15. Nature vs. infrastructure? Understanding the socio-ecological landscape of proposed peri-urban highway development

Episode produced by Whistler Brown, Lauren Daniels, Michael Homsi, and Flaka Zahiri. On this episode of Sync into the Earth, the hosts discuss the ongoing struggle to strike a balance between infrastructural development and environmental protection, considering the proposed Ontario Highway 413 as an exemplary case of this struggle. They are joined by Dr. Ryan Norris from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph to discuss these issues, and to shed some light on the current and future direction of conservation science within this scope. Ryan also shares his thoughts on some of the current research being conducted in relation to Highway 413, and how this could impact future policies, actions, and motivations. The hosts then follow the interview with a round-table style discussion, discussing some of the ongoing research relating to Highway 413, and more generally speaking, conservation science in Ontario. Topics relating to social sustainability, economics, wildlife management, forestry, and human health are explored, all tying back to the main theme of infrastructural development co-existing with adequate environmental protection and conservation measures. References: Alamenciak, et al. (2023). Ecological restoration research in Canada: Who, what, where, when, why, and how? FACETS, 8, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2022-0157 Heide, K., & Norris, R. (2022). The Road to Our Ruin – How Highway 413 would impact threatened and endangered species. Environmental Defence. https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/highway_413_road-to-our-ruin/#:~:text=If%20built%2C%20the%20highway%20would,streams%2C%20supporting%20important%20aquatic%20communities. Laurance, et al. (2015). Reducing the global environmental impacts of rapid infrastructure expansion. Current Biology, 25(7), R259–R262.