Base de données de recherche des TNO

Régions: Dehcho Region

étiquettes: geology, climate change, permafrost degradation, traditional knowledge, aerial survey

Objectif(s): To gather Traditional, local, and scientific knowledge and information concerning environmental and cultural changes related to climate change and permafrost degradation; to conduct a focus group mapping session, a geological survey, and an air photo survey of JMR and the surrounding area to locate vulnerable areas of land to climate change impacts, mainly potentially ice-rich permafrost terrains; and to compile knowledge gathered from community meetings, focus group mapping session, scientific surveys and analysis, and previous engineering studies; to provide a vulnerability assessment for JMR and its vicinity in relation to permafrost degradation.

Description du projet: The objectives of this project are to: 1. Gather Traditional, local, and scientific knowledge and information concerning environmental and cultural changes related to climate change and permafrost degradation. 2. Conduct a focus group mapping session, a geological survey, and an air photo survey of Jean Marie River (JMR) and the surrounding area to locate vulnerable areas of land to climate change impacts, mainly potentially ice-rich permafrost terrains. 3. Compile knowledge gathered from community meetings, focus group mapping session, scientific surveys and analysis, and previous engineering studies; to provide a vulnerability assessment for JMR and its vicinity in relation to permafrost degradation. This project will be carried out using a step by step approach. The majority of the work for this project will be conducted in the community of JMR. Some activities, such as library research, will be conducted outside of the community by the consultants. The methods that will be used to accomplish this project are as follows: •Establishment of a working group comprising of community members and consultants; •Literature review and gap analysis; •Focus group mapping session (upon ethics approval); •Geological survey, including site verification exercise conducted by the youth research assistants and community members; •Air Photo Survey, including a training component for youth involving the assembly and operation of a test drone; •Analysis and synthesis of information collected from literature review, interviews, focus group, and scientific surveys; •Community workshops/meetings to disseminate project progress and results; and, •Write up of a Final Report summarizing project findings. New information will be collected by conducting a focus group mapping session with residents of JMR, by conducting fieldwork to collect data from areas where permafrost is located, analyzing this data that includes producing a geological vulnerability hazard map to display the results of the analysis. Upon ethics approval, the focus group will begin and be primarily based on observations by community members of permafrost areas within or in close proximity to our community. Specifics will be determined by the initial gap analysis and guidance provided by the working group. Interviewees will include Elders, land users, teachers, and other members of the community who have observed and experienced impacts associated with permafrost thawing. The information collected through the literature, from the community, and from the field will be analyzed and the information written up into a report that will include the results of the analyses from the focus group mapping session, the geological survey and related fieldwork, and the air photo survey; which will be synthesized to create geological vulnerability hazard maps and recommendations for future community planning. Once all the data has been analyzed and synthesized, the project team will then disseminate information about the project to members of JMR in the form of a community information meeting and workshop. The project will be driven by a working group made up of local residents, and a project leader/local coordinator, a field assistant, a heavy equipment operator, and local focus group participants; all from the JMRFN, and all are residents of JMR. The working group will be responsible for the overall coordination and direction of the project, initiating community involvement, providing translation services, researching information from in-house and online documentary sources pertaining to climate change and providing feedback on the project results. All available research materials will be kept in the community to help build an accessible resource library. This project is community based and driven by the Jean Marie River First Nation. This project will benefit our community in many ways, including the health of our community and traditional territory by identifying permafrost areas that are, or will be, highly sensitive to a warming climate. The thawing of permafrost can lead to dramatic changes in the landscape, and consequently, changes to the plants and animals that inhabit these areas. This is important to our community with respect to future community planning related to housing and infrastructure, and for the safety of our members when they are out travelling on the land. As this project is a baseline vulnerability assessment of permafrost, it will provide information and raise awareness about permafrost and climate change, and how these topics are related. Furthermore, youth will be involved in this project and they will attend training workshop on how to use a GPS, and a workshop designed specifically for youth to operate an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The project working group will disseminate information about the project to members of JMR in the form of a community information meetings and workshops before and after the fieldwork is completed. Moreover, as this project is community driven, community members can contact the project working group regularly throughout the course of the project for updates, and to address any questions and/or concerns. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 20, 2012 to September 7, 2012.