MEOPAR - Focus on Coastal Risks and Resilience

13:30 - 13:45: From risk knowledge to action: Resiliency efforts from a community of practice Andrea Minano, Coordinator, Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum, MEOPAR Coastal regions in Canada are vulnerable to the impacts of... [ view full abstract ]

13:30 - 13:45:

From risk knowledge to action: Resiliency efforts from a community of practice
Andrea Minano, Coordinator, Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum, MEOPAR

Coastal regions in Canada are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, changes to the intensity of storm surges and eroding coastlines. Over the years, governments in British Columbia and the Maritime provinces have made efforts to identify opportunities for adapting to climate change. For example, in Nova Scotia, municipalities recently completed plans that outline how they intend to adapt to changing climatic conditions. The Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum (CCRF)—a MEOPAR community of practice—was established to support these ongoing efforts by making use of existing knowledge and expertise in the areas of disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, public policy and governance. The purpose of this presentation is to (1) introduce the CCRF and its objectives, (2) present findings from a multi-stakeholder workshop focused on flood risk management. The CCRF recently held a workshop that brought speakers and participants from across sectors and disciplines to discuss policy tools and actions that could be implemented to improve flood risk management in Nova Scotia. Participants discussed the acceptance of various policy tools and considerations that need to be made if such policies are developed and implemented in Nova Scotia.

13:45 - 14:00:
How do we act with the Plans for Adaptation and Resilience? A Coastal and Riverside Area research project in Quebec and Ontario.
Martin Laroche and Steve Plante, UQAR

This project has the objective to better understand the adaptive capacity brought by the Plans for Adaptation and Resilience. It focuses on the social-ecological system structure of the coastal communities of the Saint-Lawrence watershed.

The Plans for Adaptation and Resilience elaborated by communities face challenges being implemented. The research team with their partners identify the winning conditions for community mobilisation and better governance. This research connects the concept of resilience with the capability of adaptation facing environmental and climatic changes. The theory of change is at the center of the conceptual framework of the project, allowing a study of the social-ecological systems. Thus, it gives the opportunity to present a more comprehensive and adaptive evaluation that encompasses the complexities and uncertainties that are part of the different systems. Furthermore, the use of such a conceptual framework and of the concept of resilience provides a chance to study the environmental and climatic changes issues while transcending the debate on vulnerability.

This project will reinforce links between essentials partners involved in rethinking resilience in Canada. Many points have been affecting the resilience capacity of rural communities all around Canada, of which governance stands amongst the most crucial. The dialogue that has been started with the main actors of the current research project offers the opportunity to describe the governance in place. It also allows the evaluation of the factors that are limiting or helping an «adaptive governance.

14:00 - 14:15:
Understanding Canadian Coastal Municipalities’ Capacity of Response to Hazards
Annie Lalancette and Tony Charles, Saint Mary’s University

Coastal communities are facing an increasing range of marine hazards, from rapid disasters, such as floods, tsunamis and oil spills, to longer-term change, such as sea level rise and ocean acidification. They also exhibit particular vulnerabilities due to the economic importance of resource-dependent sectors such as fisheries and tourism and in terms of coastal infrastructure. There is currently momentum in Canada to improve community resilience to hazards, especially in the context of a changing climate. In this presentation, we provide a general overview of Canadian coastal municipalities’ capacity of response to hazards by drawing from a national survey conducted with Canadian coastal communities, together with selected case studies. We begin by contextualizing municipalities’ capacity of response by situating responses to hazards in relation to municipalities’ overall priorities and main economic sectors. We then describe the diversity of responses currently planned and implemented and compare Canadian coastal municipalities’ portfolio of responses with community-based hazard response types derived from a global analysis of published case studies. We also discuss the factors that enable and constrain implementation of responses to hazards in Canadian coastal municipalities. We conclude by suggesting avenues of action that could be further developed in the Canadian context to improve coastal municipalities’ resilience by complementing existing response portfolios.

14:15 - 14:30
Arctic Shipping Trends and Drivers of Change
Kayla Greydanus and Jackie Dawson (with L. Pizzolato, S. Howell and L. Copland)

The Arctic is experiencing sea ice regime shifts in response to climate change. As a result of the primary changes including longer open water periods and thinner year round ice, increased ship traffic, has been observed as a secondary impact. Arctic marine shipping traffic, including both industrial and tourism traffic, has increased by more than 75% between 2005 and 2015. Specifically, the distance travelled by pleasure crafts, fishing vessels, and general cargo increased more substantially than other vessel types. Tanker ships tug and barge activity related to community re-supply and general cargo vessels also increased. This has prompted a need for federal and territorial governance, policy development, and management of marine areas. The Low Impact Shipping Corridors (LISC) co-led by the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service, is the current framework for shipping governance in the region and is being used as a framework for servicing, supporting, and managing ship traffic. The dynamic interactions of multiple drivers including ship technology and infrastructure, national and regional economic development, and the socio-political landscape influencing cultural sovereignty and safety of all participants in Arctic travel are actively curating the development of the LISC.

14:30 - 14:45
Arctic corridors and Northern voices: Governing marine transportation in the Canadian Arctic
Natalie Carter and Jackie Dawson, Environment Society and Policy Group, Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics, University of Ottawa

Ship traffic in the Canadian Arctic nearly tripled between 1990 and 2015. Increased shipping opportunities in the Arctic Canada could be highly advantageous, however there are significant challenges and risks including negative outcomes for local residents, especially Inuit, who use the marine environment for subsistence and livelihoods.

We explored the implications of changing marine traffic from Canadian Inuit and Northerners’ perspectives and documented potential management strategies for Low Impact Shipping Corridors (LISC) - the network of low-impact marine transportation corridors in the Arctic that the Government of Canada is developing as a framework to guide future federal investments to support marine navigation safety in the North. We conducted participatory mapping, and semi-structured group discussions in 11 Northern communities. Analysis focused on maintaining the integrity of respondents’ narratives. Maps were digitized using ArcGIS.

Potential impacts of marine vessels transiting the LISC included disrupted wildlife, local travel routes and harvesting grounds; environmental contamination; increased expenditures; food insecurity; and threats to security. Corridors recommendations included restricted- and no-go zones; preferred routes; areas to avoid; and modified vessel operation (e.g. limited wake, speed, noise). Key locations for charting and oil spill response equipment were identified.

Given community members’ concerns about marine vessel traffic and its implications for the ecology, environment, and Inuit way of life, the perspectives of community members, should be a fundamental consideration during the implementation and management of the Low Impact Shipping Corridors.