On-going Projects

An Investigation of Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction under the Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing and its Associated Activities in a Changing Climate: A Case Study from Northwestern Alberta, Canada

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gopal Saha, Post Doctorate Researcher at Institute for Environmental Sustainability

Implications of Alberta Climate Change Action on Corporate Strategy

Principal Investigator: Connie Van der Byl, Institute Director, Institute for Environmental Sustainability

Managing the Tension between Competition and Cooperation in Alliance Formation: The Role of Champions

Principal Investigator: Connie Van der Byl, Institute Director, Institute for Environmental Sustainability


Factors governing the implementation of water management practices that reduce the use of fresh water in hydraulic fracturing

Principal Investigator: Dr. Carlos Serralde, Post Doctorate Researcher at Institute for Environmental Sustainability

Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Knowledge Integration: Landscape Impacts

Research Team:

Connie Van der Byl, Institute Director, Institute for Environmental Sustainability; Assistant Professor, Mount Royal University
Michael Quinn, AVP, Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement, Mount Royal University
Mary-Ellen Tyler, Professor, University of Calgary
Anil Mehrotra, Professor, University of Calgary
Joseph Arvai, Professor, University of Calgary
Stephen Hill, Associate Professor, Trent University
Danah Duke, Project Manager, Miistakis Institute Mount Royal University
Gwen O'Sullivan, Assistant Professor, Mount Royal University
Dena McMartin, Professor, University of Saskatchewan
Stephen Tomblin, Professor, Memorial University
Chris Hugenholtz, Associate Professor, University of Calgary

Completed Projects

Ecological Infrastructure, Resilience and Governance in the Calgary Region: a partnership for regional sustainability

The purpose of this research was to co-create, with our municipal partner organization, a social-ecological systems (SES) governance framework for integrating land use planning and water management at the regional landscape scale. The aim was to facilitate a flow of interdisciplinary, social science knowledge among and between the partners to both advance theory and improve practice.

Understanding the Impacts of Wildlife Depredation on Alberta Livestock

A collaborative project with Miistakis Institute (an MRU-affiliated research institute), the research included a survey of Alberta beef producers, an extensive literature review on compensation programs and an analysis of economic impacts.

Regional and Local Connectivity Analysis of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park (GRPP)

Principal Investigator: Mohammed Shariful Islam

The project assessed the structural and functional connectivity of GRPP for wildlife species both locally and in the context of the greater Calgary region. The project involved the creation of predictive local and regional connectivity models which were validated with wildlife data collected at GRPP using remote camera trapping. The study was a $20,000 project funded by Alberta Park. The research investigator was Mohammed Shariful Islam, MSc and the study was supervised by Mike Quinn.