NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area, Qikiqtaaluk Region

Tags: social sciences, climate change, caribou, geography, wildlife population

Objective(s): To determine the best way forward for maintaining a healthy, self-sustaining Todzi population. A community level plan will be developed in each of the Sahtú communities with a community conservation planning approach and will be based in Dene Ts’ili.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5053. The Todzi Ne´ne´ Plan will be created through a collaborative planning process, and will focus on developing a way forward for maintaining a healthy, self-sustaining Todzi population. A community level plan will be developed in each of the Sahtú communities with a community conservation planning approach and will be based in Dene Ts’ili. The Todzi Ne´ne´ Plan will: •Determine the best way to support a healthy, self-sustaining todzi population •Identify important areas for todzi habitat •Determine management actions for creating the necessary conditions for todzi to thrive in the Sahtu region •Provide input on what monitoring needs to be done, and identification of any knowledge gaps that need to be addressed •Consider climate change and impacts from disturbances such as forest fires The Plan will be co-created by the communities of the Sahtú region, SRRB, and GNWT to ensure the Plan: 1. Contains the most accurate information regarding the important boreal caribou habitat areas through interviewing Dene / Métis and knowledge holders as well as considering western science 2. Properly reflects the needs and wishes of the communities regarding the geography of todzi conservation and economic development for the next 10 years 3. Builds trust and relationships among communities, Indigenous councils, governments and organizations, SRRB, and the GNWT 4. Increases capacity within communities by preserving Indigenous history, culture and knowledge through the documentation of Dene / Métis knowledge, so that communities can make their own land-use and conservation decisions 5. Accounts for current and proposed development projects and natural resource development potential The approach is community-led, and draws on Indigenous methodologies including story based knowledge sharing and mapping with Dene language concepts and placenames playing an important role. Communities will play key roles in detailed project design, implementation, compilation, and interpretation of results, and preparation of conclusions and recommendations. The development of the Todzi Atlas is part of the range planning process. Its purpose is to house all information that is relevant to range planning in one spot so that it is more easily accessible to the Sahtú communities. The hope is that this Atlas will support wise decision making and provide an opportunity for Sahtú specific information to be brought back to the Sahtú. This work will be supported by Carleton University’s Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre. Step 1: Establishment of Technical Team + Drafting of Project Design The technical team may consist of 2 to 4 people and will determine the specifics of the process, timeline, and how to support participation. Step 2: Convening of Working Group and Review of Project Design The Working Group will include local government and land corporations, renewable resource councils, and Elders. Dene terms for todzi habitat, behaviour, and seasons will be discussed, both in the Working Group meeting and also in the open house. The Working Group will also be encouraged to discuss the ethics surrounding habitat classification and whether the community feels that this would be a useful exercise for them. Step 3: State of Knowledge Workshops In each community, there will be a Knowledge Workshop that will be three days long and will provide opportunity for communities to hear an overview of any IK studies that have already been completed with communities to ensure that everyone is aware of what work has already been done. Step 4: Planning Session – Addressing Gaps Based on the gaps identified in each community in Step 3, a 2 or 3 day planning sessions will be organized for the Working Groups in each community. It is likely that the following topics will be identified: management actions for supporting todzi, monitoring, and climate change Step 5: Habitat Classification Workshops – Each community will determine if and how they want to do this The goal of the workshops is to approach the documentation of traditional knowledge on boreal caribou from a more Dene lens. Ultimately, everyone involved in the range planning process will be able to understand the specific habitats being referenced, and the plan will be more culturally appropriate for Indigenous community members. Workshops will involve providing maps, photos and aerial imagery of EOSD-classified (or a similar classification system) habitats that are used by boreal caribou to Indigenous community members, and asking them to provide their own terminology, or descriptions, for those habitats and landscapes. Maps of the traditional area around the community will be provided, and community members will be asked to help identify where those habitats exist on the landscape around their community, based on their knowledge of the land and their hunting/gathering areas. The maps will then be digitized by a contractor. Step 6: Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Interviews and Focus Groups The people of the Sahtú region have years of experience in documenting their own IK, and the amount of IK documented will depend on what is already available, and what knowledge holders wish to share. Following the interview, the interviewer will return to each IK Holder individually and they will review their information together. If required, the map(s) and interview transcript can be left with them to review at their leisure. When they are done, any corrections are made, and the consent form is signed. This is the first verification step. The IK holder will also be asked for their consent to verify their information in a group setting (Step 6). Step 7: Community workshops to discuss and verify the results of the IK interviews and Planning Sessions One day will focus on verifying the IK knowledge, and one day will focus on the planning sessions. This step will allow each IK Holder to see their information compiled with the information of others. This will verify that the IK accurately reflects their collective knowledge. Shenghao Shi will be in regular communication with the Sahtu Renewable Resource Board and Environment and Natural Resources on the addition of the documented knowledge into the Todzi Atlas online mapping tool. The Atlas was created as a means to build capacity within the communities and provide them with the information they need to make future management decisions for their lands and people. The atlas will assist communities with making good decisions, relating to todzi and beyond. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from October 25, 2022 to December 31, 2022.