Co-imagining futures of Canada鈥檚 landscapes in the Anthropocene
We live in the Anthropocene era. Human actions have become the major driving force behind unprecedented environmental challenges, creating delicate complexities and uncertainties about the future of the planet and humanity. Canada鈥檚 critical landscapes are not spared from these challenges, threatening the well-being of human and non-human communities that depend on them for various natural benefits. Thus, our ability to prepare, plan, and reflect for the future has never been as important to ensure that Canada鈥檚 landscapes thrive sustainably and resiliently in the Anthropocene.
This is the challenge being addressed by 不良研究所's research team at the Department of Natural Resource Sciences (NRS), which explores the question: 鈥淲hat are the plausible futures of Canada鈥檚 critical landscapes given emerging challenges in the Anthropocene?鈥�
With professors听Elena Bennett听补苍诲听Gordon Hickey, the team works with other researchers across Canada to lead the creation of 鈥渟torylines of the futures鈥� or 鈥渟cenarios鈥� for several of Canada鈥檚 critical landscapes. This research is part of听, a pan-Canada research network that studies the management, modeling, and monitoring of these landscapes for sustainability and resilience.
Recently, NRS PhD candidate听Elson Ian Nyl Galang and other听research听team members published a听听presenting scenarios for the tidal wetland-dykeland landscape of Canada鈥檚 iconic Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.听This report underscores the importance of more proactive climate action, whether through inter-organizational collaborations or private-sector leadership.听
"We hope that our report can help guide research, policy, and practice to help communities in the Bay of Fundy landscape to prepare and plan for a future that is not only resilient but also equitable to all groups dependent on the landscape," Galang wrote in a new article on the subject.