Feng Jiang Awarded Prestigious NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship

For Sylvia Mensah, a master’s student in the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (FES) at UBC, environmental degradation does not stay in the landscape. It reaches into people’s homes and everyday routines.

A Curiosity Rooted in Communities

Sylvia’s interest in environmental research took shape during a bachelor’s degree in environmental science at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. During fieldwork for her undergraduate thesis, she noticed how little people sometimes knew about the environmental changes affecting their communities. “People often attributed these changes to natural causes and failed to recognize the role that human activities and other factors played,” she says.

That observation raised bigger questions. “I became curious about how people perceived environmental change, how these changes affect their everyday lives, livelihoods and how communities can strengthen their resilience to these changes,” she explains. The curiosity carried her through the years after her undergraduate degree, when she collaborated on research projects and co-authored about eight papers on environmental and climate-related issues. She chose UBC FES, she says, “because of its interdisciplinary approach to environmental challenges.”

Support That Goes Beyond the Thesis

Sylvia describes her supervisors, including FES professor Dr. Hisham Zerriffi, as central to her growth as both a student and a researcher. Dr. Zerriffi helped her “clearly define what I wanted to study, conceptualize my research, essentially turning those ideas into a research project.”

She values the consistency of that support. “I have a dedicated time with my supervisor every week alongside our regular lab meetings,” she says. “So, there is always space to discuss my research, challenges, progress or whatever I want to talk about.” The mentorship also extends past the research itself. “My supervisor is also intentional about helping us grow beyond our research. He encourages us to take on leadership roles and professional positions, connect with other professors, students, industry professionals.”

During her fieldwork in Ghana, that support continued. “My supervisors did everything to make sure I remained fully supported in terms of logistics, advice, or if I simply needed someone to talk to,” she says. “One thing that stands out to me is how much my supervisors believe in me. This gives me so much confidence in what I am capable of and encourages me to take opportunities I might not have considered before.”

She also credits the wider Faculty community, including Hisham Zerriffi, Carrellin, Josephine, and Paul, for creating “an atmosphere where students feel seen, heard, respected and supported.”

A Family Away From Home

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Sylvia says, “goes way beyond financial support.” The scholarship made graduate study at UBC possible “without having to worry about how I am going to pay for tuition or accommodation,” but she says the community, mentorship, and opportunities have been just as significant.

Through the Program, she has built skills beyond her academic work, from learning “how to approach potential mentors and build professional networks” to “preparing for interviews, developing a strong CV and LinkedIn presence and learning how to tell our stories.” She is also excited about a new opportunity to work with the Mastercard Foundation and the UBC Sustainability Hub, where she will support a cohort of about 13 Scholars serving as sustainability ambassadors. “This is another example of how the program creates opportunities for scholars to contribute, lead and learn from one another,” she says.

The sense of belonging has mattered most. “Moving to a new country and starting a new chapter can be daunting but the Mastercard Foundation community makes sure you don’t feel like you are doing it alone,” she says. “For me, the MCF has genuinely become a family away from home. The community is so enriching that you sometimes forget you are thousands of miles away from home.”

When Biomass Is There, But Out of Reach

Sylvia’s thesis looks at how environmental destruction from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) can affect access to energy for cooking. ASGM is an important source of livelihoods in many mineral-rich regions, she notes, but it is “poorly regulated and highly mobile” and harmful to forests and other vegetation. At the same time, many mining communities are rural and rely heavily on firewood for cooking.

“So, there is an important question to ask,” she says. “What happens when ASGM destroys the vegetation that provides fuel for cooking?” The answer is not as simple as running out of trees. “The interesting part is that biomass can still appear abundant in the landscape but may not be accessible to the households,” she explains. Deforestation, she says, “can change where trees are available, how far people must go to collect fuel or even the amount of effort required to access it as well as the safety of routes.”

Her research uses Ghana as a case study. “I want to add to the conversation around the adverse impacts of ASGM by showing that mining related deforestation can also have implications for household energy access and potentially contribute to energy poverty,” she says.

Evidence for a More Connected Conversation

Sylvia hopes her findings will encourage a more connected view of unsustainable mining. “We know that environmental degradation does not happen in isolation,” she says. “The effects can extend into people’s everyday lives.” By examining the link between mining-related deforestation and household cooking energy, she hopes to provide “evidence that can inform conversations around forest management, mining governance, energy poverty and clean cooking.”

More broadly, she wants policymakers and practitioners to keep household needs in view. “It is important to address land degradation and restore forests, but it is equally important to understand how changes to landscapes affect the communities that depend on them,” she says.

In the Field

Sylvia’s fieldwork took her to communities including Antoakrom, Moano, Akuntam, Adwumam, Brofoyedu, and Domi in the Amasie West District of Ghana’s Ashanti region. One of the most memorable moments was an invitation from the District Director to attend a community engagement program in Abore, which gave her the chance to engage with most of the district’s community leaders. “I was honoured to interview the Queen mother of Abore and other queen mothers from neighbouring communities,” she says. “Their perspectives and experiences about environmental impacts reinforces the important role traditional leaders play in combating these issues.”

Speaking directly with community members was equally meaningful. “It has been meaningful to move from reading about deforestation and environmental degradation in literature to seeing the realities on the ground,” she says. “Listening to people share their experiences in their own words gave me a different perspective on environmental change.”

The fieldwork was also demanding. “Some locations were difficult to reach,” she says. “My team and I had to use motorbikes to get to some of the communities because they were the only practical way to get there.” Beyond the logistics, some of what she encountered was hard to take in. “We heard and saw consequences of young children becoming trapped in neglected mining pits and losing their lives. The condition of some of the water bodies in mining affected communities was also disheartening to see.”

Taking It Home

Sylvia sees her time at UBC as preparation for work grounded in Ghanaian communities. “I see this experience as equipping me with knowledge, research skills, confidence and a broader perspective that I can take back to Ghana,” she says. “I want to share what I have learned with young researchers and students back home and encourage them to see research as a tool for addressing challenges in their communities.” In the long term, she hopes to contribute research and initiatives focused on “climate change, environmental degradation, sustainable energy, and community resilience.”

After her master’s, she plans to build a career in environmental research and academia. “Ultimately, I want to become an environmental scientist who combines research, education and community engagement,” she says. “I want to continue asking questions about how environmental changes affect people and how research can contribute to practical solutions.”