YELLOWKNIVES DENE CUMULATIVE IMPACT MONITORING AND FRAMEWORK Dr. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

YELLOWKNIVES DENE CUMULATIVE IMPACT MONITORING AND FRAMEWORK

• Dr. Pamela Wong and Dr. Peter

Evans (Trailmark Systems) Johanne Black (Yellowknives Dene First Nation)

OVERVIEW

• 1. Project Description
• 2. Definitions
• 3. Today’s Objectives

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What is That?

• Cumulative Effects is how scientists and

governments talk about impacts to the land and people that “add up” over time and space.

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• Govt. Definition

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• Scientists use a few technical terms to

understand how effects accumulate or add up in the world.

• Valued Components – a very important

thing that you want to know about. For eg., caribou.

• Indicators – what you use to measure what

is going on. For example: caribou numbers.

• Thresholds and Triggers – the point where

you step in and do something about it.

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PROJECT OBJECTIVES

ENR is developing its own cumulative effects

• framework. Together, we are going to make a

framework for YKDFN. It will work with ENR’s, but will also accomplish what YOU need.

• 1. Develop a Cumulative Effects and

monitoring framework Culturally-relevant model complementary to notions of “VECs”, indicators, thresholds, and triggers

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YEAR TWO OBJECTIVES

• 2. Conduct a harvest study to inform the

framework Develop data gathering and management tools to collect information within framework

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YEAR THREE OBJECTIVES

• 3. Report on baseline data and

recommendations Identify monitoring parameters to support framework

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Today

• Talk about the phrase cumulative effects.

How do you think about effects to everything – land, animals, Dene people – across time, from the past to the present.

• Identify whether you have knowledge to

help the GNWT with the things it wants to study (caribou, water).

• Identify your OWN most important things.
• Identify ways to monitor them.

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Very Important Things

LITERATURE REVIEW

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TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE (TK)

• Empirical data collected through repeated

and systematic use of the environment by communities whose survival depend on quality of this knowledge

– Livelihood

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TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE (TK)

• Rich in understanding and assessing past

and present conditions, identifying “triggers” or thresholds for past and future change

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TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE (TK)

• Retrospective and/or empirical information
• n natural history, ecological processes

and components

• How VECs respond ecologically, socially,

culturally, and/or economically to stressors

• Tools for

investigation/monitoring/management

• Local (project-specific) and regional

(cumulative) effects

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LITERATURE REVIEW

General challenges in cumulative effects frameworks (CEFs):

• Unnecessarily complicated in service of

broad VECs and/or scales

• Lack of consensus on definitions for

terminology

• Unclear roles and responsibilities
• Theory versus practice

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LITERATURE REVIEW

CEFs include identifying, analyzing, and safeguarding valued ecosystem components (VECs) against CEs of multiple activities across space and time

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LITERATURE REVIEW

VECs

• Aspects of the environment that are

important for scientific, ecological, economic, social, cultural, archaeological, historical, and/or other reasons Include natural and human aspects of the environment that are valued by local communities

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LITERATURE REVIEW

• Conventional CEFs on biophysical values,

favoring quantifiable indicators

– Even with social and cultural values

• With Indigenous communities, focus is on

evaluating archaeological sites and physical landmarks by outside experts

– Exclude effects on less tangible cultural aspects

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THRESHOLDS

• Social thresholds = large shifts in

resilience and adaptive capacity of communities, systemic cultural shifts, potential for non-compensatory losses, spiritual sites, opportunities for cultural practices Difficult to measure in practice because of lack of consensus on social scientific approach

CONSIDERING TK

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Expert-based approaches to VECs and

indicators that exclude community members may ignore most important values

– Culturally-based social indicators especially important for TK – May not be quantitative – More difficult to track without communities

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Strong collaborations among scientific,

government, and Indigenous groups critical to establish justification

– Best available science, TK, and Indigenous law – Ongoing challenge in CE management and approaches vary

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VALUED ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS

• Should be identified with verified

knowledge-holders to ensure TK relevance

• May vary among communities within

regions

• Indicators should have significant meaning

to analysts and TK-holders/ community members

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THRESHOLDS

• Maximum acceptable levels of change

and/or point where management action is triggered to prevent unacceptable degradation of VECs

• Should be defined according to conditions
• f VECs that communities consider

(un)acceptable

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THRESHOLDS

• No magic number
• Communities should be asked how much

risk they will take as trade-off for benefits Could include restrictions on any development

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THRESHOLDS

• Inherently subjective

– Best processional judgment – Consideration of risk – Interdisciplinary research practices and broader understanding of them are warranted

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CONSIDERATIONS

• Simple frameworks that are easy to

convey Easier for community members and TK holders to identify TK linkages and develop TK-based “frameworks” and processes

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CONSIDERATIONS

• CEFs involving TK should be led by

communities where TK is based

• CEF components (e.g., VECs) and

process should be co-developed in a way that is analogous to or reflects local TK terminology and concepts

• CEFs involving TK will be unconventional

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CONSIDERATIONS

• Adaptive approach
• Consensus “guess” refined as new

information on threshold becomes available

• Early-warning triggers (precautionary

approach)

– Community-based monitoring

NEXT STEPS

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TERMINOLOGY

• Identifying YKDFN conceptions of CEs
• Presenting ENR’s CEF to YKDFN

– Framing in a way knowledge holders can understand

DISCUSSION