Derek R. Armitage, PhD |
 |
Ph.D. Geography,
M.Sc. Rural Planning and Development,
B.E.S. Geography and International Studies,
My teaching interests are broadly related to environmental
studies, resource management and environmental planning, and international development.
I teach the following courses: Introduction
to Environmental Studies (ES 100), Theory and Practice of Sustainability
(GG496), Developing Regions (GG356)
and Northern Resources and Environments (GG
494).
My research interests centre on the complex dynamics of
human-ecological interaction, and two challenges fundamental to the practice of
resource management and environmental studies: (1) how to better understand the
coupled nature of complex, ecological and social systems at local to global
scales, and the implications for biodiversity, ecological integrity and sustainability;
and (2) how this information can be effectively utilized by a full range of
stakeholders concerned with policy development, adaptive decision making and
collaborative learning.
I began this program of research during my doctoral studies
where I explored the institutional dimensions and complex nature-society dynamics
of conservation and development in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. A principal
outcome of that research was to identify and analyze community-based resource
management strategies and institutions in the region, and connect them to the
cross-scale, socio-political and institutional dynamics of emerging collaborative
management efforts.
As part of my SSHRC post-doctoral fellowship program, I have
been examining the extent to which collaborative approaches to ecosystem
management in Canada’s North foster adaptation and learning in complex and
uncertain environments, and how this experience may inform practice in places
like Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Typically, I integrate a range of theoretical and conceptual
frameworks to guide my research (e.g., political ecology), and utilize
participatory methodological approaches. My current research activities are an
extension of these issues, approaches and regional focus, and revolve around several
interrelated themes and sub-themes:
|
Research Themes |
Sub-themes |
| 1. | Community-Based Resource Management
and Adaptive Co-Management |
(i) | Understanding
social-ecological systems and interactions (at multiple scales); |
| 2. | Integrative Approaches to Sustainability | (ii) | Identification
of practices and social/institutional mechanisms that facilitate management
decision-making, and that are a central component of collaborative learning
and designing for sustainability; |
| 3. | Conservation and Development Planning
and Policy |
(iii) | Opportunities and constraints of a collaborative
approach to environmental management and policy development, and how formal
and non-formal knowledge from a plurality of sources can be integrated to
improve decision-making; and |
| (iv) | Efforts
to build linkages between the dynamics of linked social-ecological systems,
institutions and organizations. |
Project: Collaborative
Approaches to Ecosystem Management in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia: Learning
from Experience in Canada’s North
Overview: This research initiative involves an examination of the extent to which ‘co-management’ arrangements in Canada’s North are proving effective in the management of complex nature-society systems, and the manner in which those experiences can inform evolving resource management challenges in such places as Central Sulawesi.
Funding: SSHRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship with
additional support from
Project: Integrated Oceans Management in
Overview: I
am presently collaborating with a number of colleagues because of the support
provided through a SSHRC-funded program led by Dr. F. Berkes, University of
Manitoba, titled: Integrated Management,
Complexity and Diversity of Use: Responding and Adapting to Change. As part
of this collaborative research agenda, a number of ocean and coastal zone
management challenges in
Armitage, D. Cross-Scale Dynamics
of Community-Based Narwhal Management in
Armitage, D. and D. Clark. Issues and Priorities for
Integrated Oceans Management in
Berkes, F., Bankes, N., Marschke, M., Armitage, D. and D.
Clark. Cross-Scale Institutions and Building Resilience in the Canadian North.
Diduck, A., Bankes, N., Clark, D. and D. Armitage. Unpacking
social learning in social-ecological systems: case studies of polar bear and
narwhal management in northern
Funding: SSHRC-supported grant to the
Integrated Management Node of the Oceans Management Research Network
Prior to joining the Department full-time in 2003, I participated
in numerous environmental consultancies both in
| • | |
| • | Evaluation of Environmental Assessment under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVEIRB/MVLWB/DIAND) |
| • | Development of an Interim Cumulative Effects Research and Monitoring Plan for the Slave Geological Province (Northwest Territories and Nunavut) (West Kitikmeot Slave Study Society) |
| • | Environmental
and Socioeconomic Monitoring Framework Design for Ontario Parks ( |
| • | Enhancing
Local Capacity for Groundwater Source Protection in |
| • | Romanian Integrated Protected Areas and Conservation Management Preparation Project (World Bank, Global Environmental Facility and Government of Romania) |
| • | Environmental
and Social Due-Diligence Audit of TGS S.A. ( |
| • | Environmental
and Social Due-Diligence Audit of an Environmental Assessment for a $ |
| • | |
| • | Land
Use Planning in |
Armitage, D.R. (in press). Nature-Society Dynamics, Policy
Narratives and Ecosystem Management: Integrating Perspectives about
Armitage, D.R. 2003.
Traditional Agroecological Knowledge, Adaptive Management and the
Socio-Politics of Conservation Practice in Central
Armitage, D.R. 2002.
Socio-Institutional Dynamics and the Political Ecology of
Armitage, D.R. and B.
Hyma. 1997. Sustainable Community-Based Forestry Development: A Programme and
Policy Framework for Women’s Participation.
Armitage, D.R. 1996.
Environmental Management and Policy in a Dryland Ecozone: Insights from the
Armitage, D.R. 1995.
An Integrative Methodological Framework for Sustainable Environmental Planning
and Management. Environmental Management. 19(4): 469-479.
Armitage, D.R. and S.
Garcha. 1995. A Participatory Methodology for Community-Based Land and Resource
Use Planning: A Case Study from
Book Chapters and Published Conference
Proceedings
Armitage, D.R. (forthcoming). Environmental Impact Assessment in
Armitage,
D.R. and A. Rizal. (forthcoming).
Collaborative Management in the Coastal Zone of Banawa Selatan,
Armitage,
D.R. 2002. Regional Ecosystem Science and Adaptive Management in a Developing
Country Context: Preliminary Lessons from
Armitage, D.R.,
Gertsch, F., Giles, A., Huang, K., Hui, B., Lenton, J., Scott, D., and R.
Suffling. 2000. Climate Change and National Parks in
