Bridging the gap: reconnecting fragmented landscapes

Alexandra “Ali” Martin
July 23, 2024

In the heart of Southern California’s shifting landscapes, where drought and fire fuel each other in a relentless cycle of destruction, a diverse community of researchers, activists, and Indigenous stewards gathered to confront the interconnected challenges of our time. From the whispering marshes of San Joaquin to the bustling urban jungles where foxes dodge headlights, each presentation grappled with the physical, cultural, and spiritual fragmentation of our landscapes.

The “Connecting Fragmented Landscapes” workshop, organized by UC Irvine’s Environmental Collaboratory, and co-hosted by UCI’s Climate Justice Initiative (CJI) and the Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network (WUICAN) on May 31st, 2024, highlighted the historical and contemporary challenges that have led to landscape fragmentation both physical and cultural, such as urbanization, climate change and colonial legacies. The day began with keynote speakers diving into the intricate relationships between human communities, ecosystems and environmental justice, followed by breakout groups and attendee participation. In the afternoon, the CJI fellows presented their research, and the workshop concluded with presentations by the Master’s students in Conservation and Restoration Science.

During the keynote panel, Angela Mooney D’Arcy, Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, spoke of colonization fracturing landscapes and communities, leading to the historical erasure and exploitation of Native peoples. To rebuild these fractures, speakers and participants in the workshop discussed the importance of acknowledging and documenting Indigenous contributions and partnerships with institutions like UC Irvine, ensuring these efforts are integrated into campus life and beyond. This includes promoting educational curricula on climate change taught firsthand by Indigenous educators, whose traditional ecological knowledge provides invaluable insights overlooked in traditional textbooks.  

Kelley Lê, Director of the Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects (ECCLPs), noted that textbooks often are outdated and misrepresent climate change; these books also tend to prioritize broad appeal over accurate information. Many high school students learn about climate change from social media, which, she warned, can spread misinformation as well as fragment our understanding of climate change and its impacts on communities and ecosystems. 

Kelley emphasized that incorporating environmental justice and climate literacy into school curricula requires systematic change. This was a key takeaway for me. Programs like the Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects (ECCLPS) are reshaping climate education nationwide, emphasizing the inclusion of iIndigenous knowledge taught by Indigenous educators. This inclusive approach not only enriches educational experiences but also fosters deeper community connections and resilience.

Speakers also shared about how physical fragmentation of habitats threatens biodiversity. Theodore Stankowich, Director of the Mammal Lab at Cal State Long Beach, in his presentation on “Mammals in Urbanized Environments,” emphasized that urbanization and decreased vegetation result in fragmented habitats and alterations in species distribution. Regions with lower socioeconomic status exhibit lower species richness, a crucial aspect of ecosystem health. Higher species richness in gentrified areas compared to non-gentrified areas further exacerbates the social disparity in lack of access to natural resources and wildlife.

In the afternoon panel, the inaugural cohort of 17 postbaccalaureate and PhD Climate Justice Initiative fellows reported on their year-long research collaborations on local climate challenges. The fellows and community-based organization mentors are matched on projects co-designed by the Research Justice Shop, Climate Justice Initiative and local community based organization leaders to work toward solutions to Orange County climate challenges.

For example, CJI fellows Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon and Freddy Francisco Ramos presented on the i-CLEAN study, which builds on a long-standing collaboration between local non-profit Orange County Environmental Justice and GREEN-MPNA and UCI Public Health professors Alana Lebrón and Jun Wu  investigating soil lead in Santa Ana. The fellows presented on their collaborative effort to understand the effects of lead poisoning on children’s neurological behaviors and academic performance.

Community partners are at the forefront of the research design for the CJI fellowship. Bringing together different knowledge-stewards in community-based climate change research cultivates holistic and collaborative solutions. It was energizing to witness students co-leading these climate projects as a new generation of informed and proactive climate stewards.

This gathering honored the voices and initiatives of community leaders and Indigenous stewards, affirming their vital role in addressing systemic issues through collaborative research and activism. Networks such as WUICAN aim to help unite diverse organizations, institutions, California Native Nations, and communities in addressing climate change.

The Connecting Fragmented Landscapes workshop also provided a space for individuals to discuss and learn about the systemic shortcomings of traditional climate research while building connections with peers who share their commitments. It was refreshing to see institutional leaders speak about the problematic and extractive historical relationships between community leaders, Indigenous communities, and institutions, as I have not seen these topics discussed in other forums. As a staff member of the  Research Justice Shop working on WUICAN, I see this transparency as essential for fostering an environment of trust and mutual respect within collaboration. The participation of leaders from community organizations based in environmental justice communities along with UCI student researchers vividly demonstrates how these partnerships reconnect fragmented landscapes between institutions and communities.

Reflecting on my experience attending the workshop, Connecting Fragmented Landscapes encompasses physical, cultural, and spiritual dimensions. While reconnecting landscapes can mean building wildlife corridors to protect native species, the larger goal is to reconnect communities that have been fragmented by colonialism and environmental racism. It was inspiring to hear speakers passionately discuss their research and facilitate discussions among attendees, who helped brainstorm solutions to the climate challenges highlighted during the panels. The insights and connections gained from this workshop reaffirm my belief that collaborative efforts as well as integrating diverse perspectives and knowledge systems, are crucial in achieving meaningful progress in climate change research and action.

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Ali Martin is the Program Coordinator for the Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network, housed under the Research Justice Shop, which is located in the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California, Irvine. She holds a Master’s Degree from UC Santa Barbara in Environmental Science and Management with specializations in Conservation Planning and Coastal Resource Management. She is passionate about natural resource conservation and climate justice.

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WUICAN acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Acjachemen and Tongva Peoples, who still hold strong cultural, spiritual and physical ties to this region.