Making the right decisions for humans and the planet
The discipline of forestry is well-known for probing the depths of the physical world, particularly topics related to forests, waterways and biodiversity. However, the field is equally a natural science as it is a social science, with significant scholarship at the intersection of nature and human societies, economies and political structures. With many of the challenges facing the world today requiring an interdisciplinary lens, particularly climate change and ecosystem decline, forest and environmental science research cannot avoid considerations concerning humans.
“Most of the factors that matter when introducing new policies or practices in forest restoration are the social factors,” says Jeanine Rhemtulla, UBC Forestry Assoc. Prof. and Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Program and Landscapes and Livelihoods Lab. A trained ecologist, Jeanine works with communities around the world on approaches to strike the right balance between ecosystem health and human livelihoods.
Jeanine’s research in Malawi underscores the importance of community member buy-in. Known colloquially as the warm heart of Africa, Malawi has pledged to restore half of its lands and forests by 2030, responding to the Bonn Challenge goal to restore 350 million hectares of land globally by that same year.
“The work we are doing within social-ecological systems is designed to understand approaches for working with community members to simultaneously improve social and ecological outcomes. Because, if you do one without the other, you’re missing an essential piece of the puzzle.” — Jeanine Rhemtulla
For their research, Jeanine and her team interviewed several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that sprang into action to restore Malawi lands, mostly planting quick-growing non-native tree species, such as eucalyptus. They also interviewed Malawian community members about the tree-planting program. The local population’s stake in the matter is significant, given the important role targeted reforestation lands play in their daily lives.
Native tropical Miombo woodlands, grasslands and shrublands are sources of food, wood, fuel, commercial goods, cultural practices, construction materials and pharmaceuticals in Malawi. Around 85% of Malawians do not have access to electricity2, using instead fuel wood harvested from these lands for their cooking, lighting and heating.
“What we found was that the millions of trees being planted by international NGOs were less favourable to the local population who preferred wood from native species found in Miombo woodlands,” Jeanine recalls. “In particular, residents preferred denser wood from slower-growing native tree species, which burn longer and hotter.”
“Community members also told us that, when they’re in these Miombo woodlands collecting fuel wood, they collect a lot of non-timber forest products, such as native mushrooms and fruit that were harder to find or non-existent in non-native eucalyptus forests.”
Like Jeanine, the research, teaching and community outreach of many UBC Forestry faculty members integrate the human dimensions of forestry, natural resources management and the environment. This growing field incorporates social sciences perspectives, such as health, policy, economic and societal considerations, in the management of landscapes and ecosystem goods and services. It reflects how governments and communities around the world are grappling with satisfying human needs while protecting ecosystem services, such as clean drinking water, healthy air, agricultural lands, habitats for species and outdoor recreation.
Within the Faculty, there are many examples of research at the intersection of forests and society. We highlight a small number of these in the following pages.
The sustainability balancing act
More policymakers and business leaders today agree on the need to transition to a sustainable global economy. However, difficulties abound when it comes to defining and measuring sustainability.
“Nations of the world have committed to meeting the United Nations Sustainability Goals; however, those 17 goals are often in tension with one another,” asserts UBC Forestry Asst. Prof. Hamish van der Ven. “For example, protecting biodiversity can be at odds with creating more jobs or expanding the economy.”
Balancing sustainability priorities requires action from both governments and corporations, says Hamish. “Ideally, decision-makers can find inroads to compromise that move society towards multiple sustainable development goals at the same time and that align with the wishes of the broader public over the longer term.”
On the government end, public policies are needed to prevent extractive companies in the natural resources sector from focusing principally on short-term interests, maximizing economic growth and returns for their investors.
One example of this is the European Union’s emerging deforestation regulations that require any company selling commodities such as palm oil, soy or timber products to provide proof that these goods have been sourced without contributing to deforestation. By regulating which products can be sold in Europe, the EU is effectively reaching across borders to slow deforestation in other countries.
Public policy can also support sustainability and drive innovation, forcing industries to find new business models. For example, restricting access to old growth forests in BC is forcing the forest sector to extract more value from each log and fuelling the growth of a dynamic forest bioeconomy.
However, Hamish emphasizes that governments cannot do it on their own. Corporations must also take the initiative on sustainability.
“There is a growing expectation that corporations need to be better corporate citizens,” he says. “From an investor standpoint, businesses that take responsibility for their impact on the people whom they employ, the communities they operate in and the planet are becoming a safer investment.”
“American economist Dr. Milton Friedman famously said that the only responsibility of a business is to its shareholders. I believe that a lot of senior executives and members of the public would disagree with that statement.” — Hamish van der Ven
While consumers mostly still prioritize price and quality over sustainability, there is a growing tendency for consumers to consider social and environmental impacts when making purchases. “Consumers don’t want to contribute to abuses around the world,” says Hamish. “People don’t want to be part of the problem.”
Learning from ecological economics
Fernanda Tomaselli, UBC Forestry Asst. Prof. and Land One Director, is passionate about an economic framework that examines the complex interrelationship between socio-economic and ecological systems with the goal of improving human and planetary wellbeing. Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary field that questions the unlimited pursuit of economic growth as a main policy objective and explores alternative measures of progress that incorporate ecological health as a key element of human wellbeing.
“Traditionally, economics has tended to exclude environmental considerations and ecology has tended to exclude human considerations,” Fernanda explains. “Ecological economics bridges this divide, combining the fields of economics and ecology, and also including sociology, political science, psychology and other theoretical and empirical dimensions to address many of the big challenges we face, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainability.”
Modern ecological economics can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s when economists such as Dr. Kenneth Boulding and Dr. Herman Daly proposed rethinking the growth-focused neoclassical paradigm. They presented an economic framework that recognizes the finite nature of the ecosystem within which humans reside and the economy is embedded. Their scholarship, and that of other individuals in the field, has made significant contributions to understanding human-environment relations. This includes the development and advancement of novel concepts such as uneconomic growth and ecosystem valuation, as well as innovative indicators like the Ecological Footprint Analysis and the Genuine Progress Indicator of economic welfare, among various other environmental accounting measures.
“There is something fundamentally wrong in treating the Earth as if it were a business in liquidation.” — Dr. Herman Daly
During her doctoral studies, Fernanda examined the intersection between ecological economics, public perception and communication in the Canadian context. In her present research and teaching at UBC Forestry, she is focused on generating awareness of global sustainability challenges and solutions, empowering her students to become change leaders. Several of the concepts and principles of ecological economics are central to her courses.
“I try to empower my students to think critically and holistically about the complex issues facing human society today and to see their potential to contribute to solutions.” — Fernanda Tomaselli
“The severity of current ecological and social challenges leaves many of my students with feelings of hopelessness, despair and apathy,” Fernanda relays. “I now share not only information about the reality of the problems that the world is facing but also about how students can become collectively engaged in finding solutions to those problems.”
Community-centred solutions
UBC Forestry Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Sarah Dickson-Hoyle (PhD(Forestry)’23) is leading interdisciplinary wildfire research within the recently established Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at UBC to better understand how First Nations, local communities and land managers can mitigate and adapt to the impacts of changing fire regimes in BC. Led by co-directors UBC Forestry Prof. Lori Daniels (MSc’94, Forestry) and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Asst. Prof. Mathieu Bourbonnais, the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence is supporting the co-creation of innovative approaches and novel discoveries with other research experts, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, government agencies, private landowners and forest, fire and land management professionals.
burning and grassland restoration. Photo credit: Bert William, Bonaparte First Nation.
In partnership with Secwépemc First Nations and BC Wildfire Service, Sarah is using collaborative fire ecology and qualitative social science methods to assess the ecological and socio-cultural outcomes of prescribed and cultural burns. Her research also explores how community and government partners engage in these collaborative projects and define success. Additionally, Sarah and Dr. Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz (PhD(Forestry)’22) are engaging with community forests throughout BC to examine the diverse values and objectives guiding fuel treatments. They aim to inform prescriptions and planning that support hazard reduction, effective operational response and improved relationships and social license.
“Through the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, we are working with First Nations and community partners on applied and solutions-oriented social science research that pays greater attention to the social and cultural dynamics of communities that are coexisting with fire,” says Sarah.
Forests as therapy
The forest therapy research of Guangyu Wang (PhD(Forestry)’09), UBC Forestry Assoc. Dean of Asian Strategies and Director of the Asia Forest Research Centre, is a testament to a growing consensus on the health benefits of nature immersion. Within his UBC Multidisciplinary Institute of Nature Therapy (MINT) — the world’s largest forest therapy institute — and Forest Therapy Lab, Guangyu and his team have established a partnership with the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, BC, to investigate the impact of forest therapy interventions on patients undergoing surgery.
“We want to know whether a virtual reality immersive experience of nature can reduce patient anxiety before and/or after surgery,” Guangyu explains. Findings from this research could lay the groundwork for the integration of forest therapy into clinical practice in various public health facilities and departments as a ‘green prescription’.
“We are creating unique, immersive spaces and technological applications that make possible tailored forest therapy experiences,” says Guangyu. “Based on preliminary findings, forest therapy holds great promise as a non-invasive, accessible health care option for patients in British Columbia, but more research is needed to establish treatment delivery methods and their corresponding outcomes.”
“Our challenge now at MINT and the Forest Therapy Lab is to unlock the full potential of nature as a healing force,” Guangyu adds. “More broadly, the question many of us in the environmental and social sciences are grappling with is: ‘how can we better support both human and ecosystem wellbeing moving forward?’”