Responding to Change in a Northern Aboriginal Community (Fort Resolution, NWT, Canada): Linking Social and Ecological Perspectives

Human and environmental systems in the circumpolar north are particularly affected by the Earth’s changing climate, thus acting as a bellwether for other parts of the globe. Rural indigenous communities are most visibly impacted due to their close relationship with the land. These challenges are compounded by socio-economic transformations typical of peripheral communities within a larger, centrally governed system. This dissertation links a community-based study of environmental change in Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories, Canada to evolving adaptation science. The study was prompted by local concern about changing environmental conditions caused by climatic, hydrological and resource development drivers. Its collaborative research approach incorporated a combination of participatory methods (e.g. semi-structured interviews, a household questionnaire, focus groups, and experiential excursions on the land) during ten months spent in the field between 2004 and 2008. This methodology provides a basis for including traditional knowledge in a detailed assessment of environmental change, evaluating both individual and collective adaptive capacity, and analyzing contextualized information that may be used to forecast future conditions. The study draws on elders’ and harvesters’ knowledge to address the primary relationships among changing environmental conditions, impacts on human livelihoods, and past and current adaptation strategies. Residents, who have shown significant resilience through past adaptations, are dealing with multiple and cumulative pressures. Adaptive capacity is strongly influenced by social dynamics at the local scale, as shown through an analysis of trust, reciprocity and sharing, social values and collective action, group participation levels, and regional relationships. Our evolving understanding of the social-environmental context in Fort Resolution provides a basis for further progress in adaptation planning. Key areas of individual and collective vulnerability to potential climate- and resource development-driven changes are identified, and a range of adaptation options are examined. While residents feel more able to adapt to climate-driven changes, the types of response strategies they propose under different scenarios show significant overlap. Environmental change affects people through multiple pathways; as well, groups are differentially impacted depending on their social and economic circumstances. Dealing with rapid, non-linear change requires a collective response. Actors and institutions play important roles in building adaptive capacity and supporting adaptation within a context of transition and uncertainty. While endogenous determinants of adaptive capacity (knowledge and skills, access to resources and technology, institutional support, social networks and equity) are vital, important exogenous influences (government support programs, regional economic development, aboriginal-aboriginal and aboriginal-state relations, emerging self-governance arrangements) also influence outcomes. Each community is a complex system (within a nested hierarchy of systems) where different drivers act at multiple levels; however, to be effective, capacity-building and adaptation must be grounded in the local context. Study findings contribute to the growing literatures on both community vulnerability and environmental change impacts and adaptations in the north. They provide a better understanding of the nature of social dynamics and their influence on adaptive capacity at local levels, with particular relevance to rural aboriginal communities. The emergent themes emphasize resilience and adaptation, and have implications for environmental change research and policy-development. Primary contributions include theoretical advancements regarding social capital, traditional knowledge, and the relationship between local-scale social dynamics and adaptive capacity in rural aboriginal communities; methodological advancements relating to the mixed methods approach and application of qualitative scenarios; and practical outcomes including an improved understanding of the applicability of adaptation options, and the identification of challenges and opportunities for both multi-level governance and capacity-building for adaptation. This dissertation offers practical recommendations for actions at the local level and for policy at multiple levels in a number of areas, including environmental quality, visioning, adaptation planning, and governance. This study adds to our knowledge of community-based adaptation research and offers leads for developing more effective strategies to support rural, northern aboriginal communities as they face changing social-ecological conditions

Co-management of Traditional Foods: Opportunities and Limitations for Food Security in Northern First Nation Communities

Traditional foods that First Nations peoples harvest or gather from the land remain critically important for achieving and sustaining food security for many communities. In Canada’s North, land claim agreements include provisions for First Nations to participate in the governance of their traditional territories, including the co-management of important traditional (wild-harvested) food species. Because such agreements only specify the broad contours of co-management governance, their actual functioning evolves out of a complex interplay among the co-managing organizations over the course of time. This paper aims to deepen our understanding of how First Nations communities can enhance food security as participants in co-management. Our study connects research on food security with research on co-management and is the first to analyze how First Nations can improve their food security by influencing decision-making that affects traditional foods through co-management arrangements. Following a succinct review of the Indigenous food security and co-management literatures, we analyze the experiences of Kluane First Nation in enhancing community food security through the co-management of its traditional territory with Yukon Government and Parks Canada, interpreting the data in light of the theories and evidences offered by research on co-management. The analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews and from First Nations and government resources shows that, while the co-management system is imperfect, it does offer a mechanism through which First Nations can exert influence on decisions that affect their food security. The three key themes emerging from the excerpts confirm the importance of co-management as an evolutionary and long-term process, in which trust- and relationship-building are ongoing activities that are fundamental to beneficial collaboration involving the sharing of information and power. The analysis also highlights the role of context, or situational factors, in facilitating or hindering collaboration.Pour de nombreuses collectivités, les aliments traditionnels que les peuples des Premières Nations récoltent ou recueillent sur la terre continuent de revêtir une importance primordiale pour atteindre et maintenir la sécurité alimentaire. Dans le Nord canadien, les ententes de revendications territoriales comprennent des dispositions selon lesquelles les Premières Nations peuvent jouer un rôle dans la gouvernance de leurs territoires traditionnels, ce qui comprend la cogestion des espèces alimentaires (sauvages et cueillies) traditionnelles importantes. Puisque ces ententes ne font mention que des grandes lignes de la gouvernance en cogestion, leur fonctionnement est le résultat, en réalité, d’une interaction complexe entre les organismes de cogestion au fil du temps. Cet article cherche à mieux comprendre comment les collectivités des Premières Nations peuvent améliorer leur sécurité alimentaire à titre de participants à la cogestion. Notre étude fait le lien entre les recherches sur la sécurité alimentaire et les recherches sur la cogestion. Il s’agit de la première étude qui analyse la manière dont les Premières Nations peuvent améliorer leur sécurité alimentaire en influençant les décisions qui ont des incidences sur les aliments traditionnels, et ce, par le biais d’accords de cogestion. Après un examen succinct de la documentation qui existe au sujet de la sécurité alimentaire et de la cogestion, nous analysons l’expérience de la Première Nation de Kluane en matière d’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire de la collectivité grâce à la cogestion de son territoire traditionnel avec le gouvernement du Yukon et Parcs Canada, puis nous interprétons les données à la lumière de théories et d’éléments de preuve découlant de travaux de recherche sur la cogestion. L’analyse des données recueillies à partir d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès de Premières Nations et de gouvernements montre que bien que le système de la cogestion soit imparfait, il offre un mécanisme permettant aux Premières Nations d’exercer une influence sur les décisions touchant leur sécurité alimentaire. Les principaux thèmes qui émergent de ces influences confirment l’importance de la cogestion à titre de processus évolutionnaire à long terme, dans le cadre duquel l’édification de la confiance et la conclusion de relations constituent des aspects fondamentaux en vue d’une collaboration bénéfique fondée sur le partage de l’information et du pouvoir. Par ailleurs, notre analyse met en évidence le rôle du contexte, ou les facteurs situationnels, qui facilitent la collaboration ou lui nuisent

Strengthening Sustainable Northern Food Systems: Federal Policy Constraints and Potential Opportunities

This paper explores how Canadian federal policy and frameworks can better support community-based initiatives to reduce food insecurity and build sustainable food systems in the North. Through an examination of the current state of food systems infrastructure, transportation, harvest, and production in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut, we argue in favour of a multi-sector approach that supports diversified food systems, including traditional/country food production and distribution, in a way that values and prioritizes community-led initiatives and Indigenous peoples’ self-determination and self-governance. The challenge of developing sustainable, northern food systems requires made-in-the-North solutions that are attuned to cultural, geographic, environmental, and political contexts. Recent policy developments suggest some progress in this direction, however much more work is needed. Ultimately, sustainable northern food systems must be defined by and for Northerners at community, local, and regional levels, with particular attention paid to treaty rights and the right to self-determination of First Nations and other Indigenous communities.Cet article se penche sur la manière dont les politiques et les cadres de référence fédéraux du Canada peuvent mieux soutenir les initiatives communautaires afin d’atténuer l’insécurité alimentaire et d’édifier des systèmes alimentaires durables dans le Nord. En nous appuyant sur l’examen de l’état actuel de l’infrastructure des systèmes alimentaires, du transport, des récoltes et de la production du Yukon, des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, du Nunavut, du Nunavik et du Nunatsiavut, nous plaidons en faveur d’une approche multisectorielle favorisant des systèmes alimentaires diversifiés, y compris la production et la distribution d’aliments traditionnels ou du terroir, valorisant et priorisant les initiatives communautaires de même que l’autodétermination et l’autonomie gouvernementale des peuples autochtones. Le défi consistant à concevoir des systèmes alimentaires durables dans le Nord nécessite des solutions provenant du Nord, solutions qui tiennent compte des contextes culturel, géographique, environnemental et politique. De récents développements en matière de politiques suggèrent un certain progrès, mais il reste toutefois fort à faire dans ce sens. Au bout du compte, les systèmes alimentaires durables dans le Nord doivent être définis par et pour les gens du Nord à l’échelle communautaire, locale et régionale, en accordant une attention particulière aux droits issus des traités ainsi qu’au droit à l’autodétermination des Premières Nations et d’autres collectivités autochtones

From Isotopes to TK Interviews: Towards Interdisciplinary Research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories

Evolving research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, aims to improve understanding of how the natural ecosystem functions and responds to various environmental stressors, as well as to enhance the stewardship of natural resources and the capacity of local residents to respond to change. We seek to integrate approaches that span the natural and social sciences and traditional knowledge understandings of change, employing a research design developed in response to the concerns of a northern community. In doing so, we have strived for a research process that is collaborative, interdisciplinary, policy-oriented, and reflective of northern priorities. These elements characterize the new northern research paradigm increasingly promoted by various federal funding agencies, northern partners, and communities. They represent a holistic perspective in the pursuit of solutions to address complex environmental and socioeconomic concerns about impacts of climate change and resource development on northern societies. However, efforts to fulfill the objectives of this research paradigm are associated with a host of on-the-ground challenges. These challenges include (but are not restricted to) developing effective community partnerships and collaboration and documenting change through interdisciplinary approaches. Here we provide an overview of the components that comprise our interdisciplinary research program and offer an accounting of our formative experiences in confronting these challenges

Supporting Inuit Food Security: A Synthesis of Initiatives in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories

Food insecurity among Indigenous Peoples of northern Canada is a significant public health issue that is exacerbated by changing social and environmental conditions. While a patchwork of programs, strategies and polices exist, the extent to which they address all “pillars” of food security (food availability, access, quality, and utilization) remains under-assessed. We respond to this gap by providing a framework for synthesizing and assessing information about food security initiatives, using a case study of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), the westernmost Inuit region of Canada. Our objectives are: (1) to identify existing initiatives in the ISR; (2) to assess the breadth and diversity of these initiatives in addressing the four key food security “pillars”; and (3) to present an analytical framework that will facilitate ongoing data updating and sharing in the ISR and elsewhere. Through a scoping review and direct consultation with 12 key informants, we identified 30 initiatives that support food security in the ISR. These are funded and implemented at a range of national, territorial, regional, and local levels, and include both governmental and non-governmental programs, strategic frameworks, and research and monitoring initiatives. Seven key themes emerged from the cross-scale analysis of these initiatives, including: orientation with respect to food security pillars, scope and scale, demographic targeting, funding, monitoring and evaluation, and implications for food security strategies. While our framework provides a useful tool for data synthesis and analysis, its outputs can help in identifying gaps and opportunities for both resource allocation and program and policy development for under-served communities. Significantly, this study highlights the importance of engaging local perspectives in the development of coordinated approaches to address Inuit food insecurity

From Isotopes to TK Interviews: Towards Interdisciplinary Research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories

Evolving research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, aims to improve understanding of how the natural ecosystem functions and responds to various environmental stressors, as well as to enhance the stewardship of natural resources and the capacity of local residents to respond to change. We seek to integrate approaches that span the natural and social sciences and traditional knowledge understandings of change, employing a research design developed in response to the concerns of a northern community. In doing so, we have strived for a research process that is collaborative, interdisciplinary, policy-oriented, and reflective of northern priorities. These elements characterize the new northern research paradigm increasingly promoted by various federal funding agencies, northern partners, and communities. They represent a holistic perspective in the pursuit of solutions to address complex environmental and socioeconomic concerns about impacts of climate change and resource development on northern societies. However, efforts to fulfill the objectives of this research paradigm are associated with a host of on-the-ground challenges. These challenges include (but are not restricted to) developing effective community partnerships and collaboration and documenting change through interdisciplinary approaches. Here we provide an overview of the components that comprise our interdisciplinary research program and offer an accounting of our formative experiences in confronting these challenges.Des travaux de recherche en cours à Fort Resolution et dans le delta de la rivière des Esclaves, aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest, visent à mieux comprendre le fonctionnement de l’écosystème naturel, à réagir aux divers facteurs d’agression environnementaux ainsi qu’à rehausser la gérance des ressources naturelles et la capacité des habitants de la région à réagir au changement. Nous cherchons à intégrer des méthodes qui englobent les sciences naturelles et sociales et favorisent la compréhension du changement du point de vue des connaissances traditionnelles. Nous cherchons également à employer une méthodologie respectueuse des inquiétudes de la collectivité du Nord. Ce faisant, nous avons abouti à un processus de recherche caractérisé par la collaboration, l’interdisciplinarité et les politiques, processus qui tient également compte des priorités dans le Nord. Ces éléments définissent le nouveau paradigme de recherche dans le Nord qui est de plus en plus préconisé par divers organismes de subvention fédéraux, partenaires du Nord et collectivités. Ils représentent une perspective holistique en guise de solutions à des enjeux environnementaux et socioéconomiques complexes portant sur les incidences du changement climatique et de l’exploitation des ressources sur les sociétés du Nord. Toutefois, les efforts visant à concrétiser les objectifs de ce paradigme de recherche font face à une multitude de défis. Ces défis comprennent (mais sans s’y restreindre) la formation de partenariats efficaces avec les collectivités, des efforts de collaboration et la prise de notes sur les changements qui s’opèrent grâce à des méthodes interdisciplinaires. Ici, nous fournissons un aperçu des éléments de notre programme de recherche interdisciplinaire et donnons un aperçu de l’expérience formative qui a découlé de ces défis

The implications of climate change for the conservation of beech woodlands and associated flora in the UK

Includes bibliographical referencesAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:3775. 10607(no 528) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo