OVERVIEW
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The rapid and simultaneous expansion of renewable energy, mining, and unconventional shale gas projects in Western Canada epitomizes the complex challenges of balancing development with conservation. The ongoing development of dozens of industrial and energy projects creates a new challenge for land use planning, shifting evaluation requirements from assessing the localized impacts of individual projects to evaluating the cumulative and often compounding effects on ecosystems at a broader scale.
Our research focuses on proactively quantifying the cumulative impacts of renewable energy developments in order to support informed decision-making that minimizes the consequences for natural landscapes. Working in partnership since 2020 with the major energy utility in British Columbia (British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority), we have leveraged spatial conservation planning tools to forecast potential environmental impacts and identify development strategies that minimize future ecological harm. Our findings show that integrating environmental considerations during the planning phase can substantially reduce the cumulative ecological footprint of renewable energy projects compared to business-as-usual approaches that evaluate projects individually. |
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At the provincial level, we note that wind energy projects in the Peace River region, Treaty 8 Territory, are often identified as the most cost-efficient future energy options. However, the region’s history of extensive resource extraction and industrial activity has led to widespread environmental degradation, recently recognized as in violation of Treaty-guaranteed rights to First Nations. Recognizing these emerging social and environmental conflicts, our research has now pivoted to regional analyses, with a specific focus on the implications of renewable energy development for the threatened Southern Mountain Caribou—an ecologically and culturally significant species in BC.
Our work aims to inform planning that prioritizes ecosystem integrity and respects Indigenous rights, demonstrating that proactive strategies can meet energy needs while preserving valuable natural and cultural landscapes.
Our work aims to inform planning that prioritizes ecosystem integrity and respects Indigenous rights, demonstrating that proactive strategies can meet energy needs while preserving valuable natural and cultural landscapes.
LANDSCAPE 5 TEAM
Wendy Palen lead Simon Fraser University 
Kyra Rolfe she/her MASTER'S STUDENT Simon Fraser University 
Richard Schuster COLLABORATOR Carleton University |
Adam T. Ford he/him Co-Applicant University of British Columbia 
Valerie Kwok TECHNICAL STAFF Simon Fraser University |
Oscar Venter he/him Co-APPLICANT University of Northern British Columbia 
Viorel Popescu COLLABORATOR Ohio University |
Maya Persram she/her Master's student Simon Fraser University 
Thomas Sisk COLLABORATOR Northern Arizona University |
Carmen Ritcher Alum |
Ira Sutherland ALUM |
Miguel Arias Patino alum |
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Ministry of Environment & Climate Change (British Columbia) |
BC Hydro |
Nîkanêse Wah tzee Stewardship Society |
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
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Quantifying biodiversity trade-offs in the face of widespread renewable and unconventional energy development
Popescu, V.D, Munshaw, R.G., Shackelford, N., Montesino Pouzols, F., Dubman, E., Gibeau, P. Horne, M., Moilanen, A., and Palen, W.J.
The challenge of balancing biodiversity protection with economic growth is epitomized by the development of renewable and unconventional energy, whose adoption is aimed at stemming the impacts of global climate change, yet has outpaced our understanding of biodiversity impacts. We evaluated the potential conflict between biodiversity protection and future electricity generation from renewable (wind farms, run-of-river hydro) and non-renewable (shale gas) sources in British Columbia (BC), Canada using three metrics: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, electricity cost, and overlap between future development and conservation priorities for several fish and wildlife groups - small-bodied vertebrates, large mammals, freshwater fish – and undisturbed landscapes...
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Accuracy, uncertainty, and biases in cumulative pressure mapping
Arias-Patino, M., Johnson, C.J., Schuster, R., Wheate R.D., and Venter, O.
Understanding how human activities are altering landscapes is critical to address habitat loss and biodiversity decline. Cumulative pressure mapping has emerged as a tool to quantify both the extent and intensity of multiple forms of human activities on the environment. However, there are several approaches to selecting and combining individual spatial layers into cumulative pressure maps, without clear guidance on how these methods affect the accuracy of the resulting maps. Here, we evaluated how the number of individual pressures, and changes in their intensity scores influenced the accuracy, measured against visual interpretation of high-resolution imagery, of a cumulative pressure map for a large, ecological diverse province...
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Environmental Footprint Analysis: In Support of the BC Hydro Integrated Resource Plan
Palen, W.J., Popescu, V.D., and Yang, K.
BC Hydro’s (BCH) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a 20-year plan of how to best meet the province’s projected energy and capacity needs. The resource options considered in the IRP include demand-side measures and rates, renewing electricity purchase agreements, enhancing BCH facilities and acquiring power through new clean and renewable sources. BCH determines the best resource portfolio by considering the trade-offs of multiple objectives, such as portfolio costs, rate increases, and environmental impacts. This work supports the IRP by providing a methodology to estimate and compare the environmental footprints of resource portfolios in the IRP. The environmental footprint analysis focuses on estimating the potential environmental impacts of new clean and renewable resources...
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