Brenda Parlee | University of Alberta (original) (raw)
Papers by Brenda Parlee
Sustainability
Climate change is among the greatest challenges facing Indigenous peoples. The impacts of climate... more Climate change is among the greatest challenges facing Indigenous peoples. The impacts of climate change cannot be understood as only ecological or through models and projections. In this study, narratives from Indigenous peoples provide lived experience and insight of how social and ecological impacts are interconnected. Through collaborative research with the Sahtú Renewable Resources Board in the Northwest Territories Canada in the period 2018–2019, this paper shares the stories of the Délįne Got’ine peoples of Great Bear Lake (GBL), and how warming temperatures in the region impact fishing livelihoods. Specifically, we address the question, “What are the impacts of climate change on the fishing livelihoods of the Délįne Got’ine people?” Narratives from 21 semi-structured interviews reveal insights on six dimensions of fishing livelihoods. Analysis suggests the specific indicators of ecological change of concern to fishers and how those impact livelihoods over the short and lon...
River Basin Board, the Government of the Northwest Territories in collaboration with many other v... more River Basin Board, the Government of the Northwest Territories in collaboration with many other valued Aboriginal organization partners and universities. The broad goal of the project is to create opportunities to collaboratively document and share local and traditional knowledge (LTK) about socialecological change in the Mackenzie River Basin, Lower Mekong and Lower Amazon Basins and determine its' role in watershed governance. In 2016-17, the project aims to address the following themes and priorities: 1
Using the table or format below identify contributing partners that have joined the project since... more Using the table or format below identify contributing partners that have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Contact Full Name Organization (province or country) Role or Activity (e.g. support, research, training, knowledge mobilization) Total Contribution (cash or in kind value in $CDN) 2.2 Using the table or format below identify participants (co-applicants and collaborators) who have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Full Name and Organization Role (co-applicant or collaborator) Description of activities or contributions Dr. Kanokwan Manoram Co-applicant Tracking Change in the Mekong Basin Dr. Ellen Bielawski, University of Alberta Co-applicant Community-based research initiatives 2.3 Using the table or format below identify any other participants or organizations (who are not participating as co-applicants or collaborators, or who have not opted to become formal partners) who have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Full Name Organization Role Description of activities or contributions
The review contributes to the project Tracking Change… which is a six year research program aimed... more The review contributes to the project Tracking Change… which is a six year research program aimed at building capacity for communities in the Mackenzie River Basin to document and share local and traditional knowledge about aquatic ecosystem change.
This document is produced for the Tracking Change… project, which is a collaborative research ini... more This document is produced for the Tracking Change… project, which is a collaborative research initiative led by the University of Alberta involving many Aboriginal organizations, governments and co-management boards, universities, as well as the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie River Basin Board. Funding for the project has been provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the University of Alberta, the Government of the Northwest Territories, Mackenzie River Basin Board and in-kind contributions from numerous other sources. The Lower Mackenzie sits within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The watershed is recognized internationally as an important area of ecological biodiversity. It is one of the largest deltas in North America and has been a focus of exploration and development for several decades. The Mackenzie Delta is home to Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples who value the region and its resources according to a rich and diverse number of socioeconomic , cultural and ecological values. The fishing livelihoods of communities in the Mackenzie Delta are well-documented. As a result of the work of the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI) and Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board (GRRB), much local and traditional knowledge about the aquatic ecosystems of the delta has been documented from research with Gwich'in elders. In addition, an important study led by Milton Freeman in the 1990s provides detailed observations about key aspects of fish harvesting and fish ecology in the delta from an Inuvialuit perspective. The data from these studies require updating, as they are more than 20 years old in some cases. Observations related to water quality, flow, water levels, and ice conditions and their implications for fish habitat, fish ecology and fishing livelihoods are relatively limited and may be an urgent issue of local and traditional knowledge given the pace and scale of climate change impacts in northern regions. Governance and stewardship arrangements that respect traditional knowledge are welldeveloped as a result of the institutions created under the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in land claim agreements. Although scientific classification systems are in common use today (taxonomies), fish are classified by Gwich'in differently: by their location, size, and the colour and firmness of their flesh. Differences in these kinds of taxonomies may account for differences in the ways that scientists and traditional knowledge holders make decisions about management.
Breaking Ice
CHAPTER 7 A PLACE FOR TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Micheline Manseau (... more CHAPTER 7 A PLACE FOR TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Micheline Manseau (Parks Canada & University of Manitoba) Brenda Parlee (University of Manitoba) G. Burton Ayles (Canada/Inuvialuit Fisheries Joint Management Committee) ...
ARCTIC, 2021
For thousands of years Ɂedacho Kué (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water c... more For thousands of years Ɂedacho Kué (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water crossing site for barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Human disturbance of barren-ground caribou habitat in northern Canada has emerged as an important focus of study in the last decade; particularly in the Bathurst range of the Northwest Territories where caribou populations have declined by more than 95% since the 1980s. Guided by local Indigenous leaders and Elders, a collaborative research project was developed with the Dënesǫ́łıné people of Łutsël K’e Dëne First Nation (2012 – 14). This paper describes linkages between knowledge derived from Dënesǫ́łıné oral history and quantitative dendroecological analysis of trample scars on black spruce (Picea mariana) root samples collected at Ɂedacho Kué to provide a better understanding of caribou use at this location. Findings from oral histories and dendroecology analysis were consistent with one another and with previou...
Sustainability, 2020
There is growing concern about the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems in northern Canada tha... more There is growing concern about the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems in northern Canada that are under significant stress from climate change, resource development, and hydroelectric development, among others. Community-based monitoring (CBM) based on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has the potential to contribute to understanding impacts on the environment and community livelihoods. This paper shares insights about culturally driven monitoring, through collaborative research with Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) in the Northwest Territories. This research was initiated in 2018 to improve understanding of the changes occurring in the Hay River and Buffalo River sub-basins, which extend primarily across the Alberta and Northwest Territories borders. Drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews conducted with KFN elders, fish harvesters, and youth, this paper illustrates the kinds of social–ecological indicators used by KFN to track changes in the health of aquatic systems as ...
Sustainability, 2020
This paper examines the extent to which Indigenous knowledge and values have informed conservatio... more This paper examines the extent to which Indigenous knowledge and values have informed conservation of the Lower Fraser River population of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in Canada. A review of grey literature and semi-structured interviews carried out with indigenous Stó:lō fishers and fisheries managers in the Lower Fraser Basin in 2016–2018 evidences the depth of knowledge held by Stó:lō fishers about this species and its importance to local communities. A summary of Stó:lō oral histories about the sturgeon and observations and experiences of settlement and development in the Fraser region, provides context for understanding why and how the white sturgeon came to be listed as a species at risk. However, the impacts were not only ecological; Stó:lō people were also significantly impacted by European settlement and development of the Fraser Basin over the last one hundred years. The assessment of the white sturgeon, under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in 2012 was a miss...
Sustainability, 2020
While there are many studies about the environmental impacts of climate change in the Canadian no... more While there are many studies about the environmental impacts of climate change in the Canadian north, the role of Indigenous youth in climate governance has been a lesser focus of inquiry. A popularized assumption in some literature is that youth have little to contribute to discussions on climate change and other aspects of land and resource management; such downplay of youth expertise and engagement may be contributing to climate anxiety (e.g., feelings of hopelessness), particularly in remote communities. Creating opportunities for youth to have a voice in global forums such as the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP24) on Climate Change may offset such anxiety. Building on previous research related to climate action, and the well-being of Indigenous youth, this paper shares the outcomes of research with Indigenous youth (along with family and teachers) from the Mackenzie River Basin who attended COP24 to determine the value of their experience. Key questions guiding these ...
Sustainability, 2020
Collaborative and community-based research (CCBR) is well defined and discussed in the literature... more Collaborative and community-based research (CCBR) is well defined and discussed in the literature; however, there are few discussions about graduate students doing CCBR with Indigenous communities. This project report features insights from nine graduate students attending six universities in Canada, the United States, and Brazil. These students are a part of a multi-year research partnership grant involving fishing communities from three major watersheds, the Mackenzie River Basin, the Amazon River Basin, and the lower Mekong River Basin. Each student engaged in collaborative research around the themes of Indigenous fishing livelihoods and the role of local and traditional knowledge in river basin governance. This project report presents reflections of graduate students on developing relationships and enacting CCBR during the following three stages of research with Indigenous communities: research project design, research project implementation, and post-project engagement. Best pr...
ARCTIC, 2018
The four decades since the Berger Inquiry have produced a large body of research demonstrating t... more The four decades since the Berger Inquiry have produced a large body of research demonstrating the positive and negative impacts of resource development on northern communities. However, little independent research has aimed to yield an understanding of how best to manage the impacts of resource development and to harness its benefits in ways that can promote long-term sustainable development. This question was the impetus for the Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ReSDA) research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in 2011. Representing a network of researchers, community members and organizations, ReSDA researchers conducted a series of analyses that focused on what was needed to ensure that northern communities received more benefits from resource development and potential negative impacts were mitigated. Overall, the analyses highlight the serious gaps that remain in our ability to ensure that resource development pr...
Science advances, 2018
Sustaining arctic/subarctic ecosystems and the livelihoods of northern Indigenous peoples is an i... more Sustaining arctic/subarctic ecosystems and the livelihoods of northern Indigenous peoples is an immense challenge amid increasing resource development. The paper describes a "tragedy of open access" occurring in Canada's north as governments open up new areas of sensitive barren-ground caribou habitat to mineral resource development. Once numbering in the millions, barren-ground caribou populations () have declined over 70% in northern Canada over the last two decades in a cycle well understood by northern Indigenous peoples and scientists. However, as some herds reach critically low population levels, the impacts of human disturbance have become a major focus of debate in the north and elsewhere. A growing body of science and traditional knowledge research points to the adverse impacts of resource development; however, management efforts have been almost exclusively focused on controlling the subsistence harvest of northern Indigenous peoples. These efforts to control...
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2016
Monitoring activities provide a core contribution to wildlife conservation in the Arctic. Effecti... more Monitoring activities provide a core contribution to wildlife conservation in the Arctic. Effective monitoring which allows changes in population status to be detected early provides opportunities to mitigate pressures driving declines. Monitoring triage involves decisions about how and where to prioritize activities in species and ecosystem based monitoring. In particular, monitoring triage examines whether to divert resources away from species where there is high likelihood of extinction in the near-future in favor of species where monitoring activities may produce greater conservation benefits. As a place facing both rapid change with a high likelihood of population extinctions, and serious logistic and financial challenges for field data acquisition, the Arctic provides a good context in which to examine attitudes toward triage in monitoring. For effective decision-making to emerge from monitoring, multiple stakeholders must be involved in defining aims and priorities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in arctic wildlife monitoring (either contributing to observation and recording of wildlife, using information from wildlife observation and recording, or using wildlife as a resource) to elicit their perspectives on triage in wildlife monitoring in the Arctic. The majority (56%) of our 23 participants were predominantly in opposition to triage, 26% were in support of triage and 17% were undecided. Representatives of Indigenous organizations were more likely to be opposed to triage than scientists, and those involved in decision-making showed greatest support for triage amongst the scientist participants. Responses to the concept of triage included that: (1) The species-focussed approach associated with triage did not match their more systems-based view (5 participants), (2) Important information is generated through monitoring threatened species, which advances understanding of the drivers of change, responses and ecosystem consequences (5 participants), (3) There is an obligation to try to monitor and conserve threatened species (4 participants), and (4) Monitoring needs to address local people's needs, which may be overlooked under triage (3 participants). Wheeler et al. Arctic Wildlife Monitoring and Triage The complexity of decision-making to create monitoring programmes that maximize benefits to biodiversity and people makes prioritization with simple models difficult. Using scenarios to identify desirable trajectories of Arctic stewardship may be an effective means of identifying monitoring needs.
Journal of Canadian Studies, 2007
The health and wellness of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples is often measured in narrow biomedical ter... more The health and wellness of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples is often measured in narrow biomedical terms with little consideration given to how health is conceptualized in Aboriginal communities. This study attempts to address this gap by providing a perspective on health and wellness developed in collaboration with the Dene community of Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories. The research was carried out in the wake of the environmental assessment of Canada’s first diamond mine, located in the traditional territory of Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation. The study focussed on the questions “What is health?” and “What kinds of indicators would be useful for measuring the effects of diamond mining on the health of community?” Health was defined in the local language as “the Dene way of life.” Three core themes, 13 sub-themes and over 50 indicators of health were also identified through semi-structured interviews with individual community members. These indicators refer to many aspects of day-to-day l...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A, 2016
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in both fa... more Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in both farmed and wild deer, elk, and moose in the United States and Canada. Surveillance efforts in North America identified the geographical distribution of the disease and mechanisms underlying distribution, although the possibility of transmission to other cervids, including caribou, and noncervids, including humans, is not well understood. Because of the documented importance of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to human populations in the northern regions of Canada, a risk-management strategy for CWD requires an understanding of the extent of potential dietary exposure to CWD. Secondary 24-h dietary recalls conducted among Inuvialuit and Inuit in 4 communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were employed in this study. Econometric demand systems were estimated to model the impacts of individual- and community-level socioeconomic characteristics on expenditures on caribou and other foods...
World Development, 2015
Concerns about a resource curse in Canada have been raised in response to rapid growth in the pet... more Concerns about a resource curse in Canada have been raised in response to rapid growth in the petroleum sector in northern Alberta. In previous research, there has been little consideration of how symptoms of the resource curse are experienced and managed at a regional scale and by Indigenous communities. An analysis of effects and responses is offered using a natural, financial, human and social capitals framework. Without consideration of how to manage the symptoms of the resource curse, oil and gas activity is likely to further disadvantage Indigenous populations already living on the margins of Canadian society.
Sustainability
Climate change is among the greatest challenges facing Indigenous peoples. The impacts of climate... more Climate change is among the greatest challenges facing Indigenous peoples. The impacts of climate change cannot be understood as only ecological or through models and projections. In this study, narratives from Indigenous peoples provide lived experience and insight of how social and ecological impacts are interconnected. Through collaborative research with the Sahtú Renewable Resources Board in the Northwest Territories Canada in the period 2018–2019, this paper shares the stories of the Délįne Got’ine peoples of Great Bear Lake (GBL), and how warming temperatures in the region impact fishing livelihoods. Specifically, we address the question, “What are the impacts of climate change on the fishing livelihoods of the Délįne Got’ine people?” Narratives from 21 semi-structured interviews reveal insights on six dimensions of fishing livelihoods. Analysis suggests the specific indicators of ecological change of concern to fishers and how those impact livelihoods over the short and lon...
River Basin Board, the Government of the Northwest Territories in collaboration with many other v... more River Basin Board, the Government of the Northwest Territories in collaboration with many other valued Aboriginal organization partners and universities. The broad goal of the project is to create opportunities to collaboratively document and share local and traditional knowledge (LTK) about socialecological change in the Mackenzie River Basin, Lower Mekong and Lower Amazon Basins and determine its' role in watershed governance. In 2016-17, the project aims to address the following themes and priorities: 1
Using the table or format below identify contributing partners that have joined the project since... more Using the table or format below identify contributing partners that have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Contact Full Name Organization (province or country) Role or Activity (e.g. support, research, training, knowledge mobilization) Total Contribution (cash or in kind value in $CDN) 2.2 Using the table or format below identify participants (co-applicants and collaborators) who have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Full Name and Organization Role (co-applicant or collaborator) Description of activities or contributions Dr. Kanokwan Manoram Co-applicant Tracking Change in the Mekong Basin Dr. Ellen Bielawski, University of Alberta Co-applicant Community-based research initiatives 2.3 Using the table or format below identify any other participants or organizations (who are not participating as co-applicants or collaborators, or who have not opted to become formal partners) who have joined the project since the time of the formal application. Full Name Organization Role Description of activities or contributions
The review contributes to the project Tracking Change… which is a six year research program aimed... more The review contributes to the project Tracking Change… which is a six year research program aimed at building capacity for communities in the Mackenzie River Basin to document and share local and traditional knowledge about aquatic ecosystem change.
This document is produced for the Tracking Change… project, which is a collaborative research ini... more This document is produced for the Tracking Change… project, which is a collaborative research initiative led by the University of Alberta involving many Aboriginal organizations, governments and co-management boards, universities, as well as the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie River Basin Board. Funding for the project has been provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the University of Alberta, the Government of the Northwest Territories, Mackenzie River Basin Board and in-kind contributions from numerous other sources. The Lower Mackenzie sits within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The watershed is recognized internationally as an important area of ecological biodiversity. It is one of the largest deltas in North America and has been a focus of exploration and development for several decades. The Mackenzie Delta is home to Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples who value the region and its resources according to a rich and diverse number of socioeconomic , cultural and ecological values. The fishing livelihoods of communities in the Mackenzie Delta are well-documented. As a result of the work of the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute (GSCI) and Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board (GRRB), much local and traditional knowledge about the aquatic ecosystems of the delta has been documented from research with Gwich'in elders. In addition, an important study led by Milton Freeman in the 1990s provides detailed observations about key aspects of fish harvesting and fish ecology in the delta from an Inuvialuit perspective. The data from these studies require updating, as they are more than 20 years old in some cases. Observations related to water quality, flow, water levels, and ice conditions and their implications for fish habitat, fish ecology and fishing livelihoods are relatively limited and may be an urgent issue of local and traditional knowledge given the pace and scale of climate change impacts in northern regions. Governance and stewardship arrangements that respect traditional knowledge are welldeveloped as a result of the institutions created under the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in land claim agreements. Although scientific classification systems are in common use today (taxonomies), fish are classified by Gwich'in differently: by their location, size, and the colour and firmness of their flesh. Differences in these kinds of taxonomies may account for differences in the ways that scientists and traditional knowledge holders make decisions about management.
Breaking Ice
CHAPTER 7 A PLACE FOR TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Micheline Manseau (... more CHAPTER 7 A PLACE FOR TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Micheline Manseau (Parks Canada & University of Manitoba) Brenda Parlee (University of Manitoba) G. Burton Ayles (Canada/Inuvialuit Fisheries Joint Management Committee) ...
ARCTIC, 2021
For thousands of years Ɂedacho Kué (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water c... more For thousands of years Ɂedacho Kué (Artillery Lake, Northwest Territories) has been a key water crossing site for barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus). Human disturbance of barren-ground caribou habitat in northern Canada has emerged as an important focus of study in the last decade; particularly in the Bathurst range of the Northwest Territories where caribou populations have declined by more than 95% since the 1980s. Guided by local Indigenous leaders and Elders, a collaborative research project was developed with the Dënesǫ́łıné people of Łutsël K’e Dëne First Nation (2012 – 14). This paper describes linkages between knowledge derived from Dënesǫ́łıné oral history and quantitative dendroecological analysis of trample scars on black spruce (Picea mariana) root samples collected at Ɂedacho Kué to provide a better understanding of caribou use at this location. Findings from oral histories and dendroecology analysis were consistent with one another and with previou...
Sustainability, 2020
There is growing concern about the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems in northern Canada tha... more There is growing concern about the sustainability of freshwater ecosystems in northern Canada that are under significant stress from climate change, resource development, and hydroelectric development, among others. Community-based monitoring (CBM) based on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has the potential to contribute to understanding impacts on the environment and community livelihoods. This paper shares insights about culturally driven monitoring, through collaborative research with Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) in the Northwest Territories. This research was initiated in 2018 to improve understanding of the changes occurring in the Hay River and Buffalo River sub-basins, which extend primarily across the Alberta and Northwest Territories borders. Drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews conducted with KFN elders, fish harvesters, and youth, this paper illustrates the kinds of social–ecological indicators used by KFN to track changes in the health of aquatic systems as ...
Sustainability, 2020
This paper examines the extent to which Indigenous knowledge and values have informed conservatio... more This paper examines the extent to which Indigenous knowledge and values have informed conservation of the Lower Fraser River population of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in Canada. A review of grey literature and semi-structured interviews carried out with indigenous Stó:lō fishers and fisheries managers in the Lower Fraser Basin in 2016–2018 evidences the depth of knowledge held by Stó:lō fishers about this species and its importance to local communities. A summary of Stó:lō oral histories about the sturgeon and observations and experiences of settlement and development in the Fraser region, provides context for understanding why and how the white sturgeon came to be listed as a species at risk. However, the impacts were not only ecological; Stó:lō people were also significantly impacted by European settlement and development of the Fraser Basin over the last one hundred years. The assessment of the white sturgeon, under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in 2012 was a miss...
Sustainability, 2020
While there are many studies about the environmental impacts of climate change in the Canadian no... more While there are many studies about the environmental impacts of climate change in the Canadian north, the role of Indigenous youth in climate governance has been a lesser focus of inquiry. A popularized assumption in some literature is that youth have little to contribute to discussions on climate change and other aspects of land and resource management; such downplay of youth expertise and engagement may be contributing to climate anxiety (e.g., feelings of hopelessness), particularly in remote communities. Creating opportunities for youth to have a voice in global forums such as the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP24) on Climate Change may offset such anxiety. Building on previous research related to climate action, and the well-being of Indigenous youth, this paper shares the outcomes of research with Indigenous youth (along with family and teachers) from the Mackenzie River Basin who attended COP24 to determine the value of their experience. Key questions guiding these ...
Sustainability, 2020
Collaborative and community-based research (CCBR) is well defined and discussed in the literature... more Collaborative and community-based research (CCBR) is well defined and discussed in the literature; however, there are few discussions about graduate students doing CCBR with Indigenous communities. This project report features insights from nine graduate students attending six universities in Canada, the United States, and Brazil. These students are a part of a multi-year research partnership grant involving fishing communities from three major watersheds, the Mackenzie River Basin, the Amazon River Basin, and the lower Mekong River Basin. Each student engaged in collaborative research around the themes of Indigenous fishing livelihoods and the role of local and traditional knowledge in river basin governance. This project report presents reflections of graduate students on developing relationships and enacting CCBR during the following three stages of research with Indigenous communities: research project design, research project implementation, and post-project engagement. Best pr...
ARCTIC, 2018
The four decades since the Berger Inquiry have produced a large body of research demonstrating t... more The four decades since the Berger Inquiry have produced a large body of research demonstrating the positive and negative impacts of resource development on northern communities. However, little independent research has aimed to yield an understanding of how best to manage the impacts of resource development and to harness its benefits in ways that can promote long-term sustainable development. This question was the impetus for the Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ReSDA) research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in 2011. Representing a network of researchers, community members and organizations, ReSDA researchers conducted a series of analyses that focused on what was needed to ensure that northern communities received more benefits from resource development and potential negative impacts were mitigated. Overall, the analyses highlight the serious gaps that remain in our ability to ensure that resource development pr...
Science advances, 2018
Sustaining arctic/subarctic ecosystems and the livelihoods of northern Indigenous peoples is an i... more Sustaining arctic/subarctic ecosystems and the livelihoods of northern Indigenous peoples is an immense challenge amid increasing resource development. The paper describes a "tragedy of open access" occurring in Canada's north as governments open up new areas of sensitive barren-ground caribou habitat to mineral resource development. Once numbering in the millions, barren-ground caribou populations () have declined over 70% in northern Canada over the last two decades in a cycle well understood by northern Indigenous peoples and scientists. However, as some herds reach critically low population levels, the impacts of human disturbance have become a major focus of debate in the north and elsewhere. A growing body of science and traditional knowledge research points to the adverse impacts of resource development; however, management efforts have been almost exclusively focused on controlling the subsistence harvest of northern Indigenous peoples. These efforts to control...
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2016
Monitoring activities provide a core contribution to wildlife conservation in the Arctic. Effecti... more Monitoring activities provide a core contribution to wildlife conservation in the Arctic. Effective monitoring which allows changes in population status to be detected early provides opportunities to mitigate pressures driving declines. Monitoring triage involves decisions about how and where to prioritize activities in species and ecosystem based monitoring. In particular, monitoring triage examines whether to divert resources away from species where there is high likelihood of extinction in the near-future in favor of species where monitoring activities may produce greater conservation benefits. As a place facing both rapid change with a high likelihood of population extinctions, and serious logistic and financial challenges for field data acquisition, the Arctic provides a good context in which to examine attitudes toward triage in monitoring. For effective decision-making to emerge from monitoring, multiple stakeholders must be involved in defining aims and priorities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in arctic wildlife monitoring (either contributing to observation and recording of wildlife, using information from wildlife observation and recording, or using wildlife as a resource) to elicit their perspectives on triage in wildlife monitoring in the Arctic. The majority (56%) of our 23 participants were predominantly in opposition to triage, 26% were in support of triage and 17% were undecided. Representatives of Indigenous organizations were more likely to be opposed to triage than scientists, and those involved in decision-making showed greatest support for triage amongst the scientist participants. Responses to the concept of triage included that: (1) The species-focussed approach associated with triage did not match their more systems-based view (5 participants), (2) Important information is generated through monitoring threatened species, which advances understanding of the drivers of change, responses and ecosystem consequences (5 participants), (3) There is an obligation to try to monitor and conserve threatened species (4 participants), and (4) Monitoring needs to address local people's needs, which may be overlooked under triage (3 participants). Wheeler et al. Arctic Wildlife Monitoring and Triage The complexity of decision-making to create monitoring programmes that maximize benefits to biodiversity and people makes prioritization with simple models difficult. Using scenarios to identify desirable trajectories of Arctic stewardship may be an effective means of identifying monitoring needs.
Journal of Canadian Studies, 2007
The health and wellness of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples is often measured in narrow biomedical ter... more The health and wellness of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples is often measured in narrow biomedical terms with little consideration given to how health is conceptualized in Aboriginal communities. This study attempts to address this gap by providing a perspective on health and wellness developed in collaboration with the Dene community of Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories. The research was carried out in the wake of the environmental assessment of Canada’s first diamond mine, located in the traditional territory of Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation. The study focussed on the questions “What is health?” and “What kinds of indicators would be useful for measuring the effects of diamond mining on the health of community?” Health was defined in the local language as “the Dene way of life.” Three core themes, 13 sub-themes and over 50 indicators of health were also identified through semi-structured interviews with individual community members. These indicators refer to many aspects of day-to-day l...
Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A, 2016
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in both fa... more Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) found in both farmed and wild deer, elk, and moose in the United States and Canada. Surveillance efforts in North America identified the geographical distribution of the disease and mechanisms underlying distribution, although the possibility of transmission to other cervids, including caribou, and noncervids, including humans, is not well understood. Because of the documented importance of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to human populations in the northern regions of Canada, a risk-management strategy for CWD requires an understanding of the extent of potential dietary exposure to CWD. Secondary 24-h dietary recalls conducted among Inuvialuit and Inuit in 4 communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were employed in this study. Econometric demand systems were estimated to model the impacts of individual- and community-level socioeconomic characteristics on expenditures on caribou and other foods...
World Development, 2015
Concerns about a resource curse in Canada have been raised in response to rapid growth in the pet... more Concerns about a resource curse in Canada have been raised in response to rapid growth in the petroleum sector in northern Alberta. In previous research, there has been little consideration of how symptoms of the resource curse are experienced and managed at a regional scale and by Indigenous communities. An analysis of effects and responses is offered using a natural, financial, human and social capitals framework. Without consideration of how to manage the symptoms of the resource curse, oil and gas activity is likely to further disadvantage Indigenous populations already living on the margins of Canadian society.