Reflections from IASNR 2025: Arts-Based Research, Talking Circles, and Trees in Vancouver

By Kayla Gilligan, PhD Student, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

Last week, I had the absolute privilege of attending the 2025 International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) conference in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. IASNR brings together social and natural scientists from all over the world, and this year’s conference was packed with meaningful conversations, creative methods, and powerful examples of research that truly centers justice, inclusion, and community. I left feeling energized, inspired—and yes, totally nerding out over everyone’s amazing work. Here are a few of the highlights from my time at IASNR 2025!

Multilateral Processes and Climate Justice: Kicking Off with Veronica Lo

The conference opened with a keynote from Veronica Lo, who spoke on “Multilateralism and the Rio Conventions: The Need for More Inclusive Climate and Biodiversity Governance.” She unpacked the tensions in multilateral spaces like the UN COPs, how they’re crucial, but often inaccessible, expensive, and slow-moving. Her reflections on what actually motivates real policy shifts (spoiler: people!) made me reflect a lot on our own work around disaster recovery policy windows in NC.

Walking in Two Worlds: Social Science for Heritage and Sacred Sites

One of the most powerful sessions I attended was the Talking Circle on Social Science for Heritage and Sacred Sites Stewardship in a Changing Climate hosted by PRTM’s very own Dr. Erin Seekamp and her colleague Dr. Mae Davenport. We talked about the tensions social scientists face when working with sacred or heritage sites, especially under rigid academic timelines and structures. This session reminded me that doing community-centered work—especially with Indigenous knowledge holders—requires trust, patience, and relational accountability. The Talking Circle format, rooted in Indigenous knowledge, created a really honest and reflective space. We also heard perspectives from people at all levels of indegenous-based research including those who hold indigenous identities.

My Poster Presentation: From Marginalization to Resilience

I was so excited to present my poster: “From Marginalization to Resilience: Exploring Power, Politics, and Partnership in the North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network.” It was during the Poster Session + Silent Auction (I also won an auction item!) and I got to connect with researchers interested in equity, recovery, and positive deviance. Discussing this work with others is always exciting because it truly resonates with people.

Teaching Natural Resource Social Science in Uncertain Times

This session, organized by the IASNR Professional Development Committee, focused on how we adapt our teaching post-pandemic. Some big takeaways included the importance of a variety and balance in teaching, designing flexible coursework, and finding space for difficult discussions about politics and justice in the classroom. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of future TA or instructor roles.

Theatre-Based Methods for Climate Empathy

The panel “Staging Local Solutions: Theatre-Based Responses to Climate Inequality” totally blew me away. Scholars from Canada, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. are co-creating theatre scripts using design thinking and local knowledge in communities dealing with water quality issues. I loved learning how interactive theatre can help build empathy and shift climate narratives. It gave me so many ideas for future community engagement strategies and teaching ideas especially for projects focused on emotional or hard-to-reach topics.

Suzanne Simard and the Mother Tree Project

Another keynote highlight: Dr. Suzanne Simard spoke about “Regenerative Stewardship and the Role of Niche Complementarity in Indigenous-Western Science Partnerships.” She shared powerful examples from the Mother Tree Project and what it looks like to center Indigenous knowledge and values in forest ecology. Her message about reciprocal relationships with land, people, and research reminded me of the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Governance, HOAs, and Rule-Breaking

Several sessions on Institutions and Governance stood out, including:

• “Ordinary Rule-Breaking: A More Empathic Approach to Natural Resource Management” – this was SO aligned with my work on positive deviance. The presenter used metaphors like comparing fishing communities to driving habits on the interstate—it was brilliant!
• “Governance in HOAs for Natural Hazard Mitigation” – this one connected to our work on missing middle housing and civic engagement. It’s super interesting to think about how HOAs can be used to promote climate mitigation strategies and disaster resilience.

Justice and Natural Resources: A Whole Track of YES

This might’ve been my favorite session track (who’s surprised?). Some amazing talks included:

• “Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Canada’s Forest Sector”
• “Tokenism, Power, and Positionality in Community-Engaged Research”
• “Language Matters: Linguistics, Water Justice, and Q-Methodology”
• “Connection to Nature, Career Barriers, and Diversity in Natural Resources”

These conversations felt deeply validating and practical. They pushed beyond theory into real, lived experiences of navigating justice in environmental fields.

Environmental Policy, Politics, and Climate Emotions

In the session “Environmental Policy and Politics,” we covered:

• Voter Referenda on Park Funding
• Climate Policy Support Among Young Republicans
• Public Support for Degrowth Policy and Class Dynamics

Youth Activism & Intergenerational Partnerships

On my last full day, I attended the session “Youth Activism and Intergenerational Partnerships Toward Climate Justice.” The research shared here was phenomenal—especially:

• “If We’re Going to Live with Climate Change, We Should Have a Say” – on adult-youth partnerships in organizing spaces
• “Powering the Future” – on youth in Canada’s low-carbon transition
• “Creating Climate Resilience Through Visual Artmaking” – showcasing art and eco-emotions from youth in Victoria

I even got to bring up Vivian Taylor’s recent in-press article on youth, emotions, and climate justice—it fit right in!

Storytelling, Justice, and Creative Methods: A Panel That Moved Me

One of the most compelling sessions I attended was “Exploring Creative and Narrative Methodologies for Climate and Environmental Justice.” This panel brought together a vibrant mix of scholars and practitioners working across oral history, performance, visual art, and participatory methods to examine how stories shape our understanding of environmental injustices and possibilities for change. Their work demonstrated how narrative can be both a method and a medium for fostering community agency, healing, and structural critique.

The panelists included some of my newest academic crushes (in the most respectful, awe-struck sense of the term):

• Kate Reynolds (UBC), an MA student studying the memory and metabolism of plants in the Palestinian diaspora. Her work weaves together environmental justice, feminist political ecology, and experimental methods in truly poetic ways.
• Renata Rovelo, Senior Climate Action Advisor for the Squamish Nation, who brought grounded and community-based perspectives to the conversation on Indegenous-based Research and Indigenous-led climate action.
• Hoi Kay So (UBC, Faculty of Forestry), whose work contributes to participatory storytelling and environmental knowledge co-creation, particularly through immersive place-based practice.
• Manvi Bhalla (UBC), a PhD candidate and activist-scholar whose work centers intersectional environmental justice in Canadian environmental health policy. Her combination of critical policy analysis, arts-based methods, and community-based participatory research is everything I aspire toward in my own work. She’s also a co-founder of Shake Up The Establishment and missINFORMED, two nonprofits focused on climate justice and inclusive health promotion. I’ll definitely be reading her dissertation as soon as I finish writing this.

Collectively, this group challenged us to consider how creative methodologies can shift the terrain of research and advocacy.

Risk Assessment, Resilience, and Real Talk

To wrap up the week, I attended “Risk Assessment and Management” where we talked about:

• Place attachment and urban waterways
• Risk communication between insurers and arborists
• Flooding in Metro East St. Louis
• The recreational value of restored coastal areas

Outside the Conference: Trees, Tidepools, and Shops

Of course, I also carved out time to explore Vancouver! I got to:

• Wander Stanley Park and see some GIANT trees (Including the largest by volume tree in Vancouver) 🌲
• Visit the aquarium (I saw otters, seals, AND algae signage)
• Explore tidepools, and lots of seagulls eating crabs
• Go thrifting, eat poutine, and try west coast oysters
• Eat amazing Asian food and shop local art at Granville Market
• Take “family photos” with new friends
• Stop by the Gastown steam clock and plenty of cute shops

Thank You!

Huge thanks to Dr. Bethany Cutts and everyone in the Location Matters Lab for supporting my attendance. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be in community with such brilliant and grounded researchers—and I’m bringing so many ideas home with me for our next steps in community resilience work.

Until next time, IASNR 💚