Gillian Kerr

Adjunct professor, Master of Arts in Environment and Management

Environment & Sustainability

Gillian Kerr has worked within Canada's environment community for almost 30 years as an ecological economist and environmental policy expert. She is also an active researcher, teacher, supervisor, and champion of understanding the value of nature. Currently Gillian works at the Smart Prosperity Institute as a Senior Researcher and teaches at RRU.  Before that, she worked for Alberta Environment for 12 years and has worked as an academic, consultant and within several areas of the environmental non-profit sector. 

Experience

  • Integrated natural science, economics and social sciences for policy and planning
  • Applied ecosystem services & nature based solutions 
  • Environmental and ecological economic research and analysis
  • Strategic thinking and analysis
  • Environmental policy and strategy design
  • Project planning, budget and execution 

Education

2020-2021
Postdoctoral Fellow. Ocean Frontier Institute's Future Ocean and Coastal Infrastructures (FOIC), Work Package 6

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

2019-2020
Postdoctoral Fellow. ResNet Theme 1

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

2018
Doctor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Program. Critical analysis of the policy implementation gap in Alberta in using market-based instruments for environmental management.

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

2004
Master of Environmental Management (Arts)

Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia

2009 & 2014
Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Teaching in a Classroom (2009) and Teaching On-Line (2014) Completed. These 10 week courses provide instructors with the skills to teach face to face and on-line courses.

Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia

2000
Bachelor of Environmental Science (Distinction)

Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia

1994
Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Economics

Mount Allison University, Saskville, New Brunswick

Research

Research interest

Green infrastructure, ecosystem services and nature based solutions

Climate change community resilience

The nexus between community and climate solutions

Publications

Sutton, K.; Tonge, C; Berglund, L., Kerr, G. & K. Sherren (2022). Coastal resident perceptions of nature-based adaptation options in Nova Scotia. Canadian Geographer.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12818

Scott, B., Hill, N., Belliveau, A., Churchill, J., Klymko, J., Basquill, S., Brazner, J., McLean, K. & G. Kerr (2022). The Annapolis Valley Sand Barrens: An Introductory Guide (VERSION 1). https://www.annapolisriver.ca/annapolis-sand-barrens 

Kerr, G, Hotzer, J.; Baird, J. & G. Hickey (2021).  On the uptake of ecosystem services decision support tools by government actors in Canada. Facets. https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0090 

Kerr, G. & Bjornlund, H., (2018). The social discourses on market-based instruments to manage non-point-source water pollution in the Oldman River Basin, southern Alberta. Water International, 43:3, 336-348. DOI: /10.1080/02508060.2018.1429882 

Kerr, G. (2020) Ecosystem Services Assessment of Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust Stewardship Programs. Prepared for Mr. Drew Bondar, Executive Director Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Retrieved from https://deltafarmland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EGS-Final-Report_for-distribution_Nov-2020.pdf

Zbeetnoff, D & G. Kerr (2020) Cost-Benefit Analysis of Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust Stewardship Programs. Prepared for Mr. Drew Bondar, Executive Director Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust. Retrieved from  https://deltafarmland.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CBA-Final-Report_for-distribution_Nov-2020.pdf

Preston, S. & Raudseep-Hearne, C. (2017). Completing and Using Ecosystem Service Assessment for Decision-Making: An Interdisciplinary Toolkit for Managers and Analysts Value of Nature to Canadians. Study Taskforce Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Governments of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario. Retrieved from http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/eccc/En4-295-2016-eng.pdf