Research Proposal Presentation Title

An investigation of Canada geese

—human environmental(ecosystem) sustainability

Student researchers

Lareina Zhang, Tianyi Deng, Yuan Xu.

What is your research question?

How can Canada Geese and the human urban environment in urban parks live in harmony?

Research proposal keywords or concepts

“Wildlife-focused proposal” “co-exist with Canada geese” “interview-based qualitative study”

How would you summarize your proposed research idea?

There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of Canada geese management because of its soaring population and nesting and mating behaviors. In the present proposed research study, we attempt to highlight the significance of finding a coexisting way between the human ecosystem and Canada geese in the present and future as well as emphasis the implications of geese control actions.

Where is the literature gap and how does your proposed research attempt to fill that gap?

The existing literature on Canada geese focuses particularly on the surface of goose conflicts that lack underlying consequences which the public needs to pay more attention to. There is a relatively small body of literature that is concerned with how the human urban environment can be influenced by this issue. For investigation, data for this study will be collected using the qualitative method to gather relatively more detailed perspectives from participants.

Why is this gap worthy of research?

The public's understanding of the growing population of Canada geese and how their nesting activities conflict with the human ecosystem will benefit greatly from this study. Therefore, we get to bring this contemporary issue into the public's view and raise awareness about geese management.

What future change could this research possibly contribute to, related to sustainability?

The findings of this study may assist the general public in better understanding why there is a need to manage Life On Land (the 15th UN Sustainable Goal) in the way it relates to the long-term coexistence of urban environments and wild animals. Finally, to establish a harmonious interaction with wildlife and the human ecosystem.

What made your group interested in and/or what excites you about your proposed topic?

At the outset of the topic selection process, we wish to start with specific wildlife and its management. In our research into this area, we discovered that people are safeguarding animals from extinction for the most part. However, Canada Geese present us with a distinct perspective, which piqued our interest. They're actually interfering with human activities and are currently unmanaged. We need to develop a better technique to manage geese in urban areas to allow them to cohabit with humans while reducing their impact on human activities.

References

Buij, R., Theodorus C. P. Melman, Maarten J. J. E. Loonen, & Fox, A. D. (2017). Balancing ecosystem function, services and disservices resulting from expanding Geese populations. Ambio, 46(Suppl. 2), S301-S318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-0902-1

Donaldson, M. R., Henein, K. M., & Runtz, M. W. (2007). Assessing the effect of developed habitat on waterbird behaviour in an urban riparian system in ottawa, canada. Urban Ecosystems, 10(2), 139-151. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1007/s11252-006-0015-2

Groom, Q. J., Adriaens, T., Colsoulle, C., Delhez, P., & Van der Beeten, I. (2020). Site selection by geese in a suburban landscape. PeerJ, 8, e9846. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A636157570/HRCA?u=ubcolumbia&sid=HRCA&xid=3b44c267