NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: wildlife migration, Eiders, Habitat use

Objective(s): The objective of this work is to conduct a participatory mapping exercise with the community of Ulukhaktok to better understand the migration routes and timing of king eiders and Pacific common eiders in the ISR.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 6158. The objective of this work is to conduct a participatory mapping exercise with the community of Ulukhaktok to better understand the migration routes and timing of king eiders and Pacific common eiders in the ISR. Participatory mapping is a collaborative approach that engages local communities in the process of creating maps that reflect their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives of the environment. This approach is particularly effective for documenting Indigenous Knowledge on environmental changes, species distribution, and habitat use over time by combining local expertise with visual representation techniques, such as maps. We propose to conduct two 3-hour participatory mapping exercises to map Inuvialuit Knowledge on the timing and distribution of King Eiders and Pacific Common Eiders in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This research is being undertaken in direct partnership with, and at the request of, the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee in Ulukhaktok. We are proposing this technique to: 1) collaboratively investigate a concern that was important to the community of Ulukhaktok; 2) add credibility to our research through the integration of community input; and 3) foster trust between visiting researchers and the community of Ulukhaktok. The outcome of this project will be the identification of important eider habitats to the community of Ulukhaktok and a better understanding of the potential environmental changes affecting these species in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. There will be two 3-hour workshops with a maximum of 30 participants in total. All participants will be fairly compensated for their time, with a rate agreed upon by the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee. There will be a translator present at both 3-hour participatory mapping exercises to facilitate discussions. Each session will begin with a welcome, introduction and explanation of the project, including the purpose of the research and how it will contribute to monitoring and management, the value of Inuvialuit Knowledge in identifying important habitats for eiders, as well as how information will be collected, used, and shared with the community. After the introduction, we will determine the spatial extent of the ecological observations of the participants over four time periods that are comparable with available scientific data on King and Pacific Common Eiders in this region: 1) 1980s-1990s; 2) 2000s; 3) 2010s; 4) 2020 onward. Following methods in Tomaselli et al. (2022), for each time period (as applicable depending on the participants age), participants will be asked to draw on a topographic map of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region the areas or routes they regularly travelled through during that time period, generating a maximum of four maps per contributor for this portion of the workshop. This will give us information on the extent of observations for each contributor in that time period (i.e., the observation area). Hand-drawn maps will then be digitized in ArcGIS and combined for each time period to create maps representing: 1) the geographic range of observations for participants; and 2) the travel intensity of participants within this range, which will allow us to interpret the observations from this study. Following individual mapping, participants will be split into groups (exact number of people per group is dependant on the number of participants). There will be topographic maps placed around the room for three seasonal periods throughout the year: spring migration (April-June), breeding (June-August), fall migration (August-October). For each season, there will be a map for each of the four time periods listed above. To determine the relative distribution of eiders in a given time period, participants will be provided with counters (grains of rice) to represent eiders in a proportional piling exercise. Participants will be free to determine how many counters to use for each exercise but will have to place them on the map in a proportional way, where more counters correspond to more observations of eiders in that area. Additional details, if provided by participants, such as population changes, habitat loss, predator threats, ice conditions, and climate-related shifts will also be recorded through notes and discussions. Following the mapping activity, participants will engage in a facilitated discussion to further explain the significance of their markings and observations, including observed changes over time, areas of high importance, environmental factors affecting eiders, or other comments or concerns participants may have. After the workshop, the completed maps will be photographed and taken to Environment and Climate Change Canada and digitized. Counters will be counted manually and included as data points on each map for each season and time period. Using these data points, eider distribution maps will be produced in ArcGIS using the kernel density estimation method. These maps will then be shared back to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and community of Ulukhaktok to verify that these maps represent what the participants shared. There will be an opportunity to for paticipants to provide feedback (add details, correct misinterpretations) and validate findings at this stage. Any corrections, clarifications, or additional details will be incorporated into the final version to ensure results accurately reflect participants observations. Once the maps have been validated, Environment and Climate Change Canada will give a presentation to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and provide copies of these maps (digital and paper) and a written report to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and the community of Ulukhaktok. References: Tomaselli, M., Henri, D.A., Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Organization, Mayukalik Hunters and Trappers Organization, Akavak, N., Kanayuk, D., Kanayuk, R., Pitsiulak, P., Wong, P., Richardson, E.S., and Dyck, M. 2022. Nunavut Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit on the health of the Davis Strait polar bear population. Final project report. 117 pp. and appendices. Maps will then be shared back to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and community of Ulukhaktok to verify that these maps represent what the participants shared. There will be an opportunity to add details, correct misinterpretations, and validate findings at this stage. Any corrections, clarifications, or additional details will be incorporated into the final version. Once the maps have been validated, Environment and Climate Change Canada will give a presentation to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and provide copies of these maps (hard copy and paper to be shared digitally or in the community) and a written report to the Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee and the community of Ulukhaktok. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: May 01 - December 31, 2025