EUC recently welcomed Assistant Professor Jaqueline Aparecida B贸ria Fernandez from the Institute
of Cities, Federal University of S茫o Paulo (Unifesp), Brazil, where she also serve as a researcher in the
Research Group on Landscape, Society, and Urban Dynamics. She is carrying out a research project at 91亚色 and collaborating with EUC Professor Martin Bunch in engaging with members of the 91亚色 academic community as well as environmental institutions and stakeholders involved in water governance in the Toronto region. Kymary Magpuyo, Special Projects Assistant during the summer, asked a few questions about her visiting scholarship at 91亚色.
Can you you let us know about your research plans here at 91亚色 and the Greater Toronto Area?
I am an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Cities at the Federal University of S茫o Paulo (Unifesp) in Brazil, teaching in the Geography program. My background integrates engineering and environmental planning. I hold a BSc in Materials Engineering and an MSc in Urban Engineering from UFSCar, a PhD in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of S茫o Paulo (USP), and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Minho in Portugal. At Unifesp, my research and extension work focus on urban climate adaptation, water governance, socio-environmental vulnerability, and social-ecological resilience. I also coordinate the Institutional Meta-Observatory at the East Zone Campus and serve as a civil society representative on the Alto Tiet锚 River Basin Committee (CBH-AT). My research project on "Climate Adaptation in Urban Watersheds: Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Social-Ecological Systems" examines how structural and non-structural climate adaptation measures in a Toronto urban watershed contribute to (or limit) local adaptive capacity across four integrated dimensions: ecological and green infrastructure, social participation, institutional governance, and technical-financial capacity.
What drew your interest to work alongside Prof. Martin J. Bunch?
My collaboration with Prof. Martin J. Bunch stems from his internationally recognized leadership in Social-Ecological Systems (SES), ecosystem approaches to health (ecohealth), and participatory watershed management. My research adopts a social-ecological resilience framework, treating urban watersheds not simply as physical territories or hydraulic channels, but as complex systems where social vulnerabilities, governance structures, and ecological dynamics constantly interact. Prof. Bunch's expertise in system dynamics, environmental governance, and community-based planning directly aligns with my goal of building a systemic framework that integrates institutional management, public participation, and various forms of watershed interventions
What grew your interest in studying urban watersheds? Is it an expansion of your research at the Jacu River Basin?
My focus on urban watersheds developed through research in vulnerable territories in the East Zone of S茫o Paulo, where dense urbanization, environmental degradation, and flooding events intersect. This empirical work demonstrated that urban water management is fundamentally linked to socio-environmental justice and vulnerability. My research as a visiting scholar at 91亚色 is directly related to my recent book chapter, ' (Gomes & Fernandez, 2024). However, while my previous study sought to identify indicators to describe the socio-environmental vulnerability of a watershed, my current objective is to analyze the urban watershed as a Social-Ecological System (SES) and assess its trajectory in climate adaptation. In doing so, we examine how historical transformations and watershed interventions influence and strengthen adaptive capacity over time. This research connects to several of my other initiatives, including the community water monitoring project "Observando os Rios" in partnership with the SOS Mata Atl芒ntica Foundation, studies on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in the Alto Tiet锚 River Basin, and international comparative studies on adaptive water management. Furthermore, these vulnerability and community engagement studies on the Jacu Stream were recognized with Unifesp's Women in Science Award 2025 (Research and Extension categories) under UN SDG 13 (Climate Action).
What are your goals and expectations out of this project, and what do you hope to bring back to the Federal University of S茫o Paulo (Unifesp)?
Through this project, I aim to critically evaluate how climate adaptation practices influence social-ecological resilience and socio-environmental equity in urban contexts. Upon returning to Unifesp, I plan to incorporate these conceptual approaches and international case studies into my teaching at the Institute of Cities, as well as into my research through a comparative study between Toronto's urban watersheds and the Jacu Stream Basin in S茫o Paulo. This comparative analysis will help identify shared challenges, lessons learned, and transferable adaptation strategies across distinct urban environments. Beyond academia, I seek to translate these findings into concrete contributions for regional water resources policy and participatory climate governance in S茫o Paulo, particularly through my role on the Alto Tiet锚 River Basin Committee (CBH-AT), while consolidating an enduring bridge of scientific cooperation between 91亚色 and Unifesp.