Human exploitation of earth's ecosystems has impacted the flow of ecological services, many with complex links to human health and well-being. The need to understand and plan for these impacts in an integrative manner is today an imperative. Yet, their integration into the planning process has been largely unsuccessful. In Canada, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) was established to achieve this integration. Yet, despite decades of effort there has been limited progress in practice. Thus, the aim of this research was to contribute new knowledge and insights to the challenge of integrating a broad range of social and ecological concerns into the environmental planning and management process, focussing on pragmatic solutions. A scoping review of the literature revealed key underlying issues affecting integration. These were discussed and contextualized to the CEAA mandated Environmental Assessment (EA) process, and a number of recommendations made for improved integration. The integration challenge was then examined within a spatial context. Two approaches to integrated spatial analyses were investigated. The first approach focussed on available marine spatial social, ecological, economic and protection legislation data analyzing the data both singly to detect statistically significant clustering of high value or high incidence data (hotspots) and collectively to detect areas of agreement (overlaps). The analyses provided a perspective on the spatial distribution of marine social-ecological-economic hotspots. The integration was, however, challenged by the characteristics of the underlying data including differing approaches to data collection and units of measure. The second approach to integrated spatial analysis was based on expert spatial knowledge of the social-ecological system, and was termed expert informed geographic information systems (xGIS). Important social-ecological spaces were similarly detected using xGIS. It was found that xGIS allowed for a broader range of values to be co
Guided by decolonizing methodologies and ecosystem approaches to health, this thesis explores Saik'uz First Nation (SFN) youth perspectives about the connections between land, health and well-being. The project engaged a small group of youth (ages 14-27) in a modified Photovoice project, embedded within a qualitative study. Their experience and photos were discussed through the Indigenous method of sharing circles, guided by two Elders, followed by semi-structured interviews. The research process was developed with a community research advisor designated by the Chief and Council. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged that represented how these SFN youth saw the land, health and well-being as connected and relational. Additionally, the youth described two main drivers of change that were impacting these relationships. The youth and Elders' insights have provided fertile ground for ideas about how to progress ecohealth and First Nations health through the Northern BC landscape. --Leaf ii.
This research sought to explore the seasonal dimensions of food security for people experiencing homelessness in Prince George, BC and the effects of this on their health and well-being. Data were collected using a modified approach to community mapping, a focus group and semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that people have a wide variety of strategies that they employ to access food. There was a strong desire for more culturally appropriate food to be provided through charitable food aid and for participants to become more actively engaged in producing their own food. Physical environments, social environments and relationships were found to influence what food people consumed, and there were important seasonal trends in food availability and accessibility. A holistic approach that can accommodate complexity is necessary to improve food security and health, thus the promotion of Indigenous food systems and Indigenous food sovereignty are seen as important future directions. --Leaf ii.
This study inductively explores the theoretical connections between health promotion and environmental activism. A conceptual framework was developed that illustrates the theoretical connections between these concepts. Deductively, this study responds to a call for quantitative and case study research on the social dimensions of environmental activism and health. An empirical model of collective interest (CI), which has been used to investigate protest behaviours, was adapted to emphasize a health promotion focus and the case study context: the Canadian archipelago, Haida Gwaii, BC, and its communities' opposition towards a controversial petrochemical project, the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project. The adapted version of the CI model was used to statistically analyse survey data using logistic regression techniques that suggested predictors of activism in this context. Together, the conceptual framework and the amended CI model were integrated into an analytical framework to address the research questions and implications for health promotion practice and policy. --Leaf ii.
This research project explores watershed governance approaches in British Columbia in order to assess the implications of the watershed scale for the governance of local water resources. Specifically the research objectives are to: characterize watershed governance approaches in selected communities as exemplified in (though not limited to) recent watershed management planning activities in British Columbia analyze and compare selected examples in terms of governance changes, as well as barriers and enabling factors to watershed governance, and explore the implications of the watershed scale for governance, including its relevance to water governance principles and a conceptual framework. The Cowichan, Kiskatinaw, and Nicola River watersheds were selected for this study, and data gathered through a document review and key informant interviews in each case study watershed. The data were subsequently analyzed using a content analysis approach, and findings presented and discussed in relation to the literature. Major barriers identified in the research include restricted local mandates (for water management) and/or a lack of mechanisms for local collaboration and input into decision-making, as well as funding constraints and access to watershed-specific information. Enabling factors identified included leadership from local governments, community and stakeholder groups, as well as cooperation from stakeholders and the provincial government through resourcing and partnerships. The watershed scale was found to have complicated inhibiting and enabling roles in governance approaches, which are discussed, as are its implications for commonly accepted water governance principles. Additional governance considerations for watershed-based approaches are proposed in relation to a conceptual framework. --Leaf vii.
