Initiated in the fall of 2024, the MABR Climate Change Realities project aims to establish a local understanding of climate change experiences, perspectives, and impacts within the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR), for the purpose of increasing local climate change literacy and opportunities for collaboration in implementing climate change resiliency and adaptation-focused action within the MABR. Under the main objective, there are three sub-objectives: 1) Understand the climate change realities of the MABR; 2) Enhance place-based climate change knowledge in the MABR; and 3) Develop a place-based climate change database to foster innovative adaptation and resiliency strategies for the MABR.
The project will explore the climate change experiences, perspectives, and impacts in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) by engaging with local individuals, groups, organizations, and knowledge holders. Engagement will occur through forums hosted with regional stakeholders and knowledge holders, interviews and workshops with community members, and comment boxes hosted at ts’xwelikwshenawtxw (the MABR's Public Outreach Centre) and engagement booths. These engagement activities will focus on collecting local stories and experiences with climate change and its impacts in the MABR.
This project will contribute to understanding complex questions associated with climate change realities, such as how societies and people are impacted and how they will adapt and take action. This increased understanding will provide guidance on how to better support and drive local action.
Interested in Participating in the Research?
We are seeking individuals living in the MABR (ranging from Nanoose Bay to Qualicum Bay) to participate in our interviews and workshops.
Interviews
Through interviews, we aim to capture the lived experiences and perceptions of climate change in the MABR. The interview will be semi-structured, guided by some draft questions, but will be flexible to new questions and topics that may arise. The interview will be approximately 60-90 minutes in duration.
Workshops
Through workshops, we aim to capture the lived experiences and perceptions of climate change in the MABR. The workshop format has been found to be a space that provides the opportunity for participants to share similar or different experiences, which prompt ideas or thoughts that may not have been considered or remembered. The workshop will be semi-structured, guided by some draft questions, but will be flexible to new questions and topics that may arise. The interview will be approximately 90 minutes in duration and capped at 12 participants to ensure meaningful dialogue. Three dates are offered for the workshop:
- Workshop #1: TBD
- Workshop #2: TBD
- Workshop #3: TBD
Note: Participants must be 19 years of age or older and must live in the boundaries of the MABR.
More details can be found on our consent forms (will be uploaded shortly).
Contact Information
If you have any questions or want to participate, please contact the project lead Courtney Vaugeois at courtney.vaugeois@viu.ca
Funders
This project is funded within the framework of the UNESCO and abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF) partnership, “Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites”.