Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

We would like to acknowledge that the UBC Forest Measurements and Biometrics group at the UBC Point Grey Campus (Vancouver) is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm1 (Musqueam) Territory. The land our group is situated on has always been a place of learning for the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site2.

 

The guiding principle of our EDI statement is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights3. The first part of Article 1 sums it up by stating that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”3. In our group, we are committed to:

  • Create, maintain, and improve a lab space, where lab members feel respected, supported, and free from discrimination and harassment
  • Provide equal access to resources for every lab member, while being flexible to individual needs
  • Respect individual experience, choices, and learning approaches
  • Promote mental health and trust among lab members
  • Reduce barriers to diverse representation of our lab by recruiting and collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds, identities, experiences, perspectives, and underrepresented and marginalized communities
  • Encourage and respect the opportunity to communicate and share opinions, perspectives, and insights
  • Provide access to complaints or grievance and maintain confidentiality
  • Respectfully engage in conflict
  • Include lab members on developing action plans to promote safety and transparency of day-to-day operation of our group

 

The following are actions to promote the values of EDI in our group:

  • Learn about EDI from the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office4 and UBC Faculty of Forestry5
  • Learn about EDI from our lab resources provided below
  • Learn about UBC’s Conflict Engagement Initiative6 and related courses7
  • Participate in improving our group statement on EDI
  • Distribute news on university and faculty held workshops and initiatives on EDI and attend workshops
  • Ask and use gender inclusive pronouns8
  • Provide land acknowledgement meaningfully and appropriately in research process
  • Understand the availability of health and well-being student services9 and promptly access them when needed
  • Be open-minded and actively communicate opinions and perspectives

 

We recognize that our EDI statement is a living document. Through learning from our experiences, the document will continue to evolve and improve. We welcome feedback and inquiries by contacting Suborna Ahmed (suborna.ahmed@ubc.ca), Bianca Eskelson (bianca.eskelson@ubc.ca), and Tzeng Yih Lam (tzengyih.lam@ubc.ca).

 

Additional Resources

Online Course
Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Forestry-related Sectors (ForGEDI) online course. www.futurelearn.com/courses/gender-equality-diversity-in-forestry-related-sectors

Further Reading
Macinnis-Ng C, Zhao X (2022) Addressing gender inequities in forest science and research. Forests 13, 400. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13030400
EFI, EUFLEGT Facility (2022) Gender equality in the forest sector – demonstrating a framework for situational analysis. https://efi.int/sites/default/files/files/flegtredd/flegt/Gender%20synthesis.pdf
Free to Growth in Forestry. www.freetogrowinforestry.ca

Last Updated: 23 September 2024