Angela Christina Lara is an inspiring example of taking action on an issue that you care about. She has leveraged her career as a consultant on large infrastructure projects to develop resources to help the communities in their vicinity. Lara is pursuing a PhD at the Pacific Water Research Centre to achieve this work.

She completed an undergraduate degree in biology and a masters degree in ecology with a focus on plant and animal interactions in her home country of Brazil. Lara’s move to Canada to continue her education here was motivated by the opportunity to understand new perspectives on environmental management. She chose SFU specifically to study environmental issues from a transdisciplinary approach.

“When I started studying biology I understood that I would not be the scientist focused on understanding the details of nature, but I would like to understand how we are connected to nature, how we navigate our society and how we could build a healthy relationship with nature.”

Lara’s research begins by looking at how communities are impacted by large infrastructure projects. She has observed the negative effects that these projects can have on the environment and local communities and wants to improve the current paradigm. She conducted field research in Brazil by interviewing a displaced community. Their home was chosen as the location for a new dam and they were forced to relocate to several new areas, essentially splintering the community. The areas to which they relocated often do not have the same access to water or other natural resources, which poses a challenge for continued water security. Climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately affect these relocated communities, essentially marginalizing them. Taking action to eliminate these injustices is a critical part of the work towards a sustainable future.

The output of her work will be an internationally applicable tool for evaluating the viability of an infrastructure project, considering social equity and environmental services as important factors. Her goal is to improve the planning process that results in better outcomes for the communities impacted and the region as a whole. She expects to produce three academic papers to cover the deep nuances of her research.

Lara states that, “I really believe that we are so connected to the land and to nature. I have felt this since I was young even though I was in the city.” This connection guides her work and makes her a passionate advocate for the health of communities and the planet. It also makes her a powerful academic that we are lucky to have at the PWRC. 

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We respectfully acknowledge that the PWRC operates on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.