Environment, Resources and Sustainability

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

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Social-Ecological Resilience in Agriculture: Producer Experiences in Central and Northern Costa Rica
(University of Waterloo, 2024-12-10) MacIsaac, Alexandra
The agriculture sector, while essential for human well-being, faces substantial challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. The purpose of this research was to determine how agricultural producers strengthened the social-ecological resilience of their production systems in response to these key challenges. Resilient agricultural systems provide a myriad of social and ecological benefits to communities through essential ecosystem services. Therefore, deepening our understanding on how best to support and enhance resilience among agricultural producers is imperative, while also recognizing that beneficial management strategies are often highly location-specific. Focused on producers in Costa Rica’s Central Valley and Northern Zone, the objectives of this study were to identify the local strategies and practices producers employed to build their social-ecological resilience and examine the barriers that limited their resilience. The final research objective was to contribute to the literature on social-ecological resilience indicators in the context of agriculture using insights from this study. To address these objectives, I conducted semi-structured interviews with crop and livestock producers in Alajuela, San José, and Cartago. Participants were asked questions aimed at uncovering information related to eight resilience indicators. These indicators were: species and varietal diversity, landscape diversity, sustainable resource use, availability and exchange of seeds and livestock, innovation in management practices, local networks and institutions, gender, and autonomy. Findings from this study revealed how producers experienced and perceived aspects of their production systems which have been identified in the literature to influence resilience. These insights can guide future agricultural management practices both in and outside the study area, promoting viable, sustainable, robust, and resilient food systems.
Exploring the Effects of Threat-Based Climate Change Content in Canadian Post-Secondary Environmental Education
(University of Waterloo, 2024-09-26) Collette, Emma
When college students are asked how they feel about climate change, instead of motivation or empowerment, the most common response is fear (Hiser & Lynch, 2021; Galway & Field, 2023). Although this is deeply concerning, it comes as no surprise when you consider the material they are exposed to. Climate change is a growing threat to human life (Santamouris, 2020; Shindell et al., 2020; Silva et al., 2017; Lloyd et al., 2016), and this reality is reflected in the news, on social media, and in the classroom (e.g., CBC, 2023; Canada’s NDP, 2023; Canadian Climate Institute, 2022; Vieyra-Balboa et al., 2024). As of now, researchers don’t know exactly how this threat-based content is affecting students in environmental education programs. However, there is strong evidence that this type of messaging can affect peoples’ behaviours (Burke et al., 2010), including their environmental behaviour (Fritsche & Hafner, 2012; Fritsche et al. 2012). The purpose of my study was to examine the ways that threat-based climate change content affects post-secondary students in environmental studies programs. Two of my primary research objectives were to compare outcomes in 1) students’ environmental identities and 2) students’ actual short-term pro-environmental behaviour. My third objective was to produce findings that could be used to inform approaches to climate change education and contribute to the growing literature on climate change and mortality threats. I did this by presenting student participants with one of three randomly assigned news articles on an online survey platform: a Threat-Based climate change article, an Informational climate change article, or a Control article unrelated to climate change. After students had read their article, I measured their environmental identity and short-term pro-environmental behaviour so that I could compare the outcomes of students from the three conditions. I found that the news articles did not have a significant effect on identity, but that there was a decrease in pro-environmental behaviour for students who read the climate change articles (significant effect for the Informational and marginally significant for the Threat-Based). My study produced several academic contributions, including the application of valuable methodological approaches, as well as guidance for future climate change education research. Based on my findings, I would not recommend Threat-based climate change content as a productive avenue for inspiring pro-environmental behaviour in post-secondary environmental education students. However, I recognize the importance of dispelling the reality of the climate crisis, including the threatening components, and make several recommendations for ways to mitigate the risk of behavioural inhibition when presenting this content. These findings can be used to inform educational climate change content so that educators can be empowered to select approaches that foster wellness and action.
Learning with the Head and the Heart: Exploring Emotional Experiences in Post-Secondary Environmental Education
(University of Waterloo, 2024-09-25) Grant, Beth
In a time of widespread climate change and environmental degradation, ensuring the efficacy of environmental education to inform and empower the next generation to make meaningful change is more important than ever. However, existing approaches to environmental education largely fail to acknowledge or consider the impact of emotions on student learning, well-being and pro-environmental behaviour. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to explore students’ emotional experiences of post-secondary environmental education with the goal of gathering information that could inform curricular and pedagogical recommendations for educators and institutions. My research was guided by three objectives: (1) to capture and articulate a broad range of students’ emotions in association with the post-secondary environmental curriculum and/or pedagogical experience; (2) to determine if and how the emotional experience varies within the environment student population based on educational stage (early undergraduate, late undergraduate, master’s); and (3) to make student-led recommendations to environmental curriculum and pedagogy to address and support students’ emotional experiences. I took a pragmatic, mixed-methods approach to achieve these objectives using online surveys, a participant-driven photo-elicitation activity, and subsequent individual semi-structured interviews. Data were collected from post-secondary students at two Canadian universities and analyzed in R and NVivo. Survey data showed that students experience a broad range of positive and negative emotions in response to the curricular and pedagogical aspects of their environmental degrees. These emotional experiences varied in frequency, intensity, and persistence with anxiety, sadness, happiness, and inspiration being more frequently, intensely, and persistently experienced. Extensive data from photo-elicitation and subsequent interviews revealed a rich tapestry of emotional responses related to specific curricular and pedagogical sources with anxiety, anger, dread, hopefulness, curiosity, and connection being the most frequently discussed by participants. Negative emotions resulted from learning about climate change and environmental issues, a perceived lack of action from parties in power, and environmental inequities, and from a lack of opportunities to meaningfully engage with the material and each other. Positive emotions resulted from learning about environmental success stories and solutions, and the wonder of the natural world, and from creative teaching approaches, engagement opportunities, and a positive focus. To improve the emotional experience of environmental education, students recommended the following measures: welcoming emotions in the learning environment; increasing opportunities for real-world action and application; embracing experiential learning and creative pedagogy; building community; and expanding solutions-oriented content. These student-led recommendations were well supported by existing peer-reviewed literature. My research fills an existing gap in the available literature on student climate emotions and post-secondary EE. While several studies exist at this intersection, my study makes novel contributions in the form of a multi-dimensional measure of emotions in this context, and specific curricular and pedagogical sources of the emotions discussed. My research has the potential to inform curricular and pedagogical recommendations for environmental educators to improve students’ emotional experiences in post-secondary environmental education.
Below the Plains: Navigating Groundwater Depletion in Kansas through Collective Action
(University of Waterloo, 2024-09-20) Michaud, Melanie
In the context of increasing groundwater depletion and the critical need for sustainable water management, my research examines Kansas's transition toward enhanced groundwater conservation through the lens of the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework. This study focuses on the roles of state actors, policy entrepreneurs, local experiments like real-world labs, and the influence of landscape factors (external pressures) and cultural values in driving sustainability transitions. Kansas, facing significant groundwater depletion, provides a compelling case to explore how conservation initiatives, such as LEMAs (Local Enhanced Management Areas), emerged and gained acceptance in a traditionally depletion-oriented agricultural regime. Guided by the research objectives to understand how policy diffusion occurred, how actors changed roles, and the state's involvement in shaping transitions, I employed a qualitative approach. My research uses document analysis, interviews, and case studies of Kansas's Groundwater Management Districts (GMDs) and LEMA policies to investigate the factors driving the adoption of conservation measures. The case of the Sheridan 6 LEMA serves as a pivotal example of a "real-world lab" that influenced the broader adoption of conservation practices across Kansas and the subsequent passage of state legislation mandating groundwater management plans for all GMDs. The findings reveal that real-world labs like Sheridan 6 provided empirical evidence demonstrating that conservation could be achieved without economic harm, which built trust among local stakeholders and influenced the shift from depletion to conservation practices. Landscape factors like groundwater depletion and regulatory threats interacted with cultural values like preserving family legacies and local control, pushing incumbent regime actors to adopt conservation measures. Policy entrepreneurs, including state officials and GMD staff, played a central role in framing conservation in ways that aligned with these cultural values, leveraging political opportunities, and building coalitions that supported policy change. The research also challenges traditional views of the state's passive role in transitions, illustrating how state actors actively created and nurtured niche innovations, such as LEMAs. This research contributes to the MLP literature by addressing gaps related to the role of the state and the uneven impacts of landscape pressures and cultural values on influencing conservation behaviors across the GMDs. By integrating insights from the Kansas case, this study offers broader implications for water management in other regions. It highlights the importance of empowering policy entrepreneurs, leveraging local experiments, and understanding the interaction between landscape pressures and cultural values to drive sustainability transition.
Assessment of soil carbon storage and greenhouse gas emissions in perennial bioenergy crops on low productive agricultural land in southwestern Ontario, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2024-07-22) Osei, Augustine
Low productive agricultural lands with less suitability for annual row crop production have been recommended globally for growing perennial bioenergy crops. This is due to the low input requirement of perennial bioenergy crops and their ability to produce large biomass on low productive agricultural lands as well as rejuvenating these lands for possible future annual row crop production. In addition to eliminating competition with food crops for land occupation, growing perennial bioenergy cops on low productive agricultural lands provides climate change mitigation benefits through soil carbon (C) sequestration and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this dissertation, four studies were conducted to evaluate soil C pools and GHG (N2O and CO2) emissions in unfertilized perennial bioenergy crops of miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus L.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and willow (Salix miyabeana L.) on low productive agricultural land in southern Canada to understand the climate benefit of growing perennial bioenergy crops on low productive agricultural land relative to a natural regrowth vegetation (successional) site. The first study in Chapter 2 quantified the nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in miscanthus, switchgrass, willow, and a successional site over two growing seasons to understand the GHG mitigation benefits of the bioenergy crops compared to the successional site. The static chamber method which consisted of installing two polyvinyl chloride (PVC) chambers (25 cm height, 10 cm radius) to a 10 cm depth in each bioenergy crop replicate and three chambers in the successional site was used to quantify N2O and CO2 emissions in the perennial bioenergy crops and successional site. Gas from each chamber headspace was sampled at time t = 0, 15 and 30 minutes once every two weeks for the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons (May to October). The sampled gas was brought to the laboratory and analyzed on a gas chromatograph for N2O and CO2 in each bioenergy crop and successional site. A repeated measure and univariate ANOVA was used to quantify differences between N2O and CO2 fluxes and cumulative emissions from the bioenergy crops and successional site over the two growing seasons. Mean N2O and CO2 fluxes during the two growing seasons ranged from –0.022 to 0.087 µg N2O-N m–2 hr–1 and 0.010 to 0.266 mg CO2-C m–2 hr–1, respectively. Whereas mean N2O fluxes did not differ (p>0.05) among land use type and between years, mean CO2 fluxes significantly differed (p<0.05) among land use types and between years. The 2-year total cumulative N2O emissions ranged from 93.75 µg N2O-N m–2 to 174.50 µg N2O-N m–2 and was significantly higher (p<0.05) in switchgrass than the successional site. Of the 2-year total cumulative N2O emissions, 51% in the successional site and switchgrass occurred in 2020, while 63% and 69% in willow and miscanthus, respectively, occurred in the same year. The 2-year cumulative CO2 emissions on the other hand ranged from 760.68 mg CO2-C m–2 to 1009.04 mg CO2-C m–2 and was not significantly different (p>0.05) among land use type. Although soil parameters such as temperature and available nitrogen (N), which can provide favorable conditions for CO2 emissions from soil microbial respiration, were significantly higher (p<0.05) in 2020 compared to 2021, the absence of any statistically significant (p>0.05) differences in CO2 emissions between both years suggests that the majority of the emitted CO2 may have been contributed by root respiration rather than soil microbial respiration. This is because root respiration can constitute the majority of CO2 emissions from the soil. Moreover, the overall combined average emissions which ranged from 4.96 Mg CO2-eq ha–1 6-month–1 to 8.18 Mg CO2-eq ha–1 6-month–1 were significantly higher (p<0.05) in switchgrass compared to the successional site. The implication of this is that, unlike miscanthus and willow, converting low productive agricultural land to switchgrass may result in an overall higher emission. This means that the intended benefits of reduced GHG may actually worsen emissions – if what occurs at this experimental scale is true at a global scale with switchgrass cultivation. The objective of the second study (Chapter 3) was to evaluate the impact of repeated soil freeze-thaw on soil C and N cycling and resultant N2O and CO2 emissions in low productive agricultural land under different perennial bioenergy crops and a successional site to understand their GHG mitigation benefits under a changing climate. In this study, a 49-day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to compare the impact of freeze-thaw cycles on N2O and CO2 emissions in miscanthus, switchgrass, and willow to a successional site and to understand the processes controlling the N2O and CO2 emissions in these crops. The results showed that freeze-thaw cycles caused a decline in dissolved organic C (DOC) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentrations but enhanced the dissolved organic N (DON) and nitrate (NO3–). Although freeze-thaw decreased water stable soil aggregates in all the bioenergy crops and successional site, this did not have any statistically significant (p>0.05) impact on N2O and CO2 emissions, suggesting that the N2O and CO2 emitted during the freeze-thaw cycles may have originated mostly from cellular materials released from lysis and death of microbial biomass rather than from soil aggregate disruption. Cumulative N2O emissions measured over the 49-day incubation period ranged from 148 mg N2O-N m–2 to 17 mg N2O-N m–2 and were highest (p<0.05) in miscanthus followed by willow, switchgrass, and successional site. Cumulative CO2 on the other hand was highest (p<0.05) in the successional site than any of the bioenergy crops and ranged from 25,262 mg CO2-C m–2 to 15,403 mg CO2-C m–2 after the 49 days. Higher N2O emissions in the miscanthus and willow than switchgrass and successional site were attributed to accelerated N losses as N2O due to possible changes in soil microbial biomass and structure as influenced by the different crop species. Results from this study point to a potential influence of soil microbial biomass and microbial diversity in regulating C and N cycling in the different bioenergy crop species resulting in the varied responses of these crops to N2O and CO2 emissions during soil freeze-thaw. Hence, reducing soil freezing intensities in perennial bioenergy crops on low-productive agricultural lands may be important for decreasing freeze-thaw-related N2O and CO2 emissions in miscanthus, switchgrass, and willow. This reduction can lead to climate change mitigation benefits under a changing climate scenario, characterized by more frequent soil freeze-thaw events in cold temperate regions where these crops are cultivated. To understand how miscanthus, switchgrass, and willow influence long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and stabilization compared to a successional site, the third study (Chapter 4) evaluated and compared C storage in whole soil and different soil-size fractions in the perennial bioenergy crops to a successional site. The proportion of C contributions from the different perennial bioenergy crops to different soil-sized fractions were also determined. Soil sampled to 30 cm depth from the different bioenergy crops were physically fractionated into macro-sized (250-2000 µm), micro-sized (53-250 µm), and silt + clay (<53 µm) fractions using the dry-sieving method. SOC concentrations and stocks were determined in whole and fractionated soil using an elemental analyzer while the proportion of C contributions from the different perennial bioenergy crops to different soil-sized fractions were determined using the 13C natural abundance technique. Due to the absence of fertilization and potential decreased organic residue input to the soil from lower biomass yield, after 12 years of cultivation, the miscanthus and willow only posted marginal gains in SOC concentrations that were 2.5% higher compared to the baseline SOC concentrations in 2009, with the switchgrass recording 3.7% lower SOC concentrations. Soil organic C stocks ranged from 5686 to 7002 g C m–2 and were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the successional site than switchgrass and willow but not in miscanthus. Of the three bioenergy crops, only the miscanthus maintained SOC stocks comparable to the successional site owing to the ability of unfertilized miscanthus to produce higher biomass on low productive agricultural lands compared to switchgrass and willow. The distribution of soil-sized fractions and SOC in the soil-sized fractions under the perennial bioenergy crops were consistent with the aggregate hierarchy model proposed by Tisdall and Oades (1982) and followed an increasing order of silt + clay < micro- < and macro-sized fractions. Significantly higher (p<0.05) SOC in miscanthus in micro-sized and silt + clay fractions were contained in 20–30 cm depth compared to surface soil layers. These higher micro-sized and silt + clay-associated SOC in miscanthus in deeper soil depths compared to the switchgrass and willow indicates the vital contribution miscanthus could play in long-term C stabilization in deeper soil layers. The ẟ13C signatures of the different soil-sized fractions under the perennial bioenergy crops to 30 cm revealed a higher proportion of C contribution by the crops were contained in the micro-sized fractions compared to macro-sized fractions, indicating their significant contribution to more stabilized C pools with long-term positive impact on climate change mitigation. The objective of the fourth study (Chapter 5) was to use the Century model to predict and compare long-term SOC dynamics in miscanthus, switchgrass, and willow to a successional site and a row crop system to understand the soil C storage potential of the different bioenergy crops over the long-term. The Century model was calibrated using the site-specific soil biophysical characteristics, climate, and land management practices of the study site to predict SOC stocks for 162 years. Average SOC stocks over the 162-year simulation period were highest in miscanthus (8521 g C m–2), followed by the successional site (6877 g C m–2), switchgrass (6480 g C m–2), willow (5448 g C m–2) and lowest in the row crop system (3995 g C m–2). Higher SOC stocks in the miscanthus than the successional site indicates that, despite frequent biomass harvest, perennial bioenergy crops can accumulate higher C in soil over the long-term than when a low productive agricultural land is left to undergo secondary regrowth. This may, however, depend on the crop species, since the miscanthus was the only bioenergy crop that reached pre-cultivation (1911) SOC levels of 8288 g C m–2. Moreover, the perennial bioenergy crops enhanced SOC in the slow fraction, whereas row crops depleted organic C in this fraction. This indicates the vital contribution of perennial bioenergy crops in long-term SOC sequestration and their role in climate change mitigation, especially when grown on low productive agricultural lands.
Multi-scale Patterns of Breeding Habitat Selection in Sandhill Cranes Across Canada’s Eastern Boreal Forest
(University of Waterloo, 2024-06-18) Lee, Kiaunna
The boreal forest of Canada serves as a critical breeding ground for numerous waterbird species, including sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis). As sandhill cranes continue to expand their range in the boreal forest, it becomes increasingly important to identify habitat characteristics essential for breeding sandhill cranes for effective conservation and management. Limited research exists regarding the habitat dynamics of breeding sandhill cranes across this vast and remote landscape, necessitating research to understand spatial drivers of territory selection and habitat use in the boreal forest. Using high-resolution satellite telemetry data, we quantified the effects of land cover and land use on breeding habitat selection of sandhill cranes in the boreal forest of Ontario and Quebec, Canada across different scales: the landscape level (i.e., second order selection, which considers the overall landscape within which territories are established) and within the breeding range (i.e., third order selection, which focuses on specific habitat features selected within these territories). At the second order, or landscape level, sandhill cranes established breeding territories containing greater proportions of cropland, recently disturbed areas (e.g., forest cutblocks and burned areas), and wetlands. Sandhill cranes also selected territories with lower proportions of forest, open habitat, and water. At third order, or within their breeding ranges, sandhill cranes selected cropland, wetlands, recently disturbed areas, open habitat, and water, while avoiding forests and urban areas. Our findings suggest that current levels of anthropogenic disturbance do not negatively affect sandhill crane habitat selection, and that wetlands continue to play a crucial role in breeding habitat selection in the boreal forest. However, further research is required to explore the detailed impacts of forestry operations and the selection of recently disturbed areas on breeding behaviour and nest success in sandhill cranes. Our findings highlight the importance of using multi-scale approaches in habitat selection analyses that consider both broad ecological scales and the specific habitat requirements of individuals at the local scale. By comparing habitat use across both landscape and local scales, we demonstrate how sandhill cranes adapt their breeding habitat selection based on the availability and quality of different habitat types, allowing for robust inferences on the mechanisms that drive patterns of habitat selection both within their breeding territories and across the broader landscape. Collectively, this research contributes to the growing body of literature on breeding habitat selection of sandhill cranes, addressing important questions concerning patterns of habitat selection in response to a gradient of land cover and land uses classes in the boreal forest. Findings from this research can be applied to land management practices and assist managers when making inferences about sandhill crane habitat use in the boreal forest. Overall, this empirical approach can also be applied to a variety of species across diverse landscapes to assess how ecological processes differentiate across spatial scales and can support large-scale conservation efforts that ultimately benefits sandhill crane populations and biodiversity conservation in the boreal forest and beyond.
Indigenous Guardian programs as a model for evaluating traditional land use in post-reclaimed sites
(University of Waterloo, 2024-04-08) Post, Alexandra
This thesis explores Indigenous Guardian programs as a model for monitoring post-reclaimed mine sites in Treaty 8 Territory, Alberta, Canada. As a joint research project between Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN), University of Calgary and University of Waterloo co-researchers, the research goal was to further develop inclusive planning approaches that supported FMFN’s vision for reclamation in their Traditional Territory. Rooted in the Two-Roads Reconciliation & Reclamation Framework, which emphasizes bridging Indigenous Knowledge and Western science, this study investigates the potential of Indigenous Guardian programs to evaluate the ability of reclaimed lands to meet the traditional land use activities of FMFN. The research was guided by principles of participatory action research and wise practices described in the body of knowledge referred to in the literature as Indigenous research methodologies. Co-researchers from FMFN determined the scope, methods, analysis, and framing of this research. This thesis reviews the literature and compares and contrasts the differences between community-based monitoring, Indigenous-led community-based monitoring, and Indigenous Guardian programs as models for monitoring in post-reclaimed sites. This assessment suggests that Indigenous Guardian programs offer a modern model of an Indigenous stewardship ethic that has existed since time immemorial and is a component of the modern expression of inherent rights and cultural revitalization within the communities that establish these programs. Drawing on existing literature on Indigenous-led monitoring and 26 semi-structured interviews conducted with participants across Canada, this study highlights the alignment between Indigenous Guardian programs and the Two-Roads Reconciliation & Reclamation Framework. The findings 1) underscore the significance of recognizing Indigenous rights and knowledge systems in monitoring practices and moving beyond participatory approaches to ecological monitoring; 2) describe the Indigenous Guardian program model approach to setting monitoring and program objectives in their territories; 3) documents some of the benefits of Indigenous Guardian programs, including their role in strengthening capacity in their communities, generating data for decision-makers and supporting cultural resurgence among generations of community members as well as benefiting the broader Canadian public; 4) documents challenges that Indigenous Guardian programs face which are rooted in the legacy and ongoing impact of colonialism. Overall, this thesis contributes to the discourse on Indigenous-led monitoring and offers considerations for FMFN and the oil sands industry regarding Indigenous Guardian programs as a tool to evaluate the ability of reclaimed lands to meet traditional land use needs in Treaty 8 Territory.
Growing Sustainability: Hydroponic Cultivation of Food Sovereignty in Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2024-04-02) Mitchell, Madeline
This research aims to understand attitudes held by communities towards controlled environment agriculture (CEA) as a pathway to building resilient local food systems across Canada, particularly in northern and Indigenous communities. Local controlled environment agriculture projects such as hydroponics and aquaponics are gaining appreciation across Canada as new agriculture techniques for vegetable production, as they offer potential benefits such as reduced emissions from the transport of foods, lower food prices, creation of local jobs, and reduced vulnerabilities to changes in global food markets. Despite early research showing the validity of CEA in reducing food insecurity, there is minimal research showing the sustainability and sociocultural impacts of CEA. Many CEA units in Canada lack community support and are facing challenges in the continuity of programs, despite their potential effectiveness in building capacity and resiliency in the wake of climate change. Through a partnership with Growcer Hydroponics Inc., interviews were conducted with CEA community actors to understand patterns, behaviours, and sentiments related to the governance and culture of CEA and local food systems. A mixed methods approach was used to understand the current perceptions and values held by community members and how these correlate to the success of the farms in addressing communities’ sustainability, food security, and food sovereignty needs. Responses were analyzed through sustainability, food justice, and respectful research frameworks. This research found that the desire for more accessible fresh and healthy foods is the primary motivation for the implementation of CEA in remote communities in Canada. CEA units are well supported if the community members' values include food, nature, relationships, education, equality, culture, and self-reliance. A considerable finding of this study is that although it was previously believed that CEA may have minimal benefits as the foods grown are not socially nor culturally relevant, community members have found ways to connect CEA to cultural and traditional practices and teachings.
Exploring Art as a Communication Interface for Watershed System Resiliency
(University of Waterloo, 2024-03-27) Mason, Adrienne
Art has shown promise as a method of communicating the science and attendant need for watershed restoration work to both practitioners and the public. My thesis is exploratory; it explored whether art can convey concepts of connectivity, capacity, and resiliency as they relate to restoration in small socio-ecological watershed systems in southern Bruce County, Ontario, Canada and to larger hydrological systems in general. Holling’s classic resilience loop was combined with qualitative observations from a beaver wetland complex using Arts Based Research and an interpretative phenomenology methodological framework to prototype an ecological art exhibit. This exhibit was presented ten times to varied and multidisciplinary audiences and informal anonymous feedback was gathered. This ecological art exhibit showed potential to broaden uptake for the methodologies and motivators for restoring connectivity and capacity to increase watershed system resiliency. Hence, the use of art as alternative medium to central textual messaging may have potential to help circumvent communication barriers encountered in ecological restoration.
Volunteer Participation in Ecological Restoration: Motivations, Organizations, and Conviviality
(University of Waterloo, 2024-02-28) Alamenciak, Tim
The state of ecosystems worldwide are increasingly dire. Ecological restoration is a practice that has the potential to remedy ecosystem degradation. Engaging people in ecological restoration can help ensure project success, increase community acceptance and spread the practice of restoration beyond professionals. Research that focuses on volunteer engagement has revealed varying motivations for volunteering and a preference for well-organized projects. That research has seldom examined community-led ecological restoration (i.e. voluntary activities not organized by a non-profit). Despite extensive research into volunteer motivation, there remains little consensus on what motivates people to participate in ecological restoration and, accordingly, no clear guidance for practitioners who seek to appeal to motivations. Similarly, while project organization has been identified as an important characteristic, it is not clear what constitutes a well-organized project. By filling knowledge gaps around community participation in ecological restoration, the science and practice can have a cultural impact as well as an ecological one. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) has a stated goal of creating a culture of restoration. A better understanding of participation can help meet that goal. This dissertation consists of three studies conducted in order to expand knowledge of volunteer participation. First, a systematic map of the literature on volunteer motivation resulted in a typology of the 15 most commonly studied motivations. Second, a survey of volunteers for nature-based non-profits clarifies project organization and its connection to volunteer engagement. Third, a qualitative case study of a community project operationalizes grassroots ecological restoration, specifically exploring the concept of a convivial community tool. Together they reveal the importance of relationships between volunteers and the ability of interconnected groups to overcome barriers to engagement in ecological restoration. Engagement is a core principle of ecological restoration, and volunteering is a central means by which communities become engaged in ecological restoration projects. This chapter addressed the question: What are the motivations to participate in ecological restoration projects? The systematic literature map method was used to answer these questions. The research resulted in a typology of motivations examined by the studies that consists of 15 categories. A network analysis of those categories revealed five core and ten additional motivations that co-occur most in the literature: having a positive environmental impact, acquiring and sharing knowledge, caring for the environment, social interactions and community, and human health and wellbeing. Barriers to volunteering and the demographics of volunteers were also mapped in the literature as they appeared frequently alongside motivations. The five core motivations should be taken as a set of widely studied and well-understood motivations which can inform program design. The systematic map also highlights three major areas for future research: extrinsic motivations, demographics of volunteers who participate in ecological restoration and project organization as a motivation. Project organization is an under-studied but important aspect of motivation to participate in ecological restoration that contributes to long-term engagement in restoration. Early studies on volunteer commitment recognized people are more engaged in well-organized projects, but there is a lack of understanding around what aspects of project organization are tied to volunteer engagement. One framework links performance of community-based initiatives to three aspects: social capital, transformational leadership and organizational capacity. We tested and extended that framework using a survey of volunteers for ecological restoration and conservation projects in Ontario, Canada. Volunteer engagement is a primary goal of many nature organizations. Social capital was most strongly correlated with volunteer engagement. A path analysis of four latent variables resulted in a model that shows transformational leadership (β = 0.37; P < 0.001) and organizational capacity (β = 0.297; P < 0.01) are strongly correlated with social capital, which in turn is correlated with volunteer engagement (β = 0.653; P < 0.01). Practitioners seeking to improve the engagement of their volunteers should emphasize building social capital to enhance volunteer engagement in community-based initiatives. The majority of restoration research focuses on professional practices rather than community-led initiatives. As a result, there is little understanding of how laypeople engage in ecological restoration. Native plant gardening is growing in popularity as a means of addressing the degradation in urban landscapes, but it remains in opposition to the norms of wider society, and particularly the horticultural industry. The Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library is an organization that is trying to change the norm by supporting native plant gardeners with free seeds, advice and a supportive community. We expand and adapt Illich’s ‘convivial community tool’ to ecological restoration through a case study of the seed library. A convivial community tool is an approach to providing a tool (e.g. native seeds) that emphasizes accessibility rather than restricting who can access the tool. Through semi-structured interviews, participants discussed themes including accessibility, community and emergence. By focusing on accessibility, the seed library distinguishes itself from other non-profits with similar missions. This dissertation contributed knowledge on community engagement in ecological restoration, adding to the field’s understanding of volunteer motivations, project organization and grassroots action. Taken together, these papers reveal the importance of relationships to restoration outcome and outline a convivial approach to restoration practice. This research will help practitioners engage more people in ecological restoration, which will ultimately result in increased project success.
Measuring urban edge effects and its impact on restoration potential in Rouge National Urban Park
(University of Waterloo, 2024-02-21) Naval, Redmond
Urban development is a driving force behind habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss in major metropolitan areas. While greenspaces and naturalized areas can provide resources for wildlife, urban areas are organized in such a way that the transition from forest to suburban neighbourhood is abrupt and heavily maintained. This arrangement in conjunction with the intensity of urban activities leaves a limited area to buffer any anthropogenic impacts, negatively affecting species that are unable to adapt. To examine the extent to which urban activities are affecting naturalized areas, a one-sided edge effect study was conducted in Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The purpose of this study was to frame what kinds of restoration plans might be possible given the amount of least impacted area, i.e., interior conditions. Data were collected in the largest accessible forest fragment, with one primary edge being sampled. 13 transects of 500 m length were used, with samples taken at the following distances d from the edge: 0 m, 50 m, 125 m, 250 m, and 500 m. Reference conditions were categorized as those found at d = 500 m. The Shannon Diversity Index and Pielou Evenness Index were used to compare plant species composition and analyzed using a randomized test of edge influence without blocking. The distance of edge influence was not observable, with no distance found to be significantly different from reference conditions. The results may be due to data noise from other nearby edges, primarily a large informal trail network whose presence was not known prior to data collection. Had these additional sources of fragmentation been observed, it would have resulted in smaller sampling fragments with inherently less potential interior habitat. It may also be the result of non-typical urban edge conditions at d = 0 m as it ran parallel to metal fencing and lay beneath a mature canopy. The edge had a sheltered side-canopy in contrast to an expected open forest edge that is exposed to disturbances such as increased light exposure and heavy anthropogenic activity. Additional observations may indicate limited interior conditions in the studied area of RNUP. Though not examined specifically, evidence of anthropogenic impacts was not contained to the defined fragment edges and permeated every area of the park. Given how impacted RNUP appears to be, improvements to ecological integrity seem unlikely unless accompanied by a broader landscape approach. Restoration activities may help reduce further biodiversity loss and bolster other ecosystem services provided by the park. Due to the complexity of potential influencing factors, this research is the beginnings of a foundational framework that sought to better understand priorities and best practices for ecological restoration in major urban areas. Subsequent research is expected to develop a deeper understanding of the drivers behind observed edge conditions.
Understanding island-wide intersectional disaster risk governance: the place of social networks in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
(University of Waterloo, 2024-01-26) Hill, Lowine
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction promotes deliberative, inclusive and bottom-up processes to disaster risk reduction. Further, the growing focus on stakeholder engagement within disaster risk governance approaches provides greater voice to the “governed” within disaster risk policy making process. However, the “governed” are often grouped in generic categories such as “women”, “youth” and “persons with disabilities”, without taking in consideration the intersecting identities and related vulnerabilities of these groups. Further, current policy and practice within disaster risk reduction provides limited situational specificity to governance processes, and specifically the diversity of the actors involved, beyond their essentialized identities. This research sought to generate an intersectional, place-based disaster risk governance framework, develop insights on intersectional governance opportunities (or barriers) through the understanding of trust and social networks, and to foster transferable lessons for similar small islands. Intersectionality theory provides a comprehensive way of understanding and analysing social-ecological characteristics, inequalities and power dynamics within disaster risk governance settings beyond the emphasis on gender and entitlements. This thesis proposes a pivot in disaster risk governance research and practice and aims to understand how social networks influence the development and effectiveness of island-wide, intersectional disaster risk governance in Dominica and Caribbean small islands. The research was framed through three interdependent specific objectives: 1. To develop an integrated framework for the consideration of intersectionality in place-based disaster risk governance in islands (theoretical objective). 2. To reposition disaster risk governance within an island-wide, intersectional approach through the analysis of actor identities within their social networks (empirical objective). 3. To identify intersectional opportunities to strengthen existing governance processes and achieve better disaster risk reduction outcomes (applied objective). Using a mixed methods approach, a number of key insights emerged. First, this research expanded the Disaster Risk Governance theory to highlight the place- and context-based nature of human identities by incorporating elements of intersectionality and place-based thinking (chapter 2). This framework proposed six (6) key principles support inclusive and contextualised actions. These principles were based upon a synthesis of the literature and examples from small islands. This manuscript examined how an intersectional perspective can generate pathways to address the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters beyond the “one size fits all” approaches promoted globally. Second, using an in-depth case study situated on the island of Dominica and focusing on the experience of gender and sexual minorities, this research presented some insights on intersectional disaster governance opportunities (or barriers) through the understanding of trust and marginalisation within social networks (chapter 3). This manuscript undertook a practical reflection formulated through four main themes: (i) navigating identities (ii) victimisation and vulnerability; (iii) the importance of place and scale and (iv) how power defines access and agency. Finally, this research had a wider look at the governance networks and actors, as well as their formal and informal characteristics occurring in Dominica (chapter 4). This manuscript explored the structural and functional elements of disaster risk governance (DRG) networks in Dominica and examined the impact of actors’ identities on information sharing dynamics. Through this analysis, this research reflected on the value of identities in enabling and/or hindering intersectional risk reduction opportunities on the island. The insights emerging from this research have the potential to highlight information sharing patterns, network structural gaps, clusters and key information brokers present within DRG networks. This research marks an initial step toward comprehending how actors’ identities involved in networks can shape social relationships across scales and can further support the examination of disparities within these DRG networks. Here, intersectionality can help in uncovering structural barriers, identifying information bottlenecks, and highlighting disparities in information access, all of which can impact individuals with specific combinations of identities, but more widely whose values and knowledge are represented and shared as well as the scope and scale of their power and agency in supporting risk reduction outcomes.
Private Carbon Credit Initiatives in the Agricultural Sector: Investigating Motivations and Understanding Their Effects
(University of Waterloo, 2023-12-15) Hannay, James A.L.
This thesis project examines the emergence of privately led soil carbon sequestration (SCS) credit programs, specifically for traditional cropping systems, in the agriculture sector in North America. Carbon credits have received renewed attention and legitimacy as a policy response to climate change in the wake of corporate net-zero and sustainability goals, as well as the Paris Climate Agreement’s establishment of a new carbon trading system. The climate-food nexus has become the focus of many international organizations and climate change mitigation initiatives. One proposed mitigation solution is the creation of carbon credit programs in the agricultural sector, particularly for the implementation of new cropping practices for soil carbon sequestration. While some of these carbon credit programs are government-run, most agricultural carbon credit programs are run by private agri-business firms in voluntary carbon markets. Employing a critical political economic theoretical framework, this study examines some of the motivating factors for agribusinesses to engage with private SCS credit initiatives, as well as the consequences that these initiatives have for agricultural practices, the economics of agriculture, and farmers in North America. Utilizing scholarly literature, document analysis, and interviews, this study demonstrates that agribusinesses have three main motivations for engaging with SCS credit initiatives: pre-emptive action and reactive responses to changing regulations; bolstering corporate reputations; and avenues for new profit through SCS initiatives, especially the use of farmer data collected through new digital monitoring technologies. These motivations demonstrate the desire of agribusinesses to shape responses to climate change in their favour, sustaining “business as usual” business practices, thereby maintaining and expanding opportunities for profit. The thesis also shows that private SCS credit initiatives encourage a lock-in of agriculture into industrial farming methods while precluding discussion on substantive change in the agriculture sector. SCS credit initiatives also continue the trend of the economization process that have been prevalent under neoliberal capitalism. By taking a market-based instrument approach to climate change, agribusinesses create new spaces for profit and control of agriculture supply chains. These initiatives also pose justice issues, with farmers likely bearing the cost of pursuing these private carbon credit programs. Lock-in of ecologically harmful farming practices, economization, and subsequent justice issues generated through private SCS credit initiatives create adverse effects for both farmers and the environment.
A pattern language of Celtic traditional music and dance for social, economic, and ecological regeneration
(University of Waterloo, 2023-10-20) Beresford, Anna Theresa
This thesis investigates the potential role of Celtic traditional music and dance (CTMD) cultures in creating more resilient, embedded, and sustainable societies and economies. It does so by synthesising the ideas of the vernacular architect Christopher Alexander and an ecological form of political economy derived from the work of Karl Polanyi. With an empirical emphasis on a historically connected diaspora of the North Atlantic, the study explores the development and place-making potential of CTMD for marginalized communities exposed to the vagaries of global markets. Grounded in distributist economic theory, drawing heavily on Polanyian (‘substantivist’) economics, inspired in-part by anarchist visions of decentralization and sufficiency, the analysis starts from a historical sociological approach to capitalist modernity (Weber, Marx, Elias, Bauman). Challenging the conventional opposition of individualism versus collectivism, both state and market are seen as both interdependent and dependent on an anthropology of autonomous, transacting, ‘billiard-ball individuals’. For the purposes of this dissertation, and with a view to resilient local development, the counterpoint for all permutations of the State-Market is better understood in terms of the Polanyian category of ‘livelihood’. From this perspective, any transition to a sustainable modernity requires the re-emergence of more bottom-up, communitarian, and localized networks of families and place-based communities. Such a partial re-embedding of social and economic life would be predicated upon increased levels of trust and reciprocity, mutual obligation, community engagement, and informal markets and market places. Although the effects of capitalist modernization are sweeping, influencing all areas of life from the structure of whole societies to our very conception of self, there do still exist vestiges of pre-modern, place-based societies. In A Pattern Language, ecological architect, Christopher Alexander, documented the 253 replicable architectural patterns that create gestalt beauty and harmony in buildings. In this investigation, CTMD is explored as a vernacular culture that emerges in the same way, from repeated and nested patterns. A musical style based on the fiddle (but including many instruments such as pipes, accordion, piano, etc.) CTMD grew out of the folk cultures of France, the British Isles, and Northern Europe. In Canada especially, it has had considerable exchange and influence with First Nations and Métis cultures. Starting from this premise, the thesis applies pattern language theory to CTMD cultures and social networks and associations on both sides of the Atlantic. Through 72 interviews with 81 musicians, music teachers and students, parents, festival organizers, persons in economic development and place-marketing, i.e., the wide array of stakeholders in Celtic traditional music and dance cultures, it elucidates the social, political, and economic emergent patterns that are present in thriving CTMD cultures which constitute a ‘pattern language of Celtic traditional music and dance’. On the basis of this analysis it is argued that the application of pattern language theory to CTMD provides a useful framework through which to analyse human networks and to establish a framework for societies with higher numbers of grassroots networks and associations, and in doing so offers a hopeful means for increasing social, economic, and ecological resilience in marginalized areas particularly in the North Atlantic. Furthermore, it argues that this ‘pattern language of Celtic traditional music and dance’ provides a glimpse of what a new, more sustainable, ecologically benign and partially re-embedded modernity might look like as well as a framework by which to nudge society in that direction.
Sustainability-Based Framework Development and Specification for Coal Phase-out Policy: Just Transition and Sustainability Requirements in the Canadian Context
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-28) Ramazzini Salgado Cricenti, Giulia
Following the Paris Agreement and the commitment to the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) by its members, Canada has reinforced the engagement with a decrease of fossil fuel consumption through a federal policy to phase-out coal by 2030. This thesis analyzes the necessary sustainability criteria reliant on socio-ecological and economic aspects to assess national coal phase-out policy with particular attention to the Canadian case. The research discusses the specification of essential sustainability-based criteria for national coal phase-out policy with just transition and sustainability requirements and integrates other specific sustainability criteria, illuminated by the Canadian case study. The proposed sustainability framework for coal phase-out policy instruments brings to light the necessity of an integrative approach, embedding essential issues for sustainable national climate change policy such as equity and just transition principles in alliance with environmental requirements. This research identifies the benefits of an integrative and robust sustainability framework to promote environmental progress and equity for transition processes to a low carbon economy. This thesis work aims to answer three central research questions: Firstly, what specific requirements are needed to ensure a coal phase-out policy is aligned with contributions to sustainability, with particular attention to climate change mitigation and just transition? Secondly, what can be learned from coal phase-out experiences already implemented globally in terms of strategies and tools applied, challenges, barriers, and drivers for coal phase-out? Thirdly, how can the characteristics of the Canadian design and implementation of coal phase-out policy inform the development and specification of a sustainability-based framework for informing national coal phase-out policies? To address these questions, the thesis builds on Gibson et al.'s (2005) sustainability assessment framework and adapts it to coal phase-out policies. The resulting framework comprises five key categories: socio-ecological system integrity and compliance with fundamental climate change mitigation objectives, livelihood sufficiency, affordability, equity, and opportunity, social dialogue, participatory decision-making, and democratic governance, Adaptability, precaution, and monitoring for long-term sustainability, and Governance accountability, inter-jurisdictional collaboration, and government support. The framework is tested through application to the Canadian case study, which not only validates and enhances its criteria but also provides context-specific insights. The study emphasizes multi-level governance, inclusive engagement, transition fuel challenges, community vulnerability, and establishment of governance bodies as crucial aspects in coal phase-out policy. In conclusion, this research contributes a holistic sustainability-based framework for assessing and guiding coal phase-out policies. Its application to the Canadian case underscores its practical value while acknowledging the need for context-specific adaptation. By promoting an integrated approach that encompasses social, economic, and environmental dimensions, the framework offers a pathway towards sustainable and equitable coal phase-out, essential for a low carbon future.
Political movement: The role of grassroots activism on the development of wastewater treatment policy in Victoria, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-22) St Amand, Chloe
The City of Victoria has been discharging untreated sewage into the Pacific Ocean since 1894 (CRD 2017b; Kines 2020; Meissner 2021). On December 15th, 2020, this practice stopped after the opening of the $775 million McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, which now serves the City of Victoria, 13 municipalities, and six First Nations (CRD 2017b; Kines 2020). The process of deciding whether, where, and how to build the plant was the result of decades of intense political debate and the work of dedicated activism, with groups advocating passionately for a diverse set of outcomes. This thesis conducted semi-structured interviews with local activists, non-governmental organization (NGO) actors, politicians, and bureaucrats to address the research question, How did the actions of grassroots activists in Victoria, Canada between 1990 and 2020 affect the decision-making and planning process regarding the Mcloughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant? To address this question, a thematic analysis was conducted, resulting in three themes, which are further contextualized using an analytical framework describing the different forms of power available to actors in a political system. It was found that activists utilize discursive power, or the power to shape ideas through communication. In this case study, activists primarily accomplished this in two ways: through harnessing scientific evidence, and by appealing to emotions. Additionally, activists can achieve direct power over the policymaking process by running for office and becoming elected representatives. Grassroots activism is considered by some to be one of the most efficient ways of encouraging pro-environmental actions (Alisat & Riemer, 2015). This thesis contributes to the understanding of the actions that activists can take in their work and their potential effectiveness, which can allow activists to make more informed decisions on how to allocate their limited resources to have the highest possible impact.
Adaptation for whom? Assessing Environmental Equity within British Columbia’s Climate Change Adaptation Policies
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-20) Huynh, Thy
Climate change is expected to disproportionately affect social groups and geographical regions made vulnerable by persistent social inequalities understood in terms of race, Indigenous status, age, gender, and disability (Anguelovski et al., 2016; BCCDC, 2020; Leonard, 2021; Solecki & Friedman, 2021; Vadeboncoeur, 2016). Globally, research on climate justice has shed light on how adaptation policies disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. In Canada, research has begun to explore adaptation responses to flooding and rising sea levels in New Brunswick (Chouinard et al., 2020), British Columbia (Birchall & Bonnett, 2021; Oulahen et al., 2918) and Quebec (Friesinger & Bernatchez, 2010; Lapointe et al., 2020). However, an explicit analysis of Canadian adaptation policies in terms of environmental justice, including its distributional, procedural, corrective, and social justice dimensions (Kuehn, 2020) is yet to be conducted. Recent climate-driven crises in British Columbia such as wildfires, flash flooding, and collapse of salmon fisheries bring urgency to developing climate adaptation policies and for considering the inequities of climate change. Coastal communities in British Columbia face an unavoidable challenge as sea levels continue rise. With 80% of British Columbia’s population residing within 5km of the coast and near sea level (BCCDC, 2020, pg.71), efficient and holistic adaptation protocols are needed. Through a discursive policy analysis (DPA) and semi-structured interviews (n=15) with key informants, this thesis examined how government climate adaptation strategies and plans for British Columbia’s west coast communities conceptualize and address equity concerns. The findings revealed inconsistent and vague perceptions of environmental equity within adaptation strategies and plans; lack of monitoring of initiatives and efforts being made across government; the fragmenting of adaptation efforts from complementary work; and the lack of awareness of roles and responsibilities within and across jurisdictions. Beyond the urgency for vulnerable groups, addressing equity concerns in adaptation strategies and practices could offer co-benefits in improving the efficiency of broader government operations. This study provides a foundation for future research that explores how multi-level government systems can deepen the conceptualization of environmental equity and prioritize addressing equity concerns within adaptation strategies and plans. The integration of such principles is vital to ensure a just and sustainable response to climate change impacts in British Columbia and beyond.
Exploring the Feasibility of Enhancing Indigenous Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Communities for Sustainable Soybean Production in northern Ontario
(University of Waterloo, 2023-08-31) Boucher, Rachel
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been widely recognized as a promising approach to attain sustainability in the agricultural industry. These fungi have been known to offer numerous benefits to crops and have been commercially employed as inoculants due to their capacity to enhance yields and protect crops from biotic and abiotic stressors. However, it is widely believed that certain conventional agricultural practices, including high fertilization, monocultures, and non-mycorrhizal crops, can cause a decline in the abundance and diversity of AM fungal communities. This, in turn, can lead to a decrease in the transfer of benefits from AM fungi to crops, thereby compromising crop productivity and sustainability. This thesis aimed to investigate the feasibility of enhancing the preexisting indigenous AM fungal communities in the soil to potentially confer additional benefits to soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in rotation after canola (Brassica napus). Since indigenous AM fungi are already adapted to local conditions and possess a more diverse community than the typical commercial inoculants, it was hypothesized that augmenting indigenous AM fungi may serve as a viable substitute for chemical fertilizers. The objective was to evaluate the capacity of indigenous AM fungi to confer additional benefits to crops under varying levels of fertilizer. It was hypothesized the indigenous AM fungi would maintain or improve soybean growth metrics with decreasing levels of fertilizer use to a higher degree when compared to commercial inoculant. This study took place at three field sites in northern Ontario, Canada where it is common to see a canola-soybean crop rotation. Canola, a non-mycorrhizal crop, was first planted in the 2021 field season. Based on the literature, it was assumed that a non-mycorrhizal crop would have a detrimental effect on AM fungi. Concurrently, during this season, sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum × drummondii), a highly mycotrophic plant, was planted in a small adjacent plot with the objective of increasing the abundance of indigenous AM fungi in the soil. Rhizosphere soil from the sorghum-sudangrass plot was subsequently collected and used as indigenous inoculant in the main experiment the following year. In 2022, soybeans were planted where canola had grown previously. This study used a randomized split plot experimental design with fertilizer as the main treatment (at 0, 50, and 100% the recommended rate according to provincial guidelines) and AM fungal inoculant (commercial, indigenous, and no additions) as the subplot treatment with 4 replicates for a total of 36 experimental plots at each site. Root colonization and biomass were assessed at V2 and R2 while apparent harvest index, yield, protein and oil content, and spore counts were assessed after the soybeans reached physiological maturity. Overall, no evidence was found that the treatments (fertilizer and AM fungal inoculant) had a statistically significant effect on AM fungal root colonization, biomass, apparent harvest index, yield, protein content, or oil content of soybeans and the hypothesis was rejected. The findings suggest that the benefits of AM fungi are context dependent. In soils with relatively moderate nutrient content, there may not be a significant advantage to introducing additional AM fungal inputs. Additionally, these results indicate that conventional agricultural practices may not be consistently detrimental to AM fungal inoculum potential. Furthermore, canola and soybean farmers in northern Ontario can direct their resources towards promoting sustainable practices and maintaining soil health, rather than relying on AM fungal inoculants, to overall facilitate a healthy microbial community and increase the robustness of the agroecosystem.
Flooded with terror: Identifying existential threat in water crisis communication and exploring gender bias in the depths of water management
(University of Waterloo, 2023-08-30) Smith, Lauren
The purpose of this dissertation was to advance understanding of gender inequity in water management and the ways in which threatening water communication may contribute to that inequity. Water crises are increasing with climate change and the communication of potentially fatal outcomes are ever-present via media and ongoing catastrophic climate events. While climate scholars have demonstrated that diverse decision-making groups lead to improved environmental and ethical outcomes – outcomes that include effective solutions to water crises – top-level water management in the Global North remains largely homogenously male. I explored this disconnect through the lens of Terror Management Theory (TMT) to identify how life-threatening water crisis communication may influence environmental attitudes and intergroup relations within water decision-making contexts. Terror Management Theory empirically tests the influence of mortality reminders on human behaviour and has identified predictable and replicable ways in which we respond to reminders of our eventual demise (Chapter One). Climate change has been established as a mortality reminder within Terror Management Theory research, as it evokes existential anxieties in those who consider experiencing climate change or its consequences. Water, however, had not previously been tested as a mortality reminder. The research within this dissertation was guided by three interconnected objectives: (1) to determine if threatening water messages evoke mortality salience similarly to typical TMT mortality reminders; (2) to identify how pro-environmental worldviews or identities are influenced by mortality salience and/or life-threatening water reminders; and (3) building on prior objectives, to determine whether judgments about same or different gendered water decision-makers are influenced by mortality salience from a typical and/or water-related mortality reminder. This dissertation followed social psychology methods as developed and applied within Terror Management Theory to identify the psychosocial responses to threatening water reminders (Chapters Two and Three) and the influence of these responses on gender dynamics within water crisis decision-making (Chapter Four). Findings provided confirmation that some framings of water crises evoked mortality anxieties in American and Canadian populations (Chapter Two) and delivered evidence of environmental identity reinforcement following a typical mortality or life-threatening water reminder (Chapter Three). Findings also illustrated that mortality salience influenced appraisal of male and female water managers, and that these appraisals were also influenced by underlying levels of sexism and, potentially, connected gender role stereotypes. In addition to academic contributions from this research, outcomes from this dissertation inform water communication campaigns (e.g., when threatening communications might be motivating for pro-environmental change and when might it not) and for guidance regarding equity efforts, particularly among leadership contexts that are presently male-dominated. Understanding how to develop and implement water crisis solutions is necessary in our changing climate. These solutions require recognizing how to best create and foster diverse, equitable decision-making groups that retain and respect that diversity so all can be meaningfully included.
A Study in the Comparative Viability of Green Roofs Constructed Using Native Accent Species Relative to Green Roofs Using Sedum Accent Species: A First Step Toward the Potential Development of Green Roofs as a Tool for Creating a Transition Zone Between Native and Urban Ecosystems
(University of Waterloo, 2023-08-18) Rodriguez, Matthew
Modern urban development over the last 200 years has led to the construction of cities which create severe issues for native ecology, human health, and the safety of both people and property. Among these issues are the urban heat island effect, flash flooding due to paving of stormwater runoff paths, and urban ecosystems acting as disruptions to surrounding native ecosystems. Green roofs help mitigate flash flooding and the urban heat island effect, and they have the potential to be developed into a tool for integrating urban and native ecology. Because green roofs can have a lifespan of thirty years or more and due the high initial set up cost of a full green roof, this project functions as a proof of concept for a long-term study that might advance the development of such a tool, while minimizing the loss if one or more of the green roof designs is completely non-viable. There were also plans to assess the impact the accent communities had on ecosystem services, however disruption due to Covid-19 restrictions made this impossible. This project found that green roofs planted with a community of experimental native accent species established themselves successfully to the same degree as those planted either with proven native accent species or sedum accent species, and the accent community present had no bearing on the establishment of the sedum groundcover communities, with neither Blocks B or C showing statistically significant change in vegetation coverage year over year that could be attributed to either irrigation treatment or accent community. Furthermore, after one year, neither irrigation treatment nor accent community had a significant impact on the degree of vegetation cover. Based on these results, the green roof designs used in this project are viable enough at least for use in a long-term study to test the ability of the design to actually facilitate the integration of urban and native ecosystems without the risk of early green roof failure.

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