Past Projects 

Making Room for Movement

Making Room for Movement is a collaborative research initiative of Saint Mary's University and Dalhousie University. It aims to build resilience to climate change impacts along Canada’s Atlantic coast by developing a framework for implementing nature-based coastal adaptation strategies. This framework will guide coastal adaptation practitioners in working with community residents, landowners, coastal resource users, and governments to implement innovative, nature-based alternatives to hard infrastructure.

Small Island Developing States and Rural Coastal Communities

Low lying coastal communities in many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) or rural communities that depend on fisheries, aquaculture or tourism are highly vulnerability to the effects of climate change; including sea level rise, coastal erosion, storm surge and ocean acidification. 

Researchers at Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie Universities have been engaged in multidisciplinary research teams that seek to understand the conditions (social, biophysical, environmental, economic, governance) that make coastal communities vulnerable to climate change, and factors that influence the capacity of SIDS and rural coastal communities to adapt by integrating scientific and local knowledge.

Dr. van Proosdij and her team have led bio-physical vulnerability assessments using a combination of rapid field based shore characterization stability and exposure assessments, with geomatics in the Caribbean (Grenada, Tobago, Jamaica), Indian Ocean (Mauritius and Seychelles) and Atlantic Canada.  This work currently also uses hyper-spatial imagery acquired by remotely piloted aircraft systems (drones) and is expanding to other islands in the Caribbean.

Examples of projects include:

• Partnership for Canadian-Caribbean Community Climate Change Adaptation (ParCA), led by the University of Waterloo and CARIBSAVE. Funded by IDRC/NSERC/SSHRC

• Global Islands’ Vulnerability Research Adaptation Policy and Development (GIVRAPD), led by CARIBSAVE. Funded by the Climate & Development Knowledge Network

• Building Capacity for Coastal Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) , led by CARIBSAVE. Funded by UNEP

She is joined by Dr. Patricia Manuel and Dr. Eric Rapaport from Dalhousie School of Planning on a range of sea level rise and storm surge flooding and inundation mapping scenarios in Atlantic Canada including social vulnerability assessment, participatory mapping exercises and land use planning scenarios. As part of a trans-disciplinary team of researchers and practitioners in academia, private, public and non-profit sector, we led the development of an on-line coastal community adaptation toolkit as part of the Developing Flexible and Effective Guidance on Long Term Coastal Adaptation Options in Atlantic Canada project with the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions Association. These projects have been primarily funded by NRCAN and provincial departments.