Talk summary:

Since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a ‘second generation’ of reconciliation approaches are now underway between Indigenous Nations and state governments. Two core components of this are: the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous legal systems and the acknowledgement of historical impacts through compensation agreements. As First Nations seek compensation for a range of historical impacts from resource development on their territories, they are also establishing new forms of agreements that fundamentally respect Indigenous laws as a path for decision-making into the future. An important body of literature covers the theory, history, and context of reconciliation and its equivalents, such as redress and reparations. This research builds from this base, exploring the context of jurisdiction, authority, and shared decision-making, in support of Indigenous governments’ self-determining priorities and negotiations with the state.

Bio:

Nikki Kaechele is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, co-supervised by Dr. Terre Satterfield and Dr. Tricia Logan. Her research focuses on the revitalization of Indigenous legal systems, and their application in compensation negotiations between First Nation and state governments. She focuses on agreements for monetary compensation for losses experienced from historical resource extractive activities. Nikki’s research methods are interdisciplinary and community-engaged. This research is taking place in collaboration with partners from the Nuxalk First Nation, the Gitanyow First Nation, and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.

Talk summary:

This study examines the impact of climate resilience indicators and agricultural practices on food security among smallholder rice farmers in the Central River Region, The Gambia. Using data from 430 farmers, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to develop a resilience index, followed by structural equation modeling to assess the relationships between resilience indicators and food security. The thesis explores Institutional Resilience Indicators (IRIs), Ecological Resilience Indicators (ERIs)and Household Resilience Indicators (HRIs) and Climate Resilience Agricultural Practices (RP), in relation to their impact on food security. These findings highlight the critical role of strengthening institutional frameworks, improving household and ecological resilience, and promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices to enhance food security among smallholder farmers facing climate challenges.

Bio:

Barry, an MSc student at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES) under Dr. Hannah Wittman, focuses on the intersection between climate resilience practices and food security in developing nations. At the University of British Columbia, he integrates his MBA expertise with his MSc studies to enhance the resilience of small-scale farmers using quantitative and qualitative methods. His work features the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) for strategic, data-driven approaches to sustainable agriculture. Currently, he works remotely for the FAO office in Zimbabwe as a program support specialist. Barry’s notable achievements include receiving a service award in 2019 from the Minister of Education in Himachal Pradesh.

Talk summary:

Agricultural expansion and land use change are a major driver of the biodiversity crisis, including declines in birds worldwide. To work towards conservation, it is integral we understand the interactions between existing biodiversity, agricultural landscapes, and the people who inhabit these landscapes. This work draws from different disciplines to better understand these various interactions in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Archipelago. More specifically, we explore: (1) the potential pest control contributions birds provide to farmers; (2) how the agricultural landscape may be affecting the evolution of Darwin’s finches; and (3) farmers’ perceptions of Galapagos landbirds on their farms and their willingness to contribute to their conservation. In this talk, I will present a brief summary of results.

Bio:

Ilke Geladi (she/her) is a PhD candidate at IRES, supervised by Dr. Claire Kremen. Her research explores questions related to the conservation of landbirds in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos archipelago where she has worked since her Masters. Ilke completed her undergraduate studies at McGill University in Biology and obtained her Master’s degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems through the Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme, TROPIMUNDO.