NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: 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. 5803. 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. 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 our Indigenous partners in Jean Marie River First Nation 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-focused engagement, and on-the-land activities. 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 be paid to support the interview process. Interviews, focus groups, and portions of workshops will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically to produce research outputs. Participants in interviews, focus groups or workshops will generally receive some form of compensation (see below for exceptions). Participants will receive $50 for each 1/2 hour of interview time (up to a maximum of $200). Honorariums for focus groups (1-1.5 hours) will be in the range of $50-100, to be determined by Jean Marie River First Nation policies. Similarly, honorariums for attending workshops will be determined by Jean Marie River First Nation policies according to the length and nature of each commitment and other forms of compensation (e.g. on-the-land funding, provision of a meal). As per the existing policy in the community, Band staff or leadership must waive their rights to compensation if participating in the research during work hours as a part of their regular duties. 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 12 - February 16, 2024