*This was a webinar series hosted in 2023, stay tuned for upcoming webinars in 2024.
Climate change is here, it is happening, and it is impacting New Brunswickers across the province and other Atlantic Canada residents. Nature-based and natural approaches to adapting to climate change focus on implementing infrastructure that restores and protects natural areas while removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, reducing flooding and stormwater surge risks, and supporting biodiversity.
There is interest and support for nature-based climate solutions from residents (see public survey of opinion results here) and there are many examples of successful projects across the region (see maps of case studies here). Municipalities, community organizations, and landowners, however, face many barriers and challenges to developing their own nature-based projects including access to funding, materials, knowledgeable contractors, native plants, and more.
Join the NBEN, CLIMAtlantic, and Nature NB for a seven-part webinar and discussion series throughout June and early July where we will hear from communities across the Atlantic Provinces who have implemented nature-based infrastructure. Let's learn from their experience to understand the challenges they encountered in the process, how they overcame those challenges, where they accessed the funds and resources, and what the results/successes of the projects have been. There will be opportunities to ask speakers your pressing questions and receive input and advice to surpass the challenges you might be facing in your communities.
The schedule of webinars was as follows:
1. June 1st 1-2pm Dune Restoaration with speakers Marion Tétégan Simon from VALORĒS Research Institute and Project Adaptation and Julie Cormier from Vision H2O.
2. June 7th 12-1 pm Rain garden and bioswale development with speakers Jolyne Hébert from the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Roxanne MacKinnon with ACAP Saint John. *English with French interpretation
3. June 14th from 12-1pm Mapping natural assets & management in the face of climate change impacts with speakers Dodick Gasser from CCNB-INOV and Alistair Ozon from the City of Charlottetown, PEI. *bilingual with interpretation
4. June 22nd from 12-1 pm Hybrid infrastructure approaches to climate solutions with speakers Kelly Umlah from Transcoastal Adaptations at Saint Mary's University, and Amanda Marlin from EOS Eco-Energy. *English with French interpretation
5. July 4th from 12-1 pm Living shorelines approaches to climate adaptation with Madeleine Crowell from the Town of Stratford, PEI and Lauren Clark from the Town of Mahone Bay, NS. *English with French Interpretation
6. July 17th from 12-1pm Wetland restoration and naturalized-stormwater retention ponds with Serge Dupuis from the Université de Moncton and Jamie Burke, former CAO of the Town of Sackville (led by Nature NB) *bilingual with interpretation
7. November 8th from 12-1pm Protected areas as a nature-based climate solution with Roberta Clowater and Melanie Jellett from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - NB Chapter.
Recordings of all webinars can be found here:
