Julia Elaine Gardner, Principal

After completing her Ph.D. in Geography in New Zealand on a Commonwealth Scholarship Dr. Julia Gardner undertook six years of university teaching and research at McGill University and at the University of British Columbia. She then worked as an independent consultant before launching Dovetail Consulting Inc. as one of the founding Principals in 1991. Increasingly, Julia is going by her life-long nickname, Julie, and her preference is to be addressed as Julie. 

Julie’s areas of specialization include marine conservation, protected area policy and governance, first nations land use planning, community-based volunteer stewardship, public participation, collaborative processes and program evaluation. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia and a member of two World Conservation Union Commissions.  

Julie has worked on a wide variety of consulting projects for all levels of government including First Nations, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. She has developed a reputation for her consistently high standard of work as a researcher, evaluator, writer and facilitator.

In all her work Julie aims to bring calm, compassion and clarity to challenging environmental issues.

Projects representative of Julie's work include the following:

• Research, report writing and facilitation of meetings to build relationships between the Ktunaxa Nation Council and provincial agencies towards collaboration in the management of natural resources in Ktunaxa traditional territory.
• Facilitation and development of terms of reference for the establishment of an Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Ocean Management body for the Bay of Chaleur area in New Brunswick (for Eel River Bar First Nation with Fisheries and Oceans Canada funding).
• Advice to federal government agencies on marine protected area (MPA) policy and planning – e.g. Draft Operational Plan for Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents MPA, international review of MPA governance arrangements to support the feasibility study for the proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area Reserve.
• Research and report preparation for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society on issues in the establishment of a national network of marine protected areas, and on First Nations concerns about marine protected areas.
• Evaluation of BC Hydro’s Water Use Planning collaborative process, interim evaluation of the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative for Environment Canada, and evaluation of the Interior Wetlands Program for Ducks Unlimited Canada.
• Facilitation of Species at Risk Recovery Team meetings and community consultations related to recovery strategies for Pacific leatherback turtles, sea otters and right whales, and assistance in strategy drafting.
• Design, supervision and write-up of community consultation components of strategic land use planning and visioning processes for the Sliammon, Lyackson, Lax Kw’alaams and Squamish Nations.
• Facilitation of conferences and workshops on marine conservation for governments and non-government organizations, including two multi-stakeholder symposia on the Western Juan de Fuca (“Big Eddy”) region, a work session for marine managers in the San Juan Islands for the Northwest Straits Commission, a workshop for Parks Canada on challenging concepts in National Marine Conservation Area policy, and a workshop in Alert Bay hosted by the Namgis First Nation on first nations and marine protected areas.
• Research and writing of public reports on the impacts of salmon farming and salmonid enhancement (especially hatcheries) on wild salmon, for the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council.
• Research and preparation of a draft guide for park management bodies to do a self-assessment of their governance system, and delivery of a two-day course on this topic at the Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, for Parks Canada and the International Conservation Union.
• Research and writing of reports for the Canadian Wildlife Service on: The needs, Values and Potential of the Stewardship and Conservation Sector in Canada; and on International Experience with Marine Protected Areas: An Overview of Success Factors and a Compendium of Examples.
• For a workshop on the co-operative management of parks: lead the facilitation, prepared a discussion paper on "Best Practices for First Nations Co-operative Management of Protected Areas," and prepared the proceedings and a report on co-operative management after the workshop. Also delivered a paper on this experience at a conference in Tucson, Arizona: "Building Native Nations: Environment, Natural Resources, and Governance" sponsored by the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.
• Preparation of a report on Institutional Arrangements for Marine Protected Areas in Canada, the US and Mexico, and the facilitation of a related workshop for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, in La Paz, Mexico; also, preparation of an Action Plan after the workshop. For the same client, preparation of a discussion paper on issues in Marine Protected Area management.

Julie lives in Vancouver and on Galiano Island with her partner, Dan Moore. She enjoys skiing, sea kayaking and yoga. She serves on the North Galiano Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors.