| Principal Investigator: | Wheeler, Helen (10) |
| Licence Number: | 17509 |
| Organization: | Anglia Ruskin University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2024
2023
|
| Issued: | Apr 23, 2024 |
| Project Team: | Callum Pearce, Georgia Hole, Melanie Rohse, Nicola Walshe, Herb Nakimayak, Doug Clark |
Objective(s): a) To research with communities to develop an approach for mapping beaver occupancy using photo, video and drones; b) to research in to the impacts of beavers on people; and, c) to research in to the impacts of the BARIN project and community perspectives on its progress and achievements.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5909. This project will contribute to the BARIN (Beavers And Socio-ecological Resilience in Inuit Nunangat) research program which addresses changing beaver population and the impacts on lakes and streams, fish and communities and wellbeing. This permitting application is for a) research with communities to develop an approach for mapping beaver occupancy using photo, video and drones b) research in to the impacts of beavers on people c) research in to the impacts of the BARIN project and community perspectives on its progress and acheivements The research team intends to 1) Co-develop and ongoing approach for community-based mapping of beavers, and tools that can support this effort in the long-term 2) Document the impacts of beavers on people and communities To develop a community-based approach for mapping beavers, the research team has been consulting with Inuvialuit experts to co-develop methods. The team intends to use a combination of photo-collection of images of beaver feature (houses, dams) and other signs of beaver activity and drone-based imagery collected by community-members and collaborators to identify where beavers are present and support the development of methods for ongoing monitoring past the project end. To document the impacts of beavers on people and communities, digital stories, oral histories and participatory mapping will be used to document and share Inuvialuit knowledge of the effects of beaver population change. BARIN project activities participants may be asked to take part in (check as appropriate): Oral histories interviews Participants will be interviewed individually or in small groups about the impact of beaver population change on their livelihoods and wellbeing. Interviews will be recorded with audio and/or video. Each interview session will consist of one to two 45-minute blocks with a break. Participatory video recording Participants will use video equipment provided by the research project to film key sites of beaver impact. This video material will be edited together with recordings of relevant sections of interviews to produce a short film documenting the impact of beaver population change on Inuvialuit livelihood and wellbeing. Participatory mapping workshops: Participants will identify key sites impacted by beaver population change, using hand-drawn maps and computer-based mapping. These will be linked to interview material and videos to help produce an interactive impacts map for community members. These workshops may be video recorded. Workshop sessions will be 1 ½ hours long with a break. The research team intends to produce a regular newsletter to provide updates on all parts of the BARIN project. The team will regularly attend meetings of the FJMC, Inuvik, Tukoyaktuk and Aklavik HTCs and provide updates and get feedback. An Arctic Beaver Observation network (A-BON) meeting is also being organised in Fairbanks, Alaska in February 2024 and the hope is to provide further feedback on the project there. The team will continue to consult further on preferred means of communication with community organisations and update our plan as needed. The newletters are being shared once they are produced and can also be found on the website https://www.cinuk.org/projects/barin/ The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: June 08 - September 15, 2024
