The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is a global agreement between 194 countries to stabilize greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere to avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Through this Convention, developed countries have also agreed to provide developing countries with funds to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigate) and build resilience to the current and anticipated changes in average climate conditions (adaptation). This thesis is centered on financing for adaptation to climate change. While there are several funds administered by a UNFCCC-appointed institute, the World Bank recently launched Climate Investment Funds as an interim mechanism (set to expire in 2012, when the existing UNFCCC financial architecture is to be revised) for providing, among other things, adaptation finance in selected developing countries. This thesis will explore the opportunities and challenges for adaptation financing under the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), as compared to the UNFCCC. Document analysis and two rounds of interviews were done to generate information to assess the ability of the CIF to respond to the needs of adaptation financing and to fetch the institutional and governance issues that arise from the involvement of a World Bank-administered fund, namely CIF, in the climate finance regime. It was concluded that while there are some achievements with the CIF exercise, there are also significant institutional, governance and funding challenges for the CIF.

The deployment of advanced metering infrastructure, most notably in the residential electricity sector, and the development of energy monitoring technology, has enabled and justified the exploration of more sophisticated systems to energy management in the home. Previously, energy usage feedback has been shown to help householders to learn and to adapt usage behaviour. However, these systems are still in their infancy and exploration of householder interest in them, and their designs, is needed to assist in the diffusion of this innovation. The effectiveness of feedback has been found to be enhanced when it is shown relative to a conservation goal. Additionally, disaggregated feedback has been found desirable to householders and has helped them to learn. However, little is understood about how disaggregated home energy feedback relative to a goal can be designed to help householders to conserve. This study explored interest in home energy goal-setting through a web-based survey of Ontario householders. Inferential statistics showed, with 95% confidence, that 35% to 37% of urban Ontario homeowners with post-secondary education would be strongly interested in setting home energy goals – and 29% to 31% would be willing-to-pay at least $6 per month for home energy goal-setting technology. Both financial and environmental reasons were often cited by respondents for their interest. Interest in home energy goal-setting did not relate to experience or interest in setting ‘non-energy’ goals but was significantly and positively associated with: (1) awareness in the environmental impact of energy usage, (2) pro-sustainability attitudes and behaviours, (3) desire to reduce usage, (4) desire to learn, and (5) motivations to help society. Householders preferred web-based feedback to other mediums such as in-home displays or bills. They also identified goal-based appliance-specific feedback as desirable but found the graphical presentation of multiple appliances on one page confusing, and instead preferred numerical presentations. Both extrinsic and intrinsic benefits to home energy goal-setting were supported by respondents and the most cited barrier to goal-setting was that it takes a lot of time. However, it is expected that a home energy monitoring system would help mitigate this potential barrier since progress would be tracked and reported automatically.

Invasive species are one of many important environmental issues facing Canadians today. A great deal of research has explored both the scientific and social aspects of invasive species. However, the cumulative research has not yet thoroughly explored people’s thoughts and feelings about, or perceptions of, invasive species and the influence these may have on management of, or policy decisions regarding, invasive species. This thesis research project was designed to assess the attitudes and perceptions that high school students have towards invasive species and to determine to what extent learning about invasive species alters their connection with nature. The study group was comprised of students from four Grade 11 Environmental Science classes from three high schools within the city of Guelph, Ontario. The students received regular classroom instruction from their teachers covering the course content, including invasive species. Students also made weekly visits to a local nature centre, providing them with hands-on learning experiences related to the course content. Students responded to an 80-question survey that assessed their knowledge of local invasive species and attitudes towards them as well as students’ connection to nature. Their connection to nature was assessed using a modified version of the Connectedness to Nature Scale (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). The surveys were administered by the classroom teachers in October, 2010, prior to the presentation of instructional material covering invasive species and then again in December, 2010 when the presentation of instructional material concerning invasive species was complete. The results showed that the students’ knowledge of invasive species upon entering the course was quite low and each of the classes witnessed a significant increase in knowledge. The survey results did not reveal any change to the students’ connection to nature; however, they did reveal three underlying themes in students’ attitudes towards invasive species: a concern about invasive species as a threat or problem; feelings of acceptance towards invasive species; and feelings of anxiety about invasive species. These attitudes remained relatively unchanged after the course.

Government (state) command and control strategies for addressing the complexities, uncertainties, and conflicts associated with ecological issues are no longer adequate. This is particularly true when addressing water resources. Water resources are inherently complex as a result of demands related to (1) competition between multiple users of water resources; (2) multiple scales at which water is managed; and (3) the mismatch between administrative and hydrological boundaries. Collaborative strategies for environmental governance are increasingly essential for addressing water resource issues. New legislation in Ontario has specifically mandated that collaboration be used as a strategy for source water protection. Government involvement is important for successful collaboration. However, little research has been undertaken to understand what impact mandating collaboration has on the process and outcomes. This thesis explores the relationship between mandated collaboration, the process of collaboration, and its outcomes in order to critically assess the potential impacts of government-mandated collaboration. The research was guided by a conceptual framework developed from the literature concerning government involvement in collaboration. Evaluative criteria were used to assess processes and outcomes. The empirical work explored a case study of the Niagara Source Protection Area in Ontario. The case draws attention to how government affects the collaborative process and outcomes.

The horticultural industry is responsible for approximately half of the invasive plant introductions in North America. To reduce these introductions, voluntary initiatives are preferred over government regulations. This thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two types of voluntary initiatives. At the gardener level, I investigated the effectiveness of alternative species promotion campaigns, called “Grow Me Instead” programs. Adult gardeners visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, as well as customers at two garden centres, participated in a conjoint analysis which measured their preferences for various traits of potential ground cover species. Results showed that gardeners generally prefer plant species having invasive characteristics, suggesting these programs may not be as effective as initially believed. At the retailer level, this study aimed to build upon the work done by Burt and colleagues (2007) to obtain further understanding of the relative strength of internal (ethical motivations) and external (legislation, stakeholder pressures and economic opportunities) factors for motivating participation in voluntary initiatives. Telephone interviews were conducted with 30 industry professionals from southern Ontario to assess their adoption of the St. Louis Voluntary Codes of Conduct. Results found that participation rates of industry professionals in southern Ontario were lower for every specific initiative than those interviewed by Burt et al. (2007). Industry professionals presently experience the most pressure to participate from a sense of personal responsibility and the desire to create a green business image. Pressure was significantly higher from these sources than from pressure from employees. Together these two studies identified several barriers to the efficacy of voluntary initiatives as well as some reasons for optimism. To ensure the success of future voluntary initiatives, efforts must be made to encourage these two groups to work together. Understanding how both retailers and gardeners respond to voluntary initiatives will assist in the development of more effective programs and lead to fewer horticultural invasive species introductions in the future.

The concept of sustainability has gained traction within Canadian planning efforts in recent years. As such, there is a need to measure progress toward sustainability goals; it was found that sustainability indicators are the recommended tool to perform such measurement. The literature also articulated the potential for core community sustainability indicators. The concept of transferability was produced to describe the ability of indicators, domains, and scoring processes to be relevant between communities (horizontal transferability) and various levels of governance (vertical transferability). Hence, the objectives of this research were to create a set of community sustainability indicators, domains, and a scoring methodology for use in a Canadian Community Sustainability Indicator Framework. In attempt to achieve these objectives, first a document review of four existing Canadian community sustainability indicator sets and their domains. This review produced a preliminary set of community sustainability indicators and domains, the latter of which were used in the interviews that followed. The document review also introduced a scoring methodology from MMM Group: The Complete Mobility (CM) scoring methodology. Interview communities were chosen from across Canada using criteria to include different geographical areas, community sizes, and economic/population conditions. Interviewees were from academic, government, or non-government organizations. Interviews followed a loose interview guide with the objectives of gaining insight into interviewee perceptions on sustainability indicators, domains, and scoring processes. Specifically they were asked to evaluate the preliminary set of community sustainability indicator domains and CM scoring methodology, both found in the document review. Synthesis of the results from the document review, the interviews, and the literature review found that there are benefits associated with, and a desire for a transferable community sustainability framework within Canada. The preliminary set of community sustainability indicator domains found complete acceptance in the interviews, and three newly proposed domains. The concept of scoring had varied opinions; however, in those interviewees who desired scoring, the CM methodology was well liked. A proposed framework for a CCSIF as well as other potentially emergent concepts and affirmed academic assertions were also presented in this thesis. Further research into many of these concepts, both emergent and not, was proposed.

Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Canada has been affected by a long history of human activity. This activity has encouraged the establishment of approximately 276 exotic invasive plant species. These plants decrease biodiversity and effective function of ecosystems within the Park. A 5 Year Exotic Plant Species Management Plan for the Park was written in 1990. Since that time inventories have been done on some of the species but a monitoring of all the high priority exotic invasive plants has not. As part of this study an inventory of the high priority exotic invasive plants and their spatial extent in the Park, was created. From May to September, 2011 a comprehensive inventory took place within a 5.5km stretch in the terrestrial area at the southern end of the Park. Systematic belt transects were performed, on foot, from west to east at 100 m intervals. Within the quadrats percent cover of each plant species was determined. The data collected in the field were compiled using geographic information systems (GIS), resulting in maps of the extent of the most abundant species studied. Analysis as part of this study included using the data to determine which plants and areas are higher priorities for management within the Park. Quadrats were analysed for diversity using the Simpson Index and, since the data was non-parametric, comparisons were made across diversity and native richness using the Kruskal Wallis test. Alliaria officinalis is the only non-native species that is widespread within the study area. Other non-native species with a high potential for invasiveness were observed but only consisted of a few individuals along roads and paths. Some non-native species were present along or near roads and paths in denser patches (17-100% plot coverage). Recommendations include removal of some non-native species deemed to be a potential threat to native richness and diversity, followed by re-vegetation with native species, and continued monitoring. Future restoration efforts are best directed at the area around DeLaurier, along west beach and at the Tip. These areas have the lowest diversity and native richness and therefore need the most improvement.

Protected areas are considered to be the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation strategies and are valued sources of human well-being and ecosystem services. Yet they are not immune to the unprecedented impacts being felt worldwide. As an example, increased human activity, including development, transport of invasive species, and contributions to climate change, are transforming protected areas within the Laurentian Great Lakes into new and novel ecosystems. It is in this context of uncertainty that I explored the practice of managing for resilience. Canada’s first national marine conservation area, Fathom Five National Marine Park in Lake Huron, functioned as the study area. Besides profound and complex ecosystem change, Fathom Five is also experiencing governance challenges in the form of tangled responsibilities and issues of legitimacy. The resilience-based approach recommended elements that strengthened the capacity of the park to cope with and recover from disturbance and maintain its defining structures, functions, and feedbacks. This included a reduction of vulnerabilities (e.g., limit exposure to coastal fragmentation, manage disturbance regimes, and maintain functional and response diversity), an increase in adaptability (e.g., need to foster social learning, innovation, and improved governance structures), and an ability to navigate change (e.g., better express desired state, identify thresholds, and influence transformations), within established management practices. More specifically, methods to make spatial planning and monitoring more operational and resilience-based, were developed. For spatial planning, the decision-support tool Marxan with Zones was utilized and demonstrated how themes of representivity, replication, and connectivity could be applied in a resilience-based zoning context. For monitoring, a multivariate distance-based control chart method was developed to detect a decrease in resilience of the parks coastal wetland fish communities. Although an increase in variability was observed, a regime shift was not reported during the years investigated (2005-2012). In summary, the thesis provided an original contribution to science by examining the uncertainties and complexities facing a freshwater protected area and reframing practical conservation solutions through a resilience lens.

A brownfield is previously developed land which suffers from actual or perceived contamination due to past uses. The City of Ottawa, like many of Canada's municipalities, is faced with a significant inventory of brownfields. As the legacy of industrial activities in earlier times, these sites have become an environmental threat, blight to the community and economic loss for their owners and the City. Unlike many of Ontario's more highly industrialized municipalities, Ottawa has a less industrialized history and, as the Nation's Capital, faces unique brownfield challenges and development climate, requiring a policy approach that is tailored to the Ottawa development market. Ottawa's major brownfield sites are owned by different levels of governments and private firms, ranging from the National Capital Commission owned LeBreton Flats to the City of Ottawa owned Bayview Yards. This thesis intends to examine current development trends for brownfields, impediments and opportunities for development, assess the efficacy of current policies and provide suggestions for the improvement of the existing brownfield development planning process in Ottawa, using an applied research method. This study is developed through interviews with key informants, a collective case study analysis, a literature review and site visits. This thesis intends to study current policy and provide recommendations to improve Ottawa's approach to brownfield development. The City of Ottawa has developed a Brownfield Community Improvement Plan, featuring multiple grant programs which has proved to be successful in incentivizing the development of brownfield sites which otherwise would have remained idle. However, the creation and development of this policy was a challenging process, requiring review and improvement in light of ongoing development applications. The findings of this paper indicate the policy has been successful due to its encouragement of brownfield projects which otherwise would not have occurred. In addition, case studies of Bayview Yards, CLC Rockcliffe Lands, Lansdowne Park, LeBreton Flats, 1357 Baseline Road and 300 West Hunt Club Road illustrate the pursuit of significant brownfield development projects in the City. However, despite its success, some challenges still exist which the City of Ottawa must endeavour to overcome. By tackling these challenges, the City could further aid in erasing brownfields from Ottawa's urban fabric and leave a legacy to its residents, characterized by a robust urban centre free from severe environmental contamination.

Preliminary reading and research with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCFN) indicated that integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Practices into existing social innovation strategies is not always sufficient to provide useful tools for Indigenous innovation process. However, it became clear that social innovation shares common ground with the Indigenous resurgence movement and, when considered along with critical indigenist research strategies, can provide direction for Indigenous innovations at multiple scales. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a preliminary exploration of social innovation from a critical indigenist perspective to increase its utility in Indigenous contexts. Together with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and MNCFN, and following Indigenous scholars, I have strived to implement
critical indigenist methodologies by linking critical and Indigenous methodologies through action-oriented research to address the asserted
needs and interests of Indigenous partners. Through this critical indigenist approach, I have strived to implement participant observation, reflexivity, and settler storytelling to fulfill my research objectives. Through a discussion of current initiatives undertaken by Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin, I demonstrate that major themes and strategies of social innovation are useful in supporting the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. This discussion results in the conclusion that Indigenous innovation is a unique type of social innovation informed by Indigenous Knowledge to promote the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. From this position, I propose a conceptual model for Indigenous innovation that links resilience, social innovation, Indigenous resurgence, and critical indigenist research strategies with the intent to lay a foundation for further development of a historicized, culturally appropriate model that promotes the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice. I demonstrate the utility of this model by using it to organize a description of current initiatives underway in MNCFN and then using it to speculate on future initiatives that may foster successful innovation(s) in MNCFN Traditional Territory. In conclusion, articulating Indigenous innovation as a unique type of social innovation may lead to developing approaches to relationship building and knowledge integration that are culturally appropriate and ultimately more useful for Indigenous innovators looking to implement them.