year

    Wednesday, May 05, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Shannon Ruzgys

    When I imagined going to grad school, I often pictured myself sitting in a small seminar room, having thought provoking discussions with a group of like-minded individuals, making plans to save the world. However, the year 2020 had other plans in store for my grad school experience. With the forced introduction of online school, we were left no choice other than to navigate this unique time in history together.

    When I started school, I felt as if I was being cheated out of a “real” grad school experience and I found myself questioning if I was going to get the same skills and experiences as students who were able to graduate before me. While of course the experiences had to be altered to an online setting, I never felt that I was not receiving a full and quality education. I found myself looking forward to the discussions in our weekly classes, and while we we’re joining from all over the globe, the discussions were enriching, and I still felt connected to the material and my peers. When we finally signed off for our final class of the year, I truly felt connected to my peers and professors, and although we’ve never met in person, I believe that I still managed to make friends for life.

    This program has changed the way I view sustainability but most importantly it has changed the way I think and utilize my knowledge. I have learned how to view problems from multiple perspectives and how to apply research into real world applications. I have learned about the importance of scientific and ancient knowledge. I have learned how to critically evaluate and challenge my baseline assumptions. But most importantly, I have learned to listen and critically evaluate knowledge, accepting that it is completely okay for my opinions to my challenged and changed.

    One thing that has been extremely challenging for so many of us during COVID is feelings of isolation and loneliness. However, while I have not met any of the people involved in the program, we were still able to foster a sense of community and connection in an online space. I am extremely grateful for the faculty, my professors, and of course my peers for going above and beyond in making us feel connected.

    As a thesis student, much of my first year has been dedicated to designing and building the foundations of my research. Through this program I feel that the way in which I look at research has been altered, which has ultimately made me a stronger researcher. I have learned about the importance of connecting research to real world problems as well as the importance of viewing problems from multiple perspectives. This insight has enriched my research immensely and all of the courses that I took we’re directly relevant in enhancing my thinking and skills. Building a research proposal has been a long and difficult process, however I feel that the content and skills that I was learning along the way helped with the entire process. While COVID has made a lot of things harder, I also feel like I was granted freedom to develop my ideas in my own space and on my own timeline, which helped foster my creativity and thinking along the way.

    Overall, while this year is not what I imagined my first year of grad school being, I wouldn’t take anything back and I am extremely grateful for the things I have learned, the experiences I have gained, and the friends I have made.

    Categories: Blog, Program Reflections, SSAS Program, SSAS Student Contributor

  • Partnership for Freshwater Resilience Research Participant Webinar

    Tuesday, April 20, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Jillian Booth

    The Brock-WWF Canada Partnership for Freshwater Resilience held a research participant webinar on Wednesday, April 7th, 2021 to present the results of the social network analysis performed on the flood planning network of the St. John River Basin.

    The research lead, Dr. Julia Baird, introduced the members of the partnership and the work that has been done in the St. John River Basin thus far. The participants were informed that the results presented in this webinar build off the preliminary results previously presented by the partnership during the summit they held this past June 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the webinar was held virtually through a live stream where participants remained anonymous to meet confidentiality requirements.

    The Vice President of Resilient Habitats at WWF-Canada and the co-lead of the partnership, Simon Mitchell, explained the importance of the partnership’s work in building freshwater resilience and stewardship in New Brunswick and across Canada. This highlighted the importance of how knowledge mobilization can improve governance of a watershed and the surrounding community and environment. Social network analysis is useful as it can identify opportunities to collaborate and catalyze thinking into action and how to facilitate this moving forward.

    The student research lead, Bridget McGlynn, presented the results of the study, explaining that social network analyses are used to study how people and organizations are connected and can identify the range and types of connection, in this case in communication, and collaboration. It was explained that understanding these structures can help add and transform decision-making systems to maximize the benefits received. Disclosing that the resulting network structures of the study do not capture the full picture as there were some non-respondents and discrepancies between respondents in terms of perspectives.

    The results from the social network analysis found that there is communication throughout the entire basin, however, municipalities tend to communicate with other government agencies, and similarly, non-government organizations (NGOs) and watershed organizations tend to communicate more with each other than with others. In terms of collaboration throughout the basin, it is often happening within parts of the basin (upper, middle, or lower) with less collaboration between different parts of the basin. Organizations that work across multiple parts of the basin are thus important to whole-basin collaboration. The results from key informant interviews were used to identify key tasks to improve flood planning on a watershed scale. It was found that there is a lot of assessment work, knowledge sharing, and communication, and less application of these efforts through projects on the ground.

    Moving forward, the connection between task engagement and effectiveness will be further analyzed due to the high interest expressed by participants during the webinar. Efforts to improve collaboration in flood planning in the St. John River Basin should focus on sharing the lessons learned between key actors to ensure long-term success. This includes addressing the current disconnects between upper, middle, and lower basin organizations that are further compounded by political boundaries especially between Maine, Quebec, and News Brunswick. Also, collaboration between upriver and down river organizations is needed, considering a good chunk of flooding comes from upriver. In addition, more support is needed for organizations to make stronger connections to the surrounding community through webinars and workshops. The findings from this study can be applied to build resilience across Canada against other climate change impacts, such as the increase in droughts.

    Categories: Blog, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor

  • First-year SSAS Students Present Their Research Proposals

    Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | By

    2020 orientation

    As a truly unprecedented academic year comes to a close, it’s hard to believe that another cohort of SSAS students has successfully completed their first year in the program! With their course requirements now complete, these students will move on to co-op placements and beginning to work on their major research and thesis projects. On March 25th, these students made an important first step in the completion of their research by presenting their research proposals to their colleagues, including fellow cohort members and SSAS Faculty.

    This year’s cohort is taking on a variety of topics related to Sustainability Science, including Income Inequalities and Sustainable Development (Kamran Abbasov), Sustainable Diets (Shannon Ruzgys), Low Impact Development (Edward Anyan, Jillian Booth), Natural Climate Solutions (Gavin Esdale), Environmental Racism (Mikellena Nettos), Vegetation responses to Arctic Climates (Allison Clark), and Place Attachment and Well Being in the COVID-19 pandemic (Savannah Stuart).

    In addition to presenting their research proposals, the students also had the opportunity to answer questions from their fellow cohort members and SSAS faculty relating to their research topics. This was an excellent opportunity – particularly for students in Scheme B who will defend a thesis at the end of their time in the program – for the students to hear other insights on their work and demonstrate their understanding of their research topic. Scheme B student Shannon Ruzgys spoke about this experience, “I spent all year building the foundations of my research on my own and finally being able to share it with my peers and faculty was so rewarding!”

    Following the proposal presentations, Graduate Program Director Dr. Marilyne Jollineau commended the students for their efforts and expressed a keen interest in seeing the results for each individual project. Many of the students echoed this sentiment, including Mikellena Nettos who said, “the presentations were inspiring and uplifting.” Several students also spoke about the concerns they had beginning the program in an entirely online format, and how the process of developing their proposals was rewarding and exciting. Shannon Ruzgys mentioned that the virtual year meant that it was easy to feel “isolated during grad school but being able to gather online and present my research and hear about all the exciting research my peers are doing was such a wonderful experience”. Scheme A student Jillian Booth echoed these thoughts and said, “when I first started the SSAS program, I was nervous to start my MRP. However, my fears were quickly eliminated as I received immediate support from my supervisor in determining a topic that aligns with my research interests and career aspirations”.

    We are very proud of these students and are looking forward to following their research over the next few terms!

    Learn more about the 2020 SSAS Cohort on our website.

    Categories: Blog, SSAS Program

  • The Brock-WWF Partnership for Freshwater Resilience

    Monday, April 05, 2021 | By

    Blog Contributor: Jillian Booth

    The St. John River, the longest in Eastern Canada, flows through a variety of landscapes along its 700 km length with its headwaters located in the province of Quebec and state of Maine and empties into the Bay of Fundy located in the province of New Brunswick (CRI, 2011). It acts as an international boundary between Canada and the USA with a population of approximately 513,000 people that are evenly distributed between rural and urban areas (Plummer et al., 2016). The Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet people, Indigenous to the St. John River valley have named the area Wolastoq or W’aslustuk meaning “beautiful and bountiful river” in the Maliseet language (Currie et al.,2020). The river and its surrounding watershed act as the economic powerhouse for New Brunswick supporting local communities through their agriculture, forestry, fishing, and energy sectors (WWF-Canada, 2020). The basin has been classified as a priority region for the Government of Canada under the Pan-Canadian approach to transforming Species at Risk conservation in Canada, as it is home to multiple species at risk and acts as a nature-based solution to climate change with its ability to store carbon from its high levels of soil carbon and forest biomass (Arabian J et al., 2019).

    In New Brunswick, spring flooding is a common occurrence and every year the entire Wolastoq/St. John River is vulnerable to two types of flooding: ice-jam flooding and open-water flooding (Fraser, 2019). Ice – jam flooding usually occurs in the areas of Edmundston, Grand Fall, Perth-Andover, and the Woodstock from ice chunks getting stuck on something while flowing down the river causing water to build up behind the ice (Fraser, 2019). Whereas open water flooding typically occurs below the Mactquac Dam in the Fredericton, Maugerville, Jemseg, and Saint John areas when the river is overwhelmed by the excess water produced by snowmelt (Fraser, 2019). Recently, a record-setting open-water flood occurred in 2018 that resulted in millions of dollars in property damage specifically in the Fredericton and Saint John regions (Cox, 2021). Increasing water levels destroyed homes, cottages, and businesses displacing 1,600 residents for months in some cases (Fraser, 2019). This flooding reoccurred in the spring of 2019 damaging homes and restricting access to certain communities due to washed-out roads raising local concerns that action needed to be taken to reduce the impacts of flooding (Cox, 2021). 

    The 5-year Brock-WWF Canada partnership for freshwater resilience was initiated in June 2019, designed to better understand how to build resilience in Canada with the increasing threats and climate change impacts on our freshwater resources (Brock University, 2021). The partnership aims to advance our understanding and promote the application of freshwater resilience and stewardship by 1) encouraging the co-creation of knowledge between researchers and practitioners and 2) identifying innovative and evidence-based approaches for management and governance (Brock University, 2019). The partnership’s initial focus is working to address the lack of communication/collaboration among actors involved in flooding planning within the Wolastoq/St. John River basin. This will be achieved not only through research but also through community engagement and events to better inform evidence-based decisions (World Wildlife Fund Canada, 2020). The lessons learned can be applied to efforts across Canada, providing a foundation for evidence-based decisions, promoting opportunities for innovation, and encouraging the use of best practices (Brock University, 2019). 

    References:

    Arabian J., Currie j., and Snider J. (2019).Wildlife Protection Assessment: A national habitat crisis. World Wildlife Fund Canada. Toronto, Canada. https://wwf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/habitat-report-english-web-53019.pdf

    Brock and WWF-Canada partnership to Address Freshwater Challenges. (2020, June 17). World Wildlife Fund Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from Brock and WWF-Canada Partnership to Address Freshwater Challenges – WWF.CA

    Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI). (2011, July). The Saint John River: A State of the Environment Report. University of New Brunswick. St.+John+river+report1-min.pdf (squarespace.com)

    Cox, A. (2021, March 11). New Brunswick launches flood monitoring platform ahead of spring melt. CBC News. New Brunswick launches flood monitoring platform ahead of spring melt | CBC News

    Fraser, E. (2019, March 23). What you need to know about possible flooding in New Brunswick. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-flooding-st-john-river-basin-2018-1.5051577

    Memorandum of Understanding Between World Wildlife Fund Canada and Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Brock University. 2019. May 17th. Brock University. Retrieved March 23, 2020

    Partnership for freshwater resilience. Brock University. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from Partnership for Freshwater Resilience – Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (brocku.ca)

    Plummer, R., Baird, J., Krievins, K., & Mitchell, S. (2016). Improving river health: insights into initiating collaboration in a transboundary river basin. International Journal of River Basin Management, 14(1), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2015.1080717

    Categories: Blog, Innovative Partnership, SSAS Student Contributor

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