Resource Library

This project aims to explore the potential opportunities for habitat creation for a living breakwater to be constructed from Biorock, both for biodiversity enhancement and for protecting Iona Island from sea level rise. It also seeks to offer recommendations for the design of a Biorock breakwater to support the specific habitat needs of local species, including fish, shellfish, seagrass and kelp.

Partner: Metro Vancouver
Funder: Metro Vancouver
Keywords: climate adaptation, biodiversity, ecological systems, water, sea level rise, living shoreline

Partner: West Coast Environmental Law
Funder: UBC (Sitka Foundation)
Keywords: food security, food sovereignty, Indigenous food systems, ALR (Agriculture Land Reserve)

This project unpacks failings of currently-dominant (colonial) approaches to cumulative effects assessment and management and explores Indigenous-centric alternatives to support the Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA) in developing an Indigenous-centric cumulative effects framework. One that supports sustainable decision-making for the long-term holistic health of the Fraser River Estuary, in ways that center and empower the laws, ways of knowing, being, doing and valuing of member Nations. Findings are based on integrative literature review and iterative workshops with experts. 
To respect Indigenous knowledge governance the final report is confidential, but the Executive Summary is shared here and includes summaries of key shifts required, recommendations for various actors involved, and areas recommended for future research.

Partner: Salish Sea Indigenous Guardians Association (SSIGA)
Funder: UBC (Sitka Foundation)
Keywords: biodiversity, restoration, conservation

The report explores passive and active technical options to retrofit Strata residential buildings in response to a warming climate. Split heat pumps are found to be the most appropriate to add cooling infrastructure as well as being a lower carbon form of heating. Sources of policy barriers and knowledge gaps are also explored with recommendations that ultimately reduce these barriers.

Partner: UBC Sustainability & Engineering
Funder: BC Hydro
Keyword: green buildings, climate change resiliency

This project maps ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, water quantity and quality), identifies potential new Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory (SEI) polygons, and describes the policy landscape of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Our analyses, including policy implications and recommendations for future research, will inform an updated Natures Without Borders document, which is a conservation strategy often consulted by municipal planners in their decision-making and land use planning.

Partner: Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT)
Funder: UBC
Keywords: biodiversity, ecological systems, water

The overarching aim of this project was to characterize human and environmental health concerns associated with ingredients in skincare products used in healthcare facilities in BC. An inventory containing, for example, ingredient identifiers, ingredient composition, and a health hazard/risk ranking scheme was developed to support a systematic and structured characterization of the health concerns.

Partner: Vancouver Coastal Health
Funder: Vancouver Coastal Health
Keywords: Skincare ingredients, Human and Environmental health concerns

This project aimed to estimate the carbon sequestration, pollution removal, and stormwater attenuation of existing public urban forests of the City of Victoria using the iTree Eco model in anticipation of the potential effects of climate change. It includes recommendations for improving carbon stocks in different species and communities and increase of green structures for stormwater runoff.  It also explore the scope of Lidar data and the iTree Hydro model for stormwater studies.

Partner: Corporation of the City of Victoria
Funder: Corporation of the City of Victoria
Keywords: urban forestry

This research engaged with the residential energy management sector in BC. Indigenous housing societies in BC require the right resources to make their homes energy efficient and net zero. This piece of work aims to contribute to educational capacity-building by exploring training opportunities, from building construction to asset management, and how they can be improved to cater to the needs of Indigenous communities better.

Partner: Aboriginal Housing Management Association
Funder: BC Hydro
Keywords: green buildings, leadership & behaviour change, sustainability in education

These factsheets summarize some of the information compiled during an extensive literature review and technical report prepared for the Tŝilhqot'in National Government. They outline the characteristics, uses of, and challenges associated with biochar. This information was compiled to help inform resource management decisions within the Tŝilhqot'in Territory, and particularly to understand if biochar could be utilized to support and/or increase forestry productivity.

Partner: Tŝilhqot'in National Government (TNG) 
Funder: UBC
Keywords: food systems, forest systems, soil