Dr. Carolyn Peach Brown is Assistant Professor and UPEI’s Director of Environmental Studies, a multidisciplinary liberal arts and science program. In the Fall semester she teaches ENV 201 Introduction to Environmental Studies, a core course for the Environmental Studies minor. She also teaches ENV 301 Integrating Environmental Theory and Practice which includes an internship opportunity for students with diverse government and non-governmental organizations. In the second semester she is teaching a Special Topics course in Environmental Governance (ENV 409), which is cross-listed with Island Studies at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is also facilitating a unique course which provides a student-led learning experience about contemporary environmental issues through the planning of a symposium - ENV 409 (Student Environmental Studies Symposium).
I am in my second year as an Assistant Professor and Director of Environmental Studies at UPEI. However, I have been teaching and doing research in various ways for over 20 years. A proud native of Cape Breton Island, I obtained a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Acadia University where I studied shorebirds in the Bay of Fundy for my Honours thesis. I then went on to the University of Guelph where I did a Master of Science in Zoology. After spending a few years working as a Biologist with Environment Canada and the University of Guelph, I fulfilled my dream of going to Africa. I lived with my family for 10 years in a small village in the middle of the Congo Basin rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we initiated a village sustainable development program in partnership with a local Congolese association. Unfortunately a civil war ended our time in DRC and we returned to Canada in 1999.
Once our children were all in school, I began a PhD in 2001 at Cornell University with a concentration in the social sciences as I felt that many of our issues in living sustainably with the natural world required skills and approaches that are informed by different disciplines. At Cornell, I had the privilege of studying in the interdisciplinary Department of Natural Resources as part of the diverse and always stimulating ‘Lassoie group’. At Cornell, I began my research collaboration with the Center for International Forestry Research in Cameroon where I conducted my dissertation research on the governance of non-wood forest products and community forests. I completed my PhD in Natural Resource Policy and Management in 2005 with minors in Conservation and Sustainable Development and Adult Education.
Following my doctorate I was a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow in the Global Environmental Change group, under the mentorship of Dr. Barry Smit, at the University of Guelph. I also lectured at the University of Toronto and at the University of Guelph. I have worked as a consultant for World Vision Canada and The World Bank. In the course of my travels I have learned to speak French and Lingala.
The role of local institutions in climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Congo Basin forest of Cameroon
Partnership for Canada-Caribbean Community Climate Change Adaptation (ParCA)
Peer Reviewed Articles
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2011. “Gender, climate change and REDD+ in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa.” International Forestry Review 13 (2): In press (Special issue on gender and forests).
Somorin, O.A., Brown, H.C. Peach, Sonwa, D., Visseren-Hammer, I., Nkem, J. and Arts, B. 2011. “The Congo Basin forests in a changing climate: Policy discourse on adaptation and mitigation.” Global Environmental Change. In press.
Brown, H.C. Peach and J.P. Lassoie. 2010. “Institutional choice and local legitimacy in community-based forest management: Lessons from Cameroon.” Environmental Conservation 37 (3): 1-10. (Special thematic section: Community-based natural resource management: designing the next generation).
Brown, H.C. Peach, Nkem, J. Ndi, Sonwa, D. and Y. Bele. 2010. “Institutional adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of Cameroon.” Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 15: 263-282. PDF.
Brown, H.C. Peach and J.P. Lassoie. 2010. “The interaction between market forces and management systems: A case study of non-wood forest products in the humid forest zone of Cameroon.” International Forestry Review 12 (1): 13-26.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2009. “Climate change and Ontario forests: Prospects for building institutional adaptive capacity.” Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 14 (6): 513-536.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Buck, L. and J.P. Lassoie. 2008. “Governance and social learning in the management of non-wood forest products in community forests in Cameroon.” International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology 7 (3): 256-275.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Wolf, S. and J.P. Lassoie. 2007. “An analytic approach to structuring co-management of community forests in Cameroon.” Progress in Development Studies 7 (2): 135-155.
Articles Submitted for Review
Brown, H.C. Peach. “Catching the passion: Community service-learning and the making of environmental leaders.” Submitted to Canadian Journal of Environmental Education.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Smit, B., Sonwa, D., Somorin, O. and J. Ndi Nkem. “Institutional perceptions of opportunities and challenges of REDD+ in the Congo Basin.” Submitted to The Journal of Environment and Development.
Somorin, O.A., Coren, M., Sonwa, D., Brown, H.C. Peach and J. N. Nkem. “From conversion to conservation: can REDD+ save the Congo Basin forests? A viewpoint.” Submitted to Tropical Conservation Science.
Brown, D.R., Brown, H.C. Peach and C. Shore. “A case study of perceptions of climate change impacts and child well-being: Implications for development programming.” Submitted to Environmental Hazards: Human and Policy Dimensions.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Brown, D.R. and C. Shore. “An investigation of perception of climate change risk, environmental values and development programming in a Christian international development organization.” Submitted to the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture (Special issue on religion and climate change).
Book Chapters
Brown, H.C. Peach and V.G. Thomas. 1990. “Ecological considerations for the future of food security in Africa.” pp. 353-377. In C.A. Edwards et al (Editors) Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, Iowa.
Book Reviews
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2010. Tenure in REDD: Start-point or afterthought? Natural Resource Issues No. 15. Cotula, L. and J. Mayers. 2009. International Institute for Environment and Development, London, UK. Canadian Journal of Development Studies 31(1/2): 227-229.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2009. Climate Change and Forests: Emerging Policy and Market Opportunities. Streck, C., O’Sullivan, R., Janson-Smith, T. and R. Tarasofsky (Editors). 2008. Chatham House/Brookings Institution Press, London/Washington. Climate Policy 9 (2): 221-222.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2009. Invited review of Diaw, M. Chimère, Tony Aseh, and Ravi Prabhu (Editors). 2009. In Search of Common Ground: Adaptive Collaborative Management in Cameroon. Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia. (Note: review published on back cover of book).
Selected Other Publications
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2010. “Institutional Dynamics and Climate Change in the Congo Basin Forests of Central Africa: Report of Second Phase, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo”. Center for International Forest Research. Congo Basin Forests and Climate Change Adaptation Program.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2009. “Institutional Dynamics and Climate Change in the Congo Basin Forests of Cameroon: Report of Preliminary Findings”. Center for International Forest Research. Congo Basin Forests and Climate Change Adaptation Program.
The World Bank. 2008. Forests Sourcebook: Practical Guidance for Sustaining Forests in Development Cooperation. The World Bank: Washington, DC. Contributing Author. Available at www.worldbank.org/forestsourcebook.
The Program on Forests (PROFOR) at The World Bank. 2007. Poverty and Forests Linkages: A Synthesis of Six Case Studies. PROFOR at The World Bank: Washington, DC. Contributing Author and Case Study Editor. Available at www.profor.info/pdf/livelihoods/PovertyForestsLinkagesCaseStudiesSynthesis.pdf.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2006. Final Conference Report “Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystem Health: Informing Policy, Practice and Research.” June 4 – 7, 2006, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.
Brown, H.C.P. 1998. “Manuel de recyclage pour les facilitateurs du Programme de Développement Villageois du Centre de Développement Rural Intégré.” CBCN, Likati, DRC.
Brown, H.C.P. 1997. “Manuel de formation pour les facilitateurs du Programme de Développement Villageois du Centre de Développement Rural Intégré.” CBCN, Likati, DRC.
Working Papers
Brown, H.C. Peach, Smit, B., Somorin, O., Sonwa, D. and F. Ngana. “Climate change in the Central African Republic: Prospects for fostering institutional adaptive capacity.”
Brown, H.C. Peach, Smit, B., Somorin, O., Sonwa, D. and E. Mulotwa. “Analysing adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Brown, H.C. Peach, Smit, B., Sonwa, D., Somorin, O. and J.N. Nkem. “Institutional adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa.”
Selected Conference Presentations
Brown, H.C. Peach and O. Somorin. 2011. “L’aspects institutionnels de l’adaptation au changement climatique dans le Bassin du Congo.” Presentation at the Center for International Forestry Research’s participant country stakeholder conference, “Atelier sur adaptation et atténuation au changement climatique dans les forêts du Bassin du Congo: Présentation des résultants CoFCCA et lancement du projet COBAM ”, May 12-14, 2011, Douala, Cameroon.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Smit, B., Sonwa, D., Somorin, O. and J. Ndi Nkem. 2011. “Institutional perceptions of opportunities and challenges of REDD+ in the Congo Basin.” Presentation at the Environmental Studies Association of Canada’s annual conference “People, Places and Sustainability: Exploring Ideas Across Communities”, May 30–31, 2011, Fredericton, NB.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2011. “Gender, climate change and REDD+ in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa.” Presentation at the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)’s Earth System Governance Project’s “Colorado Conference on Earth System Governance: Crossing Boundaries and Building Bridges.” May 17-20, 2011, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Sonwa, D., Somorin, O. and J. Ndi Nkem. 2011. “Institutional adaptive capacity and climate change response in the Congo Basin forests of Central Africa.” Presentation at the 2nd Annual Initiative on Climate Adaptation Research and Understanding through Social Sciences (ICARUS) Conference, “Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation: Marginal Peoples and Environments” May 5-8, 2011, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Brown, H.C. Peach and B. Bradshaw. 2011. “Experiential learning and the making of environmental leaders.” Poster presentation at the University of Guelph’s Teaching Showcase, “Community Engaged Learning, Scholarship and Teaching”, March 22, 2011, Guelph, Ontario.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Somorin, O., Nkem, J. Ndi and D. Sonwa. 2010. “Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+): Institutional perspectives on opportunities and challenges in the Congo Basin.” Presentation at the 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference, “Restoring the Commonwealth’s Forests: Tackling Climate Change.” June 28-July 2, 2010, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Nkem, J. Ndi, Sonwa, D. and Y. Bele. 2009. “Institutional dynamics and climate change in the Congo Basin forests of Cameroon.” Presentation at the XIIIth World Forestry Congress, “Forests in Development: A Vital Balance.” October 18-23, 2009. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2009. “Catching the passion: Experiential learning and the making of environmental leaders.” Presentation at the University of Guelph’s 22nd Annual Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference, “Experiential Learning: Classrooms without Walls”, May 20, 2009, Guelph, Ontario.
Brown, H.C. Peach, Nkem, J. Ndi, Sonwa, D. and Y. Bele. 2009. “Institutional dynamics and climate change in the Congo Basin forest of Cameroon, West Africa.” Oral poster presentation at the International Alliance of Research Universities’ International Scientific Conference on Climate Change, “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions”, March 10-12, 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Invited Seminar Presentations
Brown, H.C. Peach and B. Bradshaw. 2011. “Experiential learning and the making of environmental leaders.” Poster presentation at the University of Guelph’s Partnership Practices Town Hall, “Partnership Practices: Working with Community, Industry and Government”, March 1, 2011, Guelph, Ontario.
Brown, H. C. Peach. 2010. “An introduction to climate change.” December 2, 2010. Climate Justice Assembly, Council of Canadians, Charlottetown, PEI.
Brown, H. C. Peach. 2010. “Does money really grow on trees? The Congo Basin rainforest and climate change.” November 5, 2010, Department of Biology seminar series. University of Prince Edward Island.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2010. “Climate change and Ontario forests: Prospects for building institutional adaptive capacity.” February 3, 2010, Staff Webinar, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Brown, H.C. Peach. 2007. “Market forces and decentralization reforms: Their effect on non-wood forest product management systems in Cameroon.” July 5, 2007, Staff Seminar, World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.
My research focuses on environmental governance and issues of sustainability that balance social, ecological and economic interests. Environmental sustainability in our complex world depends on the interaction between natural systems and governance institutions. The way in which different institutional configurations of the state, the private sector and civil society interact to govern the environment has implications in many international and Canadian jurisdictions. My research explores the roles played by local institutions, communities and civil society groups in environmental management, and how these institutions interface with other actors in multi-level governance systems, in the context of changing policy and a changing climate. The research draws on concepts and insights from interdisciplinary bodies of scholarship including commons theory, resilience thinking, social learning theory, adaptive governance, the natural sciences, development practice, and the policy and public administration literature.
Primary Interests:
environmental governance
community-based natural resource management
sustainable development
climate change
knowledge systems
common pool resources
adaptive collaborative management
community resilience
biodiversity conservation
international development
Additional Topics:
gender
social learning
networks
vulnerability and adaptation
capacity-building
adult education
program planning and evaluation
non-wood forest products
forests
agriculture
religion and the environment
Geographic regions:
Africa
Canada
Maritime Provinces
