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Topic

Hannah V. Gentes

School of Environmental Studies

Date & location

• Friday, December 5, 2025

• 10:00 A.M.

• First Peoples House, Ceremony Hall

• And Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Nancy Shackelford, School of Environmental Studies, ӣ��Ӱ�� (Co-Supervisor)

• Dr. Jeff Ganohalidoh Corntassel, Department of Indigenous Studies, UVic (Co-Supervisor) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Styawat Leigh Joseph, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Kimberly Speers, School of Public Administration, UVic 

Abstract

Urbanization has detrimental impacts on ecosystems through the removal of Indigenous peoples and relationships to the land, influencing the biodiversity crisis and impacting Indigenous health and well-being. As urban populations continue to rise, so should efforts to restore and conserve urban ecosystems, led by the knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous peoples. Among these ecosystems, urban wetlands are among the most depleted, and are arguably the most important for biodiversity support, climate mitigation and adaptation, and cultural well-being. The restoration of an urban wetland at the ӣ��Ӱ�� provides insight into how Indigenous-led restoration in urban spaces functions as both an ecological resource offering essential ecosystem services, and a social resource for Indigenous community connection and well-being. 

In this thesis, a conceptual framework was used to weave together Western Social-Ecological Systems (SES) theory and the Métis kinship law of wâhkôtowin, recognizing that effective restoration outcomes require equal engagement of both social and ecological systems. The application of nested adaptive cycles understood as panarchies, connects western and Indigenous relational concepts to understand the cross-scale social-ecological impacts of restoration. 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the Indigenous campus community at the ӣ��Ӱ�� in British Columbia, Canada, using the Métis law kîyokêwin as method, to understand how urbanization has impacted their relationships across social-ecological scales: to the land at waters, to their families and communities, and to themselves. Following the implementation of a restoration project in a degraded marshland at the First Peoples’ House at the University, 6 additional interviews were conducted to assess the impact of the restoration on participants' well-being. To accompany this, the health and well-being of 45 culturally significant Pacific silverweed (Potentilla anserina subsp. pacifica) plants at the marshland site were followed to assess the impact of human management on wetland plant productivity and reproductive success in urban spaces. 

These assessments revealed how the reintroduction of Indigenous peoples to urban landscapes through the relationships to culturally significant plants impacted social-ecological well-being. Plants with high human interaction demonstrate significant trends in productivity and reproductive success, whereas interview participants who had high engagement with the restoration work demonstrate increases in feelings of belonging, connection, and acceptance. Together, the results of the interviews and plant trials reveal that effective restoration in highly populated urban areas requires Indigenous peoples' health and well-being to be placed at the forefront to achieve successful outcomes. Having dedicated spaces for Indigenous peoples to gather and share ecological knowledge is a political act of cultural and ecological survival. Focusing on the most marginalized communities in a system benefits everyone, with cross-scale effects that support resilient, biodiverse, and socially equitable futures in cities. Highly colonized educational institutions, such as universities, have an opportunity to influence broader societal change, thereby preventing social-ecological collapse.