Sustainability Science and Society MRP
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Students currently enrolled in the Sustainability Science and Society graduate program here at Brock University will be required to submit an electronic copy of their final Major Research Paper to this repository as part of graduation requirements.
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Once your MRP has been accepted in the Repository you will receive an email confirmation along with a link to your workRecent Submissions
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Ethical Guidelines for Animals in Tourism, A Belmont Report AdaptationEthical guidelines have long been instrumental in ensuring responsible human behavior, particularly in protecting participants involved in research. The Belmont Report, a foundational document in human research ethics, outlines three key principles: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. However, ethical considerations for animals, especially in tourism, remain underdeveloped despite growing concerns over animal welfare. This study explores the potential for adapting the Belmont Report’s principles to create a set of ethical guidelines applicable to animals in tourism. Through a Delphi study, expert scholars in animal-based tourism provide feedback on these adapted principles. The research addresses the increasing demand for ethical oversight in animal-based tourism, where animals are often used in entertainment with limited regulatory standards. By integrating these modified principles into tourism practices, this study seeks to fill a critical gap in both academic literature and practical applications. The resulting guidelines aim to establish a universal ethical framework that promotes responsible and humane treatment of animals in tourism, while also enhancing tourists’ awareness and enabling informed decision-making. This research not only contributes to advancing animal welfare but also supports the development of policies and practices that foster sustainable and ethical tourism operations.
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Climate Change Vulnerability Analysis: A Case Study of the Town of Lincoln, Ontarion, CanadaUsing a mixed-methods approach, this study examines the Town of Lincoln's vulnerability to climate change. Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity are evaluated from 2019 to 2022 using quantitative indicators and qualitative insights. The Town's vulnerability index increased from 0.413 to 0.523, according to the quantitative analysis. Notable increases in exposure (from 0.084 to 0.12) and sensitivity (from 0.164 to 0.181) also indicated an increased risk from extreme weather occurrences. Despite this, there is an improvement in adaptive ability, however, not enough to counteract the increasing vulnerabilities. Qualitative data from community surveys emphasize the need for increased community participation and infrastructure resilience by highlighting how the local community views the effects of climate change and the efficacy of current adaption methods. The study's conclusions highlight the urgent need to strengthen the Town’s resilience through focused adaptation initiatives and the need for an integrated strategy that incorporates empirical data and community insights. The present study provides significant contributions to the knowledge of the dynamics of climate vulnerability. It also provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and resolving the issues that the Town is facing. It serves as a foundation for strategic planning and informed decision-making with the goal of enhancing the community's resistance to potential climate hazards.
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Strategies for Enhancing Community Science: A Sustainability Science NarrativeCollaboration is essential to addressing contemporary environmental challenges. Community science offers a unique opportunity to unite academics, practitioners, and the public in fostering environmental stewardship. Currently, environmental practitioners are seeking to maximize community science outcomes. This research study synthesized existing literature on community science to heighten awareness about initiatives and offer recommendation strategies towards enhancing outcomes. Collaboration with the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Initiative, a partnership between Brock University and Niagara Parks Commission, helped inform the research questions and areas of interest that guided this study in community science. These areas included connections to nature, engagement, environmental education, environmental protection, and organizational capacity, collectively called the dimensions of community science. A content analysis revealed 16 strategies to enhance these dimensions. Connecting individuals to nature in community science was lacking in discussion and should be explored in future research. Overall, this study provides strong examples of strategies that may enhance community science outcomes.
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Spotting Potential Threats: A Tool to Inform the Proactive Management of Invasive Insects on a Regional ScaleInvasive insects present a complex modern global crisis with the potential to have dire consequences. Proactive management is considered the most effective management approach, but conservation managers often face many barriers to engagement. This study introduces a tool for managers to identify invasive insects that hold the potential to expand their range northwards on a regional scale. The tool utilizes community science, horizon scanning, and a mixture of peer-reviewed and grey literature. It is applied using a case study on the potential for Lycorma delicatula, the spotted lanternfly (SLF), to spread to the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The findings affirm that the SLF demonstrates an ability to spread to the Niagara Region due to the proximity of recently established populations, the warming effects of climate change, and viable invasion pathways. The tool demonstrates the potential to be used by managers to identify other range-expanding insects and inform proactive management.
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A Flood Tale of Two Cities: St. Catharines and London, ONThe world's growing state of climate change has caused natural disasters to increase significantly. Flood disasters have risen in Ontario and require municipalities to implement flood-resilient measures to create a safer environment for their residents. This research follows a mixed methods approach to compare flood resiliency and determine if the Government of Ontario’s Five Flood Resilience Priorities are being implemented in St. Catharines and London. Four findings are highlighted: firstly, neither municipality satisfies the five flood resiliency priorities the provincial government set out. Secondly, St. Catharines is more vulnerable to flood disasters. Thirdly, London’s basement flooding program is executed exceptionally well compared to St. Catharine’s. The latter needs many improvements to create a more flood-resilient community. Lastly, homeowners in each municipality have varying perspectives on where responsibility for flooding lies. These findings show that, while both cities need to work towards improving their flood resiliency, St. Catharines needs additional improvements.
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Understanding the Dimensions of Climate Change MisinformationClimate change misinformation (CCM) is emerging as one of the most pressing barriers to climate action. Referring to false or inaccurate information about climate change, CCM threatens to cast confusion on both the severity and existence of climate change. As CCM has permeated into mainstream news and social media platforms, it can now reach larger audiences and decrease support for climate change mitigation practices and policies. To combat CCM effectively, more work is needed to understand it as one unified concept. This major research paper focuses on filling this gap by identifying the dimensions of CCM through an inductive content analysis of peer-reviewed literature. Utilizing an inductive approach, five overall dimensions of CCM were synthesized: attributes, psychology, politics, disinformation, and responses. These dimensions establish the necessary foundation to understand CCM as one concept, increase global resiliency to CCM, and develop strategies that focus on eliminating CCM in the future.
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The Risk of Greenwashing in Corporate Social Responsibility CommunicationsThere is a growing expectation from consumers that companies recognize the environmental impact of their businesses and engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. While the demand for CSR has increased, so has the prevalence of greenwashing, which has caused consumers to be more skeptical about a company’s motives when CSR is promoted. Marketing practitioners are faced with the challenge of balancing the demand for corporate responsibility with the skepticism of greenwashing. This study consists of a survey of 22 marketing practitioners in Canada to explore their experiences when developing CSR-related communications and how they establish trust with audiences to reduce the perception of greenwashing. The results illustrate that practitioners manage the risk of greenwashing by developing messages that do not self-promote, showcasing concrete action and evidence to support claims, relying on positive marketing appeals such as pride and compassion, and tailoring messages based on the audience and industry a company belongs to.
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Exploring Collaborative Frameworks to Assess and Monitor Conservation Outcomes of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs)Within Canada, active strives are being made to achieve Canada’s Target 1 conservation goal. The creation of area-based conservation methods such as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), provide the means to achieve these goals. However, the current screening tools used to identify and monitor OECMs and IPCAs heavily reflect exclusively western science, thereby creating barriers for Indigenous nations. This research uses the collaborative framework of Two- Eyed Seeing to identify potential criteria indicators that are inclusive of Indigenous traditional knowledge to assess the governance systems, cultural and spiritual outcomes, and conservation outcomes of IPCAs. A rapid literature review was conducted to analyze the current screening metrics used by the Canadian government which revealed the potential for criteria for monitoring metrics. This paper highlights the need for place-based conservation management, co-governance models and wellness indicators in current monitoring tools for OECMs and IPCAs.
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Evaluating Public Participation in Canadian Municipal Climate Change Adaptation PlansThis research employs a qualitative content analysis to evaluate public participation in municipal climate adaptation plans in Canada. I conducted quantitative scoring and qualitative coding based on the assessment framework adapted from Uittenbroek et al. (2019). The framework highlights three dimensions of public participation: (a) Who participates, (b) When, and (c) How. This study highlights four key findings. First, the majority of plans do not engage with a wide range of community stakeholders, suggesting that the complete representation of community interests is not being included. Second, participation is occurring throughout the planning process in half of the plans, demonstrating a need to increase the number of opportunities for participation. Third, plans were inconsistent in clearly articulating whether participation influenced decision-making in plan development. Finally, plans are inconsistent in their application of the quantity and variety of participation mechanisms. These findings offer insight into public participation in Canadian municipal adaptation planning.
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Assessment of Water Resilience Principles in Water Policies and Plans: Niagara RegionThe growing pressures on urban water services has created implications for managing and governing water sustainably affecting the resilience of social-ecological systems. Water governance resilience principles present an opportunity for water managers and policymakers to incorporate and respond to changes or disturbances within the water system. This case study investigates to what extent the resilience principles from the water governance literature are evident in water policies and plans at the regional municipality level in the Niagara Region. Through a content analysis of policy documents, it was found the presence of the seven resilience principles differed across and within the documents with only one document containing all seven. These findings indicate that the policies and plans do not currently reflect sustainability principles which may have implications for the governance of water in the Niagara Region, and that further understanding of resilience principles is needed by governments and policymakers in the region.
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Analyzing the Relationships between Peer-Reviewed Literature and Ontario Best Practice Guides to aid the Understanding of Invasive Phragmites Control MethodsInvasive Phragmites have been a challenge in North America for numerous decades, depleting the overall biodiversity of landscapes and surrounding habitats. Being identified as Canada’s worst invasive plant in 2005, invasive Phragmites have specifically been a significant detriment to natural areas in the Niagara region. This research study worked to formulate an understanding of the available invasive Phragmites control methods from both peer-reviewed literature and published Ontario best practice guides. The knowledge from both the scholarly and practical sectors has been compared to formulate a full understanding of effective control methods, which aided in the production of an infographic targeted at private landowners in the Niagara region. Above all, this research will work to educate a previously underrepresented group, with the goal to improve the long-term biodiversity and sustainability in the Niagara region.
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Environmental Racism: Proximity of Environmental Hazards and Benefits to Visible Minority Communities in Ontario, CanadaConsidering the global Black Lives Matter protests and the relatively limited academic research on environmental racism in Canada, this major research paper (MRP) explores the distribution of environmental racism in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, the research examines how environmental hazards (air pollution and landfills), and environmental benefits (parks and recreation) are distributed across visible minority and white communities in Hamilton and Niagara using ArcGIS Pro. The findings reaffirm that environmental racism exists in Ontario, Canada. For example, in communities with high percentages of visible minorities, parks tended to be less common and small, while particulate air pollution tended to be high. This research highlights the presence of environmental racism in Canada. Documenting and communicating the prevalence of environmental racism, and developing effective legislation for addressing environmental rights, are essential to funding lasting solutions for environmental racism in Canada.
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The Forest and its Trees: A Critical Inquiry into the Use of Nature-based Solutions in Canada’s A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy PlanNature-based solutions (NbS) and natural climate solutions (NCS) have emerged as promising options to address the challenges of the global climate and biodiversity crises. However, confusion persists about the meaning and practical implications of these relatively new approaches in the public, private, and political spheres. This research paper explores how the Government of Canada conceptualizes NbS and NCS, first through a scoping review of literature regarding the conceptual definitions and limits of NbS and NCS, and then through a directed content analysis of their 2020 climate plan, titled A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy (HEHE). This research determines that the NbS and NCS concepts are frequently confused or treated as interchangeable by the Government of Canada to the detriment of the HEHE plan’s strategies. The implications of these findings are discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for improved design and deployment of NbS and NCS in Canada.
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Differential Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Niagara RegionThe Niagara Region is experiencing the impacts of climate change. While all residents of Niagara will be affected by the impacts of climate change, some social groups will experience greater impacts than others. This Major Research Paper (MRP) uses large-scale secondary survey data (n=1087) to examine differential vulnerabilities to climactic events in Niagara. Specifically, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square statistical analyses were used to determine whether the frequency and severity of extreme heat and household flooding varied across age groups and household income levels. Results show that breaking down the differential vulnerability across age and income groups generated insight into those most vulnerable to flooding and extreme heat. The findings from this research study highlight the impacts that climactic events are having on a local scale within the Niagara Region and which specific social groups are experiencing these extremes.
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Influential Factors and Interventions to Increase Recycling Behaviours: A Program Evaluation of the Niagara Region’s Residential Curbside Recycling ProgramSolid waste generation is continuing to increase both globally, and in our own municipalities here in Ontario, which is contributing to negative environmental impacts. Recycling is one effective way of diverting waste, but the recycling rates for many municipal recycling programs in Ontario, including the Niagara Region’s, are levelling off. The purpose of this study was to examine recycling as a pro-environmental behaviour, in order to better understand how recycling rates could be increased in the Niagara Region. A program evaluation was conducted to see if, and to what extent, the region used effective interventions to promote recycling from 2016 to 2021. Based on the content analysis of 128 materials produced by the region, it was ultimately found that the region’s program has been designed in a way that is likely to lead to limited effectiveness. Several recommendations for the Niagara Region, as well as for future recycling research are included.
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Advancing Marine Conservation through Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs): Expert Perspectives from a Delphi StudyTo reverse unprecedented rates of global biodiversity loss, conservation efforts have focused on area-based conservation tools: protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Recently, the CBD has formally adopted a definition of OECMs, and the significance of OECMs has been established. Yet, marine OECMs require more support from the conservation community to clarify their role in marine area-based conservation. To do so, the study sought to highlight the key opportunities created, potential challenges associated with implementation, process and stakeholders for evaluation of effectiveness and vision of success for marine OECMs. The research employed a Delphi study with a group of 18 international marine conservation experts. Consensus was reported for opportunities, challenges, stakeholders for evaluation and vision of success for marine OECMs. Results of this research provide support for the important contributions of marine OCEMs to biodiversity conservation, add clarity the concepts and highlight areas for future research.
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Reviewing the Options for the Agricultural Sector to Adapt to Climate Change: Case Study of the Niagara Region, ONThe agricultural sector of the Niagara Region has experienced multiple impacts of climate change in recent years, which are projected to increase in the future. There is an urgent need to examine available adaptation strategies for Niagara’s agricultural sector, considering its vulnerability to a changing climate and significance for the Region’s economy and food production. Using a scoping review of scientific literature to analyze 4375 articles on two databases, this research has investigated four potential adaptation strategies - i.e. technology-based adaptation, ecosystem-based adaptation, community-based adaptation and policy-based adaptation - that can be used by the agricultural sector. All adaptation strategies were also examined through a social, economic and environmental lens using a SWOT Analysis. Through this statement, this research also highlights its contribution to sustainability science and sustainable development (SDG 2 – Food Security and SDG 13 – Climate Action) as one of the steps towards a more resilient future.
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Applying Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Protect Biodiversity of Avian Species in Coastal Communities in the Greater Niagara RegionCommunities located in the coastal zone are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The effects of climate change may push coastal ecosystems to undergo irreversible changes. This is especially true for shorebirds as it results in the loss of biodiversity and resource-rich areas to rest, refuel and breed. To protect these species, it is critical to conduct more research related to nature-based solutions. Through a scoping review of scientific literature, this paper evaluated 85 articles and included a summary of various sustainable ecosystem-based adaptation strategies, including living shorelines and beach nourishment. These strategies were evaluated under the eight core principles of nature-based solutions in order to determine the efficiency of protecting shorebird biodiversity in the Greater Niagara Region. All adaptation strategies were examined through a social, economic and environmental lens and future improvements were suggested to increase the efficiency of these strategies. This research also highlights its contribution to sustainability science.
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Sustainability Through Accessibility: Evaluating the Accessibility of Toronto’s Public TransportationPublic transportation is one of the most sustainable transportation options in terms of greenhouse gasses emitted per rider due to the high capacity of transit vehicles. Resultantly the sustainability of public transportation is dependent on high levels of ridership. Increasing accessibility, particularly through affordability and proximity, may encourage public transit ridership. A document analysis was conducted on sustainability documents published by Metrolinx, and the Toronto Transit Commission to evaluate the degree to which these agencies reflect best practices for sustainable public transportation in these documents. Both affordability and proximity were measured on the basis of total instances and proportional document coverage. Results show that these themes were not prevalent in the documents. Specifically, accessibility was found to be prominent, but through the theme of corporate social responsibility rather than affordability or proximity. Thus, this MRP highlights the need to focus on these themes in future public transit sustainability strategies.
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The role of sport in advancing environmental sustainability: A case study of community-level hockey facilities in Ontario, CanadaEnvironmental sustainability (ES) in sport represents an emerging area of research that is gaining popularity worldwide. While this is encouraging, the gap between sport and the environment needs to be further explored. This research aimed to address this by interviewing hockey facility managers to understand the barriers and enabling factors of ES, along with the role that community-level arenas play for ES in Ontario. Through qualitative interviews and coding, three themes emerged: 1) the importance of cost savings as a driver of ES decisions in these arena facilities; 2) the importance of political and financial support from the government in achieving ES in these arena facilities; and, 3) the important role community-level hockey facilities play in advancing ES in their communities. The results will assist in advancing ES in arena facilities at the community-level and propel sport closer to realizing the potential ES has to be a driver for change.