Over the past fifty years, Quebec’s flood risk governance has undergone successive reforms driven by major disasters, from the floods of 1974 and 1976 to those of 2017 and 2019. Drawing on legislative archives, policy documents, cartographic records, and media sources, this paper reconstructs how these critical junctures reshaped institutions, from the first Canada-Quebec floodplain agreements to the recent transitional regime and forthcoming third-generation maps. Using a historical institutionalist framework combined with insights from political ecology, we examine how crises have acted as catalysts for reform while also reinforcing path dependencies. Early hazard-based approaches focused on probabilistic mapping and infrastructure defence, while later initiatives introduced land-use restrictions, standardized cartographic methods, and eventually risk-based models integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Recent reforms further expand this scope to include adaptation and river mobility, supported by high-resolution LiDAR mapping and watershed-scale planning. Yet major challenges persist, including regulatory rigidity, tensions between provincial norms and local contexts, and uneven attention to social vulnerability, even if ongoing reforms begin to address some of these gaps. Through a political ecology lens, these shifts reveal how regulatory change intersects with power, equity, and knowledge: who defines risk, whose expertise prevails, and how costs and restrictions are distributed across territories. Quebec’s evolving trajectory highlights both the opportunities and limits of event-driven reform while disasters accelerate innovation, they can also entrench uneven governance outcomes. By situating Quebec within broader debates on adaptive risk governance and resilience, this study offers transferable lessons for jurisdictions facing climate-induced flood risk.

This article examines the dual role of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) as both an ecosystem engineer and an emerging hydrological hazard. Combining a multidisciplinary review of scientific literature with a media-based analysis of 24 documented dam failure events in Qu & eacute;bec, the study investigates how beaver activity shapes hydrological, geomorphological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes. While dam construction promotes wetland restoration, biodiversity, sediment storage, and hydrological resilience, sudden summer dam failures can generate localized flooding and damage transportation networks and private infrastructure. Results show that media coverage predominantly frames beaver-related events through narratives of risk, crisis, and institutional liability, marginalizing the broader (geo)ecological functions documented in scientific research. This event-driven framing contributes to a governance focus on reactive intervention rather than long-term ecosystem-based management. In response, this study advocates integrated watershed governance approaches that combine citizen-based monitoring, hydraulic modeling, and zoogeomorphological perspectives to improve hazard assessment, risk anticipation, and adaptive management strategies. By bridging biophysical processes and socio-institutional dynamics, this paper provides one of the first integrative analyses linking beaver-induced geomorphic activity with civil protection frameworks. It argues for a shift from crisis-oriented control toward coexistence-based management, recognizing beavers as co-constructors of fluvial landscapes within socio-ecological resilience and nature-based adaptation strategies.

This study investigates the morphometric and anthropogenic controls governing the occurrence and spatial distribution of tributary–junction fans (TJFs) along the Chaudière River, Québec, Canada. Using GIS-based morphometric analysis, field validation, and multivariate statistics (PCA, CART, LDA), 142 tributary watersheds were analyzed, of which 41 display fan-shaped depositional features. Basin relief, drainage density, contributing area, and slope–area coupling emerge as the dominant predictors of TJF development, delineating an intermediate energy domain where sediment supply and transport capacity become balanced enough to allow partial geomorphic coupling at confluence nodes. CART analysis identified approximate slope and area thresholds (slope < 9°, area > 20 km2; 66% accuracy), while LDA achieved 76%, indicating that morphometry provides useful but incomplete predictive power. These moderate performances reflect the additional influence of event-scale hydrological forcing and unquantified Quaternary substrate heterogeneity typical of postglacial terrain. Beyond morphometry, anthropogenic disturbance exerts a secondary but context-dependent influence, with moderately disturbed watersheds (10–50% altered) showing higher frequencies of fans than both highly engineered (>50%) and minimally disturbed (<10%). This pattern suggests that land-use modification can locally reinforce or offset morphometric predisposition by altering sediment-routing pathways. Overall, TJFs function as localized sediment-storage buffers that may be periodically reactivated during high-magnitude floods. The combined effects of basin geometry, land-use pressures, and hydroclimatic variability explain their spatial distribution. The study provides an indicative, process-informed framework for evaluating sediment connectivity and depositional thresholds in cold-region fluvial systems, with implications for geomorphic interpretation and hazard management.

The role of animals in geomorphology remains largely understudied, even though animal energy remains an important factor in exogenic geomorphology. To better understand the coupling of geophysical and ecological processes, annual montane water vole (Arvicola scherman) burrowing impacts were monitored in a high-altitude grassland ecosystem in the Swiss Pre-Alps. Considered an engineer species, the montane water vole generated significant geomorphic impacts for 2021-2022. With an average density of 14.4 burrows ha- 1, the sediments excavated in the form of earth tumuli erode easily under the effect of gravity, with a slope of over 20 degrees. The sediment volumes calculated correspond to an average excavation rate of 100 t/ha yr- 1. According to the literature, apart from marmots, pocket gophers and other vole species, few burrowing mammals have such a high sediment potential displacement. The data collected show the importance of monitoring water vole populations, given the multiannual large-amplitude fluctuations in populations, which appear at least, partially related to agricultural land use and landscape patterns. Finally, the study of cascading environmental effects linked to animal activity can provide information on the geo-ecosystem from a functional point of view, particularly in the light of ongoing climate change, biodiversity loss and anthropogenic transformations.

As environmental risks, particularly climate change, exacerbate vulnerabilities, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has increasingly prioritised community protection. However, communities' unique and contextual nature often renders top-down risk management efforts unsustainable or ineffective. To address these limitations, the community-based approach (CB) has emerged as a promising alternative. It is grounded in four interdependent principles: local participation, valuing diversity and inclusivity, integrating local and indigenous knowledge, and building local capacities for greater autonomy. Each of its principles benefits each other through a dynamic of interconnection and interdependence, which collectively ensure that DRR strategies are tailored to each community's specific needs, strengths, and sociocultural contexts. By promoting decentralised decision-making, participatory governance, co-production, and social learning, the CB approach aligns DRR efforts with local realities, making them more sustainable and effective. Although challenging to implement due to resource constraints and political dynamics, CB remains a vital pathway for building long-term community resilience in the face of evolving environmental risks. This paper provides a comprehensive framework for aligning DRR strategies with sociocultural conditions, offering practical insights and actionable recommendations to enhance community resilience.

This study reconstructs seven decades (1949–2019) of morphodynamic changes and sediment dynamics in the Diable River (Québec, Canada) using nine series of aerial photographs, a high-resolution LiDAR Digital Elevation Model (2021), and grain-size analysis. The objectives were to document long-term river evolution, quantify erosion and deposition, and evaluate sediment connectivity between eroding sandy bluffs and depositional zones. Planform analysis and sediment budgets derived from DEMs of Difference (DoD) reveal an oscillatory trajectory characterized by alternating phases of sediment export and temporary stabilization, rather than a simple trend of degradation or aggradation. The most dynamic interval (1980–2001) was marked by widespread meander migration and the largest net export (−142.5 m3/km/year), whereas the 2001–2007 interval showed net storage (+70.8 m3/km/year) and short-term geomorphic recovery. More recent floods (2017, 2019; 20–50-year return periods) induced localized but persistent sediment loss, underlining the structuring role of extreme events. Grain-size results indicate partial connectivity: coarse fractions tend to remain in local depositional features, while finer sediments are preferentially exported downstream. These findings emphasize the geomorphic value of temporary sediment sinks (bars, beaches) and highlight the need for adaptive river management strategies that integrate sediment budgets and local knowledge into floodplain governance.

Droughts are increasingly recognized as a significant global challenge, with severe impacts observed in Canada's Prairie provinces. While less frequent in Eastern Canada, prolonged precipitation deficits, particularly during summer, can lead to severe drought conditions. This study investigates the causes and consequences of droughts in New Brunswick (NB) by employing two drought indices: the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Standardized Evapotranspiration Deficit Index (SEDI)– at ten weather stations across NB from 1971 to 2020. Additionally, the Canadian Gridded Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies (CANGRD) dataset (1979–2014) was utilized to examine spatial and temporal drought variability and its alignment with station-based observations. Statistical analyses, including the Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator, were applied to assess trends in drought indices on annual and seasonal timescales using both station and gridded data. The results identified the most drought-vulnerable regions in NB and revealed significant spatial and temporal variability in drought severity over the 1971–2020 period. Trend analyses further highlighted the intensification of extreme drought events during specific years. Coastal areas in southern NB were found to be particularly susceptible to severe drought conditions compared to inland regions, consistent with observed declines in both the frequency of rainy days and daily precipitation amounts in these areas. These findings underscore the need for targeted drought mitigation strategies particularly in NB’s coastal zones, to address the region’s increasing vulnerability to extreme drought events.

Vegetation colonization is known as an effective process for stabilizing talus slopes, but little quantitative data is available about the relationships between vegetation, sediment fluxes, and sediment storage. The results of a detailed analysis of a single active fine-grained scree slope show that the upper section, scattered with shrubby vegetation, represents an environment characterized by strong biogeomorphic feedbacks. Engineering species (Thuya occidentalis, Betula papyrifera, Cornus sericea, Salix caprea) are well adapted to high sediment mobility with different modes of reproduction and survival. White cedar has a high sediment trapping capacity (>22 m3 per individual) and generates a micro-relief of 80 cm on average. It is responsible for 99 % of the volume of sediment trapped by shrub vegetation, even though it represents 44 % of the total shrub population sampled. In contrast, the hardwoods species have a very low capacity for sediment trapping (<1 m3 per individual) and micro-relief generation (>20 cm). This is likely due to the morphology of the growth which, despite a strong capacity to produce stump rejections, remains limited in trapping sediment. The shrubby vegetation directly influences the trajectory of frost-coated clast flows, the dominant slope process. Nevertheless, the vegetation appears to be quite resilient and stable on a decadal scale, where even the occurrence of extreme debris flows had little impact. In the downslope section, the debris flows, frost-coated clast flows, and snow avalanches present original and circumstantial modalities of tree-line regression. If the upper slope remains of sufficient size to allow for the occurrence of high-magnitude geomorphic events, the tree line appears to be driven primarily by slope processes rather than climate. Although it may be surprising that recent warming lowers the tree line on the studied talus slope, this provides new insight into the complex and non-linear relationships between vegetation and talus slope processes.

Overcooled talus slopes are generally described as islands of sporadic permafrost below the lower alpine limit of permafrost. The negative thermal anomaly of the ground is mainly consecutive to the internal ventilation of the deposit, but it is also conditioned by multiple factors as topography, slope aspect and incline, openwork structure and coarseness of the deposit, air temperature, solar radiation and wind regime. Therefore, the study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of ventilation processes allows a better understanding of the phenomenon. At Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire (USA), several field visits and environmental monitoring allowed us to describe the varying nature and significance of the ventilation mechanisms that can be observed at the ground surface and associated with both the intensity and direction of the airflows in a talus debris accumulation/protalus rampart system. The thermal negative anomalies are strong enough to lower the ground temperature to the point of preserving ice during the late spring and summer seasons. The monitoring of the gradient between external (air) and internal (talus) temperatures coupled with several dendroecological and geomorphological analyses provided a complete environmental picture of the impacts, feedback and extent of the phenomenon.

Due to limitations in traditional concrete gravity dam (CGD) design, a new approach is necessary. In this study, the lean analysis as a novel approach for CGD design, considering the interaction between dam and reservoir was considered. Maximum and minimum stresses at the heel and displacement of the crest were obtained as crucial input values of bubble sorting based on seismic analysis using Finite element analysis (FEA), and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP). The fuzzy bubble sorting analytic process, aimed at developing a novel method for selecting the best CGD configuration, was developed. Required Criteria, Sub-Criteria and developed models were applied to optimize the body of CGD. The weight of each sub-criterion and models were calculated based on pairwise comparison matrices. The novel approach was designed in MATLAB with the OPT-CGD code to select the best CGD model. The best weight of the Criteria, for selecting the best CGD model, based on the lean construction principles was selected from 60 developed models under implicit dynamic analysis. Statistical analysis reveals a 20% reduction in the concrete mass of the case study's optimal body compared to the traditionally designed dam.

Agriculture is the traditional and leading field of economy of Tetritskaro Municipality, but faces the challenge of changing climate. The study investigates male and female farmers’ perception of climate change issues in Tetritskaro, their main source of information, adaptation measures choosen and their needs. Climate change data available in Tetritskaro focused on characteristic extreme weather events coupled with face-to-face interviews from 254 farmers (male - 53%, female - 47%) was analyzed. The study revealed that men and women have more or less similar perceptions of climate change issues. For male farmers, the main source of information on climate, seasonal prediction and weather forecast is conversations with fellow farmers, and for female farmers it is indigenous knowledge of the local environment. Male and female farmers, have adapted to the changes in climate similarly applying measures such as pesticides, fertilizer and irrigation, early sowing, and earlier harvest, while the exchange of information between fellow farmers, use of various hail protection products and crop diversification techniques is more frequent among male farmers. Farmers expressed the need for low interest loans to purchase agricultural products, equipment and restore/create windbreak zones. Most of the male farmers indicate the need for introduction new technologies, while female farmers are more in need of information and training in agricultural activities. The study shows the need for development of climate change adaptation policies and interventions in Tetritskaro. Obtained results can be used not only in other agricultural regions of Georgia, but in other countries with the same problems.

A strong correlation between the effect of climate change and the increase in flooding frequency and magnitude has been reported in Canada. Consequently, there is a crucial need to examine the effects of future climate change scenarios on flooding conditions. The main objective of this research is to better understand the destructive effects of flood events under historical and future climate change conditions for a small watershed (Eel River watershed) in New Brunswick (NB), Eastern Canada. A practical model had been developed using the modified Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in MATLAB by the authors of this study. The architecture and data structure of ANN is characterized by a back propagation with the Levenberg–Marquardt method. The observed daily total precipitation, daily maximum and minimum air temperatures, daily discharge for the period 1967 to 1983, the simulated monthly maximum and minimum air temperatures, and monthly total precipitation for the period of 1996–2099 from the CanESM2, the second-generation Canadian Earth System Model (CGCM), were used as input of the model. The Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and 8.5), as suitable climate change scenarios, were selected based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations for flood studies. Daily values of temperatures, precipitations, and discharges were converted to monthly mean values for better prediction of the output results. In addition, two series of observed discharges were prepared using mean monthly (Qavg) and daily maximum discharges (Qd) as the Target of the model. For more accurate analysis, the time frames of 1996–2012 (for the historical) and 2022–2038, 2039–2055, 2056–2072, 2073–2089, and 2083–2099 (for the future) were considered with a duration of 16years for each time frame. The output results of ANN were predicted daily maximum (Qd) and mean (Qavg) discharges under the impact of climate change scenarios. As a part of the developed model, Flood Frequency Analysis (FFA) was undertaken using the generalized extreme value (GEV) and the three-parameter lognormal (LN3) distributions based on the predicted and observed discharges. The performance of FFA and ANN were demonstrated using the Anderson–Darling (AD), the Chi-square (CS) tests and coefficient of correlation (R) and mean squared error (MSE), respectively. In conclusion, the three most critical time frames with the highest values of predicted discharges were 2022–2038, 2056–2072, and 2073–2089 for RCP4.5 and 2039–2055, 2073–2089, and 2083–2099 for RCP8.5. Also, based on the FFA, the magnitudes of flood recurrence for the future time period of 100 years will dramatically increase according to the most critical time frames of 2056–2072 and 2039–2055 for RCP 4.5 and 8.5, respectively. Findings indicated that the Eel River watershed will encounter severe floods, and about a 50

The highly fissile lithology of the rockwalls and the diversity of mass‐wasting processes provide a specific character to the active talus slopes of the northern Gaspé Peninsula since deglaciation. At a regional scale, the geology of the rockwalls, the patterns and modalities of deglaciation and the evolution towards a cold temperate morphoclimatic regime in a maritime context still influence the geomorphological dynamics of scree slopes today. At a local scale, the south–north orientation of the main coastal valleys influences insolation and exposure to prevailing winds, which in turn influence the snow cover regime and the occurrence of freeze–thaw cycles. The statistical analyses carried out from the mapping of 43 talus slopes and their geometric variables allowed the identification of significant environmental factors for the characterization of the dominant geomorphic processes: snow avalanches, frost‐coasted clast flows, debris flows and rockfalls. Slope aspect appears to be a key parameter in the nature of the processes acting on the talus slopes. East‐ and north‐facing talus slopes are generally covered by a significant snowpack in winter and the dominant processes are snow avalanches and debris flows. West‐ and south‐facing talus slopes face prevailing winds and insolation and are subject to frost‐coated clast flows, the main driver for forest regression, and rockfalls. However, the evolution of scree slopes in forested environments remains extremely complex due to the multiscale components that affect their evolution in the short, medium and long term.

Coordination and cooperation between public and private actors and the population, as well as the articulation of different geographical scales in the elaboration of territorial strategies, have become essential elements in the prevention of natural risks. From this perspective, it is appropriate to look at the territorial governance of the Quebec system, in particular whether risk management still depends on a traditional system in which citizens have very little decision-making power. In this regard, the level of citizen accountability was studied in the municipality of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to understand the role of stakeholders in the management of the flood that occurred in the spring of 2011. Questionnaires were distributed to the population in two flood-prone neighborhoods to observe the prevention and preparedness practices of riverside residents regarding spring flooding, and semi-directed interviews were conducted with several key stakeholders in risk management. The results showed that an update of knowledge was essential because of climate change and that there is a considerable gap in the establishment of the functions and skills of all the stakeholders. Moreover, this lack of a clear definition of the role of individuals leads to a disempowerment and negation of risks, particularly at the municipal level. Finally, while our analysis shows a significant gap in territorial governance in risk management in Quebec, it must be noted that some partnerships and the new policies put in place since nevertheless contribute to increasing the resilience of Quebec society.

In eastern Canada, the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet over the last ~12,000 years, corresponding to the Holocene – the present interglacial period - has left immense quantities of surficial sediments over the entire territory. Today, these sediments still represent in a very variable way in time and space, an abundant source of fine and coarse sediments for fluvial and coastal systems and, to a lesser extent, for mass movements. Although the geomorphological dynamics of landscapes have been studied for a long time, biotic factors and particularly animals have not yet been deeply studied in terms of their interactions with the abiotic world. The present contribution sheds new light on the geomorphological impact of the trophic relationship between red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and bank swallow (Riparia riparia). Indeed, the predator-prey relationship between these two species and their behaviours accentuate the erosion of sandy cliffs where swallows nest, because by red fox makes foraging pits to reach the eggs and young swallows. Even if our data based on a four-year survey indicate low rates of cliff recession related to biotic effects compared to the impact of extreme hydrological events, it remains that they contribute to the sediment budget at short and long term. In that regard, we have documented over the last four years from an original point of view the common relationship predator-prey with a geomorphic perspective and propose to discuss this topic with significant field dataset.

Resilience has become a cornerstone for risk management and disaster reduction. However, it has evolved extensively both etymologically and conceptually in time and across scientific disciplines. The concept has been (re)shaped by the evolution of research and practice efforts. Considered the opposite of vulnerability for a long time, resilience was first defined as the ability to resist, bounce back, cope with, and recover quickly from the impacts of hazards. To avoid the possible return to conditions of vulnerability and exposure to hazards, the notions of post-disaster development, transformation, and adaptation (build back better) and anticipation, innovation, and proactivity (bounce forward) were then integrated. Today, resilience is characterized by a multitude of components and several classifications. We present a selection of 25 components used to define resilience, and an interesting linkage emerges between these components and the dimensions of risk management (prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery), offering a perspective to strengthen resilience through the development of capacities. Despite its potential, resilience is subject to challenges regarding its operationalization, effectiveness, measurement, credibility, equity, and even its nature. Nevertheless, it offers applicability and opportunities for local communities as well as an interdisciplinary look at global challenges.

This paper explores the snow-avalanche regime based on tree-ring reconstructions and their triggering weather conditions with classification tree algorithms. The results show a significant increased frequency of avalanche events on Zavoaie NE slope for the second half of the 20th century by comparison to the Scaria SW slope. The classification tree models highlight the weather conditions leading to avalanche release with three scenarios in each path. The first scenario underlines the wind's effect as a key weather variable on both slope aspects. The second scenario corresponds to a spring regime, while rain and warm temperatures are the main triggers. The third general weather condition favouring snow avalanche activity are persistent low temperatures and important snowfall throughout the winter season. However, this triggering condition was mainly found on the NE avalanche path, probably related to the pattern of snow accumulation, the prevailing winds, but above all the lower solar radiation which favours a slower and later melting of the snow cover. Finally, tYhe return periods and runout distances calculated from tree ring analysis show a high risk for the location of the infrastructure planned for the ski area expansion, showing once again the usefulness of dendrogeomorphology in natural hazard assessment where historical data are lacking.

Scree slopes offer an environment conducive to the occurrence of several gravity-driven geomorphic processes, the frequency and magnitude of which are highly variable in time and space. These processes locally prevent vegetation colonization, despite the climatic warming that favors a general progression and consolidation of forest fronts, and this from an altitudinal as well as a latitudinal point of view. The position of the forest front is therefore due, in addition to the climate, to the geomorphological dynamics of mass transfer processes on these steep slopes. Rarely observed in a cold temperate climate, at low altitude and enclosed in the forest environment, this makes the Northern Gaspé region (Province of Quebec, Eastern Canada) unique and complex for studying the interactions between geomorphic processes, talus slope geometry and morphology and forest dynamics during the Holocene. The mapping inventory of 43 active talus slopes in the coastal valleys of the Northern Gaspé, and their geometric characteristics, allowed the identification of statistically significant variables that explain scree slope morphology in relation to two groups of dominant geomorphic processes, namely: 1) snow avalanches and debris flows, and 2) frost-coated clast flows and rockfalls. The first group is found on East and North facing slopes while the second is found on West and South facing slopes. The variables indicative of high geomorphic activity (active area, altitudinal treeline, Ho/Hi ratio) all suggest increased geomorphic activity on West and South facing slopes. Conversely, the East and North facing slopes are largely stabilized, but occasionally disturbed by debris-flow channels and snow-avalanche corridors. The location and intensity of these disturbances depend essentially on the morphology of the rockwall and the talus slope, in addition to climatic parameters. The evolution of the West and South facing slopes is more complex as geomorphic processes have continued to disrupt the vegetation colonization, started 7250 years BP, on the slopes where the rockwalls are still active. However, the reasons for the presence or absence of frost-coated clast flows having a notable impact on the sediment budget and the altitudinal treeline remain unclear.

This paper explores the risk approach, considering both the physical and human dimensions of the phenomenon in order to produce a more realistic and spatial analysis of risk. Exposure and vulnerability were combined and evaluated multidimensionally, considering individual, socio-economic, and structural (building-related) aspects. These risk factors were then integrated in a multi-criteria analysis in order to produce a comprehensive risk index that could be visualized at the building scale. The relative importance of the indicators was determined through a partici-patory process involving local and national experts on civil security and flooding. Particular attention was paid to individual vulnerability, including perception and preparedness for flood risk, which were explored directly with local people using a questionnaire. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the responses allowed for a better understanding of the perception and preparedness of populations exposed to flooding. These data should help to improve risk communication between the authorities concerned and the populations at risk, as well as encouraging implementation of appropriate measures and a bottom-up participatory manage-ment approach. The integration of data in a geographic information system enables the visuali-zation and spatialization of risk, but also each of its components.