NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: social sciences, permafrost thaw, environmental stewardship, climate change adaptation

Objective(s): To support a climate change adaptation planning process in Jean Marie River, NWT.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5437. The objective of the proposed research is to support a climate change adaptation planning process in Jean Marie River, NWT. Simultaneously, it addresses the related objectives of two funded research projects: the Dehcho Collaborative on Permafrost (ArcticNet) and Advancing Indigenous Environmental Stewardship (SSHRC). Together, pursuing these interlinked objectives will enhance the capacity of Jean Marie River First Nation (JMRFN) to protect Dene livelihoods and ways of life in the face of environmental change, while also co-generating knowledge about best practices and key hurdles for Indigenous governments seeking to assert their roles as environmental stewards and resource managers on their traditional territories. Focus groups and workshops were not included in the 2021 application because they were deemed unsafe at that time due to COVID-19 risks. Participant observation is also being added as an additional methodology, the aim of which is to enhance the ability of researchers to learn from wider community interactions, while reducing the burden on community members imposed by the other, more formal, modes of data collection. The project is informed by Indigenous research methodologies, using an intercultural approach to participatory action research (PAR). This requires relationship building, and respect for Indigenous worldviews and a willingness to engage JMRFN as a collaborator in knowledge production through horizontal dialogue across Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. The project has been designed and will be carried out through close engagement with the Indigenous partners in JMRFN and also with collaboration at the regional level, with Dehcho First Nations. The project will take place over three years, and will include interviews with community members, as well as community meetings and workshops, youth and elder-focussed engagement, and on-the-land activities. In the first year, interviews have already been conducted with 18 individuals in the community, including a cross-section of Elders, land users, community leadership, and youth. Some follow-up interviews (approximately 1 hour in duration) will be conducted later in the project (estimated 10-15 participants). Most of the work over the next phases of the project will involve workshops (estimated four workshops, 1/2 or full-day, approximately 15-20 participants) and focus groups (estimated 5-7 focus groups, 1.5-2 hours and 3-4 participants each). In addition, participant observation will also be practiced by some of the researchers, and will involve informal interactions between community members and researchers as part of other activities and impromptu conversations. Most research activities will be conducted in English, but in the case of some elders there may be a preference to be engaged in the Dene language; in such cases, a translator from the community will support the interview process. Interviews, focus groups, and portions of workshops will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically to produce research outputs. The proposal has been significantly shaped by our JMRFN partners. The research team have worked closely with JMRFN’s Natural Resource Management Coordinator. Engagement and planning have also included discussions with the JMRFN Chief and Senior Administrative Officer. Since Dehcho First Nations currently has a vacancy in the role of Resource Management Coordinator, the research team have been in communication with DFN’s Regional Health and Wellness Coordinator, , and also with the person leading DFN's own regional climate adaptation work. The research questions and informed consent materials have been reviewed and approved by JMRFN’s Senior Administrative Officer. The planned research engagement with the community will include delivery of outcomes from the interviews that were conducted in December. At each phase in the project the team will include reporting activities like this. The main outcome of the research will be a climate change adaptation plan for the community. This will be accompanied by plain-language materials about the process and outcomes, and the full package of outputs will be presented to the community in a public gathering and celebration. Participants will receive transcripts of their interviews to have for their own records and to review and comment if they wish. Efforts will also be made to reach them with plain-language summaries of any research outputs. In cases where lack of literacy may prevent them from reading transcripts and outputs, the research team will offer to go over materials with them, relying on the support of a community-based research assistant to facilitate such communication. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from February 13, 2023 to October 13, 2023.