Omer Chouinard

Protected areas in the Atlantic facing the hazards of micro-plastic pollution: First diagnosis of three islands in the Canary Current.

Coastal zones and the biosphere as a whole show signs of cumulative degradation due to the use and disposal of plastics. To better understand the manifestation of plastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean, we partnered with local communities to determine the concentrations of micro-plastics in 125 beaches on three islands in the Canary Current: Lanzarote, La Graciosa, and Fuerteventura. We found that, in spite of being located in highly-protected natural areas, all beaches in our study area are exceedingly vulnerable to micro-plastic pollution, with pollution levels reaching concentrations greater than 100 g of plastic in 1l of sediment. This paper contributes to ongoing efforts to develop solutions to plastic pollution by addressing the questions: (i) Where does this pollution come from?; (ii) How much plastic pollution is in the worlds oceans and coastal zones?; (iii) What are the consequences for the biosphere?; and (iv) What are possible solutions?

Local Perceptions, Ruslefac Mapping, and Field Results: The Sediment Budget of Cocagne River, New Brunswick, Canada

Erosion and sedimentation in water courses represent a major and costly problem everywhere on the planet. Perception of local actors of the state of the river can be a useful source of information to document the river’s changes. The main objective of this study consists of understanding how multiple data sources can be used for identifying the most sensitive areas subject to erosion and sedimentation in a watershed. To achieve our objective we combined three complementary methods: conducting interviews, estimating the most sensitive soil loss areas using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation for Application in Canada (RUSLEFAC) and taking measurements of environmental variables (turbidity, deposition rate, particle size, water quality, rainfall). The information gathered from the interviews allowed us to determine which areas were the most affected (e.g., either erosion or deposition). However, we observed that there were some differences between the areas identified by the participants and those obtained from the RUSLEFAC and in situ measurements. Among these differences, participants identified sites which were the results of misuse or bad practices (e.g., ATV). By contrast sensitive sites for erosion, as identified using RUSLEFAC, are instead areas of steep slopes, located near the river without forest cover. The in situ measurements were very helpful in establishing background values for turbidity but also for comparing quantitative information (e.g., particle size) with what was reported in the interviews.

Where Go the Plastics? And Whence Do They Come? From Diagnosis to Participatory Community-Based Observatory Network

J. Baztan, E. Broglio, A. Carrasco, O. Chouinard, F. Galgani, J. Garrabou, T. Huck, A. Huvet, B. Jorgensen, A. Liria, A. Miguelez, S. Pahl, I. Paul-Pont, R. Thompson, P. Soudant, C. Surette and J.-P. Vanderlinden Université de Versailles SQY, Guyancourt, France Marine Sciences For Society Institut de Ciències del Mar, Barcelona, Spain Observatorio Reserva de Biosfera, Arrecife, Spain Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada IFREMER, Bastia, France UBO-CNRS-LPO, Brest, France IFREMER, Plouzané, France Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States Asociación para el desarrollo sostenible y biodiversidad (ADS Biodiversidad) Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom IUEM, CNRS/UBO, Plouzané, France University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC ), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Protected Shores Contaminated with Plastic: From Knowledge to Action

As the rate of plastic production increases globally, we see the problem of plastic debris in oceans and coastal zones also increasing, even in areas under rigorous environmental protection. Drawing from a case study situated within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, this chapter shares the example of an ongoing, collaborative partnership between community members, researchers, and decision makers, working together to confront the problem of plastic pollution locally. Since plastic debris is a complex global issue, it cannot be resolved at the local level alone. Here we also introduce a burgeoning regional working group, Communities-Based Observatories Tackling Marine Litter (COASTAL). The goal of COASTAL is to coordinate community-based efforts underway to address plastic pollution at various sites within the larger North Atlantic–Mediterranean system, and thereby expand our understanding of the plastic debris problem, and its potential solutions, at regional and local scales.

The Participative Action Research Approach to Climate Change Adaptation in Atlantic Canadian Coastal Communities

Canada’s Atlantic coast has been increasingly affected by inundations and coastal erosion over time. Results presented here stem from participative research action (PRA) projects undertaken in several coastal communities in New-Brunswick and Quebec, using methods such as semi-directed interviews, focus groups, participant observation, public meetings, kitchen assemblies, collaborative mapping, Method of Evaluation by Group Facilitation (MEGF) or participative ranking. The PRA projects were found to deliver tangible short-term results as well as reinforcing the communities’ governance and adaptation capacity and resilience over the long term. The engagement of stakeholders, and the exchange of information between scientists and local actors, led to a better evaluation of vulnerabilities and adaptation options and permit in some cases the co-construction of new knowledge and the coproduction of priorities to build adaptation plans and tools with and for the communities. Thus, reflexive options such as sea walls were sometimes substituted by less costly and more targeted adaptation options, that are better suited to local circumstances and to the values and aspirations of the community. These solutions are more easily accepted within the community as well as by government authorities. However, not all projects led to immediate decision-making and especially the option of coastal retreat remains highly contentious and emotionally charged.

Citizen Involvement and Volunteering Along the Acadian Coastline: Challenges for Integrated Management and Adaptation in the Context of Climate Change

This chapter deals with the question of how participative research action processes can reinforce the capacities and public policies for coastal communities threatened by extreme climate-related events. It deals with the problem of adaptation at the community level and brings new perspectives to the domain of research on adaptation to climate change. Coastal communities in this region, which have been faced with extreme events caused by climate change and variability (giving rise to impacts in terms of erosion and flooding), are confronted with three choices: coping, protection or withdrawal. Given the urgency of the situation in the Acadian coastal communities in New Brunswick, the challenge for researchers was to reinforce the capacities of these communities in order to help them to adapt better. Research action was used, involving many different approaches to helping build capacity, while at the same time respecting the independence of the actors … citizens, associations, local and provincial actors. The researchers involved thus contributed to reinforcing local governance and to identifying appropriate measures and establishing priorities that respected a broader social justice. The researchers thus became involved in a process of co-construction of adaptation plans through a participative research action process. The challenges encountered and the solutions developed are presented in such a way that they can be transferred and used in other domains necessitating adaptation to climate change and variability, such as farming and other types of rural communities.

Case Studies in Collaborative Action-Research Projects on Climate Adaptation in New Brunswick

This chapter will present some case studies of collaborative action research projects on adaptation to climate change, erosion and sea level rise in coastal communities in New Brunswick. Those communities are Bathurst/Bayshore, Shippagan, Le Goulet, Cocagne, Grand-Digue and Shediac. The projects mainly involved researchers from the university of Moncton, in collaboration with other establishments. Through the case studies presented here, it will be possible for the reader to get a better idea of how the adaptation process unfolds in the chosen approach of progresses through various stages of deliberation, risk evaluation, scientific analysis, public debate, prioritisation, legislation and implementation. It will be interesting to observe how this process differs from place to place and how often very different solutions emerge from the collective deliberation process as the ideal answer depending on the geographical, socio-economic, political or historical context.

The Vulnerability of Coastal Zones Towards Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

Natural and human systems of the coastal zone are vulnerable to climate change and its various consequences. One of the main impacts of climate change is sea level rise which affects coasts world wide. Ecosystems are also vulnerable to changes in water temperature and acidity, both of which have already changed notably in the world’s oceans. In many, but not all regions, the intensity of extreme weather events has increased. In addition to these, local conditions, especially winter conditions in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, are evolving and altering the natural dynamics of the coastline. All taken together, these factors lead to a generalized increase in coastal erosion rates, in added stresses for ecosystems and ultimately threats to properties, infrastructures and the livelihood of communities.

Adaptation to Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

Natural and human systems of the coastal zone are vulnerable to climate change and its various consequences. One of the main impacts of climate change is sea level rise which affects coasts world wide. Ecosystems are also vulnerable to changes in water temperature and acidity, both of which have already changed notably in the world’s oceans. In many, but not all regions, the intensity of extreme weather events has increased. In addition to these, local conditions, especially winter conditions in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, are evolving and altering the natural dynamics of the coastline. All taken together, these factors lead to a generalized increase in coastal erosion rates, in added stresses for ecosystems and ultimately threats to properties, infrastructures and the livelihood of communities.

Adaptation Tools and Strategies

Adaptation to climate change will be a necessity for coastal zones in decades and even centuries to come. Although adaptation to climate and environmental changes has been a feature of human societies since the evolution of modern humans, current challenges posed by climate change and sea level rise in a crowded and developed world are of a vaster nature of those faced by humanity before and will necessitate new approaches, new techniques and new strategies. A conceptual framework is being developed, centered on the notions of vulnerability, adaptation and resilience. Adaptation to climate change will necessitate international cooperation and coherent strategies, although solutions will need to be developed with respect to local circumstances. The main strategies—protection, accommodation, retreat and precaution, are declined in various tools of technical, scientific, legislative, administrative, social or physical nature.