Assessment #1 Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present

December 28, 2025 By: Emily Tithecott

Post 1: Conservation

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/wetlands-climate-flooding-canada-1.7101439

A recent CBC article discusses ongoing efforts to restore and protect wetlands in Canada as climate change increases flooding and biodiversity loss. This connects closely to Unit 3 discussions about conservation as an active process, rather than simply setting land aside and leaving it untouched. The article challenges the idea that conservation is only about protecting “pristine” nature by showing how heavily altered ecosystems still play critical ecological roles. It also reflects course themes around how conservation priorities have shifted over time, from resource preservation for human use to protecting ecological functions and long-term resilience.

Post 2: Urbanization

Link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-urban-sprawl-green-space-canada-cities/

A recent news piece examines how rapid urban development in Canadian cities is reducing green space and increasing pressure on urban ecosystems. This directly connects to Unit 3 material on urbanization and the historical tendency to prioritise growth, infrastructure, and housing over ecological considerations. The article reflects how cities continue to reshape natural systems through land conversion, increased runoff, and habitat fragmentation, issues that were already emerging in the twentieth century. It reinforces the idea from the course that urban environments are not separate from nature, but deeply entangled with ecological processes and environmental consequences.