Volume 1» Issue 1
GLOBAL
CITIZEN DIGEST
The Magazine for Global Citizenship Education and Research
Why Biodiversity Matters
by Sowmya Kishore
Aki: E-kinomaagaazad
(The Land: Teacher of the Earth)
by Clint Jacobs & Sean Sands
Gender and Biodiversity
by Manjeet Kang
Deflating the Sails of Biopiracy: An Introduction
by Nikesh Bhagat
The Future of Learning
2
TABLE of CONTENTS
Introduction
Dean‘s Comments ................................................................................................ 4
The Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity
The Team............................................................................................................5-6
The Institute.......................................................................................................... 7
Articles and Paper Contributions
Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?
By: Nikesh Bhagat................................................................................................. 8
Biodiversity Definitions and Terms.................................................................... 12
Canada and the Decade on Biodiversity
By: Dr. Eva Aboagye............................................................................................ 14
Why Biodiversity Matters
By: Sowmya Kishore............................................................................................ 20
People and the Environment: Canadian Biosphere Reserves
By: Dr. Eva Aboagye............................................................................................ 21
Gender and Biodiversity
By: Manjeet Kang............................................................................................... 26
Deflating the Sails of Biopiracy: An Introduction
By: Nikesh Bhagat............................................................................................... 28
A Business Perspective on How to Establish a "Green" Economy
By: Dr. Kazi Abdur Rouf...................................................................................... 33
Aki: E-kinomaagaazad (The Land: Teacher of the Earth)
By: Clint Jacobs & Sean Sands............................................................................ 36
Literary / Students’ Corner
A Promise
By: Jayantha Rodrigo.......................................................................................... 43
Rainbow
By: Dushyantha Rodrigo..................................................................................... 43
Conference / Workshop Reports
Engaging Hearts & Minds: An Agenda for Global Citizenship Education...... 44
World Universities Forum
By: Dr. Margaret Brigham and Dr. Eva Aboagye.............................................. 48
Many Faces, Many Voices Symposium............................................................... 49
By: General Education and Liberal Studies Department
Published by:
Institute for Global Citizenship
and Equity
P.O. Box 631, Station A
Toronto, ON M1K 5E9
Managing Editors:
Dr. Margaret Brigham
416-289-5000, ext. 2083
[email protected]
Dr. Eva Aboagye
416-289-5000, ext. 3376
[email protected]
Assistant Editor
Nikesh Bhagat
416-289-5000, ext. 2008
[email protected]
Contributors:
Clint Chen
Basil
Jacobs
Charan BatraRodrigo
Dushyantha
Eva Aboagye
Eva McDonald
General
Education and Liberal
Hayfa Jafar
Studies
Department
Jean-PaulRodrigo
Jayantha
Restoule
Manjeet
Kazi
Abdur
Kang
Rouf
MargaretKang
Manjeet
Brigham
RaghaviBhagat
Nikesh
Sundaranarayanan
Shanks
Sean
Sands
Seetharam
Siddarth Kishore
Sowmya
Deepak
Reviewers:
Andrew Petrou
Eva Aboagye
John Harris
Margaret Brigham
Nikesh Bhagat
Article Citation:
Global Citizen Digest
Centennial College: Toronto
Fall 2011 Issue
Volume1,
Issue 1
© 2012
2011 Institute for Global
Citizenship and Equity
Philosopher’s Café
Pictures from the Café and Discussion Notes................................................... 50
Library Resources from the Philosopher’s Café................................................ 51
Faculty are invited to submit articles for the next issue of the Digest. Send us your
thoughts and writings on global citizenship and equity. Share your best practices
with your colleagues. Recommend one or two student papers for publication.
3
Volume 1, Issue 1 — Global Citizen Digest
Dean’s Comments
Dr. Margaret Brigham
Dean of the Institute for Global
Citizenship and Equity
The Global Citizen Digest is a site for the college
community to share and explore what it means to
be a global citizen. Articles are sought to inform our
understanding of the following themes:
The Global Citizen Digest offers a
place to share and discuss what it means
to be a global citizen. In this edition,
we provide a focus on biodiversity.
ƒƒ Global knowledge
ƒƒ Understanding the interconnectedness of our world
ƒƒ Intercultural competence in relating to those from
other cultures
ƒƒ Engagement in local and global issues that impact
humanity
As you engage in activity that is
making a difference in the world, tell
others about it. Discussion and written
submissions are an excellent way for all
of us to share in the learning.
The focus of this issue of the Digest
is Biodiversity. Often biodiversity is
thought of in terms of biodiversity
management,
which
involves
conservation,
preservation
and
protection. As important as these topics
are, there is another facet that I invite
you to explore. Writing on how the
natural world vanishes and species cease
to matter, John Waldman (2010) makes
this point, “Every generation takes
the natural environment it encounters
during childhood as the norm against
which it measures environmental
decline later in life. With each ensuing
generation, environmental degradation
generally increases, but each generation
takes that degraded condition as the
new normal“.
4
Scientists call this phenomenon
“shifting
baselines”
or
“intergenerational
amnesia";
Waldman
describes it as “eco-social anomie.”
Anomie involves a state of mind
characterized by a breakdown of
social priorities and values, according
to the sociologist Emile Durkheim.
What Waldman is suggesting is that
we are caught in eco-social anomie
characterized by this breakdown:
“As species disappear, they lose
both relevance to society and the
constituency who would champion their
revival, further hastening their decline.”
In other words, we cease to care. At
least that is the danger.
Biosphere 2, located in Oracle,
Arizona, is a model of the earth’s
biosphere. It was designed as a closed
system for several ecosystems including
a rainforest, desert, savannah, marsh,
ocean, and an agricultural area with
humans. An ecosystem refers to the
complex set of relationships among
intersecting organisms and their
physical environment. The structure was
sealed for two years in an experiment
to develop a prototype for a Mars space
station. One of the best explanations
of how we as humans lose our sense
of our ecosystem is offered by Jane
Poynter. After emerging from the
sealed structure, she describes how she
grew and ate sweet potatoes, and how
that simple act reconnected her to the
cycle of life. You can view her talk at
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_
poynter_life_in_biosphere_2.html
The Institute’s Team
Dr. Margaret Brigham
Margaret
Brigham
(Ojibway)
is
from
Bkejwanong Territory aka.
Walpole Island First Nation
in southern Ontario. She
is a former classroom
teacher,
First
Nation
school principal, sociology
instructor and college administrator. Her
Ph.D. is from the University of Arizona
in Higher Education Administration and
American Indian Policy Studies. She also has
a Master of Education, and a Bachelor of
Philosophy with an elementary teaching
certificate. Margaret has taught graduate
and undergraduate courses at the
University of Toronto. Margaret is the Dean
of the Institute.
“Global citizenship to me means that as
long as someone is in harm’s way in the
world, then none of us are safe. As unique
individuals we do make up the whole. I
think that is also the message of diversity
and inclusion”
Dr. Eva Aboagye
Eva Aboagye was born
in Ghana, and arrived in
Canada in 1989. She has
a masters and a doctoral
degree from the University
of Toronto in Higher
Education Administration
and Planning. Prior to that,
Eva had obtained a Bachelors degree in
Sociology and English from the University
of Ghana and a United Nations sponsored
Graduate Diploma in Population Studies
from the University of Ghana.
She has held a number of management
positions in postsecondary institutions
including Assistant Registrar at the
University of Ghana in Ghana. At
Centennial College, her responsibilities
have included positions as Research Officer,
Manager of Strategic Institutional Planning
and Performance, and Director of Policies,
Pathways and Grants. She also taught as
a part-time instructor in the Teacher of
Adults program in the School of Continuing
Education. She is currently the Senior
Researcher in the Institute.
At the Institute, Eva’s responsibilities
include the implementation and planning
of the Scholars-at-Risk program, overseeing
the production of Institute publications and
facilitating the Philosopher’s Cafes.
"I see myself as belonging to two worlds.
I consider myself as belonging to both
the nation I was born in and my current
adopted nation. For me global citizenship
means understanding that the world
cannot be compartmentalized. Regardless
of where you live whether in a rich or poor
country we all have an effect on the world
in different ways. Being conscious of and
acting on the effect we can have on the
world makes us good global citizens."
Aida Haroun
Aida
Haroun
was
born in Cairo, Egypt to
a multicultural family
with Greek, Armenian
and Turkish background.
She was brought up
speaking four languages
(English, French, Arabic,
Turkish and an understanding of Armenian).
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Sociology and Business Administration
from York University. Aida spent extensive
periods of time studying the French
language abroad in France. Aida‘s passion
is travelling and learning the history and
culture of countries around the world. She
is very much committed, passionate and
promotes issues associated with global
citizenship, social justice, diversity and
equity.
Aida joined Centennial College in 2003
as a Human Resources Consultant and is
presently the Equity & Compliance Manager
at the Institute for Global Citizenship &
Equity Office. Prior to joining Centennial,
she was employed with the Toronto
District School Board for over 20 years as
a Senior Human Resources Consultant and
Labour Relations Officer. Some of Aida’s
responsibilities as an Equity & Compliance
Manager is the Self Identification Census,
Outreach and Training for a Diverse
Faculty Recruitment, Compliance with the
AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act) in the areas of Customer
Service and Facilities Audit, Outreach to
underrepresented
groups,
promoting
social justice issues, and celebrating and
recognizing diverse cultures through the
“Social Action Fund” and Co-ordinating the
upcoming Conference “Engaging Hearts
and Minds: Equity, Social Justice and Global
Citizenship in Action.”
Global citizenship to Aida means an
acceptance and understanding that we are
all interconnected in this world no matter
where we live, what cultural, religious or
racial background we come from or what
language we speak. As global citizens we
must alleviate local and global inequality,
respect the globe and all the people on it
and do what’s best for the entire human
race.
Nikesh N. Bhagat
Nikesh has a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Sociology
from Ryerson University.
He co-founded the Ryerson
Sociology Students’ Union
(RSSU) and led the union
until he graduated in
2009, spending much of
his effort advocating for increased student
involvement as well as various social and
educational efforts.
Nikesh excelled at research and statistics
and was recruited by the Sociology
Department as a Lab Assistant and Mentor
to the Sociology students of an Advanced
Research and Statistics course in his
fourth year. He also held various Research
Assistant and Technical Consultant positions
throughout his years of study.
While at university and beyond, Nikesh
taught himself the ins and outs of SQL
databases, SQL syntax, VB.NET, and how
to build ASP.NET web projects. He has used
these skills and his pre-existing knowledge
of basic web development to digitise
large research and archival projects at
Ryerson, developing the front- and backend of online, publicly accessible data
management systems.
Nikesh is currently pursuing a Master of
Spatial Analysis degree.
5
At present, Nikesh is the newest hire at
the Institute and holds the title of Research
Analyst. His main responsibility is statistical
data analysis, but also participates in equity
plan development; conducts literature
reviews and other forms of research
regarding topics of interest to the Institute;
is the Assistant Editor of the Institute’s
magazine, the Global Citizen Digest.; is
the technical lead for the Institute’s up and
coming online, academic journal.
“Global citizenship is as micro as giving
directions with a smile; as abstract as opening
a door for a stranger; as intangible as being
open to cultural diversity; as intricate as
reading the labels on the things we buy;
as theoretical as social responsibility; yet,
as practical as being charitable; as broad as
learning can be; as physical as geography;
as real as engaging in local/global realities;
as macro as collective action towards social
justice as well as its informed advocacy.”
Manjeet Kang
Manjeet Kang is a law graduate from
India and earned her diploma in Human
Resources
Management
from Centennial College.
She is working towards
evaluation of her law
degree in Canada.
Manjeet is the Assistant
to the Dean in the Institute
for Global Citizenship and
Equity. She joined the Institute as a student
worker and later worked as a Research
Assistant. Before coming to Canada she
worked as Assistant Manager Legal and HR.
Manjeet’s research background started
while she was in law school where she held
the position of researcher during moot
courts. She is working on a number of
research projects including Systems Review,
AODA standards, Aboriginal Fire Fighters
and also contributes to the Global Citizen
Digest.
Global Citizenship is like painting the
globe in white with no boundaries to divide
us in territories, ethnicity, faith and color. It
is all about seeing each other as humans.
6
Amanda Sampson
Amanda Sampson is
a Research Assistant at
the Institute for Global
Citizenship and Equity,
and brings a unique blend
of experiences to her role.
After years of working in
marketing and advertising
design in print and broadcast media,
Amanda obtained a Certificate in Human
Resources Management (High Honours)
from Centennial College. Amanda also
holds Bachelor degrees in Fine Arts and
Education from York University.
Her key responsibilities include designing
marketing and communication information
for Institute initiatives, such as the recent
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities
Act (AODA) Customer Service Guidelines,
coordinating the annual Engaging Hearts
and Minds Conference, and administering
the Social Action Fund.
To Amanda, good global citizenship
concerns being aware of and caring about
those around us, both close to home as
well as across the globe, and knowing that
we are all capable of helping to make the
world a better place. Every little bit counts!
The Institute
Community and
Involvement
Partnerships
Lectures,
Seminar Series,
and Engaging
Hearts & Minds
Conference
Institute for
Global
Citizenship
and Equity
Publications
The Global Citizen
Digest; Journal of
Global Citizenship and
Equity Education
Centennial College is a leader in global
citizenship and social justice education. The
Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity
is a natural evolution that will enable
the College to more visibly embed global
citizenship and equity in all its activities.
The Institute will enhance the prominence
the College has in this area. It will enable
the College not only to embed global
citizenship and equity (GCE), social justice
and inclusion principles but also exhibit the
College’s leadership in this area.
Research
Earth
Fire
Water
Wind
Programs and
Activities
Philosopher’s
Cafe
Partnerships
Scholar at Risk Network
DiverseCity project
The Institute will provide a clustering of
energy and resources on global citizenship
and equity from which faculty, staff,
students and the community can work
together on new and ongoing projects that
explore issues around global citizenship
and equity (GCE) and social justice and
inclusion. The Institute’s goal is to inspire
in people the desire to use their education
for the benefit of their local, national and
global community.
The Institute will collaborate in activities
with schools and departments to advance
global citizenship, equity, social justice and
systemic change working with schools to
provide opportunities for students to be
involved in social justice activities within
their communities or globally.
The Institute’s purpose is to encourage
the development of people who recognize
the interdependence of all people and
the need for all people to work toward
universal social justice and equity.
7
Articles and Paper Contributions
Biodiversity
“Biological diversity – or biodiversity – is the term given to the variety of
life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms.” (Convention on Biological
Diversity, 2000)
Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old. Scientists believe that somewhere
between 3.5 and nearly 4 billion years ago the planet witnessed its first living
organisms (Public Broadcasting Service, 2001). Over the billions of years that
followed, evolutionary processes helped to produce Earth’s rich and abundant
biological diversity. The biological diversity we see today is also a result of
millennia upon millennia of natural processes and, to an ever increasing extent,
the influence of human civilisation (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2000).
What is Biodiversity?
By: Nikesh Bhagat
Introduction
The diversity of our planet's biological
resources, or biodiversity, is usually
understood on three levels: 1) species
diversity; 2) genetic diversity; 3) ecosystems
diversity. In other words, biodiversity
includes, “[…] diversity within species,
between species and of ecosystems” (CBD,
1992).
Genetic Diversity
The diversity of genetics commonly
refers to variations within species at the level
of chromosomes, genes, and DNA (CBD,
2000). According to biodiversity theory,
however, there are four levels at which
the diversity of genetics can be measured:
population, species, community, and biome.
Genetic diversity is an important indicator
of how well a species or population is
able to adapt and evolve to environmental
changes.
The higher the genetic
diversity,
the
better
equipped
a
species is to survive disturbances in its
ecosystem or larger environmental shifts.
When a species or population suffers from
low genetic diversity, it is more likely to
fail. For example, crops that consist of
plants that are genetically identical are
much more vulnerable when encountering
a hostile disease or parasite – if one plant
is affected, they all will be (Canadian
Biodiversity Website).
8
Species Diversity
The diversity of species includes all the
variations of plants, animals, insects, and
micro-organisms currently in existence.
Presently, it is estimated that approximately
1.75 million species have been discovered
and catalogued. Some scientists estimate
that there are roughly 11 million species
still unknown to modern science, yet other
estimates put the number of species on
Earth anywhere from as low as 3 million to
as high as 100 million (CBD, 2000).
Ecosystems Diversity
The diversity of ecosystems is perhaps
the most complex level of biodiversity
and often misunderstood.
On one
level it refers to the various ecosystems
that occur in different biomes such as
forests, oceans, desserts, and wetlands.
On a smaller scale it refers to the communities
and associations that are formed through
the functions of and the interactions
between not just living organisms, but the
ecosystems or environment in which they
live and comprise (CBD, 2000; Canadian
Biodiversity Website).
Why is biodiversity important to
humankind?
Our planet’s biodiversity has provided
beauty, cultural enrichment, and inspiration
to human civilisation for many millennia.
Indeed, it has an intrinsic value that is much
greater than the sum of its parts. Yet,
perhaps the single most important aspect
of biodiversity is the integral foundation
it provides – upon which we entrench our
livelihoods and fuel the advancement of
our civilisations. Generally, the value or
usefulness of biodiversity to humankind
can be talked about through the ecosystem
services it makes possible.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are all the natural
processes and functions that directly
or indirectly benefit the well-being of
humankind. In other words, ecosystem
services, “[…] illustrate the link between,
on the one hand, the interactions of species
with each other and with the physical
environment; and on the other, the wellbeing of people, whether in terms of
wealth, nutrition or security” (CBD, 2010).
Ecosystem services can be divided into four
categories as per the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment commissioned by the United
Nations:
• Provisioning services, or the supply of
goods of direct benefit to people, and
often with a clear monetary value, such
as timber from forests, medicinal plants,
and fish from the oceans, rivers and
lakes;
• Regulating services, the range of
functions carried out by ecosystems
which are often of great value but
generally not given a monetary value
in conventional markets. They include
regulation of climate through the storing
of carbon and control of local rainfall,
the removal of pollutants by filtering
the air and water, and protection from
disasters such as landslides and coastal
storms;
• Cultural services, not providing direct
material benefits, but contributing to
wider needs and desires of society, and
therefore to people’s willingness to
pay for conservation. They include the
spiritual value attached to particular
ecosystems such as sacred groves, and
the aesthetic beauty of landscapes or
coastal formations that attract tourists;
• Supporting services, not of direct
benefit to people but essential to the
functioning of ecosystems and therefore
indirectly responsible for all other
services. Examples are the formation of
soils and the processes of plant growth.
(CBD, 2010)
Is Biodiversity at Risk?
According to the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment (2005), a study commissioned
by the United Nations, and many
other scientific sources – biodiversity
is more at risk than it has ever been. Though
the loss and gain of biodiversity is a naturally
occurring phenomenon, we are currently
observing a decline in our biological
diversity that far exceeds any rate of loss in
history by hundreds of times. The primary
source of biodiversity loss and subsequent
ecosystems degradation is a result of
human activities, “[b]iodiversity is declining
rapidly due to land use change, climate
change, invasive species, overexploitation,
and pollution. These result from
demographic, economic, socio-political,
cultural, technological, and other indirect
drivers” (MA, 2005). Most concerning is that
this trend displays no indication of slowing.
Ecosystems all over the world have
experienced extreme transformations at the
hands of humans at a steady rate for more
than 100 years, being converted for uses,
such as agricultural, which have significantly
contributed to ecosystem degradation.
From the period between 1950 and
1990, every major biogeographical realm
(Neotropical, Australasian, Indo-Malay,
Afrotropical, Palearctic) has seen a decrease
in natural areas as a direct or indirect result
of an increase in cultivated or pastoral lands
(MA, 2005).
Species diversity is also at risk. It is
estimated that the current extinction
rate of species is nearly 100 times that of
the natural rate, greatly surpassing the
evolution of new species and thus resulting
in a diminishing return of biodiversity.
Between 12% and 52% of species among
birds, amphibians, mammals, cycads
(seed plants), and conifers (cone-bearing
seed plants) are at risk of being extinct.
Furthermore, the current trend in the
wealth of species points to a decline in all
environments (MA, 2005).
Biodiversity is also at risk at the level of
genetics. The ‘intensification of agricultural
systems’, genetically modified plants and
animals, as well as specialised breeding
has resulted in a loss of genetic diversity
of domesticated species.
Currently,
there are approximately 6500 breeds of
domesticated
plants
and
animals
and, of these, roughly a third are at risk of
extinction (MA, 2005).
Below is a pointed summary of the
current trends in biodiversity taken from
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
(2005):
• “Virtually all of Earth’s ecosystems have
been dramatically transformed through
human actions”
• “The majority of biomes have been
greatly modified. Between 20% and
50% of 9 out of [the] 14 global biomes
have been transformed by croplands”
• “Over the past few hundred years,
humans have increased the species
extinction rate by as much as three
orders of magnitude”
• Between 12% and 52% of species
within well-studied higher taxa [groups
of organisms] are threatened with
extinction […]”
• “Among the range of higher taxa, the
majority of species are currently in
decline”
• “Genetic diversity has declined globally,
particularly
among
domesticated
species”
• “Globally, the net rate of conversion
of some ecosystems has begun to
slow, and in some regions ecosystems
are returning to more natural states
largely due to reductions in the rate of
expansion of cultivated land, though
in some instances such trends reflect
the fact that little habitat remains for
further conversion”
• “Biotic homogenization, defined as a
process whereby species assemblages
become increasingly dominated by a
small number of widespread species,
represents further losses in biodiversity
that are often missed when only
considering changes in absolute numbers
of species”
• “While biodiversity loss has been a
natural part of the history of Earth’s
biota [the total collection of organisms
of a geographic region or time period],
it has always been countered by
origination and, except for rare events,
has occurred at extremely slow rates.
Currently, however, loss far exceeds
origination, and rates are orders of
magnitude higher than average rates in
the past”
What is being done to conserve
biodiversity?
The Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) was set up after the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. There are three
main goals of the CBD: 1) conservation
of biodiversity; 2) sustainable use of
biodiversity; and 3) the fair and equitable
sharing of the benefits arising from the use
of genetic resources. The CBD is governed
by the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (COP),
which consists of all the nations that
have signed and ratified the treaty. The
COP meets every two years to review the
progress made towards meeting the goals
outlined in the CBD. In October 2010, 193
signatories of the CBD met in Nagoya,
Japan to do just this and to decide on how
to approach the global loss of biodiversity
– this was the tenth meeting of the parties
(COP-10) (Natural History Museum).
At the COP-10, the parties decided
to adopt 20 targets that, over the next
decade, would address the conservation
of biodiversity as well as its sustainable
use. These targets are known as the ‘Aichi
9
Targets’ and layout a vision for 2050. Some
of the Aichi Targets include increasing the
global area of protected lands to 17%
and oceans to 10%; addressing barriers
and obstacles related to disseminating
information and knowledge about
biodiversity to all levels of society from the
the actions to be taken by all countries
to protect biodiversity and therefore the
benefits it provides humankind. During
the COP-10 the United Nations agreed
to support the initiatives outlined in the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, declaring
2011 – 2020 the United Nations Decade on
Three Strategic Objectives
of the Decade
1) Supporting framework for the
implementation of the Biodiversity
Strategic Plan 2011 – 2020 and the
Aichi Targets at national, regional,
and international levels
2) Guidance to regional and international
organizations
3) Public awareness of biodiversity issues
The CBD describes the action priorities
of the Decade on Biodiversity using the
following categories (source: Convention
on Biological Diversity):
1. Regional Organisations
Actions at the regional level, particularly
where drivers of biodiversity loss are
trans-boundary or large biomes require
management across several countries:
a. Align biodiversity policy targets with
Strategic Plan and Aichi Targets
general public to businesses to decision
makers. Other targets include preventing
over-fishing, reducing the pervasiveness
of alien and invasive species, and cutting
the rate of ecosystem degradation by half
(Natural History Museum).
The COP-10 also resulted in the
ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, which
addresses the third goal of the CBD: the
fair and equitable sharing of the benefits
arising from the use of genetic resources.
The Protocol will ensure that the future use
of natural resources in the production of
any goods/services must first be approved
by the nation from which the resources are
derived. The CDB describes the Nagoya
Protocol as:
[…] an international agreement which
aims at sharing the benefits arising from
the utilization of genetic resources in
a fair and equitable way, including by
appropriate access to genetic resources
and by appropriate transfer of relevant
technologies, taking into account all rights
over those resources and to technologies,
and by appropriate funding, thereby
contributing to the conservation of
biological diversity and the sustainable use
of its components. (CBD, 2012)
In 2010, the COP also adopted the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 – 2020.
This plan is a framework that delineates
10
Biodiversity. For more information on what
Canada is doing to conserve biodiversity,
see the article, Canada and the Decade for
Biodiversity, by Dr. Eva Aboagye.
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity
2011 – 2020
During the 10th meeting of the
Conference of the Parties (COP) to the
Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) the
United Nations declared 2011 – 2020 the
UN Decade on Biodiversity.
Through
this declaration the UN has promised
to contribute to the implementation of
the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 –
2020. Calling on the Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-moon, to direct the UN system
towards achieving the goals of the Decade
on Biodiversity with the support of six
biodiversity-related conventions (including
the CBD, see figure 1) as well as with the
support of related UN funds, programmes,
and agencies, the UN has committed to
addressing the loss of biodiversity and
ecosystems degradation.
The Decade is meant to encourage
everyone to live in harmony with nature
and to implement responsible management
of our biological resources for the sake of
future generations to come. In order to
do this, the United Nations has established
three main objectives for the Decade:
b. Create coordination mechanisms to link
national and regional efforts
c. Mainstream biodiversity considerations
into medium- and long-term priorities
2. International Organisations
At the international level, the priority
is to implement the principles of
mainstreaming in a coordinated way:
a. Align programmes and priorities with
the Strategic Plan and the Aichi Targets
b. Further develop and implement a
United Nations system-wide strategy
and action plan that integrates
biodiversity considerations into work
related to the core issues of sustainable
development and human security
3. Civil Society Organisations
Raising awareness of the value of
biodiversity amongst the general public,
and developing a broad consensus across
society for the actions needed by individuals
and communities:
a. Collaboration of global networks to
advance the biodiversity agenda
b. Provide civil society networks with
guidance on the ways that they can
become involved in national processes
for implementation of the CBD
c. Encourage civil society organisations to
develop communication and outreach
campaigns that support the strategic
plan and provide messages about the
value of biodiversity
4. Businesses
Active engagement of the business
sector:
a. Benefits of “biodiversity-friendly”
business practices
b. Further engagement of global
“biodiversity-friendly” business
associations to reach out to other
businesses
c. Create and develop communications
campaigns that promote the economic
and business benefits of sustainable
production and consumption
5. Children and Youth
The next generation of leaders and the
citizens of tomorrow will inherit the results
of environmental management, they have a
vested interest in the results of the Decade:
a. Create a movement of youth
Champions, inspiring to others
b. Build on existing initiatives at all levels
c. Build networks of youth groups
6. Indigenous and Local Communities
Key group to ensure implementation of
the Strategic Plan:
a. Recognise and communicate their
unique contribution
b. Provide a platform for further
integration of work in the communities
with the work of other actors for the
biodiversity agenda
7. Scientific Community
Resource List:
Create indicators and data, but also
communicate science:
Canadian Biodiversity Website. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://canadianbiodiversity.
mcgill.ca/english/index.htm
a. Platform for innovation in biodiversity
research
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2012).
Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related
Conventions. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/blg/
b. Opportunity to expand science
communication on biodiversity,
including the mobilization of funds and
resources
8. Media
Reach out to different audiences, and an
audience itself:
c. Provide reporting guidelines and
encourage coverage of biodiversity
issues in a variety of domains (beyond
the typical coverage)
Figure 1: Liaison Group of
Biodiversity-related Conventions
“In order to enhance coherence and
cooperation in implementation [of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity], a liaison
group has been established between
the heads of the secretariats of the six
biodiversity-related conventions. The
Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related
Conventions meets regularly to explore
opportunities for synergistic activities
and increased coordination, and to
exchange information.” (CBD, 2012)
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2011).
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011 –
2020. Retrieved from http://www.cbd.int/doc/
strategic-plan/un-decade-biodiversity.pdf
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2011).
Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2010).
Ecosystem Services. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/undb/media/factsheets/en/
undb-factsheet-ecoserv-en.pdf
Convention on Biological Diversity. (2000).
Sustaining life on Earth: How the Convention
on Biological Diversity promotes nature and
human well-being. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/convention/guide/
Convention on Biological Diversity. (1992).
Text of the Convention. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/convention/text/
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005).
Synthesis Reports. Retrieved from
http://www.maweb.org/en/index.aspx
Public Broadcasting Service. (2001).
A Matter of Time. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/
cat06.html
The Six Conventions:
• Convention on Biological
Diversity
• Convention on the Conservation
of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals
• Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora
• International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
• World Heritage Convention
11
Biodiversity Terms and Definitions
Alien Species: species of plants, animals
and micro-organisms introduced by human
action outside their natural past or present
distribution. (Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Ecosystem Diversity: the variety of
habitats, plant and animal communities and
associated ecological processes. (Ontario
Biodiversity Council)
Aquatic Biodiversity: includes both
marine and freshwater biodiversity
Including wetlands, bogs, marshes,
groundwater, etc. (Environment Canada)
Ecozone: an area of the Earth’s surface
that represents a large ecological zone with
characteristic natural features and climate.
Ecozones are distinguished from one
another by their unique mosaics of plants,
wildlife, climate, landforms and human
activities. (Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Biome: Ecological communities of living
things, such as micro-organisms, plants and
animals; the communities form as a result
of the physical surroundings, including the
land, air, and water of an area. For example,
deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests
are biomes. (Green Facts Website)
Climate Change: any change in climate
over time due to natural variability or
as a result of human activity. (Ontario
Biodiversity Council)
Community: An assemblage of species
occurring in the same space or time,
often linked by biotic interactions such as
competition or predation. (Green Facts
Website)
Conservation: the maintenance of the
Earth’s resources in a manner that sustains
ecosystem, species and genetic diversity
and the evolutionary and other processes
that shaped them. Conservation may or
may not involve the use of resources; that
is, certain areas, species or populations may
be excluded from human use as part of an
overall landscape/waterscape conservation
approach, while in other areas, the
sustainable use of biological resources may
be permitted. (Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Ecological
Management:
the
management of human activities so that
ecosystems, their structure, function,
composition, and the physical, chemical,
and biological processes that shaped them,
continue at appropriate temporal and
spatial scales. Ecological management is
sometimes called ecosystem management
or an ecological approach to management.
(Environment Canada)
Ecosystem: a dynamic complex of plant,
animal and micro-organism communities
and their physical environment functioning
as an ecological unit. (Ontario Biodiversity
Council)
12
Genetically Modified Organism: an
organism whose genetic information has
been altered by any technique including
natural processes, mutagenesis or genetic
engineering. (Environment Canada)
Harmful Alien Organisms: organisms
that enter an ecosystem in which they are
not naturally known to exist - through
deliberate or inadvertent actions by
humans - and thereby pose a threat to
native species. (Environment Canada)
Invasive Species: an alien species
whose introduction or spread threatens
the environment, the economy and/or
society, including human health. (Ontario
Biodiversity Council)
Living Modified Organism: organisms
that have been genetically modified
through the applications of biotechnology,
including organisms that have been
modified by novel recombinant DNA
techniques, as well mutagenesis or classical
breeding and selection techniques.
(Environment Canada)
Population: A group or number of
people living within a specified area or
sharing similar characteristics (such as
occupation or age). (Green Facts Website)
Protected Area: a clearly defined
geographic space, recognized, dedicated
and managed through legal or effective
means
to
achieve
the
long-term
conservation of nature with associated
ecosystem services and cultural values.
(Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Rare Species: small populations of
species that are not currently endangered
or vulnerable, but are at risk. These species
are usually localized within restricted
geographical area or habitats or are thinly
scattered over a more extensive range.
Rarity can be defined locally, regionally,
provincially/ territorially, nationally or
globally. (Environment Canada)
Rehabilitation: the return of a species,
population or ecosystem to a healthy,
functioning state. (Environment Canada)
Resources Harvesting: the harvesting
of biological resources for the purpose of
subsistence or economic gain. Includes both
aquatic and terrestrial resources. (Ontario
Biodiversity Council)
Restoration: the return of a species,
population or ecosystem to its state prior to
disturbance. (Environment Canada)
Sustainable Development: development
that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
(Environment Canada)
Sustainable Use: the use of natural
resources in a way and at a rate that
conserves an ecological balance without
depleting or permanently damaging them,
thereby maintaining the potential for
future generations to meet their needs and
aspirations. Sustainable use in this Strategy
refers to consumptive uses of biological
resources. (Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Threatened Species: species that are
likely to become endangered if the natural
and/or human pressures limiting them are
not reversed. (Ontario Biodiversity Council)
Species: A group of organisms that
differ from all other groups of organisms
and that are capable of breeding and
producing fertile offspring. This is the
smallest unit of classification for plants and
animals. (Green Facts Website)
Species at Risk: any wild plant or animal
threatened by or vulnerable to extirpation
or extinction in Ontario. Species at Risk are
assigned a designation to represent the
degree of imperilment (Special Concern,
Threatened, Endangered or Extirpated).
Note: Six species formerly found in Ontario
are now extinct (i.e., no longer exist
anywhere): Macoun’s Shining Moss, Lake
Ontario Kiyi, Blue Pike, Deepwater Cisco,
Passenger Pigeon and Eastern Elk. (Ontario
Biodiversity Council)
Wild Flora and Fauna and other Wild
Organisms: includes mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates,
plants, protists, viruses, fungi, algae and
bacteria. (Environment Canada)
Resource List:
Environment Canada, 1995. Canadian
Biodiversity Strategy: Canada’s Response to the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
Green Facts Website at http://www.
greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/glossarybiodiversity.htm#content
Ontario Biodiversity Council, 2011. Ontario’s
Biodiversity Strategy, 2011: Renewing Our
Commitment to Protecting What Sustains Us.
Ontario Biodiversity Council, Peterborough, ON.
A more comprehensive glossary of terms can be found
by searching “millennium assessment glossary” using
Google or by typing the following URL into your browser:
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/
document.776.aspx.pdf
13
Canada and the Decade on Biodiversity
By: Dr. Eva Aboagye
Introduction
The world is a mass of living creatures
each depending on the other for its survival.
“Some areas teem with biological variation
(for example some moist tropical forests
and coral reefs), others are virtually devoid
of life (for example some deserts and
polar regions), and most fall somewhere
in between” (Gaston, 2000, p. 220). The
actions of one group of living creatures
have an impact on the other groups within
the systems they exist in.
In recent years there has been a lot of
concern over the use of the world’s natural
resources. Speaking on behalf of the UN
Secretary General at the launch of the
Decade on Biodiversity in 2011, Mr. Kiyo
Akasaka said “The global rate of biodiversity
loss is unmatched in human history. Many
ecosystems are verging on tipping points
beyond which they will not recover. These
trends are being compounded by climate
change. This year, the human family will
reach seven billion people – a milestone
with important implications for collective
well-being. Ensuring truly sustainable
development for our growing human
family depends on biological diversity
and the vital goods and services it offers.
While the poor suffer first and worst from
biodiversity loss, all society stands to lose
from this mass extinction. There are also
opportunity costs; what cures for diseases,
and what other useful discoveries, might
we never know of because a habitat is
destroyed forever, or land is polluted
beyond all use? For too long, our natural
capital has been seen as an endless reserve,
instead of the limited and fragile resource
we now know it to be.”
In a World Bank (2010) assessment of some
ecosystems, they noted the degradation of
some of the world’s ecosystems. They noted
that “the main drivers of degradation
are land use conversion, most often to
agriculture or aquaculture, excess nutrients,
and climate change”. They point out that
“human well-being depends on a multitude
of species whose complex interactions
within well-functioning ecosystems purify
water, pollinate flowers, decompose waste,
maintain soil fertility, buffer water flows
and weather extremes, and fulfill social
14
and cultural needs among many others”.
This is a reminder to us to take care of
the biological diversity around in order to
ensure the survival of human beings. To
the question of what can be done, they
point to the need for conservation reserves;
biodiversity planning and management;
community-based
conservation
and
managing marine ecosystems.
This paper looks at some of the actions
and activities that are being taken in
Canada to ensure that we conserve and
manage our biodiversity.
Canada – The Land and Resources
Canada is a country with a vast land and
natural resources. It is the second largest
nation in the world and encompasses a
surface of 9.98 million square kilometres.
It is bordered by 3 oceans and has 243,000
kilometres of coastline. Canada has a major
portion of the world’s tundra, boreal and
temperate forest, and aquatic ecosystems.
About 40% of the country is forest and
woodland representing 10% of the world’s
total forest cover. It has an estimated 24%
of the world’s wetlands (Government of
Canada, 2009, p.2).
Canada has had a history of creating
protected areas to preserve scenic areas
for outdoor recreation and tourism and to
protect wildlife habitat. In the 1800s, the
following protected areas were created.
¥¥ First National Park – Banff, Alberta (1885)
¥¥ First Wildlife Sanctuary – Last Mountain
Lake, Saskatchewan (1887)
¥¥ First Provincial Park – Algonquin Park,
Ontario (1893)
¥¥ First Municipal Park – Mount Royal,
Montreal, Quebec (1872)
In response to the Convention on
Biological Diversity, the federal government
developed a strategy with 5 main goals
(Environment Canada, 1995) to:
»» Conserve biodiversity and use biological
resources in a sustainable manner:
»» Improve
our
understanding
of
ecosystems and increase our resource
management capability;
»» Promote an understanding of the
need to conserve biodiversity and use
biological resources in a sustainable
manner
»» Maintain or develop incentives and
legislation that support the conservation
of biodiversity and the sustainable use of
biological resources; and
»» Work with other countries to conserve
biodiversity, use biological resources
in a sustainable manner and share
equitably the benefits that arise from
the utilization of genetic resources
Some of the actions that the government
has taken include taking steps to maintain
populations of wild and native flora
and fauna and other wild organisms;
establishing protected areas (more details
can be found in the article on Biospheres);
restoration and rehabilitation especially
of threatened or endangered species;
sustainable use of biological resources
including agricultural areas, aquatic
areas and forested areas; monitoring biosafety by keeping track of harmful alien
organisms; monitoring the atmosphere and
keeping track of population and human
settlement.
Biological Diversity in Ontario
Ontario also has vast natural resources
and biodiversity. According to the Ontario
Biodiversity Council (2011), the province
encompasses “more than one million square
kilometres of land and water. Our province
supports a wide range of ecosystems, from
the Carolinian forests in the southernmost
part of Ontario to the tundra of the Hudson
Bay Lowlands in the Far North. More than
half the province is forested. We have
over 250,000 lakes, 500,000 kilometres of
streams and large portions of the Great
Lakes representing a significant proportion
of the world’s freshwater resources.” (p.9)
Ontario has four main ecozones (Ontario
Biodiversity Council, 2011 p. 11). They are:
1. The Hudson Bay Lowlands: This is the
northern most ecozone in Ontario.
It covers 23% of the province and is
mostly wetlands but also supports the
boreal and subarctic forests, tundra,
tidal marshes and numerous rivers and
lakes.
2. The Mixedwood Plains: This is the
smallest ecozone and covers 8% of
the province. It has rich soils and a
moderate climate. It is Canada’s most
biologically diverse area and the
Carolinian zone has many species that
are not found in the rest of Canada.
3. The Ontario Shield: It is the largest
of the ecozones covering 61% of the
province. It is comprised of 68% forest
and 23% lakes, ponds and wetlands.
4. The Great Lakes Ecozone: This is
composed of the five great lakes
and their connecting waterways and
contains 18% of the world’s supply of
surface fresh water.
The Council has classified threats
to Ontario’s Biodiversity in six main
clusters. They are habitat; invasive alien
species; population growth; pollution;
unsustainable use; and climate change. The
threat from habitat loss is mainly through
urbanization which keeps encroaching
on lands around cities and also through
agriculture and roads, resource extraction
and hydroelectric power. The threat from
invasive species has been a concern for a
while, especially foreign species that are
introduced into Ontario lakes and rivers.
The threat from unsustainable use is mainly
from the over harvesting of fish and wildlife
species. Climate change is of concern all
around the world.
15
Learn More! Take Action!
In response to these threats and the UN Decade on Biodiversity,
the Ontario Biodiversity Council has identified key targets that
Ontario will be focused on. The targets are listed in the box below.
Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy, 2011
Source: Ontario Biodiversity Council. 2011. Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy,
2011: Renewing Our Commitment to Protecting What Sustains Us.
Ontario Biodiversity Council, Peterborough, ON.)
Targets
A.Tips from Conservation International
(http://www.conservation.org/act/
simplesteps/pages/simplesteps.aspx )
1.
By 2015, biodiversity is integrated into the elementary, secondary
and postsecondary school curricula, including schools of business.
2.
By 2015, 50 per cent of Ontarians understand biodiversity and its
role in maintaining their health and well-being.
3.
By 2015, the number of Ontarians who participate in biodiversity
conservation activities is increased by 25 per cent.
4.
By 2015, all sectors have initiated the development of
implementation plans in support of Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy,
and by 2020, those plans are implemented.
We know this takes effort. Here is a
useful list of simple steps you can take to
begin thinking greener, acting greener, and
living greener.
5.
By 2020, all relevant policies and programs integrate biodiversity
values.
1. Be Informed
6.
By 2015, plans for climate change mitigation are developed
and implemented and contribute to Ontario’s target to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 6 per cent below 1990 levels.
7.
By 2015, strategic plans are in place to reduce the threats posed to
biodiversity by invasive species.
8.
By 2015, the release of pollutants harmful to biodiversity is
reduced.
9.
By 2020, the growth of Ontario’s per-capita resource consumption
and waste generation is halted and reversed.
10. By 2015, the status of species and ecosystems of conservation
concern in Ontario is improved.
Green living is not only about people. It
is also about plants, animals, and the places
they live. Green living means thinking
about climate change and energy use,
as well as about biological diversity and
the well-being of those who draw their
livelihoods from nature.
The first step toward being a responsible
green citizen is knowing the issues and
taking time to think about them.
2. Travel Sustainably
Next time you go on vacation or need to
take a business trip, consider ways you can
cut down on carbon emissions.
3. Be a Green Consumer
It is becoming easier and easier to know
what effects the things you buy have on the
environment.
4. Eat Green
11. By 2015, the proportion of private lands in Ontario that are
managed for biodiversity is increased.
Environmentally friendly eating habits
are easy and healthy.
12. By 2015, natural heritage systems plans and biodiversity
conservation strategies are developed and implemented at the
municipal and landscape levels.
5. Explore Biodiversity
13. By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and aquatic systems are
conserved through well connected networks of protected areas and
other effective area-based conservation measures.
16
For the UN Decade on Biodiversity, we all
have to educate ourselves about the issues
and look at ways we can make changes
to help manage the world’s biodiversity.
The section below provides information for
individual reflection and action.
The diversity of nature is everywhere. So
why not roll up your sleeves and see what’s
been living right outside your door?
6. Enhance Your Local Biodiversity
14. By 2020, programs and policies are in place to maintain and
enhance ecosystem services.
Contributing to diversity in your own
neighborhood can go a long way toward
feeling good every day.
15. By 2015, a long-term monitoring and reporting system for assessing
the state of Ontario’s biodiversity is established and operating.
7. Minimize Your Carbon Footprint
By reducing the energy and fossil fuels
you use, you are saving the environment
from further damage.
8. Offset Your Carbon
After you have done everything you can
to minimize your carbon footprint then
you can think about how to offset what
residual impact remains.
9. Influence Your Friends, Family, and
Community
A green You is a great role model for
your friends, family, and colleagues.
10. Support CI
By supporting CI you are maximizing
your efforts by joining a larger team.
11. Be a Conservation Advocate
products that come from a sustainable legal
source. Reduce your paper consumption
and use recycled paper. Using 100%
recycled paper saves 24 trees per tonne of
paper.
4. Buy sustainable seafood
80% of the world's biodiversity lives in the
sea and there is still much to be discovered.
At least 100 million unnamed species live
on the ocean floor alone. Yet beneath the
ocean's surface there are constant scenes of
absolute and utter destruction.
Take a stand against unsustainable
fishing.
Do a little or do a lot, but raise your
voice today.
B. Tips from the World Wildlife Federation
(http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_
earth/biodiversity/what_you_can_do/)
Biodiversity decline and loss of ecosystem
services is a major global threat to the
future of our planet and our generations.
The good news is that there are lots of
things you can do to help ease the pressure
on this loss of biodiversity. We are not in
a hopeless situation. In fact, even the
simplest everyday activities can make a real
difference.
1. Be good to our climate
• Help monitor biodiversity in your
backyard, neighbourhood or community
by becoming a citizen scientist.
• Get your hands dirty—plant native trees
and flowers in your garden.
D.Tips from the Ontario Government on Invasive Species
( http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/
Business/Biodiversity/2ColumnSubPage/
STDPROD_068685.html )
What can you do to help stop the spread
of invasive species in Ontario?
Here are a few ways you can help stop
the spread of invasive species in Ontario:
Learn More! Take Action!
•Gardening? Plant native species. For
helpful suggestions see Grow Me
Instead: Beautiful Non-Invasive Plants
for your Garden.
C. Tips from the Ontario Government on Biodiversity
• Going camping? Don’t transport
firewood. Buy it locally; leave what you
don’t use there.
(Ontario Biodiversity Council 2011, p.56)
What you can do to help conserve
Ontario’s biodiversity?
• Get outside and discover Ontario’s rich
biodiversity.
• Share your passion for nature with
others.
• Going fishing? Don’t empty your bait
bucket in or near water – it’s against the
law.
• Going boating? Wash your boat before
you move to another lake or river.
• Going hiking? Clean visible mud, plants
and seeds from your boots and other
equipment.
All of us are affected, in one way or
another by Climate Change.
• Lower your Ecological Footprint at
school, at home and at work.
2. Don’t buy bad souvenirs
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
You're on your holidays, you're in the
souvenir shop, and boy does "that" look
nice. It’s so unusual, it would make a great
talking point when you get home. But is it
made from the skin, fur, bone, shell, beak
or hooves of an endangered species?
• Drive less! Try walking, riding your bike
or using public transit to get around.
By avoiding certain wildlife products and
carefully watching what you buy (always
ask!), you can prevent bringing many
species closer to the edge of extinction.
• Live local by purchasing locally grown
produce, farm products and other goods
and services.
• Travelling? Don’t take plants, plant
parts, seeds or fruit across borders.
3. Save our forests by buying "good"
wood
• Share your talents by volunteering and
participating in biodiversity stewardship
activities.
Every year about 13 million hectares of
natural forest are lost - an area equivalent
in size to Greece. Buy wood and wood
• Watch out for invaders. Learn about
and help prevent the spread of invasive
species.
Canada is rich in biodiversity but we
need to work to ensure that that diversity is
available to future generations. For the UN
Decade on Biodiversity, we should all learn
more about the issues and take action to
support the conservation, protection and
management of the rich biodiversity we
have here in the country.
• Use less energy and water: you’ll lower
your energy bills and conserve natural
resources.
• Have a fish pet that is no longer wanted?
Don’t release it into the wild and don’t
flush dead fish down the toilet. Put them
in the garbage or compost.
• Have a turtle or other small reptile pet
that is no longer wanted? Don’t release
it into the wild. Contact a reptile rescue
society like Little RES Q for help.
Conclusion
17
Bibliography
Biodiversity Canada Website at
http://www.biodivcanada.ca/default.
asp?lang=en&n=560ED58E-1
Canadian Biodiversity Website at http://
canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/
Government of Canada. 2009. Caring for
Canada’s Biodiversity: Highlights of Canada’s 4th
National Report to the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
Environment Canada, 1995. Canadian
Biodiversity Strategy: Canada’s Response to the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
Environment Canada Website at http://www.
ec.gc.ca/nature/default.
asp?lang=En&n=EAC9183B-1
Gaston, J. K. 2000. Global Patterns in
Biodiversity in Nature Vol. 405, May 2000
Green Facts Website at http://www.
greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/glossarybiodiversity.htm#content
McGill University , Biodiversity Conservation
in Canada at http://redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/
Qbp/3.Conservation/canada2.htm
Ontario Biodiversity Council, 2011. Ontario’s
Biodiversity Strategy, 2011: Renewing Our
Commitment to Protecting What Sustains Us.
Ontario Biodiversity Council, Peterborough, ON.
Royal Ontario Museum at http://www.rom.
on.ca/ontario/risk.php
University of Guelph, Biodiversity Institute of
Ontario http://www.biodiversity.uoguelph.ca/
World Bank. 2010. “Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate” in
World Development Report 2010 Focus B.
18
19
Why Biodiversity Matters
By: Sowmya Kishore
Sowmya Kishore is a Faculty
member and Research Associate
at the School of Hospitality,
Tourism & Culture and the
Culture and Heritage Institute
at Centennial. Sowmya is also
a trained classical dancer, a
linguist and enjoys reading and
the outdoors.
We can all agree that this winter has
been more than comfortable, or at least so
far: minimum usage of snow boots, zero to
rare shovelling- what with the rain melting
it away like a dream, and stray instances
of rush-hour fender-bendering. Global
warming is a good thing, I said to myself.
And if the icebergs come melting, my grand
kids will figure a way out I’m sure.
But on the other hand, barely enough
accumulation to undertake the annual
snow tubing ritual, let alone build a decent
sized snowman. Most critically, the foliage
and animal life are showing signs of stress.
On second thoughts, this may not be such
a blessing after all, especially if we’re to
consider what we will leave behind for our
future generations. Biodiversity after all,
according to its definition, “is a measure of
health of ecosystems”.
So is this all pointing to a slow but sure
change in things to come? Is this ‘Year
One’ of a hotter, more disturbing pattern
or simply a one-off occurrence? Yes, we’re
now talking climate change- a big player
when it comes to biodiversity. Of course, we
would be thrilled if this part of the world
just transformed into a tropical paradise.
We wouldn’t need those charter flights to
Cancun or Bahamas to start with, but there
would be drastic flip sides to the bargain.
Biodiversity would never be diverse
anymore. Ecosystems have a unique way
of sustaining and supporting all elements
involved: plant, animal and human, thereby
influencing the destination as a whole. The
United Nations Environment Programme
And rightly so. A recent article in The
Toronto Star titled “GTA’s warm winter
puts wildlife, nature at risk” pointed out
how “…the survival of local critters, bugs
and plants that have evolved to tolerate
frigid, snowy Canadian winters — not
tennis-playing temperatures in December
and January, is at risk. The odd, repeated
and extreme freeze-and-thaw cycles might
have an effect on their survival rates and
the fitness of offspring.”
UNEP Green Passport Programme: http://www.unep.fr/greenpassport/
Rouge Valley Park: http://www.rougepark.com/
3
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Biodiversity/index.html
1
2
20
(UNEP) has campaigned to tourists through
their ‘Green Passport’ project1. Basic tenets
of respecting the environment through
daily activities, including pre-departure
planning and things you can do after your
return, are included. Certainly, a small
but easy step to ensure you leave behind
everything intact for the next visitor and
next generation.
Closer to home there is an interesting
Parks Canada initiative slowly taking shape.
Rouge Valley has been declared Canada’s
first urban park2 (protected park in a city),
protecting the natural area from future
development. A phased conservation plan
for its rich and diverse mix of plants and
wildlife is now underway- a youth focus
group study to gauge neighbourhood
stakeholder interest and inputs is the first,
and perhaps the best way to start off. This
is another obvious, yet integral step to
passing on the torch.
The first step in that direction is to
understand - as the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources3 aptly puts it- that
‘Biodiversity is about being connected!’
Once we acknowledge this inter
connectedness, we may learn to better
appreciate what is around us.
To be able to explore and
experience
Canada’s
diverse,
seasonal offering is a unique gift in
itself. And if we are able to educate,
interpret and share such distinctive
treasures, we may have done half
the job right!
People and the Environment: Canadian Biosphere
Reserves
By: Dr. Eva Aboagye
Introduction
The world is continuing to grow and
some natural resources may come in
limited supplies. There are constant stories
of species that have gone extinct or are
endangered. Sometimes we all wonder
what is being done or can be done to stem
the depletion of the biodiversity we have
and to conserve it for the next generation.
I decided to focus this article on a project
that brings together groups of people and
scientists to look at ways to manage the
biodiversity that exists and conserve it.
When the Man and the Biosphere
programme was launched it was also
decided to establish “terrestrial and coastal
areas representing the main ecosystems
of the planet in which genetic resources
would be protected, and where research
on ecosystems as well as monitoring and
training work could be carried out...” Each
biosphere has 3 main functions:
The United Nation Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in
1970 launched a project called Man and the
Biosphere to help improve the relationship
between man and the environment and
also to help preserve biodiversity in the
environment. According to UNESCO, “it is
an interdisciplinary programme directed
at finding ways to satisfy human needs
while ensuring the long term health of the
natural system”.
• A development function – to foster
economic and human development
which is socio-culturally and ecologically
sustainable;
There are a number of ways that we have
an impact on our natural environment that
can have adverse effects on biodiversity.
The first is population growth or the rate
at which the world’s population is growing
and the growing concern of the world’s
ability to support the current rate of
growth, especially the uneven distribution
of that growth. The second is consumption
and the rate at which we are exploiting
natural resources like oil, forests and fish
stocks. The third way is the technology
for industry. Industries like the fishing,
forestry and mining sectors have developed
advanced technologies that enable the
fast and efficient exploitation of natural
resources. There is also pollution associated
with industries and manufacturing.
The biosphere project looks at ways to
reconcile the conservation of biodiversity
with its sustainable use.
• A conservation function – to contribute
to the conservation of landscapes,
ecosystems and genetic variation;
• A logistic function – to provide support
for research, monitoring, education
and information exchange related to
local, national and global issues of
conservation and development.
The biospheres cover a variety of natural
resources covering forests, mountains,
plains, coastal regions, islands and deserts.
These reserves are partnerships between
people and the environment. Each
biosphere reserve is made up of three
interrelated zones. There is the core area,
which is usually safeguarded from human
activity; the buffer zone, which surrounds
the core zone, may be used for research
and the transition area where most of the
people in the area live.
The selection of a biosphere reserve
depends on a number of things. First the
local people and organizations have to
demonstrate their commitment to the
principles of the Man and the Biosphere
program. The site must also meet the
following criteria:
• Be representative of a major biogeographic region, including a gradation
of human intervention in these systems;
• Contain landscapes, ecosystems or
animal and plant species, or varieties
which need to be conserved;
• Provide an opportunity to explore and
demonstrate approaches to sustainable
development within the larger region
where they are located;
• Be an appropriate size to serve the three
functions of biosphere reserves;
• Have an appropriate zoning system,
with legally constituted core areas or
areas devoted to long term protection; a
clearly defined buffer zone or zones and
an outer transition area.
Currently, there are 580 Biosphere
Reserves around the world in 114 countries.
Canada has 16 Man and the Biosphere
Reserves.
21
Recent Additions to the Biosphere
In 2011, 18 new biospheres were added
to the Man and Biosphere program.
They were the following:
• Charlevoix, Quebec (1988)
• The Niagara Escarpment, Ontario (1990)
• Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia
(2000)
• Bras d’Or Lake, Canada
• Lac Saint-Pierre, Quebec (2000)
• Mao’er Mountain, China,
• Mount Arrowsmith, British Columbia
(2000)
• Corredor Biológico Nevados de ChillánLaguna del Laja, Chile.
• Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan (2000)
• Songor, Ghana,
• Southwest Nova, Nova Scotia (2001)
• Mujib, Jordan,
• Frontenac Arch, Ontario (2002)
• Zuvintas, Lithuania
• Georgian Bay Littoral, Ontario (2004)
• Baa Atoll, MaldivesBerlengas
archipelago, Portugal
• Fundy, New-Brunswick (2007)
• Volga-Akhtuba Floodplain, Russian
Federation
• Bras d'Or Lake, Nova Scotia (2011)
• St. Mary’s, Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Blekinge Archipelago, Sweden
• Nedre Dalälven River Landscape,
Sweden
• Oti-Keran/Oti-Mandouri, Togo
Bras d’Or Lakes
Established in 2011
• Ramot Menashe, Isreal
• Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve,
El Salvador/Guatemala/ Honduras
Canadian Bosphere Reserves
• Long Point, Ontario (1986)
• Riding Mountain, Manitoba (1986)
22
The Fundy Biosphere Reserve
Established in 2007
- http://fundy-biosphere.ca/
The Fundy Biosphere is located in New
Brunswick. The reserve includes an area of
over 430,000 hectares of the upper Bay
of Fundy coast, stretching from St. Martins
to the Tantramar Marsh near Sackville
and inland to Moncton. It has unique
geological formations, terrestrial and
marine ecosystems.
• Santana Madeira, Portugal
• Waterton, Alberta (1979)
The Manicougan-Uapishka is located in
Quebec along the Saint Lawrence River.
It covers rivers and woodlands, mountains
and a vast and dry plateau. The reserve
territory covers 5,480,000 square
kilometres.
In the section that follows, I have listed
and described the Canadian Man and the
Biosphere Reserves starting from the most
recent.
• Bura’a, Yemen
• Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec (1978)
Established in 2007
- http://www.rmbmu.com/eng/
• Manicouagan-Uapishka, Québec (2007)
• Roztochya, Ukraine
Canada is a large country with a lot
of natural resources. It is estimated that
20% of the world’s wilderness, 20% of its
freshwater, 24% of its wetlands and 10% of
the world’s forests exist in Canada. Canada
according to the Man and the Biosphere
project “has a wide variety of ecosystems,
including arctic ecosystems that cover one
quarter of the country’s landmass, and
great species diversity, with over 70,000
described species". The Canadian Biosphere
Reserves are located in eight provinces. The
first reserve was created in 1978, as can be
seen in the list below:
Manicouagan-Uapishka
The Lakes are located in Cape Breton in
Nova Scotia. The area is known as a nesting
ground for bald eagles. It also has the white
– tailed deer, osprey, foxes and racoons.
It consists of a salt-water estuary watershed
with three passages to the Atlantic Ocean.
Georgian Bay Littoral
Established in 2004
- http://www.gbbr.ca/
The Georgian Bay Littoral is located in
Ontario. It encompasses the largest island
archipelago of the North American Great
Lakes. It consists of bays, inlets, sounds,
islands and shoals lying along the edge
of the Canadian Shield and supports a
rich mixture of forest, wetlands, and rocky
habitat types. The area reserve covers
347,000 hectares of land and it has over 100
species of animals and plants that are at risk
in Canada.
The biosphere reserve covers an area of
around 150,000 hectares. Ecotourism,
heritage tourism and agri-tourism play an
increasing role in the region.
Southwest Nova
Established in 2001 - www.snbra.ca
Southwest Nova represents the natural
region of southwestern Nova Scotia.
Located in the boreal needleleaf forest
biogeographical region, it includes rolling
plains, river plains, glacial plains, hills,
drumlins and coastal cliffs. The region
contains significant disjunctive populations
of Atlantic Coastal Plain plant species,
Blandings turtle, ribbon snake
and
southern flying squirrel.
Frontenac Arch
Established in 2002 - www.fabr.ca
Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve is
situated in south-eastern Ontario. The
area comprises islands and islets of the
Saint Lawrence River. The river borders the
biosphere reserve and contributes to the
natural richness. As a flooded landscape,
it has a wealth of natural habitat types
such as deep channels, rocky shoals and
bars, submerged cliffs, broad reed beds
and shallow wetlands. The forests, which
constitute half of the area, are in the
interface of Atlantic coastal, Appalachian
forest, northern boreal forest, southern
deciduous and Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence
Lowland forest regions.
Redberry Lake
Established in 2000
- www.redberrylake.ca
groves. The core area is a saline lake with
several islands. Redberry Lake is an
important site for the conservation of
several significant species of birds. It
provides habitat for nine endangered,
threatened, or rare bird species, as well as
over 180 other species. Monitoring nesting
sites of American White Pelican is one of
the research and monitoring activities
undertaken in the area.
Mount Arrowsmith
Established in 2000 - http://mabr.ca/
The Mount Arrowsmith biosphere reserve
is located on the east coast of Vancouver
Island in British Columbia. Situated in the
Coastal Douglas-fir bio-geo-climatic zone.
The Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve
includes the entire watershed draining the
area. The reserve covers about 800 square
kilometres of land, and an additional
marine area of about 400 square kilometres.
The Reserve extends from the top of Mount
Arrowsmith – at 1,817 metres, the highest
mountain on southern Vancouver Island
– to the bottom of the Strait of Georgia,
at 300 metres in depth. It includes five
complete and substantial watersheds
that drain from Mount Arrowsmith and
Mount Moriarty into the Strait of Georgia,
the Nanoose Peninsula and the Ballenas/
Winchelsea Islands Archipelago.
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve is
situated in the province of Saskatchewan.
It covers 112,200 hectares. The lake got its
name from the red berries that grow there.
It was established as a migratory bird
sanctuary by the Federal Government in
1915. The regional landscape is composed
of rolling prairie, dotted with seasonal
ponds and marshes, along with aspen/shrub
23
Lac Saint-Pierre
Established in 2000
- http://www.biospherelac-st-pierre.
qc.ca/
Situated along the Saint Lawrence
River in Quebec, Lac Saint-Pierre is an
unusual example in the World Network
of Biosphere Reserves since it includes a
major waterway in an industrialized area.
A diverse range of ecosystems exists
within the biosphere reserve boundaries,
including temperate coastal rainforest,
ocean, rocky coastal shores, large and small
lakes, rivers and streams, alpine peaks,
open ocean, long sand beaches, estuaries
and mud flats. Clayoquot Sound provides
vital feeding, breeding and staging habitat
for resident, migrating and transient
populations of birds, marine mammals, fish,
terrestrial mammals and other species.
The well-known Charlevoix region is
home to a number of outstanding species
of flora and fauna. Glaciers from the Ice
Age carved out their unique features in the
landscape. Their traces can be seen at Les
Palissades, near the village of St-Simeon, as
well as in the moraine deposits around the
lake Narn, near the village of St.Aime-desLacs.
Niagara Escarpment
Established in 1990 - www.escarpment.
org/biosphere/world.html
The Lac Saint-Pierre is also a unique
ecosystem, important for migratory birds
and essential for the protection of Quebec
and Canada. For instance, the largest
number of herons recorded in North
America is found in protected habitats in
this area. The reserve covers 48,000 hectares
of land. It is also recognized as a Ramsar
site. This title reflects the significance of
the marshes, wetlands and the abundance
of waterfowl found there.
The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere
Reserve in Ontario stretches 725 km from
Lake Ontario (near Niagara Falls) to the tip
of the Bruce Peninsula (between Georgian
Bay and Lake Huron). The Escarpment
corridor crosses two major forests: boreal
needle leaf forests in the north and
temperate broadleaf forest in the south. It
also includes wetland complexes, cliff faces,
slopes and aquatic ecosystems.
Clayoquot Sound
Established in 2000
- www.clayoquotbiosphere.org
Charlevoix
Established in 1988 – http://www.
provincequebec.com/charlevoix/
biosphere-of-the-charlevoix/
The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve,
totaling approximately 349,947 hectares, is
situated on Vancouver Island on the west
coast of British Columbia.
24
Situated some 80 km east of Quebec
City, Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve borders
the Saint Lawrence River to the north.
It covers 457,000 hectares and extends
from 5 to 1,150 meters above sea level,
the area comprises agricultural areas,
river ecosystems, estuarine tidal marshes
and flats, coniferous and mixed forests,
stunted vegetation and mountain tundra
ecosystems. As noted on their website,
Charlevoix can thank a meteorite that
fell to Earth some 350 million years ago,
on what is today the site of the village
Les Éboulements, for its magnificent
geography.
Riding Mountain
Established in 1986 - http://rmbr.ca/
Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve is
located in Manitoba. It is situated at the
junction of the grassland and boreal forest
biome. Forests cover most of the area,
dominated by aspen. Grasslands occupy
only 7,400 of the total 1,331,800 hectares.
The forest ecosystem maintains many larger
mammals, such as black bear, gray wolf and
coyote. The core protected area, Riding
Mountain National Park, covers some 3,000
square kilometers of mixedwood forest,
eastern deciduous forest, and rough fescue
prairie.
Waterton
Established in 1979
- http://www.watertonbiosphere.com/
Waterton Biosphere Reserve and National
Park is situated in the extreme south-west
of the Province of Alberta and encompasses
a section of the east slopes of the Rocky
Mountains extending from the Continental
Divide to the edge of the Canadian Great
Plains to the east. The Glacier Biosphere
Reserve and National Park in Montana,
USA is located to the south of the area. The
biosphere reserve covers prairie grasslands,
aspen grove forests, subalpine forests,
alpine tundra and meadows, cliffs, lakes and
freshwater wetlands as well as disturbed,
heavily grazed land in the prairies.
The Crown of the Continent covers
approximately 44,000 km2 and includes
treasured places like Glacier National Park
and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex
in Montana, the Highwood Pass and
Waterton Biosphere Reserve in Alberta, and
the Flathead River Valley in southeastern
British Columbia. This ecosystem provides a
secure core of connected land and critical
wildlife travel corridors extending northsouth from Canada into the United States.
Mont Saint Hilaire
Established in 1978
- www.centrenature.qc.ca
Mont Saint Hilaire is located in Quebec
about 32 km east of Montreal and the site is
owned by McGill University who undertakes
research on nature conservation there.
Conclusion
The biosphere projects are an amazing
resource on biodiversity and shows people
and organizations working together to
protect biodiversity in different parts of the
country.
The Waterton Biosphere Reserve is also
nested within a much larger landscape
known as the Crown of the Continent
Ecosystem, internationally acclaimed as one
of the largest remaining intact ecosystems
in North America. Geographically, the
Crown of the Continent is centered on the
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
and stretches along the axis of the Rocky
Mountains between the Canadian Central
Rockies and the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem.
25
Gender and Biodiversity
By: Manjeet Kang
Introduction
The survival of humankind depends on biodiversity. Conservation and
utilization of biological resources in a sustainable manner is essential to make
sure future generations are not disadvantaged. The Brundtland Report
(Our Common Future, 1987) defined sustainable development as the “…
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Kendra Pierra-Louis (2010) very rightly stated:
When you create a global economy that is dependent on natural resources for
its functioning and yet does not consider those resources in its accounting you
create a system that is ripe for ecological and economic collapse.
Considering the importance of conserving biodiversity, Year 2010 was declared
as International Year of Biodiversity by United Nations. The world celebrated “…
life on earth and […] the value of biodiversity for […] lives.” (Convention
on Biodiversity, 2010). This has helped create awareness in the political and
social processes.
Definition of Biodiversity and Gender
According to the Convention on
Biodiversity:
“Biological
diversity"
means
the
variability among living organisms from
all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic ecosystems and
the ecological complexes of which they
are part; this includes diversity within
species, between species and of ecosystems
(Convention on Biological Diversity, 1993)
Global Diversity Outlook 3, a report by
the Convention on Biological Diversity,
identified decline in all the three
components of biodiversity: genes, species
and ecosystems. Another component of
biodiversity that is rarely talked about is
traditional knowledge also referred to as
indigenous knowledge.
The report stated that 5 principal reasons
for this decline are:
• Habitat change
• Overexploitation
• Pollution
• Invasion alien species
• Climate change
26
But Kendra Pierra-Louis (2010) says there
is one principal driver and that is Humans.
World Health Organization defines
gender as:
"Gender" refers to the socially
constructed roles, behaviours, activities,
and attributes that a given society
considers appropriate for men and women
(World Health Organization, 2012)
“Gender considerations are not solely a
women’s issue; instead, this outlook could
yield advantages for whole communities
and benefit both sexes.” (CBD, 2010)
Why link gender and biodiversity
There is statistical evidence available to
prove that women’s labour contribution in
agriculture ranges from 40 percent to 80
percent (Cernea & Kassam, 2006) yet they
own less than 1 percent of the world’s land
property (UNESCO, 2002). Men and women
hold special skills and knowledge in regard
to different natural resources. These gender
roles have been changing with the times.
Giving recognition to gender roles in the
management of biodiversity is considered
as an important step in the conservation
and sustainable use of biological resources
(Food and Agriculture Association, 1999).
International agreements and
forums on gender mainstreaming in
biodiversity
Paragraph 13 of the Convention on
Biodiversity recognizes the “vital role”
played by women in conservation of
biodiversity.
UNESCO’s Gender Equality Action
Plan 2008 – 2013 has clearly recognized
the importance of “gender responsive
approaches to biodiversity conservation
and sustainable development”. The Gender
Plan of Action under the Convention
on Biological Diversity lists the global
agreements and forums that highlighted
the importance of gender mainstreaming
as:
• Chapter 24 of Agenda 21 (United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, 1992)
• The Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation of the 2002 World
Summit on Sustainable Development
• The 2000 Millennium Declaration
• The requirements and agreements set
out in the 1975 Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW)
Chapter 24 of Agenda 21
The objectives of the Chapter read:
a. To implement the Nairobi Forwardlooking Strategies for the Advancement
of Women, particularly with regard
to women’s participation in national
management and control of
environmental degradation
b. To increase the proportion of
women decision makers, planners,
technical advisors, managers and
extension workers in environment and
development fields;
Gender Plan of Action
While defining the role of the
Secretariat, The Gender Plan of Action
under Convention on Biological Diversity
(2008) states that “[i]t is [also] a reflection
of the increasing awareness that gender
equality and women’s empowerment are
important prerequisites for environmental
conservation
and
sustainable
development.”
Commonwealth Training Module
Way back in 1996, the Commonwealth
published a training module on women
and natural resource management
examining the connection between gender
and environment. It was one of the early
initiatives to link gender with biodiversity.
Gender dimensions in Biodiversity
Management
Huisinga et al. (1993) very nicely stated
why gender mainstreaming
is important in biodiversity as:
1.
Women and men have knowledge
about different things;
2.
Men and women have different
knowledge about the same things;
3.
Women and men may organize
their knowledge in different ways;
4.
Men and women may receive
and transmit their knowledge by
different means.
In summary, Kendra Pierra-Louis (2010)
very rightly stated:
Until we can get our consumption
under control - both consuming less and
consuming more intelligently - we will
continue to push our planet to the limits of
its capacity to sustain human life
References
Agenda 21. Chapter 24: Global Action for
Women towards Sustainable and Equitable
Development. Retrieved from
http://habitat.igc.org/agenda21/a21-24.htm
Cernea, M. M. & Kassam, A. H. (2006).
Researching the culture in agri-culture: Social
research for international Development. CABI
Publishing.
Convention on Biodiversity (2010). 2010
International Year of Biodiversity. Retrieved
from http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/
Convention on Biodiversity (2010). What is
Gender and Biodiversity. Retrieved from http://
www.cbd.int/gender/what/
Convention on Biological Diversity (1993).
Retrieved from http://www.cbd.int/convention/
articles/?a=cbd-02
Convention on Biological Diversity (2008).
Gender Plan of Action. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/gender/decisions/
planofaction.shtml
Food and Agriculture Association. (1999).
Gender dimensions in biodiversity management
and food security: Policy and programme
strategies for Asia. Retrieved from http://www.
fao.org/docrep/005/ac795e/ac795e00.htm
Huisinga Norem, Rosalie, Rhonda Yoder and
Yolanda Martin (1993). “Indigenous
Agricultural Knowledge and Gender Issues in
Third World Agricultural Development," in
Warren, et al. Indigenous Knowledge Systems:
Implications for Agricultural and International
Development. Studies in Technology and Social
Change Series, No. 11, Iowa State University as
quoted in Gender and Agricultural Biodiversity.
Convention on Biological Diversity.
Pierra-Louis, Kendra (2010, May 23).
Biodiversity and Sustainable Development.
Retrieved from http://www.justmeans.com/
Biodiversity-Sustainable-Development/15503.
html
UN Documents. Our Common Future,
Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development.
Retrieved from http://www.un-documents.net/
ocf-02.htm
UNESCO. (2002). Why link gender and
sustainable development? Retrieved from http://
portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5150&URL_
DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
World Health Organization. (2012). Gender,
Women and Health. Retrieved from http://www.
who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/
Studies have shown that proactive steps
towards gender equality in projects have led
to superior results. Sustainable development
demands gender equality and equity in the
use of skills, labour and knowledge and
full participation of both men and women
in decision making processes and new
information and technology. The need is to
enhance the sustainable and equitable use
of biological resources through those who
use, manage and benefit from it based on
their socio-economic and political roles. The
focus of gender mainstreaming is not only
to ensure that men and women are treated
equally but also to ensure that policies and
processes benefit both men and women
equally and the reason is that declines in
biodiversity effect all of humankind.
27
Deflating the Sails of Biopiracy: An Introduction
By: Nikesh Bhagat
Introduction
The recent commercial success of products
developed with resort to the knowledge of
traditional cultures […] has convinced many
that biological resources, particularly when
accompanied by traditional knowledge
about how to exploit these resources, will
be a new gold mine in the twenty-first
century. Like all gold rushes, the scramble
to capture and exploit biological resources
and the traditional knowledge about their
use has attracted its share of prospectors,
hucksters, and thieves.
~ Rebecca M. Bratspies
Associate Professor of Law,
CUNY School of Law
Biopiracy is a broad and complex topic
often talked about in relation to the
traditional knowledge of indigenous
peoples on the uses of biological
resources, intellectual property rights, and
biodiversity. As such a hefty and, at times,
lofty topic of discussion I provide here only
a brief overview of some of the issues that
I have found to be important stepping
stones toward a more comprehensive
understanding. To be sure, with every
additional piece of research comes a
multitude of possible tangents, perspectives,
and theoretical considerations rooted in a
vast landscape of disciplines from law and
the social sciences to biology, medicine,
and business. Yet, the objective of this
article is simply to provide an introduction
to some of the integral actors to consider
when discussing biopiracy. The interaction
between these actors has given rise to
the biopiracy discourse and, ultimately, a
decades-long debate about intellectual
property as well as a tenacious predicament
for the well-fare of indigenous peoples,
local communities, and biodiversity.
In the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, this
discourse emerged from international
concerns about the increasing encroachment
of Euro-American intellectual property
rights regimes and patent systems on the
biological resources of the world, especially
in developing nations where approximately
three quarters of the world’s biodiversity
resides (Becker, 2011). My research seems
to point to a generally agreed upon set of
28
If I was a biopirate, I would probably visit an indigenous community rich in
biodiversity and genetic resources. I would be particularly interested in this
community’s relationship with the natural world, making sure to meticulously
learn how they use their lands, their fauna, and flora because, if I was a
biopirate, I would know exactly the value of what I was doing. Indeed, I
could save months and years of bioprospecting and bags and stacks of money
by expropriating extremely sophisticated traditional knowledge about the
uses of plants and other biological resources instead of searching (without
much of a clue at all) for a chemical or compound or breed or species with
highly beneficial and, more importantly, lucrative biological properties. As a
biopirate, I would then use this knowledge to research and develop a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical drug or perhaps some kind of beauty product
– or maybe I would grow a slightly modified, yet highly valuable, version of
a plant or seed that has already been bred for success. If I was a particularly
good biopirate, I would fully realize the profitability of my scheme. While
standing steadfastly behind the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property, which is overseen by the World Trade Organization,
perhaps I would procure a patent so that the profits of my end-product are
tendered to me and only me for approximately 20 years. However, because I
am obviously not a biopirate, but rather a global citizen, I write this article in
hopes of introducing others to the implications of this kind of activity so that
together we may begin deflating the sails of biopiracy. In this article my aim
is to provide the reader with an introduction to some of the current concerns
associated with biopiracy including biodiversity and indigenous peoples and/or
local communities.
circumstances out of which the concept
of biopiracy sprang. Interestingly, the
term is used by developing countries as a
retort to long-standing accusations made
by influential, Western players, accusing
developing nations of ‘stealing’ their
intellectual property for decades (Mgbeoji,
2006). Developing nation states and their
sympathizers railed against this statement:
In the wake of biotechnological
inventions and the patenting by Western
states and entities of indigenous peoples’
biocultural resources, obtained without
their lawful informed consent, Third World
States contend that industrialized states,
business entities, and research institutions
are “pirating” their biological resources.
(Mgbeoji, 2006, p.12)
It is this controversial back-and-forth that
gave rise to the term ‘biopiracy’. Though
a decades old dispute, the discussion
has been taken up again in more recent
years with much fervour by governments,
corporations, NGOs, and academics all over
the world.
Terminology
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is, basically, all the variations
of living organisms and is generally
understood on three levels: 1) genetic
diversity; 2) species diversity; 3) ecosystems
diversity. Though within this issue there is
an article, What is Biodiversity?, where you
can read more in depth about this topic – it
is important to add here that biodiversity
is also a measure of an ecosystem’s health.
Generally speaking, the more biologically
diverse the ecosystem, the more healthy it
is said to be. Biodiversity is the lifeline of
all humans, providing food, clean drinking
water, much cultural/philosophical value,
and many other benefits that make human
civilisation possible (Canadian Biodiversity
Website, n.d.). Moreover, many indigenous
and local communities, especially in
developing countries, rely heavily on
biological resources for their survival,
deriving much of their subsistence from
nature (Becker, 2011).
Traditional Knowledge
Traditional knowledge is an easily
misunderstood term, sometimes being
interpreted as unsophisticated knowledge
from antiquity or prehistory. Ikechi Mgbeoji
(2006) does an excellent job of setting this
notion straight, writing specifically about
traditional knowledge associated with
biological resources, he believes that:
[…] traditional knowledge pertaining to
the uses of plants may be defined as that
body of evolving knowledge, including
the innovations of individuals and
communities, that operates outside the
dominant Eurocentric paradigm and that is
concerned with the use of plants for social,
environmental, medicinal, and therapeutic
purposes. (p. 11)
There are a couple of important
distinctions made in the above definition.
Namely, the notion that traditional
knowledge is innovative and evolving
certainly distinguishes it from a static or
ancient or immutable kind of knowledge
and clarifies it as a kind of knowledge that
is dynamic and sophisticated. Additionally,
Mgbeoji (2006) reminds us that traditional
knowledge remains beyond the scope
of Eurocentric canons and dogmas,
which is a crucial point to keep
in mind when thinking about the
ideologies that inform much of
the governance and proposed
management of biodiversity.
knowledge of indigenous peoples through
compensation and/or benefits sharing.
More interestingly, however, the authors of
the report believe that by demonstrating
the economic potential of bioprospecting,
one is justifying the value of preserving the
world’s biodiversity.
Framing bioprospecting like this makes
it sound like a noble operation with good
intentions, yet, despite the idealism behind
the act, bioprospecting is not immune to
those who seek to increase efficiencies and
maximise profits. Indeed it has been shown
that bioprospecting becomes much more
efficient when traditional knowledge about
biological resources has been obtained:
[…] indigenous knowledge has been
found to increase the chances of developing
at least one marketable pharmaceutical
from a thousand plants samples from 22
to 78 percent […] The ‘discovery phase’
of the ‘pharmaceutical research and
development’ process takes on average 5
years and requires the screening of 5,000
to 10,000 compounds. Estimates of the
cost of developing new medicine range
between US$500 million to US$600 million
[…] (Becker, 2011)
Bioprospecting
Oxforddictionaries.com defines
bioprospecting as, “the search
for plant and animal species from
which medicinal drugs and other
commercially valuable compounds
can be obtained”.
In general,
bioprospecting is directly linked
to producing profitable products
derived from living organisms (ex.,
Medicines). In an era of advanced
biotechnology,
bioprospecting
is a means to valuable discoveries and
innovations that have the potential to
benefit millions of people, fuel economies,
and raise standards of living. Indeed, Chris
Hamilton (2006) tells us that according
to a World Resources Institute report,
bioprospecting is an activity that, when
done responsibly, has the potential
to encourage sustainable biodiversity
management as well as to prevent the
outright appropriation of the traditional
The incentive for large corporations to
partake in bioprospecting is clear from the
perspective of the valuable compounds
nature provides in the production of many
sought after products such as medicines
and plant varieties. Yet, so is researching
and developing valuable compounds
before
the
competitor,
maximising
profits, and, as implied by the quote
above, streamlining this process as much
as possible. Again, the most prevalent
way of achieving this goal has been to
build on the traditional knowledge of
indigenous peoples and local communities
who possess refined insights into the use
of biological resources. Combined with
the ever increasing advancements in
biotechnology, the desire to be the first
corporation to develop a new product, and
blurry international governance of the use
and conservation of biological resources
– bioprospecting is said to lead to what is
generally referred to as biopiracy, especially
when the benefits reaped from the use
of traditional knowledge and associated
biological resources are not shared with the
communities and peoples from where they
were prospected.
Biopiracy
Finally, biopiracy is a term coined in
1992 by Pat Mooney, Canadian and cofounder of Rural Advancement Foundation
International (RAFI), now the Action Group
on Erosion, Technology and Concentration
(ETC Group) (Mgbeoji, 2006; Tedlock,
2006). Though it is often argued that
biopiracy cannot be absolutely defined,
the ETC Group describes biopiracy as, “[…]
the appropriation of the knowledge and
genetic resources of farming and indigenous
communities by individuals or institutions
who seek exclusive monopoly
control (patents or intellectual
property) over these resources and
knowledge” (ETC Group, n.d.). For
clarity’s sake, ‘genetic resources’ is a
term used to describe biodiversity as
a resource much like we understand
oil or copper to be a resource.
Writing in the African Journal of
Biotechnology, Zainol et al. (2011)
describe biopiracy more poignantly
as, “[…] the misappropriation of
[indigenous communities’] biological
resources,
especially
medicinal
plants and associated traditional
knowledge (TK), through the use
of [intellectual property rights]” (p.
12396). In other words, biopiracy
can be understood as the search for and
the expropriation of traditional knowledge
and genetic resources from indigenous
and local communities with the use
of intellectual property rights regimes
and patent systems. The outcome of
biopiracy is a misappropriation of valuable
biotechnologies and their benefits from
indigenous peoples and local communities
without compensation for the crucial role
they play in the discovery and development
process. Perhaps most importantly are the
29
environmental and human implications of
biopiracy, discussed in a subsequent section.
A Brief History: Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property Rights and the
Convention on Biological Diversity
Hamilton (2006), writing in Developing
World Bioethics, describes a couple of
key historical developments directly
related to the advent of biopiracy as an
internationally recognized discourse. His
first history lesson focuses on the ‘seed
wars’ of the 1970s and 80s – an argument
between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’
nations over the ownership of germplasm
or collections of genetic resources (or more
generally – ownership of life). For the
purposes of this article, the controversy was
mainly concerned with the flow of genetic
resources out of the South under the
‘common heritage of mankind’ principal
(which essentially argues that nature and
culture cannot be privately owned), slightly
modified by powerful players in the North,
and then sold back to the South as fully
patented commodities. Without getting
into the complexities at work, which is
beyond the scope of this article, the seed
wars brought to the international stage a
fundamental concern of many developing
nations and advocates against the unfair
and unsustainable encroachment of EuroAmerican intellectual property rights
regimes upon the world of plants and seeds
or, more generally, the world’s biodiversity
and the health of indigenous and local
communities.
The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights (TRIPS), administered by
the World Trade Organization (WTO),
exacerbates this intellectual property rights
30
controversy, “[…] the most significant
aspect of the TRIPS Agreement is that it
mandates all member countries of the
WTO to implement a minimum level of IPR
[intellectual property rights] protection,
including patentability for life forms
that could be construed as having been
‘invented’” (Hamilton, 2006, p. 5). The
general importance of this statement is that
members of the WTO must abide and adopt
a system of intellectual property protection
– a system that not only marginalises other
ways of understanding ‘property’ in terms
of knowledge and nature, but also comes
with real consequences for non-compliance
(i.e., trade sanctions). Most importantly, it
raises significant questions for what it means
to ‘invent’ nature or life, especially when
these inventions are based on traditional
knowledge and uses of biodiversity that
have been known to indigenous and local
populations for generations. Indeed, in
many cases this knowledge
has been regarded as part of
the ‘public domain’ and as
information that can be freely
used towards subsequent
‘discoveries’ without the
worry of infringing upon
intellectual property rights
(Becker, 2011). According
to many scholars and the
international
governing
bodies, this is an erroneous
notion.
This raises a plethora of
concerns, not least of which
is the legality and moral
considerations of systemically
imposing Western ideologies
upon the intellectual and biological
resources of sovereign nations as well as
indigenous peoples who do not adhere to
the same notions of ‘property’ (Mgbeoji,
2006). That is, Hamilton (2006) points
out that the TRIPS Agreement is heavily
influenced by American pharmaceutical
companies
(and
other
powerful
corporations), who aim to benefit from the
Agreement. There is much evidence of this
influence. For instance, Mgbeoji (2006) tells
us that approximately half of the world’s
patents are products of the US patent
system. More convincingly, however, is
Article 27 of the Agreement – the article
that globally demarcates the minimum
level of intellectual property rights (IPR)
protection for each member state and
which closely paraphrases ‘US jurisprudence
and ideology’ (p. 14). Consistently, The
TRIPS Agreement is a point of focus for
advocates concerned with the prevalence
and systemic nature of what has become
widely known as biopiracy, helping to
reveal the “[...] manifold ways in which
legal principals and cultural biases against
non-Western forms of epistemology
conspire to enable the appropriation of
traditional biocultural resources” (Mgbeoji,
2006, p. 14).
The second lesson Hamilton (2006) offers
us is concerned with the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD). The intentions
of the CBD are understood by some as
a conservational and morally-aware
counterpoint to the TRIPS Agreement,
which was negotiated at the end of the
Uruguay Round of the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) from 1986-1994.
The CBD came into international effect via
the United Nations on December 29th, 1993
and holds as its objectives:
[…] the conservation of biological
diversity, the sustainable use of its
components and the fair and equitable
sharing of the benefits arising out of the
utilization of genetic resources, including
by appropriate access to genetic resources
and by appropriate transfer of relevant
technologies, taking into account all rights
over those resources and to technologies,
and by appropriate funding. (Convention
on Biological Diversity, 2011, Article 1.
Objectives)
According to the CBD, biodiversity is a
resource – specifically a genetic resource.
Hamilton (2006) believes this to be a
seminal point in history that, “[…] shifts
our understanding of these materials more
tangibly into a system of property” (p. 5).
The CBD also classifies genetic resources
as sovereign resources of nation-states,
further pushing biodiversity away from the
theory of common heritage while pulling
it into the tenets of private property. It is
these redefinitions that are most pertinent
to the conception of biopiracy as they not
only heave our understanding of genetic
resources into the sphere of economics,
but more importantly raise significant
questions for the indigenous peoples and/
or groups who possess the sophisticated
knowledge on the uses of these genetic
resources. That is, despite the fact that
the objectives of the CBD aim to protect
the unregulated expropriation of genetic
resources and traditional knowledge, it
still works to set biodiversity within the
frame of consumerism and commercialism
even if only to provide fair benefits sharing
and overall conservation of the world’s
biodiversity. In this way, the CBD is forced
to contend with IPR regimes, which some
consider a competition of no contest,
allowing biopiracy to prevail.
To expand, although the CBD sets out
requirements
associated
with
the use of genetic resources such
as its conservation, the prior
informed consent of indigenous
and/or local communities as well
as equitable benefits sharing
between indigenous peoples and
those seeking patents on genetic
resources derived via traditional
knowledge, the CBD has also been
described as an easily circumvented
convention. Many times the
relationship between indigenous
peoples or local communities and
the state is one that is strained
to begin with, which “[…] could
exacerbate concerns about the
benefits of biodiversity reaching
the right beneficiaries […]” (Hamilton,
2006, pg. 6). Many of these concerns
stem from the contradictory stances of the
TRIPS Agreement, which advocates for the
privatization of genetic resources based
largely on Eurocentric understandings
of patents (ex., novelty, invention) and
property (ex., sole ownership, monopolies),
and the CBD, which argues similarly but
in favour of collective rights for local
communities and indigenous groups over
their biological resources and traditional
knowledge (Hamilton, 2006). Yet, the
conundrum is that, “[…] these IPR processes,
and the infrastructure to support them, have
not been recognized by many indigenous
communities, significantly limiting their
access to at least the theoretical legal rights
afforded by these systems” (Liang, 2011).
Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect
of this is the implications this has on the
world’s biodiversity.
Some Implications of Biopiracy
On the Environment & Biodiversity
The implications for biodiversity resulting
out of biopiracy may not be as direct
as converting forests or wetlands into
agricultural lands or species loss due to urban
sprawl, yet, even if indirectly, biopiracy has
severe consequences for genetic and species
diversity. There is a long standing argument
that intellectual property rights regimes,
with much ado to the TRIPS agreement,
is responsible for the disappearance of
traditional crop/plant varieties or the loss
of genetic and species diversity, “[…] at the
same time that the strength of IPR over plant
varieties increased, vast numbers of traditional
crop varieties disappeared” (Becker, 2011).
That is, some cases of biopiracy involve large
corporations piggy-backing on the success of
generations of breeding undertaken by local
farmers. These corporations slightly modify
(genetically or otherwise) traditional plant
varieties, secure patents based on novelty
and invention, and then sell their ‘super crop’
back to farmers, boasting the strength and
resistances of the new variety of plant. These
genetically resistant plants tend to replace a
vast variety of traditional crop varieties. As
seed supplies are alienated away from farmers
and into the hands of corporations, a smaller
variety of ‘super’ crops replaces a genetically
diverse pool of traditional crops. As a result,
the diversity of crop/plants is depleted
(Moore, n.d.).
Ironically, degradation of
this kind (creating genetically similar or
identical plant/crop varieties) increases the
vulnerability of incredibly essential food
supplies by significantly reducing their ability
to survive the affects of invasive species or
the introduction of unforeseen disease. For
example, with a greater variety of plants and
genes, there is a better chance that only some
plants will be affected by threats of disease or
pests, but when every plant is the same – crops
become uniformly susceptible to failure even
if uniformly resistant to the challenges of the
current environment (Canadian Biodiversity
Website). Furthermore, when these ‘super’
crops or plant varieties hybridise with wild
species, the potential for extremely damaging
‘super-weeds’ arises if these hybrids inherit
the same resistances as the genetically
modified crop, potentially presenting
further degradation to the surrounding
biodiversity and ecosystems (Moore, n.d.).
Outside of the damaging effects on
the genetic diversity of plants/crops,
biopiracy can also have devastating effects
on species diversity (and ecosystems,
generally). The screening process for
discovery of commercially valuable
genetic resources puts a tremendous
amount of strain on species, which
can lead to a significant reduction
in populations or even extinction,
especially for rare species:
Indiscriminate exploitation of the
Brazilian Pilocarpus jaborandi by the
German pharmaceutical company
Merck in the 1980s led the plant to
the verge of extinction. In another
case, compounds derived from the
Rosy Periwinkle and used for the
treatment of childhood leukemia
led to the complete depletion of the
plant in Madagascar – fifteen tons of
Rosy Periwinkle leaves yield a meagre
one ounce of an alkoid name ‘vincristine’.
(Becker, 2011).
The discovery of the jaborandi
mentioned in the above quote was made
by Western researchers through the
use of Guarami traditional knowledge
of the plant and its uses. It can only be
assumed that the wide-spread depletion
of its population had a negative impact
on the Guarami community, one that was
more than likely not even compensated
by sharing the benefits of the profits,
if any, that were a direct result of the
expropriation of their knowledge and the
biodiversity that is a large part of their
livelihood. The implications of biopiracy
on human well-being are discussed in the
next section.
On Human Well-being
As illustrated above, biopiracy has severe
consequences for the environment and
biodiversity. Of course, this implies serious
risks for human well-being. Indeed, the
existence of human civilisation would
not be possible without the food, water,
security, and the stability that biodiversity
provides. Biopiracy (or bioprospecting
when done irresponsibly) disregards these
simple facts, especially when maximising
profits and besting the competition are
prioritised above the management and
31
conservation of biodiversity. Generally
speaking, biopiracy and its negative impact
on the environment jeopardises everyone’s
well-being in the long-run.
More pressing, however, is the
implications of biopiracy on indigenous and
local communities, especially in developing
nations or the ‘Global South’ where most of
the world’s biodiversity is currently found
(Becker, 2011). Indeed, as Mgbeoji (2006),
author of Global Biopiracy: Patents, Plants,
and Indigenous Knowledge, reminds us,
“[b]iopiracy also refers to the asymmetrical
and unrequited movement of plants and
TKUP [traditional knowledge of the uses
of plants] from the South to the North
through the processes of
international institutions
and the patent system” (p.
12).
Not only does this
explicitly imbue biopiracy
with distinct and unsettling
power-relationships
on
a global scale, but it also
alludes to the devastating
impact
biopiracy
can
have
on
communities
that rely heavily on their
local biodiversity.
For
example,
the
United
Nations estimates that
approximately 80% of the
population of developing
countries
relies
on
medicines derived from
local plants and animals (Moore, n.d.;
Becker, 2011).
These are the same plants and animals
that are at risk of being overly exploited
by large, Western corporations for huge
monetary gain. The act of biopiracy,
however, regards traditional knowledge
as information in the public domain and
circumvents any legal or international
protection
of
local
communities’
biological resources and their associated
knowledge of its use. In this way, those
who can be labelled as ‘biopirates’ are not
necessarily concerned with conservation
or sustainability or the fair and equitable
use of genetic resources as the Convention
on Biological Diversity implores, but
rather profitable ‘discoveries’. Biopiracy
endangers the lifelines of local and
indigenous communities while throwing
to the wind their rights to protection of
their knowledge and the biodiversity they
have utilised for generations. Perhaps
32
the greatest loss to human well-being as
a result of these kinds of activities is the
deterioration of not just the culture and
sustenance of many peoples of the world,
but – the unjustified loss of extremely
effective conservation and biodiversity
management expertise that has been
perfected by these communities for
generations that occurs every time local
or indigenous communities are alienated
away from their way of life and ties to
nature.
Conclusion
Though this article has merely touched
upon some of the large and complex issues
associated with biopiracy, it has perhaps
courts of law and, in some cases, ruled in
favour of the plaintiff rather than large
corporate entities. Yet, many times these
cases are only taken up because of their
obviousness, such as the patenting of a
fungicide from the seed of the culturally
important Neem tree (Hamilton, 2006). The
challenge will be implementing a system
of governance and conservation that
efficiently protects against all unethical,
unsustainable, unfair, and inequitable
exploitations, big or small, of biodiversity
and the traditional knowledge associated
with its use. Without such efforts, we will
continue to see biopiracy contribute to the
degradation of biodiversity and, as a result,
threaten the livelihoods of the communities
that possess priceless knowledge about the
secrets and conservation of much of the
world’s remaining natural resources.
References
Becker, Priscila B. (2011). The Convention on
Biological Diversity, Indigenous Peoples and
Conservation of Biodiversity. York University,
Toronto, ON.
Bratspies, Rebecca M. (2006). The New
Discovery Doctrine: Some Thoughts on Property
and Traditional Knowledge. American Indian
Law Review, 31(2), 1-26.
Canadian Biodiversity Website. Retrieved on
March 2, 2012 from http://canadianbiodiversity.
mcgill.ca/english/index.htm
Convention on Biological Diversity. (1992).
Text of the Convention: Article 1. Retrieved from
http://www.cbd.int/convention/text/
served as a short introduction to the
topic and some of its implications for the
environment and humankind. While there
have been advancements in protecting
biodiversity and local and/or indigenous
communities from biopiracy, such as the
CBD, there is still much debate about the
solidity of the international governance
of biodiversity and traditional knowledge,
“The Convention on Biological Diversity
is the most authoritative international
instrument that recognises the importance
of indigenous communities and their
traditional knowledge to the conservation
of biodiversity. However, it does not provide
any explicit legal means […]” (Becker,
2011). As mentioned earlier, efforts to
protect against biopiracy are pitted against
powerful intellectual property rights
regimes, such as the WTO backed TRIPS
agreement, which makes it possible for
biopiracy to continue. Nevertheless, there
have been victories in this area. Allegations
of biopiracy are increasingly taken up by
ETC Group. (n.d.). Biopiracy. Retrieved from
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/issues/biopiracy
Hamilton, C. (2006). Biodiversity, Biopiracy
and Benefits: What Allegations of Biopiracy tell
us about Intellectual Property. Developing
World Bioethics, 6(3), 158-173.
Liang, B. A. (2011). Global Governance:
Promoting Biodiversity and Protecting
Indigenous Communities against Biopiracy.
Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, 17(3),
248-253.
Mgbeoji, Ikechi. (2006). Global Biopiracy:
Patents, Plants, and Indigenous Knowledge.
Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Moore, C. B. (n.d.). Environmental, Economic,
and Social Problems of Globalization within the
Context of a Sustainable Future. St. Mary’s
College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD.
Tedlock, Barbara. (2006). Indigenous Heritage
and Biopiracy in the Age of Intellectual Property
Rights. Explore, 2(3), 256-259.
Zainaol. Z. A., Amin, L., Akpoviri, F., & Ramli,
R. (2011). Biopiracy and states’ sovereignty over
their biological resources. African Journal of
Biotechnology, 10(58), 12395-12408.
A Business Perspective On How To Establish
A “Green” Economy
By: Dr. Kazi Abdur Rouf
Green economics can be related
to sustainable development, waste
management and community economic
development.
This
article
explores
environmental
degradation
through
waste and its management; the role of
micro financing in green economics; and
concludes with some recommendations for
North American society.
Environmental degradation through
waste and its management
Carbon emissions, waste and corporate
businesses have negative environmental
impacts that include deforestation,
loss of biodiversity and rangeland, soil
degradation, air and water pollution.
These environmental issues are becoming
more pressing due to the acceleration of
economic development, natural resource
depletion, and rapid population growth.
In North America, huge amounts of
waste/garbage are created by individual
dwellings, restaurants, hospitals and
factories. Companies make products that
end up as garbage, and tax payers are
responsible for the waste removal and
management. Therefore, shifting the
responsibility for waste management to
the manufacturing companies is vital to
environmental protection.
The transition from a waste economy to a
service economy is needed. It is a challenging
transition because labour is the most
expensive component of manufacturing
in an economy that undervalues natural
The researcher, Dr. Kazi Abdur
Rouf, completed his PhD degree
from the University of Toronto
in May 2011. Currently he is
researching the “Social economy
for marginalized women familial
and community relationship
development in patriarchal
Bangladesh” at OISE, University
of Toronto. Rouf has worked in
several micro-credit programs,
Small and Medium Enterprises
(SME) and women’s development
in different countries like
Grameen Bank Bangladesh,
UNDP, Namibia, Lesotho, Africa
Development Foundation, UNHCR
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines,
India, USA and in Canada.
resources. Companies save money by
reducing staff. For example, GM is reducing
staff to minimize production costs. Many
corporations exploit cheap labour by
relocating their manufacturing plants to
third world countries. Today’s corporate
obsession with growth and selling more
‘things’ is a difficult sickness to cure. The
only way to break this cycle is to make
either the consumer or the manufacturer
pay for the cost of disposal.
One way to motivate manufacturers
to design products for long life is by
extending their responsibility to the end
of the product life cycle and making them
pay for disposal. Most consumers hate
the thought of throwing away an item
such as a phone, microwave, computer,
refrigerator, television, or camera, but
getting repairs and/or upgrades is more
difficult, and in many cases more expensive,
than buying new. If companies can make it
easier and affordable to repair or upgrade
products, that would be the choice of many
consumers. We need to take advantage of
consumers’ desire to waste less.
Largely in response to pressure from the
public, Sony has begun taking back their
products in certain areas, while Kodak and
Fuji are taking back disposable cameras.
Xerox is a good example of a ‘document
service’ company that leases the majority of
its equipment and takes it back. They are
looking at ways to upgrade and recycle as
much as possible.
Role of micro financing in green
economics
Researchers identify micro finance
and education tools in the transition to a
service economy. Banks and government
agencies could develop a loan product
called ‘green loans’ to start businesses that
focus on repairing and recycling existing
products. For example, environmentalist
Michael Braungart (1994) describes waste
‘supermarkets’ and recycling centres where
consumers can return broken or outdated
products.
Large manufacturers could
‘outsource’ their disassembly and recycling
responsibilities to small companies or
franchises located in cities and smaller
towns. This would help in the creation of
good jobs, reduce waste, and preserve our
resources.
An environmental sensitization program
built into our education system and
communicated via the media is clearly
needed. Jacquelyn Ottman (1998), in her
article Green Marketing- Opportunity for
Innovation, says that 8% of consumers’
claims to know a lot about environment
issues, leaving 92% who do not understand
the state of our environmental problems
and the threat to human and wild
life. Norman Myers (1998) in his article
“Perverse Subsidies: Tax $s Undercutting
our Economics and Environments Alike”
estimates, “there are over $1.5 trillion
in perverse subsidies paid out by the
governments worldwide.”
These are
subsidies that the author believes have a
negative effect on the economy and the
environment in the long run. Gary Gardner
and Erick Assadourian (2011) in their
article, Rethinking the Goodlife, strongly
advocate eliminating perverse subsidies
and adopting pollution taxes to create a
cleaner environment.
33
Stacy Mitchell (2005) in her article
Rebuilding Community-Rooted Enterprise
says corporate chains are damaging the
environment, undermining the social and
civic fabric of communities, and weakening
local economies. Expansion of chain stores
needs to stop because chain stores are:
consuming land at a staggering
pace, creating major problems
through storm water runoff, and
increasing air pollution through all
the automobile and truck traffic
they generate. Mitchell (2005)
suggests having a size limit on chain
stores, steering business downtown,
and doing thorough impact reviews
when chain stores try to come to
town.
Against this backdrop, there are
lessons to be learned about the
role of micro financing in green
economics, drawn from the author’s
experience in Bangladesh. Small
entrepreneurs are involved in
organic seed businesses, backyard
poultry
raising,
homestead
gardening, preparing compost
organic fertilizer, hand weaving
fabrics, and rickshaws and bicycles
for peddling transport. All of
these businesses contribute to a
healthier environment. Sustainable
production techniques such as
reforestation, controlled water
usage, natural pesticide applications
(integrated pest management, IPM),
woodworking,
environmentally-friendly
micro drip irrigation, solar panel businesses,
and bio-digester plants all conserve
environmental
resources.
Recycling
micro enterprises are also helping the
environment. However, Micro Financing
Institutions (MFIs) need to understand the
negative impact of certain industries on the
environment in order to ensure that these
businesses do not receive financial support,
unless they provide proof that they will not
be adding to our planet’s waste problem.
Conclusion with recommendations
for North American society
In Bangladesh, the Grameen Bank (GB)
micro lending concept has become so
successful, as it is tailored to Bangladeshi
culture. Grameen Bank has researched
Bangladeshi local cultures and has come
up with a system that helps poor people
start their own small business (usually
agriculturally-based) and eventually escape
34
poverty. Its lending policy is different from
the commercial bank. GB is carrying the
community; however, in Canada, banks
are not carrying the communities. Rather,
they are profit driven. GB adopts the local
culture and has developed a simple lending
operation.
“natural and better fighter of poverty” and
this is why they have targeted primarily
women. In North America, women and
men enjoy equality on most things. For
example, here men and women are equal
in their property rights.
Today, economic power and
wealth is increasingly becoming
concentrated within a small number
of multinational corporations and
squeezing the biodiversity in the
world. To counter this hegemonic
economic power, it is vital to
create alternative green economic
biodiversity forces, where green
micro financing to social small
businesses can play an active role in
green biodiversity socio-economic
development, and address the
issue of poverty and environmental
development. The idea of corporate
responsibility can be shifted by a
green economics movement and
biodiversity movement that are to
become the heart of its very value
system, which is crucial in developed
countries and developing countries.
References:
Braungart,M. (1994). Product life cycle
management to replace waste
management. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Micro credit could be a very useful tactic
for creating a vibrant community where
people are focused on helping one another.
Hopefully more wealthy people will follow
the lead of billionaires like Bill Gates and
Warren Buffet who have both realized
their social responsibility later in life. The
self-employment culture is not popular
here largely due to the domination of big
business. Municipalities can initiate pilot
projects focused on energy self-sufficiency,
recycling and waste management. From
these projects, small businesses can emerge.
In Bangladesh, micro financing not only
reduces poverty but also creates biodiversity,
improves drinking water, sanitation, and
the health of the environment. For example
they educate rural poor people not to litter
in open places, to grow vegetables year
round, crop-diversification and to have
smaller families. They also provide loans
for low cost housing that promotes use of
local materials. GB has come to see a poor
woman, in contrast to a poor man, as a
Gardner, G. & Assadourian, E. (2011).
Chapter 8: Rethinking the Good Life.
Retrieved from http://www.worldwatch.org/
node/3830
Mitchell, S. (2005). Rebuilding CommunityRooted Enterprise. Institute for local SelfReliance Minneapolis downloaded from http://
www.newrules.org/hta/index.htm dated
9/11/2006.
Myers, N. & Kent, J. ((1998). Perverse
Subsidies: Tax $s undercutting our economics
and environments alike. Winnipeg: The
International Institute for Sustainable
Development.
Ottman, J.A. (1998). Green Marketing:
Opportunity for Innovation. (NTC-McGrew Hill.
http://www.greenmarketing.com/green_
Marketing_Book/Chapter 02.htm, dated
9/11/2006.
35
AKI: E-kinomaagaazad
(The Land: Teacher of the Earth)
By: Clint Jacobs & Sean Sands
Round Pigtoe: MusselI Species at Risk
(credit: Bkejwanong Eco - Keepers Crew Member, 2010)
Tucked away on the northern shores of
Lake St. Clair in southwestern Ontario is the
First Nation community of Bkejwanong—
“Where the waters divide.” Bkejwanong
forms one of the largest freshwater deltas
in the world. It is part of the ancestral
home of over 4,000 Anishnaabe (Ojibwe,
Odawa, and Potawatomi) people that are
members of the Walpole Island First Nation.
Bkejwanong is a hotspot for biodiversity.
This biodiversity includes five major
ecosystems; tallgrass prairies and oak
savannas (both deemed critically imperiled
at the global level); one of the largest
tracts of contiguous woodlands in southern
Ontario; one of the largest coastal wetlands
in the Great Lakes basin; and a system of
waterways including the St. Clair River that
are rich with over 70 native fish species.
Contrary to what is prescribed, this
biodiversity is not by accident or the result
of a fluke. It is the result of the traditional
customs and teachings of Bkejwanong’s
Anishnaabe people in which all lifeforms are viewed as “All Our Relations.”
This perspective, that all the beings and
creatures of the air, land, and water are
related, speaks to the interconnectedness
that ties all life on Earth together. These
ancient teachings impart that “All Our
Relations” were created before us humans
36
Aerial View of Bkejwanong: Where the Waters Divide (credit: Karen Abel, 2004)
and have been instructed by
Gzhemnidoo (the Creator) to help
humans survive. These teachings
also identify that we too were
given instructions and must provide
reciprocal care.
TRANSLATIONS:
AKI – The earth/the land, also soil/dirt
E-KINOMAAGAAZAD – Teacher/“Teacher
of the earth”
Today, our people deal with many
E-KINOMAAGED – Student/“Learner of
external and internal environmental
the
earth”
issues. The Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources reports that
ANISHNAABEG – Heavenly beings
Bkejwanong’s three neighbouring
counties have very little of their
ANISHNAABEMOWIN – The language of
original forest cover remaining—
the heavenly beings
Lambton County has 13%, Essex
County has 6%, and ChathamGZHEMNIDOO – The Creator
Kent has 5%. Worse yet, Ontario’s
prairies and oak savannas have
BKEJWANONG – “Where the waters
been reduced to less than a fraction
divide”
of 1%. In place of this historic
biodiversity is a pathetic scattering
NWIIJ KIWENH – Friend/“My fellow
of natural areas that are severely
friend of the earth”
fragmented and land that now
contains intensive agricultural and
BINOOJIINYAG – Children
housing, along with petrochemical
and manufacturing industries like
introducing non-native, invasive species.
those located upstream from Bkejwanong
Mixed in with the localized impacts of
which are collectively known as “Chemical
community expansion, 4,800 ha of runoffValley.” And to exacerbate matters, the
producing farmland, and a widespread
increased supply and demand from this
drainage plan, the people at Bkejwanong
evolution have morphed the Lake Huronhave many substantial grievances that need
Erie Corridor into one of the busiest shipping
to be balanced or overcome.
channels in North America, subsequently
In the past, tourists that came to
While traditional teachings may not
Bkejwanong for nature tours often told
focus exclusively on one species at risk
us that we should protect our habitats
or another, these teachings do promote
and species because they were so rare.
total biodiversity that indirectly supports
We felt we were conserving our land but
the ranges of many federally recognized
not in the sense that others were used to.
species at risk. We all benefit from a diverse
Those who fell in love with Bkejwanong’s
mix of plants, animals, and other life forms
diversity hoped to one day see nature
that share the land around us. The interreserves, a provincial park, or a national
connections among all living things keep
wildlife area, etc.—that restricted access
our environment functioning and healthy.
and activities. Those approaches, however,
This biodiversity cleans the air we breathe,
ignore a way of life in which ALL our people
filters the water we drink, provides us with
have a responsibility to the land.
Unconventional to the mainstream,
Bkejwanong Eco-Keepers:
this approach stems from cultural
teachings and practices that have
The Bkejwanong Eco-Keepers (BEK) is an
been passed on for thousands
ongoing summer environmental education and
of generations and through an
work experience program provided for Youth of
understanding of how important
the Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN). Its goals
the abovementioned responsibility
include:
is to the quality of life for all and to
• Empowering wifn youth through a variety of
our long-term survival.
training and hands-on activities to enhance
Losing our Connections
their environmental knowledge through
enriching community-based work experiences;
An elder in our community
once stated that he noticed some
• Exposing wifn youth to the broad range of
medicine plants were disappearing
career and educational opportunities in the
from Bkejwanong. When asked
environmental and natural resource fields by
why? He responded: “Because
visiting various universities and colleges; and
we’re forgetting how to use them.
• Connecting them with local knowledgeWe’re losing our connections.”
holders, resource users, and community elders
to share environmental perspectives and
This simple but deep and
transfer traditional knowledge to the bek
profound response speaks to some
youth.
of our elders’ intimate knowledge
of the land and the challenge that
our people face. By using what the
land has to offer in a sustainable way
we learn how and when to manage and
food and shelter, stabilizes and moderates
care for the land so that we will benefit.
our climate, and feeds our spirits. What may
This leads to an understanding of the
be hard for some to understand is: without
habitats and life-cycles of native plants and
the lifeblood of traditional teachings, the
animals and eventually to an awareness of
biodiversity found at Bkejwanong would
the symbiotic relationship and connection
succumb to losses similar to neighbouring
between the land and the people.In the
counties or, altogether, cease to exist.
1990’s – Bkejwanong was home to 30 of
Canada’s 400 or so wildlife listed as species
We recently spoke to some young people
at risk. Today, we’re home to nearly 70
who inherited ecologically significant lands
out of 600-plus. Among these federally
at Bkejwanong. To our surprise, some didn’t
recognized species at risk, Bkejwanong
know what types of habitats were found on
has one of the last remaining native
their landholdings. Some didn’t even know
populations of Northern Bobwhite quail;
where their landholdings were located. This
50% of Canada’s population of King Rail;
is where the true challenges lay. In short,
over 90% of Canada’s population of Dense
we can buy or lease land at Bkejwanong—
Blazingstar; and over 98% of Ontario’s
but if we don’t take a holistic approach
population of Small White Lady’s-Slipper
that includes education, traditional
orchid. And this is just a mere glimpse of
management practices, and linkages for
the natural Shangri-La that has subsisted
maintaining our people’s cultural ties to
with the help of the Anishnaabeg.
the Land, there will be little to no lasting
effect. Habitats and species would continue
to disappear because traditional customs
and teachings that initially cultivated them
were not passed on.
Concerns and Challenges
Some of the present challenges facing our
First Nation community in its conservation
efforts include:
• Maintaining linkages to our culture and
language
• Finding and implementing effective
means for educating our youth and
instilling respect for nature
• Declining natural resources and
maintaining our historic connections
to the land in the face of today’s
conveniences and environmental
degradation
• Building capacity to meet and address
biodiversity challenges
• Short-sighted planning processes
• Identifying and prioritizing research
needs
• Fragmented communication internally
and externally
• Managing various consultation
processes that run the gamut of none
existent, to the checkbox approach, to
those that we are helping to design and
develop
• Maintaining, formally protecting, and
enhancing habitats and biodiversity
within the first nation
• Dealing with species at risk act (sara)
legislation and the view that our first
Nation is a regulatory gap
With regards to the Species at Risk Act –
concerns come in the form of prohibitions –
particularly the potential impacts stemming
from “Critical Habitat” designations and
protection orders. Many of our people
see this Crown approach as another “land
grab.” There’s a fundamental difference in
how we and the federal Crown approach
species at risk. We want people to be
involved by continuing to be on the land
and maintaining that connection. Our
approach is tied to our customary ways.
If the Crown were to impose restrictions
and penalties, our approach would be
completely eroded and this would further
disconnect our people from the land.
37
How We Are Addressing Challenges
Nin.da.waab.jig, the Walpole Island
Heritage Centre, has been working on
environmental research and natural
heritage initiatives since the 1980s. The
activities of the Walpole Island Heritage
Centre have continued to evolve from
primarily land claim and historic research
to its now widely recognized work on
environmental research and sustainable
development.
Through the effective
practices incorporated by the Centre,
Walpole Island has become a leader among
First Nations in the field of environment
and sustainable development.
It has
influenced its own membership, other First
Nations, private industry, and government
policy makers.
The Centre’s Natural Heritage Program
has undertaken a variety of projects and
activities: making contacts and managing
relationships
with
landholders,
GIS
mapping and database development,
communications
(radio,
newsletter,
website, etc.), natural heritage education
and outreach initiatives (displays, lectures,
workshops, etc.), field research, traditional
and
non-traditional
employment
opportunities, species at risk population
assessments and mapping, ecosystem
recovery strategy development, review
and input into other strategic plans
within Bkejwanong Territory, leasing and
purchasing of ecologically significant
habitats on WIFN for conservation
purposes, and more. Recently staff of
the Natural Heritage Program began to
take the program into a more holistic
community-based direction—with a focus
on biodiversity, education, communications,
outreach
and
sustainability—charted
within a multi-year strategic plan.
To ensure that our community can
continue important conservation work—
we have focussed on working with the
youth. Through their input, advice,
and involvement, we developed and
implemented a summer youth employment
program called the Bkejwanong EcoKeepers or BEK for short. Through BEK,
community youth get an opportunity
to visit universities and colleges to see
firsthand what they offer in the fields of
environmental education; they get training
in leadership, survival skills, wildlife surveys,
and other fieldwork techniques; they work
on species at risk and habitat stewardship
activities, including invasive species control,
38
Recognition received by the Walpole Island First Nation and the
Walpole Island Heritage Centre:
1980 Walpole Island First Nation noted as an Environmentally Significant
Area by the University of Waterloo.
1980 Carolinian Canada selects Walpole Island First Nation as a critical
natural area site – only one of the 38 Carolinian sites to fulfill all ten
criteria used in selection process.
1986 The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority presented the
Walpole Island Heritage Centre with a “Conservation Award” for
demonstrating concern for the proper management of our renewable
natural resources.
1987 World Wildlife Fund Canada recognizes Walpole Island First Nation’s
prairies and oak savannas as the most diverse remnants remaining in
Canada.
1989 The Ontario Historical Society presents the Walpole Island Heritage
Centre with the “Joseph Brant Award for 1988” for the best book
on Ontario’s multicultural heritage for “Walpole Island – The Soul of
Indian Territory”.
1993 The Walpole Island Heritage Centre was recognized by the federal
Minister of Environment for its “Environmental Citizenship”.
1994 The Bi-national Public Advisory Council for the St. Clair River Area
of Concern presents an “Environmental Achievement Recognition
Award” to the Walpole Island First Nation for its efforts to improve
the local environment within the St. Clair River ecosystem.
1995 Walpole Island First Nation received the “We the Peoples: 50
Communities Award” from the Friends of the United Nations for
its exemplary record in environmental research and sustainable
development.
2004 Carolinian Canada presents Walpole Island First Nation with a
“Conservation Award” for its contribution towards protecting the
natural diversity & habitats of Ontario’s Carolinian Zone.
2007 Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
(COSEWIC) presents the Walpole Island First Nation with a plaque
recognizing the First Nation’s efforts on species at risk conservation
and recovery.
with the Heritage Centre and other
organizations; and most importantly, they
learn traditional teachings from Elders,
hunters, fishermen, and other traditional
knowledge holders. We just wrapped
up our fourth year for BEK and owe this
past year’s efforts to our First Nation’s
Employment and Training Program,
Environment Canada’s Aboriginal Funds for
Species at Risk (AFSAR) and Union Gas.
To pick up our work on the habitat
protection front—we established the
Walpole Island Land Trust. With support
from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in
2008 we officially established our land trust
as a registered charitable organization.
The Walpole Island Land Trust will help us
protect the lands at Bkejwanong
considered hotspots for species at risk.
We have complete faith that we’ll raise the
needed resources to formally conserve and
protect these lands for future generations
to benefit from and enjoy.
Through the land trust, we started a
project to rehabilitate a degraded 171 acre
marsh on the Walpole Island First Nation
over the next 10 years. We’ll focus on:
• Restoring the marsh’s ecological
functions and enhance wildlife
populations;
• Addressing invasive species by
researching potential uses and/or
implementing control measures;
• Training community members to
conduct environmental, habitat, and
wildlife assessments and surveys; and
• Educating youth and bringing them
together with Elders and community
members to help them to learn about
ethical hunting practices, survival
techniques, in addition to language
and stories that relate to the historic
relationship the Anishnaabeg share
with natural resources.
To address the issue of us not having our
own agenda with regards to research—
we developed our own lists of research
topics and knowledge gaps that need
to be studied (and would truly benefit
our community). We are also building a
foundation that would lead us away from
being the subjects of research to being the
researchers ourselves. We have developed
formal
arrangements
such as Memorandums of
Understanding
(MOUs)
with local universities
and are moving to coauthor more research at
the masters and doctoral
levels. We even have our
own draft Research Ethics
Protocol to guide all
future research.
and habitats—we undertook a study with
funding from the Walpole Island First
Nation government to document our
Customary Ways of caring for the land.
We interviewed community members
and documented what they shared in
relation to ancestral values and practices.
And indeed, many of us do follow laws—
they just are not written on paper—they
have been written in our hearts. One law
in relation to using fire in managing our
prairie grasslands is that all fire activities
are to stop when we begin to hear the
frogs sing. This way all those beings that
are awakening from their winter sleep or
hibernation will not be harmed. Having
ones laws written in books or on paper
does not guarantee they will be followed.
We must ensure they are heard, practiced,
and lived.
One such researcher, Zoe
Dalton, PhD. (University
of Toronto), helped us to
document issues with the
federal Species at Risk Act
and come up with options
to move forward together
by way of innovative
approaches that would
replace colonial practices
with new co-leadership
Caitlyn Tagging Monarch Butterflies (2011)
approaches.
Through
interviews with Heritage Centre staff and
This has led us to seek community
numerous community members as well
participants willing to share their
as many non-native professionals that
knowledge, practices, teachings, values,
work with First Nations, we ascertained
and words of wisdom so we can look at
the importance of co-governance—which
ways to rekindle those things that were
is to say, shared leadership in shaping
good and promote their use into the future.
environmental management, consistently
We are also fielding community concerns
and at the highest levels. This approach
related to the local environment of Walpole
would help fulfill Canada’s commitments
Island, which would then lead towards the
to First Nations, address rights and
development of a draft comprehensive
responsibilities, promote cross-cultural
environmental policy for our First Nation.
understandings, and create opportunities
The objective of this effort is to help inform
for more positive, productive interactions.
present and future environmental decisionTo counter the notion that we do not
have our own laws to protect wildlife
making through community-based input
and guidance.
To fill conservation gaps identified in our
Customary Ways interviews, we rekindled
our relationship with our elementary
school—particularly in the areas of
curriculum development and outdoor
education. Through the interviews, we
recognized that our children need to grow
up with a strong sense of respect for home
and are empowered and equipped with
the skills to care for it. We received funding
initially from our own government and
more recently from the Ontario Ministry of
Tourism and Culture to begin to develop
an online tool to share historical and
environmental information that’s housed at
the Heritage Centre and made available for
use by the school’s curriculum development
team and teachers. The University of
Western Ontario is also assisting with this
project.
To address the lack of a holistic vision to
guide our work—we have embarked on
a pilot project with initial support from
Parks Canada and more recently from the
Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs’ New
Relationship Fund for Enhanced Capacity
Building to provide an ongoing venue for
community dialogue through a forum we
call Ecosystem Circles. These Circles are open
to all community members and allow them
to share their concerns with an emphasis on
ways, options, and ideas to address those
concerns. It’s also meant as a venue to
encourage input from community members
into policies, projects and activities that are
occurring in our traditional territory. These
Circles have led to a number of spin-off
activities that directly involve community
members in community planning and onthe-ground actions. We’re also looking
to these Circles as a means to inform and
develop environmental policies for our
community.
To deal with losses of our language and the
corresponding impact of reconnecting our
people to our own values and traditions—
our First Nation invested in developing
and implementing a four year language
immersion program that immerses adults
into Anishnaabemowin and, consequently,
thousands of cultural teachings. This project
will result in students attaining language
fluency and receiving accreditation through
a native teacher’s certificate program so
they can later become educators within our
community. By passing on our language to
the next generations, we are preserving
many oral traditions which can only be
39
Walpole Island Land Trust:
In 2008, we established the
Walpole Island Land Trust to enhance
our ability to conserve and protect
ecologically significant habitats and
species at risk within the Bkejwanong
territory.
The Walpole Island Land Trust
was born out of the desire to make
sure that our legacy to the future is
something that we and they can be
proud of. We want the children of
the future to be able to say “Wow!
They were really thinking of us!”
Not, “What were they thinking?!”
The Walpole Island Land Trust
is the 1st First Nations land trust
incorporated and registered as a
charity in Canada.
Through the Land Trust, we
acquired and protected an
ecologically significant tallgrass
prairie on the Walpole Island First
Nation that provides habitat to
numerous rare and endangered
species including tens of thousands
of dense blazingstar plants. Walpole
Island is home to over 98% of the
species’ population in Ontario.
The site is also home to Northern
Bobwhite quails, which may be the
last remaining native population of
this species in Canada.
shared through the unique expressions,
nuances and philosophical subtext of the
Anishnaabemowin language.
For example: in Anishnaabemowin,
conservation
and
environmental
stewardship are often present in everyday
exchanges whether the speaker knows it or
not. The word for “land” or “earth,” Aki, is
a key component to many things spoken.
Even the words for teacher and student
have connotations—rather, denotations—
embedded in their meaning. The word for
“teacher” is E-kinomaagaazad. The word
for “student” is E-kinomaaged. When these
words are broken down, Aki or Ki can be
plied apart as a root word. E-kinomaagaazad
then translates to, “Teacher of the earth.”
Similarly, E-kinomaaged translates to,
“Learner of the earth.” Like these words,
there are many others that describe the
essential role of humans in a universe
of connectivity, harmony and mutual
40
appreciation. Another example is Nwiij
kiwenh. It is used like the English word for
“friend” but more accurately translates
to, “My fellow friend of the earth.” Aki
when studied this way can then be used
as a traditional teaching for
a more holistic approach to
living.
diversity. There are lessons to be learned.
We can help one another through dialogue
and sharing. We can build a united voice
to shape our own vision of species at risk
conservation for Bkejwanong that would
Our Path Forward
The reality is this: our First
Nation has limited resources
put towards things such as
addressing crime, poverty,
shortfalls
in
education
funding, and ventures that
would lead to us being able
to stand on our own. Through
proposal-driven work, outside
investments,
community
support and involvement, the
Resting Fawn Discovered at Pits Park (credit: Clint Jacobs, 2007)
Walpole Island First Nation,
Nin.da.waab.jig,
and
the
be entrenched in our traditional ways and
Walpole Island Natural Heritage Program
customs and would help to balance the
are on course to conserving and restoring
needs of All Our Relations and our people.
Bkejwanong’s natural and cultural heritage.
Despite this positive outlook, the Walpole
Our ancestors were able to do it—
Island Natural Heritage Program still
therefore
it is possible.
requires financial assistance. As we press
on, we are working with friends to develop
Together, we can complete the Circle.
a model for effective partnerships in the
conservation and recovery of endangered
Our language is an ancient sound.
ecosystems while looking to strengthen
It’s the sound that the birds and the
collective and collaborative approaches.
animals are used to hearing.
We are looking to the future as our elders
This is why we have a connection with
and ancestors have—taking adaptive
the
land.
approaches where we build on successive
benchmarks and accomplishments and
This is why we need to share our
learn from best practices—continually
language and our teachings with the
binoojiinyag, the little ones.
evolving as our efforts unfold and bear
fruit.
Contained in the language is our
We’ll offer assistance to those that will
listen and we’ll collaborate with those
intent on true collaborative partnerships
and who understand our limitations.
We’ve changed the way we look at things,
and now those things that we look at are
beginning to change. We encourage you to
look at us differently—maybe then you’ll
see:
• Similarities instead of Unknowns
• Opportunities instead of Barriers
• Vision and Innovation instead of
Complexity
We here are all different—we need
to celebrate this diversity and support
one another—just as nature supports its
worldview.
World views are meant to be shared.
KAANGAADESE
“He who walks with a long stride”
Anishnaabeg
Bkejwanong Territory
Research and Partnerships
Life Science Inventory of the Prairies,
Savannas, and Woodlands of the WIFN:
A two-year study to document and
assess the highly significant life science
features of the Walpole Island First Nation
was begun in 1985. The Walpole Island
First Nation, Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, University of Waterloo, and
Lambton Wildlife Incorporated conducted
the intensive field study and literature
search of the terrestrial habitats (prairies,
savannas, and forests) and wildlife species
of Walpole Island. Funding support came
primarily from the World Wildlife
Fund. The study identified over 800
vascular plant species (eight not known
elsewhere in Canada); 138 species
of birds known to be breeding or
potentially breeding on Walpole Island;
26 species of amphibians and reptiles;
24 species of mammals; and 59 species
of butterflies.
The Aquatic Communities of
Walpole Island with the Royal
Ontario Museum:
The two-year study began in 1999
to study the aquatic communities
(delta marshes, lagoons, channel
wetlands, estuaries) of Walpole Island;
to compare the natural and diked
wetland communities; and to gather
baseline information on the flora
and fauna using an interdisciplinary
approach to document the biodiversity
of these important communities.
The study yielded a collection and
documentation of 65 species of
freshwater fish (including 5 species of
fish listed as nationally at risk) as well
as numerous plants and invertebrates.
Freshwater Mussel Study:
To help conserve biodiversity at Bkejwanong and southwestern Ontario:
Please contact the Walpole Island Heritage Centre or the Walpole Island Land
Trust by telephone at 519-627-1475 or by email at [email protected].
Recommendations for Bkejwanong from the
dissertation of Zoe Dalton, PhD. (University of
Toronto):
1)
Core funding for community conservation
work;
2)
Equal representation on task forces/working
groups;
3)
Funding/capacity support for first nations in
collaborative conservation work;
4)
Greater focus on long-term cross-cultural
relationship building;
5)
Improved cultural awareness for nonaboriginal conservationists;
6)
Support for environmental networking
between first nations communities; and
7)
Support for community protocol
development.
Findings also pointed to the need for what we
called reconciliation research. Reconciliation
research is research that:
1)
Makes injustices visible;
Walpole Island Heritage Centre,
WIFN Elder, Environment Canada,
Royal Ontario Museum, National
Waters Research Institute, and the
University of Western Ontario. The
goal of the “Strategy” is to conserve
and recover the ecosystems on the
Walpole Island Territory in a way
that is compliant with the Walpole
Island First Nation Environmental
Philosophy
Statement
and
provides opportunities for cultural
and economic development and
protection for species at risk.
Commenting on other Species at
Risk Recovery Strategies:
The Walpole Island Heritage
Centre has provided comments
and has participated in the
development
of
numerous
national recovery strategies for
species at risk and ecosystembased recovery strategies that have
been led by agencies such as the
Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, and
other groups.
Formal Conservation of
2) Works directly with communities to
Terrestrial Habitats on the WIFN:
Lake St. Clair was home to 23 of 35
construct new ways of relating;
historical species of freshwater mussels,
With the support of Environment
which have seen catastrophic declines
Canada, the Walpole Island
3) Prioritizes community benefit and
in their populations as a result of
Heritage Centre has conserved
revitalization; and
infestations by exotic invasive zebra
316 acres of prairie, savanna, and
mussels that have spread throughout
4) Keeps in mind that research = relationships.
forest habitats (since 2001) on the
the Great Lakes. The Walpole Island
WIFN through conservation leasing
First Nation and Environment Canada’s
agreements and land purchases.
Walpole Island Ecosystem Recovery
National Water Research Institute formed
The goal is to create a network of protected
Strategy:
a partnership to protect and recover native
ecologically significant habitats on the
freshwater mussels. 28 sites were surveyed
In 2001, the Walpole Island First Nation
WIFN for the benefit of future generations.
throughout the Walpole Island delta area
and Environment Canada entered into a
and found that two Bay areas had the
Species at Risk Plant Censuses,
multi-year “Conservation and Recovery
richest and most abundant freshwater
Monitoring, and Mapping:
Agreement” to develop an ecosystem-based
mussel communities and among the lowest
strategy to protect the 5 main ecosystems
The Walpole Island Heritage Centre
zebra mussel infestation rates. Freshwater
(coastal waters, wetlands, tallgrass prairies,
completes annual censuses of the plants
mussels were relocated to the two Bays as
oak savannas, and Carolinian forests) found
listed as nationally “endangered” including
a management tool where their survival,
on the WIFN. In 2004, the draft Walpole
those only found on the Walpole Island First
growth and health have been assessed.
Island Ecosystem Recovery Strategy was
Nation – nowhere in Canada (such as Showy
This study builds on work through 2003,
developed based on 3 years of gathering
Goldenrod and White Prairie Gentian). The
2004 & 2005.
input and feedback from the Walpole
Centre monitors those listed as nationally
Island community and with the guidance
“threatened” and “special concern” on
of the Walpole Island Recovery Team
regular cycles. The data collected from the
consisting of reps from the WIFN Council,
41
field studies are mapped and incorporated
in a Geographic Information System (GIS)
database.
AOC. There has been ongoing Walpole
Island First Nation – Environment Canada
liaison concerning the St. Clair River, which
involves the First Nation’s participation in
the St. Clair River AOC program.
• Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi
communities of disturbed and
undisturbed tallgrass prairie habitats on
Walpole Island First Nation: a culturing
and morphological perspective
University Studies in partnership with
the Natural Heritage Program:
Trent University – Master’s Thesis (2006)
University of Ottawa – Ph.D Thesis
• Study of Goldenseal a Threatened Plant
in Canada
University of Michigan – Master’s
Project Thesis (2000)
Hummingbird Getting A Drink After Banding
Enhancing Species at Risk Populations
on the WIFN:
The Walpole Island Heritage Centre
in collaboration with the Sherwood Fox
Arboretum, University of Western Ontario,
has collected seeds from species at risk
trees (Kentucky Coffee Tree and Common
Hop Tree) on Walpole Island, propagated
and grew them at the Arboretum, and in
the spring of 2007 – planted over 70 of
the trees on Walpole Island. An additional
70+ trees will be planted out in 2009. The
goal is to enhance the existing species at
risk tree populations and work towards
their recovery and sustainability. Funding
support came from Environment Canada
and Spectra Energy Foundation, Union Gas,
and their partners.
The St. Clair River Area of Concern
(AOC) Program:
In 1985, the International Joint
Commission (IJC) identified 43 Areas of
Concern in the Great Lakes. The St. Clair River
is listed as an Area of Concern (AOC), where
beneficial use impairments are known to
exist such as restrictions on drinking water
taste/odour problems; restrictions on fish
and wildlife consumption; beach closings;
degradation of benthos; restrictions
on dredging activities; degradation of
aesthetics; added costs to agriculture
or industry; and loss of fish and wildlife
habitat. In each AOC, the United States
and Canada, in cooperation with state and
provincial governments, agreed to develop
and implement Remedial Action Plans
(RAP’s) in a 1987 protocol to the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement to restore and
protect water quality. Canada has the duty
to engage and consult aboriginal peoples
within the St. Clair River Basin in regards
to federal activities in the St. Clair River
42
• Conservation Strategies for Walpole
Island Landholders
• Educational Pamphlets to help
landholders make informed decisions
regarding development – information
on conservation development, natural
building techniques, and how to
identify high-quality plant communities.
• GIS-based development scenarios
York University – Master’s Project
Thesis (2004)
• Ecological Art and Aboriginal Natural
Heritage Education on Walpole Island
• Creation of an Interpretive Prairie
Garden
• Ecological Art Workshop for Youth on
WIFN
• Exhibition of Youth Creations from
Ecological Art Workshop
University of Western Ontario – 4th
year biology research projects
(2004-2010)
• Mapping Land-Use Changes on the
WIFN
• Case Study of Dense Blazingstar on the
WIFN
• Case Study of Small White Lady’s Slipper
on the WIFN
• “Both Sides of the River: Land Ethics
and the Baldoon Settlement”
University of Western Ontario –
Honour’s Thesis Project (2008)
• Quest for Understanding Ecosystem
Services of the Tallgrass Prairies (Project
QUEST) – Carbon Sequestration of
Tallgrass Prairie Grasslands
University of Western Ontario –
Honour’s Thesis Project
• Determining Ancient Aridity based on
the Iron- and Oxygen-Isotope Signature
of Botanical Magnetite in the Terrestrial
Plant-Soil System
University of Manitoba – Ph.D Thesis
• Conservation implications of
hybridization between the endangered
small white lady’s slipper orchid and the
common yellow lady’s slipper orchid
York University – Ph.D Thesis (2010)
• “Who has Traded Cash for Creation?:
Approaching an Anishinaabeg Informed
Environmental History of Bkejwanong
Territory”
University of Toronto – Doctoral (Ph.D)
Thesis (2010)
• As We Move Ahead Together:
Foregrounding Reconciliation
and Renewed First Nations/NonAboriginal Relations in Environmental
Management and Research – An
Examination of the Species at Risk
Conservation and Recovery Scenario in
Southwestern Ontario
• Critical Habitat Ecology and
Reproductive Biology of the
Endangered Pink Milkwort Plant
• Reproductive Biology of the
Endangered Showy Goldenrod Plant on
the WIFN
• Assessing the microhabitat and
germination requirements for Agalanis
skinneriana on Walpole Island First
Nation
• Differences in Vegetation and Soil due
to Trampling of Tallgrass Prairies
Small White Lady's Slipper at Bkejwanong
Students’ Corner
A Promise
By:Jayantha Rodrigo
Jayantha takes pleasure in writing and
composing. She is passionate about helping
people in need and loves to engage in
charitable activities. She aims to enjoy life,
engaging in creative writing whenever she
has spare time.
Dear colleagues, and friends,
Let’s not be the rough Mountains,
Competing and compressing each other,
Rising towards the sky of “Achievement”,
But instead,
Let’s be the comforting cool breeze,
Carrying the “Message of peace, equity, happiness and harmony”
The message of dear Centennial “Mum”,
To the desperate world,
Because it is the Canadian agreement.
Rainbow
By: Dushyantha Rodrigo
Dushyantha takes pleasure in learning
and teaching. He counts several years
of experience in academics, logistics,
administration and banking. He tries to
facilitate specialists who are in search of
multidisciplinary knowledge.
Canada is a country which has a highly
diversified culture. It is everybody’s country
and nobody owns it privately. It is a natural
garden full of diverse vegetation. Though
it is unevenly grown, its diversity gives
natural beauty compared to a garden with
only a limited variety of vegetation. Close
your eyes and please think of a vegetation
having multi coloured, varied in sizes, and
different shapes of flowers with natural
scents and nectar. I believe that I am
fortunate enough to add another colour to
the garland of mother Canada. To ensure
my existence, I need trust and love like a
tulip which needs the rain and the breeze.
When I was in my native country I used to
use my mother tongue for communication
while using English as a second language.
We had another language and I studied it
also to a certain extent. I rarely heard other
world languages, other than over the radio
or through TV channels.
It is a wonderful experience hearing
live conversations of neighbours who
use many world languages including my
mother tongue while I go down along
the boulevards in Toronto. Therefore,
now I feel that I am a villager of the
global village. As far as my experience is
concerned, in a village, there is a mutual
understanding among villagers. Majority
of them are relatives or else close friends
or neighbours. There is nothing to hide. If
it is acceptable norm in the native village,
nobody can challenge its existence in the
global village too as far as no glass-walls of
mistrust exist among people though their
colour or medium is diverse.
43
Conference / Workshop Reports
Engaging Hearts & Minds: An Agenda
for Global Citizenship Education
April 16 – 17, 2012, Delta Toronto East
The goals of the conference are:
• To provide a place for academics,
people in academic institutions as well
as community organizations to be
engaged with each other on global
issues;
• To promote dialogue and exchange on
global issues;
• To share ways of getting involved
locally, nationally and internationally;
• To promote awareness and activism
that will benefit our local, national and
global communities.
Keynote Speakers
Jean Augustine, PC, CM, BA, M.Ed.,
LLD (Hon)
Fairness Commissioner for Ontario
Hon. Jean Augustine was appointed as
the first Fairness Commissioner for Ontario
in March 2007. She cares passionately
about education and the challenges faced
by newcomers to the province.
Ms. Augustine was born in Grenada and
came to Canada in 1960. She attended the
University of Toronto, where she earned
bachelor of arts and master of education
degrees.
She became an elementary school
principal with the Metropolitan Separate
School Board in Toronto.
44
From 1988 until 1993, she was chair of
the Metro Toronto Housing Authority.
Ms. Augustine was the first AfricanCanadian woman to be elected to the
House of Commons. She was elected in the
riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in 1993 and
sat in Parliament until 2006. During this
time, she served as minister of state for
multiculturalism and the status of women,
sat on several standing committees, and
was a deputy Speaker. She also played a
major role as parliamentary secretary to the
prime minister.
She has shared her expertise and
enthusiasm with others as a member
of several community boards, including
those of York University, the Hospital for
Sick Children, the Donwood Institute and
Harbourfront Corporation. She is former
national president of the Congress of Black
Women of Canada. Every year, she makes
a better future for young women through
the Jean Augustine Scholarship, a fund that
helps single mothers attend George Brown
College and Centennial College in Toronto.
In 2007, she was chair of the Ontario
Bicentenary Commemorative Committee
on the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.
Ms. Augustine has donated her archival
and parliamentary materials to York
University’s Faculty of Education, thus
creating the opportunity to establish an
innovative academic position, the Jean
Augustine Chair in Education in the New
Urban Environment.
She has been honoured by many
organizations for her leadership and
community involvement and has been
awarded honorary doctor of laws degrees
by the University of Toronto, the University
of Guelph and McGill University. In
December 2009, she was appointed as a
Member of the Order of Canada.
Dr. Samantha Nutt, MD
Founder and Executive Director, War
Child North America
Dr. Samantha Nutt is a medical doctor and
the Founder/Executive Director of War Child
in North America. For fifteen years, she has
been at the frontline of many of the world’s
major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan,
Somalia to the Congo and Sierra Leone to
Darfur. These experiences have given her a
unique insight into the brutality of modern
conflict– why it begins, what sustains it and
what we can, and should do to prevent it.
As one of the most original and influential
voices in the humanitarian arena, Samantha
is a go-to authority for the many of North
America’s leading media outlets. With her
uncompromising and powerful advocacy
for justice and peace, Samantha is one of
the most sought after public speakers. She
has inspired thousands of people across
the continent to see global conflict as a
problem that can, and must be solved.
Samantha was recently named one of
Canada’s 25 most influential figures by
The Globe and Mail, the latest in a long
list of awards and tributes. Time Magazine
named her one of Canada’s Five Leading
Activists, while the World Economic Forum
recognized her as one of 200 young global
leaders. In 2010, Samantha was awarded
the Order of Ontario and, in 2011, she was
appointed to the Order of Canada.
Dr. Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s
College Hospital in Toronto and an Assistant
Professor of medicine at the University of
Toronto.
Dr. Shemeem Burney Abbas
Juanita and Joseph Leff Distinguished
Professor of Political Science, School of
Natural & Social Sciences, Purchase College,
State University of New York
Shemeem Burney Abbas has decades
of experience teaching at universities in
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United
states. During her most recent position as a
Visiting Professor in Political Science at the
University of New York at Purchase College
from 2005-2006, she taught courses such as:
Islamic state, gender and sexuality; Islamic
state, heresy, and freedom of speech; Islam,
literature and the West; States, citizens,
human rights, and literature. Her scholarly
experience also includes Women’s Studies,
Asian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies
as well as various positions teaching English
and Literature.
Dr. Abbas has numerous publications to
her name. In 2003, she published a book,
The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual: Devotional
Practices of Pakistan and India, and is
currently writing another, The Wedding
Guest: A Fiction of Kashmir. She also has
multiple articles published in scholarly
journals, years of production credits in the
area of distance education in ESL, and has
spoken at many academic conferences.
Mr. Andi Shi, M.Sc.
Dr. Felix Kaputu
Visiting Professor at
College of Art and Design
Massachusetts
Dr. Felix Kaputu is a Visiting Professor at
Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
He teaches courses in African Literature
and undertakes research in the areas of
comparative literature (African, American,
English, French, Middle Eastern and
Japanese); Ancient and Modern religions;
Oral Tradition; Acquisition of Language
and Culture; Gender Studies; Interpretation
and Translation; and Japanese literatures.
Dr. Kaputu has a doctoral degree in
English and Comparative Literature
from the University of Lubumbashi in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. He
worked for the University of Lubumbashi
in various positions including as Director
of University Pedagogy and Director of
University Cooperation. In 2005, he was
unjustly imprisoned in his home country
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Told he would die in prison, he was denied
the basic necessities of human life and held
incommunicado in solitary confinement.
It took an international campaign to get
him out of prison and back to his university
where he continued to follow his passion
for teaching. However, due to continued
threats and harassments he was forced to
flee his country in fear of his life and the
safety of his family, leaving his wife, two
daughters, and career behind.
Human Behaviour
Relationship Coach
Specialist
and
Mr. Andi Shi is an inspiring speaker,
counsellor, relationship coach and life
transformation specialist. Born in China
and trained in both China and North
America, Mr. Shi is known for his unique
combination of wisdom from the East and
West. With a mission to raise consciousness,
break bondages and transform lives,
he constantly endeavours to enlighten,
inspire and empower. His profound
insight integrates science, philosophy and
spirituality. His words open hearts, expand
minds and inspire purposeful actions.
Mr. Shi has a long record of active
community service . He has been involved
in issues such as access, equity, justice,
education and policing. He has held
various leadership positions in non-profit
organizations and has considerable
expertise in leadership development and
organizational strategic planning.
Dr. Kaputu is the author of several books
including Jo-Mary : Black, Free Slave,
(2010) ;Wall Street Re-berlingue l’Afrique,
(2010); L’Ange gardien Inutile, (2009) ;
Twenty-first century Sub-Saharan African
Women in a World of HIV-AIDS: The deadly
pandemic, (2008).
45
Organizations and Countries
Represented at this Year’s Conference
Organizations Represented via
Delegates or Presenters:
• Action to Positive Change on People
with Disabilities (APCPD) - Kampala,
Uganda
• Physicians for Haiti - Boston
• B.C. Council on Admissions and Transfer
• Queen's University
• Bishop's University
• Sault College
• California State University – San Jose
• Seneca College
• Canadian Bureau for International
Education (CBIE)
• Sheridan College
• Canadian Education Association
• Canadian Forces
• Central Algoma Secondary School
46
• President of the Institute of
Technology, Tallaght in Dublin, Ireland
• Université de Montréal
• University of Alberta
• University of Manitoba
• Earlham College, Indiana
• University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
• George Brown College
• University of Ottawa
• Girl Guides of Canada
• University of Toronto
• Lehigh University, Pennsylvania
• University of Western Ontario
• Massachusetts College of Art
and Design
• McMaster University
• US Agency for International
Development (USAID), Kabul City
Initiative - Kabul, Afghanistan
• Niagara College
• Vancouver Island University
• OISE
• Victoria University, New Zealand
• Pakistan International Human Rights
Organization (PIHRO)
- Islamabad, Pakistan
• World Vision
• Youth Empowerment Skills, Pakistan
Countries Represented:
• Afghanistan
• Canada
• Ghana
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Turkey
• Uganda
• Uruguay
• USA
47
World Universities Forum
By: Dr. Margaret Brigham and Dr. Eva Aboagye
The World Universities Forum took place
from January 8 – 12, 2012 at the University
of the Aegean in Rhodes, Greece with the
theme of “Reinventing the University in a
Time of Crisis”.
The conference was set in the very
historical island of Rhodes which is located
in the Aegean Sea. It was popular in the
past for being the location of one of the
Seven Wonders of the World – the Colossus
of Rhodes. It is currently a World Heritage
Site and is also known for its Acropolis.
Perhaps its most obvious feature is the
imposing wall around the old city. It gives
one the sense of a medieval town.
The World University Forum was set
up with an ambitious goal of being
the academic equivalent of the World
Economic Forum. According to the
organizers, “Inspired by the success of the
World Economic Forum held each year in
Davos, the World Universities Forum has
developed into a key site for academic
discussion on the current state and future
possibilities of the university. The WUF has
throughout the years welcomed delegates
from dozens of countries around the world,
numerous academic disciplines, and a range
of professional areas including research,
university administration, business, and
(1)
Theory
(2)
policy-making.” Given the financial crisis
Greece was facing at the time and the
impact on the postsecondary system in
Greece, this was a forum that had extensive
discussion on education and financial and
economic upheavals.
The Keynote Speakers included Ronald
Barnett Emeritus Professor of Higher
Education at the Institute of Education,
University of London; Fatma Gök, a
professor at the Department of Educational
Sciences at Bogaziçi University in Turkey;
Barbara M. Kehm, a professor of higher
education research and head of the
International Centre for Higher Education
Research (INCHER) at the University of
Kassel, Germany; Mary Kalantzis, Dean of
the College of Education at the University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; António
Nóvoa, Rector of the University of Lisbon,
Portugal;
Mariana
Papastephanou,
University of Cyprus, Cyprus; and Chryssi
Vitsilaki Secretary for Education of the
Greek Socialist Party, and involved in the
upcoming reform of higher education in
Greece.
The Keynote Speakers talked about the
need for postsecondary institutions to reevaluate their role in society and many
options and typologies were offered on
(Includes ways in which faculty teach & the content of what is
taught.)
(3)
Study Abroad; Service Learning; Civic Engagement
Experiences
(Includes global, intercultural, & international learning.)
Methodology
(5)
Assessment
• The romantic imagination – recognizes
the metaphysical, liberal, civic, service
and research qualities.
• The empirical imagination – recognizes
the bureaucratic, corporate marketised,
commodified, capitalist and
performative qualities.
• The ideological imagination –
recognizes the entrepreneurial,
accessible, global, and postmodern
qualities.
• The hopeful imagination – recognizes
the borderless, networked, liquid, super
complex, therapeutic and edgeless
qualities.
• The dystopian imagination – recognizes
the soulless, subservices, selfish and self
–important qualities.
He calls for a new framework to
think about the idea of a university. The
framework he talks about has three
different axes and institutions
will fall on different parts of the
Figure 1 - Global Citizenship Pedagogy
axis. The axes will range from: an
Learning Objectives & Constructs.
endorsing to a critical framework;
a framework of surface learning
(Includes emerging thinkers, integrated learning theory & student
to deep learning and an outlook
development.)
that is pessimistic to one that is
Specific Topics, “course of study”.
optimistic.
Content
(4)
what a university should be and how
knowledge should be organized. Dr.
Barnett spoke about the imagining of the
university and the need for us to imagine
the university anew. He based his idea
of imagination on the work of Charles
Taylor, a Canadian philosopher. Currently
according to him universities are viewed in
the following ways:
Strategies & Techniques
(Includes Transformative, Collaborative, & Experiential learning,
and Reflective practice.)
Process used to establish & document student learning outcomes.
The paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the World Universities Forum.
48
We presented a paper on a
signature pedagogy for Global
Citizenship Education as shown in
the table chart.
HISTORY
MONT H
BLACK
MANY FACES
MANY VOICES
By: General Education and Liberal Studies Department
The School of Advancement, General
Education and Liberal Studies Department,
hosted a series of activities during
Black History Month in February, 2012.
Throughout the month, we engaged
the Centennial College community by
recognizing various aspects of African
culture and heritage.
In collaboration with the library, we
hosted a month long African Art and History
Exhibit featuring pieces from diverse local
artists. Art work was selected to reflect the
overall theme of the month which focused
on “Connecting and Belonging to African
Heritage”.
A traveling museum exhibit highlighting
the many accomplishments of North
American people of African descent was
featured at Progress Campus on February
7th and at Morningside Campus on
February 9th. Over 200 students viewed
the museum to learn about the scientific
and environmental contributions of African
people.
Included in the series of events was an
African storytelling presentation at the
Fireside Gallery, Progress Campus, and a
film viewing followed by a discussion at the
Ashtonbee campus. Both of these events
allowed GNED 500 students and other
attendees to further explore and discuss
African heritage within the Canadian
context.
The month long events concluded with
the 3rd Annual Many Faces/ Many Voices
Symposium. This event featured a keynote
speaker, a poet and spoken word artist,
Dwayne Morgan, along with a drumming
workshop from Baro Dunmba Drummers.
Centennial College students participated
and contributed to many of the activities.
A group of CCC students developed a short
documentary where the students reflected
on what Black History means to them.
The symposium also included a musical
performance from two Centennial students
known as, the “Yung Saintz”.
Symposium
The planning and implementation
of these notable events contributed to
the commemoration of this year’s Black
History month at the college and solidified
Centennial College’s commitment to
all students. The events were a living
demonstration of Centennial’s commitment
to the Signature Learning Experience and
the integration of equity and social justice
throughout the college and the broader
community.
49
Philosopher’s Café
By: Dr. Eva Aboagye
What is the Philosopher’s café?
The Philosopher’s Café is a space created where philosophical open-ended issues and topics receive
attention. The purpose of the café is to help transform the world one conversation at a time. Most topics
relate to our place in the world as Global Citizens. Beyond that we will rely on the tools of social analysis to
explore a multiplicity of perspectives.
The Café is also a place where everyone is encouraged to speak and/or weigh in on issues that affect all of
us. In order to do that we all have to commit to:
• Respecting each other by listening and hearing their story
• Hearing the other person’s perspective even if it is different from ours
• Be prepared to state our position and also to change our mind
Philosopher’s Café on
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
12:30 – 2:00 pm
at Morningside
Aging and Society
What are some of the implications of
an aging population for educational
institutions, governments and individuals?
(Education, health, and the economy)
A. Projections of percentage of Canadian
population over 65 years
1901 – 5%
2001 – 12%
2027 – 21% (projected)
B. Trends
1.
Increased participation of older
adults in educational activities
2.
Growing expectations of older
adults for the provision of
educational programs appropriate
to their interests and circumstances
3.
Changing patterns of retirement
Source: Thompson, G. and Foth, D. (2003) “The Boomers are Coming: Trends in Older Adult Education” in Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education
Vol. 29. No. 1 Spring 2003 pp 9 – 27
50
Philosopher’s
Café
Resource List
Philosopher’s Café
on Friday, March 2, 2012
12:30 – 2:00 pm
at Centre for Creative
Communications
Privacy in a Digital Age
“Citizens of modern societies live in a
world of digital data, generating an
information trail as they e-mail, shop with
loyalty cards, surf the web, make wireless
calls. In response cautious consumers,
watchdog groups and governing bodies
are raising alarms about the Orwellian
implications. As technology gets ever
more powerful and sophisticated, the issue
of digital privacy is rapidly coming to the
fore.”
Questions
1.
2.
3.
What are some of the privacy issues
we need to be concerned about as
individuals, as an institution and for
governments?
What are your thoughts on the
following recent developments:
Are students coming to college
better prepared than in the
past? February 1, 2012
at Morningside
Andrews, G. J., Campbell, L., Denton, M.,
& McGilton, K. S. (2009). Gerontology in
Canada: History, Challenges, Research.
Ageing International, 34(3), 136-153.
doi:10.1007/s12126-009-9042-7
a. Federal Government position on
privacy and access to information
Auger, J. (2002). From the inside looking out :
competing ideas about growing old. Halifax,
N.S.: Fernwood
b. Google changes and privacy
concerns
HQ 1064.C2 A94 2002 – Progress
What are some of the ways we can
protect ourselves?
Binstock, R. H., George, L. K., Cutler, S.
J., Hendricks, J., & Schulz, J. H. (2005).
Handbook of aging and the social sciences.
Burlington: Academic Press. Retrieved from
Credo Reference.
Carp Canada. www.carp.ca
Funk, L. (2010). The Interpretive Dynamics
of Filial and Collective Responsibility
for Elderly People. Canadian Review Of
Sociology, 47(1), 71-92. doi:10.1111/j.1755618X.2010.01223.x
Horton, S., Baker, J. J., & Deakin, J. M. (2007).
Stereotypes of Aging: Their Effects on the
Health of Seniors in North American Society.
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doi:10.1080/03601270701700235
Novak, M. W. & Campbell, L.D. (2010).
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C2N68 2010 – Ashtonbee and Science and
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Coyne, A. (2012, February 21). Social media is
behind the all-consuming fireball of privacy
bill. Montreal Gazette, p.A 19.
Available in Library Press Display for three
months, database also on the newspaper’s
website:
Philosopher’s
Café
Resource List
Privacy in the digital age.
March 2, 2012
at Centre for Creative
Communications
Books and Government Documents:
Bahadur, G. (2002). Privacy defended:
Protecting yourself online. Indianapolis, IN:
Que.
Available through Safari Books Online
Cavoukian, A. (2009) Privacy by design, take
the challenge. Toronto, Information and
Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
Available through ebrary database
Davies, A. (2010). Social media: 3. privacy
and the Facebook example. Ottawa, ON:
Parliamentary Information and Research
Service.
Available through ebrary database
Kovac, D. N. (2010). Electronic breadcrumbs:
issues in tracking consumers. New York:
Nova Science Publishers
Lawford, J., & Lo, J. (2011). Data breaches:
Worth noticing. Ottawa, ON: Public Interest
Advocacy Centre.
Available through ebrary database
Lo, J., Lawford, J., & Gunning, R. (2011).
Consumers anonymous? The privacy risks
of de-identified and aggregated consumer
data. Ottawa, ON: Public Interest Advocacy
Centre.
Available through ebrary database
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/
Social+media+behind+consuming+fireball
+privacy+bill/6182461/story.html
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of
Canada. (2010). The protection of personal
information in wireless environments: an
examination of selected federal institutions:
final report. Ottawa, ON: Author
Available through ebrary database
Journal and Magazine Articles:
Clark, J. R (2010). Social media and privacy.
Air Medical Journal, 29(3), 105- 106
Available in ScienceDirect database
Ferriter, W. M. (2011). Positive digital
footprints. Educational Leadership, 68(7),
92-93.
Available in Academic Search Premier
database
Google's updated privacy policy under fire
again. (2012, February 22).
PC Magazine Online
Available in Academic OneFile database
Gray, D. M., & Christiansen, L. (2010). A call
to action: The privacy dangers adolescents
face through use of Facebook.com. Journal
of Information Privacy & Security, 6(2), 17-32.
Available in Computers and Applied
Science Complete database
Harris, F. J. (2010). Teens and privacy: Myths
and realities. Knowledge Quest, 39(1), 74.
Available in Academic OneFile database
McGrath, L. C. (2011). Social networking
privacy: Important or not? Interdisciplinary
Journal of Contemporary Research in
Business 3 (3), p22-28
Available in Business Source Complete
database.
Recent Newspaper Articles:
Commissioner has new concerns about
Google's updated privacy.
(2012, February 24). The Canadian Press.
Available in CBCA Reference and Current
Events database
52
Hasham, A. (2012, March 1). Google privacy
rules changed today. Here’s what to do if
you missed the deadline to protect yourself.
Retrieved from Toronto Star website:
http://www.thestar.com/business/
article/1139044--google-privacy-ruleschanged-today-here-s-what-to-do-ifyou-missed-the-deadline-to-protectyourself?bn=1
Available on Toronto Star website
Humphries, A. (2012, February 18). Under the
data shadow. National Post, p A9.
Available in Library Press Display
database for three months, also on the
newspaper’s website:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/17/
bill-c-30-may-give-the-government-newsurveillance-powers-but-its-shockingwhat-they-already-know/
Internet Sites:
Beware of “Surveillance” by Design:
Standing up for Freedom and Privacy
www.realprivacy.ca
Department of Justice Canada.
Personal Information Protection and
Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/
acts/P-8.6/
Microsoft Safety and Security Centre
http://www.microsoft.com/security/
online-privacy/social-networking.aspx
Office of the Privacy Commissione
of Canada
http://www.priv.gc.ca/information/social/
index_e.cfm
Royal Canadian Mounted Police –
Personal Information and Scams Protection
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/
canad-practical-pratique-guide-eng.htm
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Volume 1» Issue 1
GLOBAL
CITIZEN DIGEST
The Magazine for Global Citizenship Education and Research
The Future of Learning
04/12