Fueled by a love of the outdoors to help solve environment & climate challenges by connecting people to nature through adventure and exploration
CURRENT PROJECTS
Please feel free to get in touch to learn more about existing project, for research support or consultation, or to collaborate on an upcoming project together.
ABOUT
Natalie is a Canadian conservationist and explorer focused on social, economic and environmental sustainability in adventure travel and outdoor recreation. She was named a 2020 UN Young Champions of the Earth regional finalist and awarded the 2020 Adventure Travel Conservation Fund Grant for her work with the Kayapo developing conservation-based and indigenous-led adventure tourism in Brazil's Xingu River basin. Natalie also holds The Explorer's Club 2020 Rolex Grant for exploratory and participatory research integrating traditional knowledge and conservation technology with the Kayapo Xingu communities in Brazil.
She is concurrently a PhD researcher at the University of Waterloo's Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change investigating climate change impacts, adaptations and sustainability transitions in ski tourism and winter sports. This work is supported by a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship, Sport Canada's Sport Participation Research Initiative, and Mitacs Accelerate & Globalink Awards, in partnership with the Canadian Mountain Network and Protect Our Winters Canada.
Natalie holds a Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford, where she graduated with distinctions and earned a Blue Varsity Award for skiing. Previously she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Geography at the University of Denver, while a member of Denver's NCAA Div 1 National Champion Ski Team. Natalie also competed on Canada's Alpine Ski Team at the World Junior Championships and World University Games.
SUPPORTED BY
CONTACT NAT
University of Waterloo, Faculty of the Environment
1 720 226 5587
