Waterloo Journal of Environmental Studies

Dr. Luna Khirfan is Associate Professor of the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. Possessing a unique interdisciplinary background in architecture, archaeology, heritage management and urban planning. Dr. Khirfan’s research spans multiple and intersecting areas of interest. She has published numerous papers and 2 books on the topics of climate change adaptation, historic preservation and cultural resource management.

On one of our first days in Mexico, we took the city bus to the colourful town of Colonia Ursulo Galvan, Xico in central Veracruz, to meet Paul, a local farmer who runs Rancho Acayali. Once off the bus we walked a short distance past many colourful homes and a Mexican cowboy riding a horse down the street against a lush, green, and mountainous background. Paul’s home, also known as Rancho Acayali, was covered in plants and flowers, making the structure barely visible except for the vintage van parked out front. As we walked down the stairs to enter the property, we were delighted by the sight of various trees, plants, fruits, and vegetables of various colours and sizes, and many species unknown to us.

Tree planting in Canada is often seen as a Canadian rite of passage because of the rugged mountain lifestyle, difficult physical labour, and its seemingly environmentalist nature. However, the four years I spent reforesting large tracts of logged land in British Columbia, called cut-blocks, have shown me that this so-called environmentally-friendly job isn’t as sustainable as the industry would have you believe.

There have been minimal studies of these processes in a specific location where the effects can be analyzed to provide estimates of future geomorphology in that area. Iceland, specifically its oceanic coasts, are of great geomorphological interest in these types of studies.

The university community and the world have recently been facing unprecedented challenges and changes. We know that times are stressful, but we here at WJES are remaining active in hopes of providing a remote academic opportunity for individuals to publish research they haven’t been able to share. If you have a lab report, research work, or academic paper related to environmental studies, WJES is open for submissions! For more information or to make a submission, email [email protected]