My Research:

PhD Student - University of British Columbia - School of Community & Regional Planning (SCARP)

In my doctoral research I explore questions around coastal climate adaptation and transboundary water governance along British Columbia’s south-coastal watersheds. It asks:

  • How can participatory, community-led research address the barriers to legal pluralism and the implementation of UNDRIP in water governance and climate decision-making in British Columbia?

  • How can Indigenous-led nature-based and alternative coastal adaptation projects (e.g. living dikes, multi-functional dikes, dam removal, blue-green infrastructure) support riparian habitat restoration and fish?

  • How can ecoacoustics and active listening generate new forms of evidence to support Indigenous laws, coastal resilience and the Rights of Nature movement?

I ask these questions in order to address: Threats to wild salmon and fish | Coastal and watershed adaptation | Watershed health | Transboundary decision-making processes | Regional governance and coordination challenges | Barriers to legal pluralism | Complex system dynamics | Role of ecoacoustics and bioacoustics in transdisciplinary communications | Public education | Legal Rights of Nature

Recent presentations

(June 2023) “Values that shape coastal adaptation” Coastal Zone Canada Conference | Victoria, BC

(October 2023) “The values in your work” Adaptation Futures Conference | Montreal, QC

(October 2022) Earth System Governance Conference, Theme: ‘Governing accelerated transitions: justice, creativity, and power in a transforming world’ | Toronto, ONT

  • (Paper Presentation) ‘Climate planning from a fish's perspective’ for panel discussion on 'People and communities in local environmental governance’ as part of ESG’s Adaptiveness & Reflexivity session conference theme. You can find my abstract here.

  • (Virtual Parallel Panels & Innovative Session) ‘Getting to the root of adaptation: values that shape the built environment’ - This session asked: “What values live in your adaptation research and work?”

(October 2022) National Adaptation Forum | Baltimore, MD

  • (Presenter) Concurrent Session 2 - Trainings - ’Getting to the root of adaptation: values that shape our work’

  • (Workshop presentation & Training) "Putting values in climate adaptation' - Workshop with PICS Researcher-in-Residence, Vanessa Lueck and MRM Student, Tira Okamoto

Key topics of interest: Estuary science, Indigenous-led habitat restoration & coastal planning, fisheries governance, knowledge translation & policy engagement strategies, cumulative effects, ecosystem restoration, legislative frameworks, environmental law, role of art in community planning+++