This blog post was written by Aliya during her 4th year in the Environmental Management stream.

 

 

 

After the first two years of more general study in the Environmental Studies program, you get to choose from three different areas of concentration for your final two years. After having a taste of all of the pathways the program offers, I decided to choose Environmental Management.

 

What is Environmental Management?

Environmental Management is anything around the idea of managing our natural resources sustainably for future generations. It surrounds various perspectives of studying environmental challenges while addressing issues via conservation, natural resource management and policy approaches. This can include anything around the following:

• Conservation and ecology
• Natural resources
• Species/invasive species monitoring
• Restoration ecology
• Environmental policy
• Ecosystems management
• Marine biology
• Environmental education
• Renewable energy/ efficiency
• GIS and remote sensing

Of these topics, I am most interested in conservation ecology, ecosystems management, and restoration ecology.

Why did I choose Environmental Management?

I chose the Environmental Management area of concentration because I wanted to learn more about the physical environment around us and how we can conserve our natural spaces. Moreover, I love being outside, identifying plants and animals and getting my hands dirty! In the BES degree, Environmental Management focuses on protecting and conserving the natural spaces around us and how we can sustain it for future generations. Themes and concepts are applied in both a hands-on and theoretical settings.

Some of my favourite courses include:

ENVS 4120: Natural History and Political Ecology

This course is one of the many courses offered in the Las Nubes program in Costa Rica. When I took this course in May 2019, it was taught by professor Leesa Fawcett. She is such a down to earth and fun professor! She often reminded me of Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus!

In this course, we took a look at the natural history of various places in Costa Rica including the small towns in and around Las Nubes including Santa Elena and Quizarrá! We visited parks, natural spaces, farms, different ecosystems and studied how the history of these places have influenced what they are like now and how they are changing due to climate change.

One of my favourite trips is when we partook in a Mangrove restoration project. Mangroves are coastal forests that are the first line of defence for rainforest and tropical ecosystems. They play an important role in keeping the soil healthy and providing homes for many different species. Mangroves are now being threatened by climate change and coastal development. In this class, we mixed the soil that is used to grow mangroves (which smells pretty bad due to the high amount of sulphur in the soil.) This was very strenuous but fun since I got to do this with my friends. Then, we placed the soil in a biodegradable baggy where then it would sit, and then seeds would be put inside to be planted near the coasts when ready! I also learned that the organization that executes this program is funded by not only the government but also well-known companies such as Volkswagen!

ENVS 3140 Environmental Sustainability and Education

I recently completed this course in the Fall of 2019, and it was such a treat! First off, there were so many students that weren’t from the BES program, so it was really cool to hear different perspectives from different faculties. Secondly, the course project was trying to understand if those who use the HNES building at York know about the bird-window collision issue on campus. In this class, we set out to take surveys from people using the building and to gather data to see how much people actually know about songbirds colliding into windows on campus.

I liked this course because the research we gathered was actually going to be used to implement change on campus! Taking action locally was so much more satisfying and applicable than just sitting in a lecture.

ENVS 3402 Ecology and Conservation Science

In this course, I learned a lot about species at risk, invasive species and conservation in a Canadian context. I genuinely enjoyed the readings in this course because they were about ongoing issues in Canada and how to solve them. Moreover, the final paper included having to pick your own species at risk in Canada and research about it! I chose the Leatherback Sea Turtle. I found that this course really opened my eyes about conservation as a whole. After taking this course this is when I truly knew I wanted to go into conservation and ecology.

Careers in the field and where I want to go!

You probably get the question “Are there any jobs in the environmental field?”. I get asked that question ALL the time! Most often, when I tell people I study Environmental Management they either don’t know what it is or don’t think there are any jobs. But, the answer is YES! There are many full-time careers and there are jobs for students too! In a previous blog post I talked about my internship in Killarney Provincial Park where I was a Park Ranger! This job was directly linked to everything I was learning in my Environmental Management courses. Here are some other careers/organizations in Canada you can work for that are in the Environmental Management stream:

• 

  Aliya in Killarney Provincial Park

  Ecologist

• Field staff/researcher
• Environmental educator
• Ministry of Natural Resources/ in other Provinces
• Ministry of Climate Change, Conservation and Parks
• Forestry and Recreation departments for various cities
• Conservation Officer
• Policy Developer

But, don't let this list limit you! I have friends who studied Environmental Management and are now working internationally!

As for me, I definitely see myself working outside in the field. After working in Killarney and taking Environmental Management courses, I am so happy that I found my niche. Some future careers see myself having are within the Environmental Ministries of Ontario, perhaps under Natural Resources, or Climate change, Conservation and Parks. I can also see myself working for a conservation authority or conservancy in the foreseeable future or even another municipality. Lastly, Environmental Management has also motivated me to continue my education and gain more hands-on experiences. I'm thinking a college setting or to even pursue my Masters!

Word of Advice...

Whether you are in high school or the second year of your BES degree and are still unsure about which area of concentration you want to focus on, that’s OKAY! You can always change it in your third year if you feel it isn’t the right fit for you. It's okay to be unsure of want you want to do and it's also okay to change your mind!