NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: biology, habitat loss, traditional knowledge, wildlife management, bison, flooding

Objective(s): To track and understand causes of abrupt landscape scale flooding and ecosystem change in the Great Slave Lake Plain area, assess the cumulative effects of environmental stressors driving this change, and determine the implications for bison management and local land use activities, including opportunities for adaptation.

Project Description: The over-arching objectives of the project are to draw together multiple sources of information to (1) examine the change in lake area in this eco region, (2) quantify the type and amount of habitat loss or modification; (3) investigate whether recent changes are part of a longer-term cycle and evaluate the causes of this change; (4) document local and traditional knowledge of physical and biological habitat changes and gain an understanding of how these changes are impacting local land users and wildlife populations; and (5) work with project partners (researchers, land users, resource managers) to determine the implications of results from 1-4 and the nature of a long-term monitoring program and adaptation options that would best suit current and foreseeable priorities. The broader project will draw on both science and traditional knowledge in complementary fashion. Documenting changes to lakes and ecosystems in this region and determining the cause is necessary to anticipate future changes to this ecosystem and to adapt wildlife management and traditional use practices. Developing scientific and traditional knowledge studies in a concurrent fashion will also facilitate exchange of information between partners at the project development stage (defining purpose, developing research questions, methods) and throughout the iterative data collection, analysis and reporting phases. During preliminary work by the natural science-focused project partners, community members identified the utility of including a traditional knowledge component to increase community involvement and facilitate knowledge transfer among the partners. The project team met with the Fort Providence Resource Management Board (FPRMB) and hosted a public community meeting in March 2012 to collaboratively establish a plan for a traditional knowledge study. This component, led by Dr. Sonia Wesche, will focus on objectives 4 and 5. A shared and enhanced understanding of these issues will improve environmental management decision making, and facilitate adaptation to the changing landscape. Over the longer term, it will also contribute to the development of an anticipated community environmental monitoring project. The principal investigator will work with local contacts Chief, Manager, Fort Providence Resource Management Board and a local research assistant to identify and conduct semi-structured interviews with 10-12 knowledgeable elders and land users. Interviews will focus on documenting water level changes, relationships between these changes and key environmental stressors, and impacts on wildlife and land use practices. Existing and possible future adaptation options will be explored. Once interview data have been collected, transcribed and analyzed, summary results will be presented to the community for verification. This process will allow for community feedback and initiate the process of tying project results from the science components to broader community perceptions of change. This traditional knowledge study will document local knowledge about land use change and implications for both bison management and local land use. Community participants will identify environmental and land use concerns that require further attention, thus providing them with a voice to stimulate change. These community participants will be contributing to a local dialogue on environmental issues, and may feel empowered by the knowledge sharing process. Data will be shared with the community to improve policy and practice. Results can be used to contribute to more effective land use planning and bison management within and around the Deh Ga Gotie Koe traditional territory. It will also contribute to discussions about effective ways to conduct research that incorporates both science and traditional knowledge. Communication of research results will occur by coordinating researcher visits to the community with Resource Management Board meetings and by hosting a community workshop in March 2013, to engage residents and discuss water level changes and impacts on land use and wildlife. At this time, the research team will summarize community perceptions of change in conjunction with products from the science components and scope community opportunities for future monitoring/research. This may shape an additional proposal to extend the research. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from October 18, 2012 to October 28, 2012.