Environment, Enterprise and Development

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

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Browsing Environment, Enterprise and Development by Subject "adaptation"

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    Adapting to climate change: Canadian skiers' behavioural responses and perceptions of snowmaking
    (University of Waterloo, 2025-04-25) Lopez Franco, Ana Beatriz
    Ski tourism is predicated on low temperatures and natural snowfall, with climate change directly impacting the multibillion-dollar ski industry. As the ski industry continues to invest in snowmaking technology in response to warming climatic conditions, concerns regarding the sustainability of snowmaking are amplifying, including high levels of water and energy consumption required to produce snow, as well as associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by snowmaking equipment. During the 2023/2024 ski season, Canada experienced a record-warm winter that generated country-wide impacts in the form of late openings, temporal closures, and an early end to the season. The presented thesis is the first to explore skier/snowboarder experiences and behavioural responses immediately following a record-warm winter, and is the first to provide an empirical assessment of Canadian skier perceptions of snowmaking as an environmentally sustainable climate adaptation strategy. Using an online survey administered to active skiers and snowboarders across Canada from March through June 2024, a total of 209 surveys were collected and analyzed. The results reveal that during the 2023/2024 season, skiers have a high tolerance for marginal conditions (e.g., 59% would ski regardless of snow coverage), with most (57%) opting to ski less often (i.e., temporal substitution) versus a spatial (i.e., travelling elsewhere) or activity substitution (i.e., stop skiing). The frequency with which certain conditions were experienced statistically differed by region (e.g., machine-made snow), gender and age (e.g., warm temperatures, thin/bare patches, narrow snow coverage), with women and younger skiers more likely to have experienced these marginal conditions compared to men and older skiers. Older generations were also found to be less accepting of crowding conditions, more tolerant of poor snow conditions, and more in favour of snowmaking as a necessity to maintain ski seasons when compared to younger skiers. Most respondents (80%) are concerned about climate change negatively impacting current and future ski conditions, with a link between reported (i.e., behavioural response in 2023/2024) and projected future behaviours, suggesting a high reliability of using current behaviours following a record-warm season to predict future intentions. Moreover, almost all (90%) of respondents agreed that snowmaking is necessary, and over 80% agree snowmaking capacity must increase in the next five years. The results show the majority of skiers believe snowmaking requires significant water and energy to produce (82% and 80%, respectively), which negatively impacts water resources (36%) and results in significant GHG emissions (28%). Importantly, over one-third of skiers are undecided as to whether or not snowmaking negatively impacts water resources (38%), results in GHG emissions (43%), contributes to climate change (35%), and negatively impacts human health (59%), with women reporting significantly higher uncertainty than men, and older respondents agreeing less to the negative environmental and health impacts of snowmaking than young skiers. Emerging research suggests snowmaking can be compatible with climate action plans, underscoring an important opportunity for mountain destinations engaged in sustainable development to better communicate their adaptation-mitigation efforts to minimize uncertainty.
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    Mangrove-Dependent Small-Scale Fisher (SSF) Communities in the Sundarbans – Vulnerable yet Viable
    (University of Waterloo, 2021-09-10) Pattanaik, Aishwarya; Nayak, Prateep
    Sundarbans social-ecological system is the largest remaining mangrove wetland in the Asian continent. Its ecological subsystem is comprised of mangroves of Sundarbans shared between India and Bangladesh, which are complex ecosystems on the verge of obliteration. Along with diverse flora and fauna, they support the livelihoods and culture of millions of small-scale fisheries communities which make up the social subsystem of Sundarbans. 7.5 million people reside in the Sundarbans and around 40,000 households are dependent solely on small-scale fisheries. Mangrove cover have been reduced by 35% in the recent years by the combined action of natural and anthropogenic drivers of change such as cyclones and extensive shrimp aquaculture. There were other active drivers as well, but the major ones were selected for the case studies. Recurrent cyclones uproot mangroves and damage fishponds, boats, and fishing gear. Conversion of mangrove wetlands and agricultural lands by non-fishers and large-scale fishing fleets, into fragmented shrimp culture ponds create fishing pressure on the Sundarbans as well as competition between them and the small-scale fisher communities. These factors result in multidimensional vulnerabilities affecting the ecosystem and small-scale fisheries, through effects like habitat loss, fragmentation, overexploitation of resources, loss of livelihoods, lack of opportunities and migration. There is a lack of understanding of the interaction and interconnection between mangroves and small-scale fisheries on a vulnerability and viability perspective as well as on a social-ecological system’s perspective. The purpose of this research is to assess the vulnerability of small-scale fisheries and examine ways in which communities that depend on them can achieve viability. The objectives of this study are– (a) to identify and describe the drivers of change impacting mangroves as well as the small-scale fisheries communities in Sundarbans social-ecological system; (b) to analyse the vulnerabilities experienced by the mangroves and small-scale fisheries communities in Sundarbans social-ecological system, and (c) to examine the key response strategies and pathways to viability of the mangrove dependent small-scale fisheries communities in Sundarbans social-ecological system. The study embraces a qualitative approach. An in-depth systematic review of literature as well as case studies has been used to meet the objectives. Ultimately, the results of this thesis indicate that sustainable ways of fishing and a regulatory system to oversee the management of the forests must be formulated to protect the future of both. The pathways of viability discussed in the thesis derived from the coping and adaptive responses of small-scale fishers would play an important role in ecosystem sustainability and livelihood stability.