Program
Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Research Supervisor
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais
Hometown
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Awards
Peter Wall Legacy Award
What inspires you about your research?
While considered non-consumptive, wildlife viewing, a subsector of the ecotourism industry, not only directly affects the corresponding ecosystems, but can have profound impacts on animal activity patterns. This includes displacement from high quality habitats, increased nocturnality, and habituation to humans, leading to human-wildlife conflict.
As bear viewing grows in the upper Chilko River corridor in rural British Columbia, it brings economic benefits, but also raises concerns about its sustainability. When conducted appropriately, bear viewing can be a sustainable industry and help with public education and stewardship of wildlife; however, with increasing rates of ecotourists and waterfront development, cumulative effects on grizzly bears may result in their avoidance of humans and the overlapping nutrient-rich salmon spawning grounds. The Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) and the government of BC have questioned the sustainability of this local bear viewing industry and if bear viewers are negatively altering grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) activity patterns and access to salmon.
Our project utilizes remote camera trap data from 2021 to 2023 to determine the impacts of boat-based bear viewing on grizzly bear subgroup dependent presence. In doing so, we model the unique spatial and temporal daily activity patterns of grizzly bears in the upper Chilko River corridor of British Columbia. Scientific models accounting for environmental explanatory variables were used to evaluate the unique family group and solitary grizzly bear response to human activity. The results of this project will support the TNG and the BC Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship in creating bear-viewing regulations and management of human waterfront transportation and activity. This data will also aid in broader provincial efforts to ensure grizzly bear stewardship, benefiting all British Columbians.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree at UBC?
Always inclined to understand how things work and never hesitant to ask, “Why does it work like that?,” I see myself as a detective, always trying to understand the natural world, questioning why certain processes occur and what the resulting effects are. With my constant hypotheses as to why natural phenomena are what they are, being a graduate student who conducts research became an easy transition for me. In pursuing a research-based MSc and offered a project that I knew I would be passionate about from the start, I have had the privilege to not only pursue my passions but to also have a lasting contribution to wildlife and ecosystem protection.
UBC was an obvious choice to conduct my research, as Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais in the Earth, Observation, and Spatial Ecology Lab provided me with the opportunity to conduct meaningful and interesting work.
What aspects of your graduate program do you enjoy the most or are looking forward to with the greatest curiosity?
It is the community of fellow graduate students in my lab that I value and appreciate in my program.
I also cherish the freedom of self-directed research that allows me to be genuinely curious why certain scientific processes may be taking place and to investigate the driving influences behind their cause.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in the Okanagan?
The best surprise is the support received from fellow graduate students, faculty, and staff.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
When assessing wildlife or their habitats, it is often necessary to go out in the field and collect data on the case-specific phenomena. I have had lots of experience in the backcountry with a predisposition for wanting to understand the health and condition of local wildlife and ecosystems. This, in addition to past work experience, such as being a conservation and habitat restoration technician, have given me the mindset and technical skills to assess wildlife and ecosystems.
What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) in your future career?
In my future career, I would love to enact wildlife and habitat management; however, to do so, it is key to understand if a habitat or wildlife population is healthy or if human-driven disturbance is unsustainable and in need of management or regulation. These environmental assessments and drawing conclusions from them may be challenging in my future career.
How do you feel your program is preparing you for those challenges?
In my program and concurring research, I am becoming equipped with investigative strategies and methods to evaluate and monitor wildlife and habitats in order to draw conclusions on their health, and if management or remediation is necessary.
Outside of your academic work, what are the ways that you engage with your local or global community?
I have had the opportunity to educate and lead people to understand the critical value of healthy ecosystems, as wildlife and humans depend on them for many reasons. I have done this throughout my career in past positions, through outreach programs, and through my own experience.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
My greatest advice for new graduate students is to find passion even when it may be difficult. It is passion that allows us to be fully invested and care about our research. It enables us to enjoy our research which is very important and also often brings success to it.
What do you do for fun or relaxation?
When I am not in the lab or in the field conducting research, I am often found rock climbing, cycling, hiking, or playing volleyball or tennis with my wife.