Sustainability Scholars Program

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https://hdl.handle.net/1828/16933

This site contains a collection of project reports produced by Scholars from the UVic Sustainability Scholars Program. These emerged from research internships completed by UVic Master’s and PhD students. Projects were defined by community organizations to advance their sustainability priorities. The Sustainability Scholars Program runs from May 1 to August 15 each year. The program is a paid internship that offers professional and applied research experience to Scholars while providing partner organizations access to a diverse pool of graduate students who bring innovative ideas and research expertise to their sustainability challenges.

For more information, visit UVic Sustainability Scholars Program.

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Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Invasive “parrot’s feather” plant species in Somenos Creek: Life cycle, growth, and interaction with yellow pond lily and smartweed
(2024) Simard, Jonathan
This study investigates growth of PF in Somenos Creek, exploring possible explanations for growth distribution, and interaction with other aquatic plants. As such, it looks to investigate these distinct but related questions: 1) What makes PF growth and spread across and along the Creek so effective? 2) What factors explain PF’s presence/absence in certain areas (esp. headwaters versus downstream)? 3) What explains the distribution/interaction of PF’s growth and presence with other aquatic plants? My methodology consists of literature review in aquatic botany, including past empirical research conducted by Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society (SMWS) experts in aquatic biology. The question of presence/absence and interaction with Yellow Pond Lily and Smartweed are explored as part of ongoing discussion and associated water quality fieldwork conducted at Somenos Creek from May-July 2024. As such, this paper offers preliminary conclusions with an intent to guide further research: • As an invasive plant species transported to North America, PF’s growth strategy originally adapted to tropical South America. PF may leverage associated competitive growth strategies in eutrophic North American habitats, like Somenos Creek. • Removal of riparian vegetation for development activities increases sunlight exposure, detrital buildup and leaching, and urban and agricultural run-off, contributing to PF growth by increasing nutrient availability. • The absence of PF growth at the tributary, Richards Creek, despite high Phosphorus, may point to introduction at an intermediate area of Somenos Basin, e.g., Somenos Lake or Somenos Creek. • The disappearance of PF at headwaters of Somenos Creek may be explained by out competition of Yellow Pond Lilies. At intermediate waters, both plants grow separated on either side of the Creek. On the other hand, Smart Weed grows near PF. Noting empirical literature on PF, and fieldwork and study by SMWS, Section 2 outlines PF’s lifecycle, spread, and impact in Somenos Creek. As an invasive plant, PF stops boat travel, causes near-zero water column oxygen levels, threatens fish survival, and limits neighbouring plant growth. Section 3 examines factors explaining PF’s invasion success. Subsection A examines ecosystem characteristics that render Somenos Creek more vulnerable to proliferation of invasive species like PF upon introduction. Subsection B reviews literature in aquatic botany examining PF growth adaptations under varying nutrient and light conditions in fieldwork and lab studies. Subsection C examines interaction between PF and native plant communities, focusing on the role of allelopathy, and competitive growth mechanics of two successful native plants, Yellow Pond Lily, and Smartweed.
Researching fishing gear pollution types, sources, and supply chains in BC coast fisheries to support policy reform proposals
(2024) Akar, Shima
Ghost gear, also known as abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), poses a significant environmental threat both in Canada and globally. This problem encompasses fisher-specific gear, including both the methods—such as nets, lines, traps, and pots and the equipment utilized, such as ropes, buoys, and foam floats, which are often abandoned or lost in marine environments. These abandoned items continue to capture and harm marine life long after being discarded. The initial phase of this project focuses on identifying and categorizing various types of debris collected from clean-up efforts along the BC Coast, using data primarily from 2021 and 2022. This phase involves cleaning the dataset for accuracy, analyzing it to identify the most common debris types and their locations, and providing a foundational understanding of debris distribution. Subsequent phases aim to identify the origins of these debris types by examining fisheries operating along the BC Coast and their gear usage through Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMPs). This analysis establishes a link between the debris found and the responsible fisheries, aiding in the development of targeted mitigation strategies for gear used in British Columbia. The final phase centers on identifying the supply chain of fishing gear, including producers, distributors, and retailers. By mapping out these relationships, the project aims to understand how fishing gear reaches the market and propose measures to mitigate the impact of ghost gear, thereby supporting sustainable marine resource management. The findings will inform policy proposals to foster producer responsibility and promote environmental stewardship.
UVic Green Fleet project
(2024) Mohanty, Akash
The University of Victoria’s fleet is at a pivotal point as management seeks to align with the university's broader climate and sustainability goals. As part of its commitment to the ambitious targets and goals outlined in the Climate and Sustainability Plan CSAP (2030), UVic is exploring the necessary steps to transition their fleet from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs). However, this transition requires accurate and consistent vehicle data collection procedures to adopt a ZEV-targeted approach that recognizes the challenges associated with electrifying special purpose vehicles with high operational demands and the supporting ZEV infrastructure. In 2023, UVic launched the “Sustainability Scholars Program” offering paid internships for graduate students from any discipline, to collaborate with community, government, Indigenous, and not-for-profit partners on professional and applied research projects that advance sustainability. The program focuses on the global challenges of the climate crisis and is grounded in the idea that local action is required to meet those challenges for future generations. The Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability applied as a program sponsor and hired a master’s student to initiate the Green Fleet Project, to help advance UVic’s climate strategy. The project sought to review the current conditions of UVic’s fleet composition and prepare key recommendations for fleet management to electrify their fleet over the short, medium, long-term. Over a four-month period, this project successfully brought together key stakeholders from multiple departments to review the processes and procedures involved in managing the university’s vehicle fleet. The project included extensive field work to verify vehicles and meetings with department supervisors, as well as consultations with Risk Management and Campus Planning and Sustainability to align reporting metrics for insurance and sustainability requirements.
UVic sustainable procurement initiatives: Developing an implementation strategy for supplier code of conduct and EcoVadis Supplier Sustainability Assessments
(2024) Garcia, Juan Carlos
Public post-secondary institutions are driving Sustainable Procurement (SP), given its impact on various stakeholders and partners through direct expenditures, collaboration, and research. In addition, the higher education sector stimulates economic activity in the broader supply chain and has a multiplier effect on the national economy (Filho et al., 2019). From the early objectives of reducing waste and packaging and evaluating suppliers based on their environmental footprint, SP has extended to social issues like modern slavery, child labour, and internal governance. In recent years, including the triple bottom line of profit, people, and planet metric has expanded the understanding and relevance of SP in the sector. In Canada, various higher-educational institutions have adopted more sustainable sourcing strategies that align with university-wide sustainable goals.
Littlewood Forest report
(2024) Britton, Matt
The 17-acre Littlewood Forest stewarded by the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture is a second-growth coastal Douglas-fir forest with a pond, natural springs, and a low-lying wetland complex, all of which have been heavily impacted by invasive species due to decades of neglect. Research for this report included field assessments of the entire forest, which were used to create a compartmentalized map to assist with stewardship of the space, as well as stakeholder interviews and analysis, a review of existing reports and relevant data, and creation of a list of recommended actions for restoration and conservation. While most of the land around the Littlewood Forest was cleared for agricultural use in the 1800s, the area that comprises the forest area was left mostly intact, possibly due to the presence of a swamp and natural springs that occur in that area. In the 1950s, the land was converted into a horse racetrack, which operated until the turn of the century. It was eventually acquired by the District of North Saanich, subdivided, reclaimed through demolition of buildings, and leased to the Sandown Centre to manage restoration activities. Part of the smallest and most threatened biogeoclimatic zone in British Columbia, the forest contains several small, unique ecosystems. Despite threats from invasive species, it has strong biodiversity, with a variety of trees, shrubs, and wildlife. The most significant threats to the forest come from Himalayan blackberry and English ivy, both of which outcompete native plants for resources and diminish the forest’s biodiversity and overall health. Descriptions, locations, and treatment options for each invasive species are presented. The descriptions accompanying the map of six management zones in this report detail species compositions, historical context, conservation concerns, relevant observations, sub-zones with unique characteristics, safety concerns, and physical descriptions of each section of the forest. This is followed by a review of stakeholder feedback that informed the development of four primary (left) and four secondary (right) values to guide and prioritize management actions within Littlewood Forest: ● Recreation (trails, birdwatching) ● Education (native plants/ecosystems) ● Restoration (invasives management) ● Biodiversity (protection/improvement) ● Wildlife (habitat conservation) ● Volunteers (engagement/management) ● Reconciliation (work with First Nations) ● Safety (hazard trees, woody debris) Potential interventions are prioritized through the use of an impact vs. effort matrix and presented by zone to compartmentalize and streamline management options. Due to its complexity and numerous options, a process map for Zone 1 is presented to assist in sequencing actions, followed by a possible action plan for the entire forest. These findings are summarized in a stewardship plan designed for public dissemination. Appendices include a presentation of historical photos of the forest area over the past century along with descriptions of visible changes to the site, a table of interventions/recommendations, and supplementary maps of water features, trails, landmarks, debris, and notable hazards.
Assessing the impacts of nonpoint source pollution in the Cowichan River
(2024) Janke, Liam
The Cowichan Watershed is located on south-central Vancouver island and covers an area of approximately 930 km2, with a mountainous topography achieving a maximum elevation of 1483m and descending to sea level (S. B. Foster & Allen, 2015). The 47 km-long Cowichan River flows out of Cowichan Lake, and east through the municipalities of Lake Cowichan and Duncan before emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Cowichan Bay. The watershed and surrounding area experiences warm, dry summers and mild rainy winters, with hydrology affected by both groundwater and precipitation effects, including snowmelt (S. Foster, 2014; S. B. Foster & Allen, 2015). The river is of great cultural and historical significance, particularity to the people of the Cowichan Tribes who have inhabited the region for thousands of years (Cowichan Tribes, 2024; Government of BC, 2023). It remains for them a vital food source, hosting tens of thousands of spawning chinook, coho, chum, and steelhead salmon each year, and four species of trout. The Cowichan is a designated heritage river, and its estuary is recognized as one of the world’s most biologically important areas for fish and wildlife (CVRD, 2024). In addition to its ecological importance and natural beauty, the river provides recreational value for fishing, swimming, and paddling, and is a major draw for the tourism industry on which the surrounding communities rely heavily on. The history of the river and its strong ties to the people is storied with community efforts to monitor and maintain the water quality of the river.
Haida Gwaii food strategy
(2024) Weder, Julia
Colonial food systems continue to disrupt many people’s relationships with food, land, and each other. Haida Gwaii’s food system is heavily dependent on a ferry to import grocery store products, which is vulnerable to shutdowns and delays due to weather, climate crisis-related events, pandemics, and staff shortages. Prices in stores are very high, and processed food is sometimes the most available option for families. But there is incredible energy around building food independence on Haida Gwaii, and in deepening people’s capacity to feed themselves. Haida people are leaders in the movement towards food sovereignty, and share wisdom about land cultivation, harvesting, and gathering with their communities. Gardeners and growers of all stripes on Haida Gwaii also form an important part of the Islands’ food system. The Haida Gwaii Food Strategy aims to play a part in better understanding Haida Gwaii’s food system, amplifying local knowledge, identifying needs and recommendations, and highlighting pathways for the Islands’ communities to move further down the pathway of food self-reliance.
Working for watersheds
(2024) Jha, Kalpana
WatershedsBC works to strengthen BC’s watershed security by equipping & supporting local people and decision-makers with the knowledge, training, and networks needed to restore and secure watersheds. WatershedsBC is guided by a vision of watershed security and healthy waters, achieved through new approaches to watershed management and governance grounded in community values and local and Indigenous knowledge. The project, Developing a Watershed Workforce in British Columbia: Identifying Effective Programs and Micro-Credentials included two primary components, 1. Identifying microcredentials and 2. Conducting interviews with stakeholders. This research seeks to reorient attention on the workforce requirement in working for watersheds and the economic significance of working for watersheds. It highlights the potential of watersheds to grow as an employer and contribute to the larger economy of the province.
Surveying resistance to extractivism in so-called Canada
(2024) Stuart, Mary
Many communities across so-called Canada are on the front lines of opposing extractive industries. These industries worsen the ecological crises and create pollution harmful to communities. Research for the Frontlines (R4FL) supports communities at the front lines of these environmental and climate justice struggles across the country. R4FL is working to level the playing field by supporting communities and movements opposing extractivism in so-called Canada with research support that is community-led. R4FL staff are busy supporting community and movement-led research and don’t often have time to identify and contact communities and movements that could use support. But in 2024 R4FL would like to start doing targeted outreach to front line folks engaged in resisting specific key extractive projects, to increase the network’s impacts in keeping fossil fuels in the ground. The purpose of this project will be to identify environmental justice struggles occurring across the country (with a focus on instances of communities resisting extractive industries), then conduct an analysis to recommend which struggles R4FL should prioritize. This executive summary provides some background information on the broad issue and the scope of the project, then provides some information on the process, as well as some reflections.
Equity-driven best practices in climate adaptation guide
(2024) Guzman Skotnitsky, Sabrina
The purpose of this guide is to review existing climate adaptation plans to a) identify gaps in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, and b) identify best practices of integrating dimensions of equity in climate adaptions plans at the municipal level. The research questions include: 1. How can equity be effectively embedded in municipal climate adaptation planning and implementation? 2. How can best practices from other jurisdictions be replicated or tailored for the city of Victoria? In this guide, climate adaptation is defined as the process of adjustment to current and anticipated climate change impacts and associated effects to minimize harm to human and natural systems, and capture benefits (IPCC, 2023). Canada’s National Adaptation Plan asserts that adaptation involves everyone, in all sectors of society, “protecting each other and the places we value... ensuring that we are all better able to prevent, prepare, respond, and recover from climate impacts today and in years to come” (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2024, 1). This establishes that although governments at all levels are expected to lead on climate adaptation, it is a whole-of-society responsibility. Climate change vulnerability describes how intensely people, assets and systems are likely to be affected by climate change and is a “function of compounding risks (i.e. conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics) and intersecting axes of social differences (i.e. gender, racial, socioeconomic inequalities) which can coexist and aggravate each other” (Amorim-Maia et al., 2022, 7). There are multiple factors that contribute to vulnerability, including socioeconomic status and geographical location; for example, living near a shoreline where sea level is rising and not having the financial or physical ability to move. In the city of Victoria vulnerable populations include the elderly, those with chronic medical conditions, young children, those who are insufficiently or unhoused, low-income households, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, (BIPOC) and two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals (2SLGBTQ+) (Signer, Formosa and Seal-Jones, 2023, 120). Newcomers to Canada, especially those with English as a second or tertiary language, are also considered vulnerable due to greater barriers in accessing resources and decision-making processes, and other forms of discrimination. Renters, although they are less vulnerable than those who are unhoused, can experience housing precarity and may “have limited resources to control changes to their homes to reduce the impacts of climate change, such as cooling systems, air filtration, and insulation” (Laurent et al., 2022, 7). As 61% of residents in Victoria rent their homes, this is another important factor when considering vulnerability and adaptive capacity (City of Victoria, n.d.) Equitable climate adaptation aims to reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience of everyone, particularly marginalized people who currently have the least capacity to adapt due to lack of resources and exclusion from decision-making processes. This is what is referred to as low adaptive capacity. High adaptive capacity is associated with high resilience, a term that often appears in climate policies, research and discourse, and is often used interchangeably with adaptation (although there are important distinctions). Resilience is multi-layered, and can refer to people (individuals, families, communities), assets (buildings, powerlines, roads, community centres etc.), and systems (natural, economic, social, political etc.). The United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction defines resilience as the ability of people, assets and systems to predict, react, adapt and recover from the effects of climate change. When there is high resilience, they can do so in a timely, efficient and equitable way, that not only preserves basic structures’ conditions and functions, but also restores and enhances them (UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015). This guide is concerned with physical, social and emotional components of climate resilience, ensuring that the burdens and benefits associated with climate change are equitably distributed, and harms are mitigated as much as possible.
Community-engaged care for rare, threatened and endangered species in an urban nature park
(2024) Francescangeli, Sabrina
• Supporting the basic psychological needs of autonomy (i.e., feeling volitional), competence (i.e., feeling skillful) and relatedness (i.e., feeling socially connected) in context of promoting environmentally sustainable actions can help increase motivation to perform such actions. • Need fulfillment can be facilitated through provision of a need-supportive environment/conditions (e.g., providing explanations for why someone would want to engage in a behavior can support autonomy; toleration of failure can support competence; teamwork can support relatedness). • Feeling connected to nature is a crucial first step to caring more about the welfare of the environment, and thus can lead to greater engagement in PEBs. Nature connectedness can be facilitated through nature exposure, participating in stewardship (and other PEBs), and practicing mindfulness. • We must change the way we think so that we may be better able to address challenges, including better serving equity-deserving groups. Some of the ways this could be done is through thinking outside the box, shifting perspectives and worldviews, and the use of pro-environmental communication. • It is necessary to decolonize our thinking. One way this could be done is through Two-Eyed Seeing, which considers the strengths of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing equally in order to determine best solutions in order to sustain the Earth. This method can also help facilitate more meaningful engagement in collaborative settings. • Partnering and outreach with organizations that serve equity-deserving groups as well as Indigenous Knowledge Keepers can help reduce barriers to nature accessibility. Building respectful and trustworthy relationships with equity-deserving groups is essential. • In communicating with someone who does not or cannot be convinced to care about the environment, communication strategies such as message framing may be more effective, as they can be used to appeal to a person’s existing values and attitudes. Message framing works best when they communicate support for basic psychological needs and intrinsic goals. To find out these attitudes, it can be helpful to approach a person with acceptance, openness, and curiosity rather than judgement.

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