Through my research, I hope to contribute to addressing global challenges; global challenges which have been identified and align with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, were created in the hopes of, “providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. These goals are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. The goals recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests” (United Nations, 2018).
In my research project, I intend to address the urgent global climate change challenge. We know that the occurrence of extreme weather events has increased, and will continue to increase, as our climate endures changes. My research focuses on two case study areas, specifically: Pinery Provincial Park and Bruce Peninsula National Park. It is the responsibility of park management and operations staff to ensure that the necessary risk management plans are: created, implemented and revised, to keep park visitors safe. The research findings that are concluded from these two case study areas can be translated to apply to public lands (e.g. parks) on a global scale. My research findings will compliment the existing risk management knowledge which seeks to best prepare all public lands (e.g. parks), in cases of extreme climate-induced events. Additionally, the expected benefit of my research is to better prepare public land (e.g. park) stakeholders to respond to extreme climate-induced risks in a more effective, efficient, and collaborative way, both in the near-term and in an era of rapid climate change. It is through my research, that I hope to encourage informed decisions concerning risk management, and enhance collective action preparedness and response to risks caused by climate change in parks. Research surrounding successful risk management plans and effective knowledge sharing strategies are both globally-beneficial areas of study.
I have attached a link below which will direct you to a video I created, “SGD Goal #13.” This video specifically explores how my research connects to the Sustainable Development Goal #13, which suggests that we much take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
United Nations. (2018). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://sustainabledev
elopment.un.org/?menu=1300
