Restor(y)ing fire landscapes : wildfire recovery, co-management and restoration in Secwepemcúl̓ecw

Worldwide, the increasing frequency and severity of ‘megafires’ poses a growing risk to people and ecosystems alike. While conservation scientists highlight the need to better understand how ecosystems are affected by and recover following megafires, Indigenous peoples are re-asserting jurisdiction to their lands and waters by leading the recovery and restoration of fire-affected territories. In this dissertation, conducted in collaboration with the Secwepemcúl̓ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society its member Secwépemc Nation communities, I examine how Secwépemc communities and territories are recovering from the 2017 ‘Elephant Hill’ megafire in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and the role of Indigenous-led restoration in restoring fire-adapted and fire-affected landscapes. Through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and plant community ecology methods, I document drivers and processes of both community-led and ecological recovery. Chapter 3 documents Secwépemc experiences of and engagement in wildfire management, with a focus on the collaborative governance of wildfire recovery. In describing the ‘joint leadership’ approach to recovery, this chapter identifies ‘lessons’ – successes, strengths, and challenges – to inform ongoing recovery and future wildfire response. Guided by the Secwépemc Declaration on the Understory, the fourth chapter analyzes the recovery of understory plant communities, with a focus on plants of high cultural significance to Secwépemc people. The high richness of culturally important plants recorded in areas that burned at low to moderate-severity, and in subalpine forests, highlights the strong potential of Indigenous fire stewardship to guide restoration and the ongoing eco-cultural importance of high-elevation landscapes to Secwépemc people. The fifth and final chapter describes Secwépemc Elder Ron Ignace’s concept of ‘walking on two legs’ (WO2L) to guide collaborative research and restoration in Secwepemcúl̓ecw and other Indigenous territories: the restoration of land by and to Indigenous peoples. These interdisciplinary and mixed-methods inquiries advance theories of collaborative environmental governance and the politics and production of knowledge, while responding to calls for a new megafire ecology to better understand the effects of large, high-severity wildfires on species, communities, and ecosystems. Collectively, this dissertation highlights the need to strengthen Indigenous leadership in wildfire management, and to support pathways of recovery that attend to the interconnections between land and community wellbeing.Forestry, Faculty ofGraduat

“Healing the land and bringing our people together”: joint leadership for wildfire recovery in Secwepemcúl̓ecw

The record-breaking 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons in British Columbia (BC) highlighted the risks posed to human and ecological communities and their wellbeing by large, intense wildfires. First Nations communities and their/our territories were disproportionately affected, and social, cultural, economic and ecological recovery processes are still ongoing. In the wake of these ‘megafires’, many First Nations were catalyzed to action - to advocate for Indigenous-led processes of wildfire recovery and restoration. Alongside these community-driven processes, Canada’s and BC’s adoption of UNDRIP and stated commitments to reconciliation have created further opportunities to advance Indigenous co-management and stewardship of Indigenous territories. This was seen with the 2017 ‘Elephant Hill’ fire, which burned approximately 192,000 hectares throughout the heartland of the Secwépemc Nation’s territory (Secwepemcúl̓ecw). Drawing on our ongoing collaborative research with the Secwepemcúl̓ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society, including interviews with over fifty staff and leaders from Secwépemc communities and the Province of BC, we discuss how Elephant Hill created an opportunity to develop a new approach to government-to-government collaboration and land-based wildfire recovery. Our findings show the value of this process for building lasting relationships and trust between First Nations and the province, and highlight community priorities for wildfire recovery including protection of cultural heritage and archaeological values; managing impacts to wildlife and water; and upholding Secwépemc stewardship values, laws and roles as yecwminmen. However, diverse and at times conflicting perceptions of ‘success’, and of the meaning and scope of ‘wildfire recovery’, pose challenges to ongoing collaboration. Our research shows that true co-management and restoring both ecological and cultural wellbeing in Indigenous territories requires long-term commitments and resources to strengthen capacity; fostering shared decision making; supporting Indigenous peoples in exercising their/our rights; and rebuilding Indigenous lands and stewardship systems that have been passed down since time immemorial

Towards meaningful youth participation in science-policy processes : A case study of the Youth in Landscapes Initiative

In the context of complex intergenerational challenges such as climate change and sustainable development, it is increasingly important for scientists and policy-makers to actively engage with and support the meaningful participation of youth in policy and decision-making. This research evaluates the effectiveness and impact of the Youth in Landscapes Initiative in supporting the active participation and leadership development of youth (aged 18-30 years old) participants at the 2014 Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), an international science-policy forum. This 'youth program' comprised a Youth Session, skills workshops and mentoring programs to empower youth through leadership and capacity building opportunities. Results show a high demand for youth participation: 34% of GLF conference delegates expressed interest to attend the Youth Session, over 22% of GLF session organisers requested youth to take on leadership roles, and the youth program itself received over 770 applications for the 'facilitator' and 'pitcher' leadership positions. The skills-based 'masterclasses' successfully built the confidence and knowledge of youth participants, as shown by post-evaluation survey responses. This translated into active and substantive youth participation throughout the forum. Senior professionals connected to the program praised it highly, seeing it as an opportunity for mutual, intergenerational learning. The Youth in Landscape Initiative is presented as a model and distilled into a framework to inform future youth engagement strategies in international conferences and associated science-policy processes

Preferred learning modalities and practice for critical skills: A global survey of paediatric emergency medicine clinicians

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Objective To describe senior paediatric emergency clinician perspectives on the optimal frequency of and preferred modalities for practising critical paediatric procedures. Methods Multicentre multicountry cross-sectional survey of senior paediatric emergency clinicians working in 96 EDs affiliated with the Pediatric Emergency Research Network. Results 1332/2446 (54%) clinicians provided information on suggested frequency of practice and preferred learning modalities for 18 critical procedures. Yearly practice was recommended for six procedures (bag valve mask ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), endotracheal intubation, laryngeal mask airway insertion, defibrillation/direct current (DC) cardioversion and intraosseous needle insertion) by at least 80% of respondents. 16 procedures were recommended for yearly practice by at least 50% of respondents. Two procedures (venous cutdown and ED thoracotomy) had yearly practice recommended b