NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences

Objective(s): To enhance effective, equitable Indigenous co-governance of water resources.

Project Description: The goal is to enhance effective, equitable Indigenous co-governance of water resources through pursuing the following objectives: 1) to critically conceptualize the potential for reciprocal coordination of, and complementarity between, evolving common ("Western") and Indigenous water law and governance frameworks; 2) to develop innovative methods for co-researching Indigenous Water Governance, based on collaborative principles; 3) to support improved water governance by developing and implementing a community Environmental Monitoring and Information System (EMIS); 4) to create innovative legal, regulatory and policy tools and associated strategies for enhancing Indigenous community engagement in water governance; and, 5) to disseminate the findings in an innovative fashion, using a broad range of multi-media tools (video, digital media, photography, briefing notes, interactive website) in multiple languages (English, French, and Dene) accessible to diverse audiences. The primary research methods will be: Semi-structured Interviews/Focus Group, Survey Research methods, and participatory research (including auto ethnography and participant observation). The research team will also be piloting water monitoring tools and techniques. This will include using water monitoring tools to assess turbidity and ph testing. This project will be built with a commitment on conducting research with and for rather than “on” Indigenous communities. As such, part of the relationship and research building process entails collaborating on both research questions and research methodologies. This will lead to numerous social, cultural, educational and economic outcomes including, but not limited to: Scientific research training (including water monitoring, and "train the trainer" opportunities in community based water monitoring; language translation and training; extensive research and publications on Dene water law and governance; and, publications on land based learning and research. The research team take the principle of free, informed and ongoing consent seriously - applying it both to the research process itself and the communication of the collaborative findings. Questions regarding water governance overlap with provisions relating to the protection of cultural heritage. Appropriation of collective knowledge, treatment of such knowledge as a commodity to be traded, or making unauthorized adaptations for commercial purposes, may cause offence or harm to communities from which the knowledge originates. Understanding and communicating what qualifies, or does not qualify, as intellectual property for the purposes of research under this Policy is a joint responsibility of communities, researchers and institutions. The research team will be determining the provisions for determining intellectual property rights with the research advisory council prior to any research taking place. Specific agreements pertaining to intellectual property will be determined in collaboration and consultation with each research community. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.