Browsing by Author "Quinn, Michael"
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- ItemOpen AccessA Reflexive Legal Framework for Bridging Organizations in Regional Environmental Governance and Management(2016) Stewart, Judy; Tyler, Mary-Ellen; Quinn, Michael; Lucas, Alastair; Tyler, Mary Ellen; Quinn, Michael; Lucas, Alistair; Fiorino, Daniel; Vredenburg, HarrieIn Canadian provinces, municipalities are responsible for most land use management on private lands, and are encouraged to protect provincially owned natural resources from local land use impacts. Policy and regulatory gaps exist at the regional-scale for managing municipal land use impacts on natural resources, such as air, water and ecological resources that cross multiple municipal boundaries and jurisdictions. In the Calgary Metropolitan Area, a social-spatial region of approximately 17,000 km2 in southern Alberta, Canada, (the Region) three multi-stakeholder environmental governance organizations (the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP), Bow River Basin Council (BRBC) and Calgary Regional Airshed Zone (CRAZ) emerged, connecting municipal, public and private stakeholders with shared interests in land use, watershed and airshed management, respectively. These organizations co-created natural resource management plans (co-created plans) to address transboundary and interjurisdictional issues not addressed through provincial laws or municipal bylaws. The Region provided a demonstration context for conducting transdisciplinary research, combining emerging theories in environmental governance, social-ecological systems, networks, organizations and law. In 2014, interviews were conducted with eighteen municipalities in the Region and Directors of CRP, BRBC and CRAZ. Social network mapping and analysis (SNA) were used to analyze interview data, and identify a collaborative municipal environmental management network. SNA illustrated the strategic ‘bridging’ functions of CRP, BRBC and CRAZ in influencing increased municipal participation in thirty resource management activities selected from the co-created plans. Municipal respondents identified the primary land use, watershed and air quality management issues in the Region, and results were used to select twenty-eight environmental policies, laws, regulations, plans, directives, guidelines, (legal instruments) existing in Alberta in 2014-2015 that addressed the identified issues. These legal instruments and the three co-created plans were assessed for reflexivity using a ‘reflexivity assessment matrix tool’ designed for this purpose that was based on reflexive legal theory, principles and criteria found in the literature. The interview data, SNA, legal research and reflexivity assessment informed the design of a ‘reflexive legal framework’ intended to clarify, support and legitimize the role of multi-stakeholder environmental governance organizations in ‘bridging’ policy and regulatory gaps between provincial and municipal authorities at a regional-scale.
- ItemOpen AccessCommunity Perceptions of Forests, Conservation and Livelihoods in La Tigra National Park, Honduras(2013-04-29) Morrison, Katherine; Quinn, MichaelLocal peoples’ attitudes towards protected areas are based on local values, perceptions and experiences with management. The relationships of residents of La Tigra National Park (LTNP) to the forest, park and park management and key issues are identified and recommendations on integrating conservation and livelihood into park management are presented. Although formal conservation knowledge was relatively low, local forest and livelihood values were evident. Key issues were use of resources, land rights and livelihood restriction as well as lack of economic benefits and lack of participation in management activities. In order to better integrate conservation and livelihood needs management should increase participation, create a compensation system, facilitate a local system for resource extraction permitting, develop a community tree planting program, and increasing transparency and communication between communities and management bodies. Incorporating local values and perceptions into park management may lead to more sustainable communities and more viable protected areas.
- ItemOpen AccessConnectivity of Elk Migration in Southwestern Alberta(2012-12-12) Paton, Dale G.; Quinn, MichaelABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the migration of a partially migratory population of 650 Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) in the human dominated landscape of southwestern Alberta. I contribute previously unknown values for metrics known to be important for elk ecology and management, including: migration timing, distance, and duration . The Brownian bridge movement model was used to delineate a probabilistic estimate of elk migration corridors between seasonal ranges, to determine if elk use stopovers during migration and prioritize migration corridors. Elk used a number of stopovers during migration likely to maximize areas of rich forage due to spring green-up. Stopovers were found to be >500m from roads in areas of rugged terrain These stopover locations are critical components in altitudinal migration. Finally a predictive modeling process using graph theory methods (least cost and circuit theory) was undertaken to predict connectivity of the landscape for elk.
- ItemOpen AccessContinuity Through Change: Sustainability, Resilience and the Vocabulary of Paradox(2014-10-30) Gibson, Keith William; Quinn, Michael; Moehrenschlager, AxelSustainability and resilience face an implementation crisis. To address this I propose a vocabulary of paradox where the price of clarity is either paradoxical theory or thoughtless action. Praxis, understood as reflective practice and practical reflection, occurs in the ‘muddled middle’ as researchers and practitioners resolve experience into generalised paradox and dissolve it into specific action. In the vocabulary of paradox this is the paradox of praxis: knowledge gives action meaning and action gives knowledge meaning. Applying the vocabulary to sustainability and resilience, I propose that both can be understood as articulations of a paradoxical desire for both continuity and change in human social-ecological circumstances. I define sustainability as the continuity of valued attributes of human circumstances both by means of and in the midst of change. Sustainability is continuity through change. This definition emphasises values (what should continue and change), understanding (what does continue and change) and human agency (what can be influenced to continue and change). All three merge in the muddled middle of implementation and are paradoxical in theory; continuity requires change and change requires continuity. Implementation of sustainability and resilience initiatives necessarily invokes a first person perspective. Here I propose a third paradox, the paradox of people, whereby people both constrain and enable each other. I argue that paradoxical agency for sustainability and resilience can be articulated in terms of these three paradoxes of praxis, people and sustainability: knowing and doing, together and apart for continuity and change. Finally, I propose the role of a sustainability agent, understood as both a change agent and a continuity agent, to support the paradoxical agency of individuals and small groups as they implement sustainability and resilience initiatives. I argue that this approach to sustainability and resilience dissolves the implementation gap and provides a practical and empowering vocabulary to make sense of sustainability praxis. I support these arguments with examples drawn from experiential research and interviews with conservation and sustainability practitioners in the North East region of the small Caribbean island of Tobago, West Indies.
- ItemOpen AccessExploring Cumulative Effects of Regional Urban Growth Strategies: Regional Urban Growth Strategies(2015) Carlson, Matt; Quinn, Michael; Stelfox, BradThe long-term (50 year) consequences of development in the Calgary region were simulated using the ALCES land-use simulation toolkit.
- ItemOpen AccessLandscape connectivity in and around Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park: an analysis based on wildlife movement(2014-09-30) Islam, Mohammed Shariful; Quinn, MichaelLandscape connectivity is the degree to which landscapes are connected among resource patches. Resource patches provide core habitat for wildlife. Considering that connectivity is essential to survival of wildlife, the aim of this research was to model landscape connectivity for wildlife movement over a regional landscape. Functional connectivity was computed for assessing corridors and linkage zones of wildlife movement. Human footprint data was used to compute graph theoretic betweenness centrality for shortest path, current flow and network flow methods. As a result, shortest paths identified a set of geodesic paths; current flow identified a number of movement zones; and network flow identified linkage zones with and without considering costs in the network. The model output was validated with camera-captured and road-killed wildlife data and found strong correspondence. The author concluded by analyzing comparison of the approaches and recommending suitable planning and management options for the study park and the landscape.
- ItemOpen AccessProtection of ecological goods and services through water management planning: a case study of the nose creek watershed, Alberta(2012-10-03) Koleyak, Danielle; Quinn, MichaelIntegrated water management planning describes a holistic management framework to developing plans that will maintain water quantity and quality for environmental, economic, and social goals. The concept of ecological goods and services can be utilized to address these three goals simultaneously. Utilization of this concept by water management planners can therefore assist in achieving planning goals. This research evaluates the extent to which the protection of ecological goods and services is provided by integrated water management planning in Alberta. An evaluative framework was developed from a literature synthesis to identify elements critical to successful integrated water management planning and subsequent EGS protection. The framework was then applied to a case study of the Nose Creek Watershed in Alberta. Analysis of the results indicate that while there are positive movements towards protecting ecological goods and services by integrated water management planning the level is currently low within the case study area.