Monitoring environmental conditions using participatory photo-mapping with Inuvialuit knowledge holders in the Mackenzie Delta Region, Northwest Territories
| dc.contributor.author | Bennett, Trevor Dixon | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Lantz, Trevor Charles | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2012-05-23T20:05:02Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2012-05-23T20:05:02Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2012 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2012-05-23 | |
| dc.degree.department | School of Environmental Studies | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts M.A. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The Mackenzie Delta region of Northwestern Canada is a dynamic environment that is ecologically and culturally significant. This region is experiencing rapid environmental change that is expected to worsen with continued climate warming and additional anthropogenic stressors. In northern regions, conventional environmental monitoring strategies can be hindered by complex and cost prohibitive logistics. In this context of environmental change and uncertainty, there is a critical need to draw on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and observations to inform decision-making. In some areas changes in land cover are occurring so rapidly that maintaining an accurate inventory is problematic. Knowledgeable land users are in a unique position to assess changes in regional environmental conditions and inventory cumulative impacts. Environmental decision-making in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region requires Inuvialuit participation in several co-management bodies. The objectives of this project were to develop and field-test a community-based monitoring program that shares Inuvialuit observations with stakeholders in environmental decision-making in a standardized and accessible format. Working with the Hunter and Trapper Committees of Aklavik, Inuvik, and Tuktoyaktuk, the Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat, and the Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program we (1) adapted a participatory photo-mapping (PPM) method to record Inuvialuit observations of environmental conditions using a strategy consistent with community goals and Inuvialuit culture. In the summer of 2010, we worked with knowledgeable Inuvialuit hunters and land users to document Inuvialuit observations of environmental conditions using digital cameras and hand held GPS units. Subsequently, digital photographs and video footage became the focus of photo-elicitation interviews, which added a detailed narrative to each geo-referenced observation. Following fieldwork and interviews, geo-referenced photos, video, and associated text files were entered into web-based map. Approximately 150 observations were mapped and grouped into 33 themes. Interviews with monitors and a range of potential map users suggest that web-based mapping is an effective way to record and share observations and concerns related to the regional environment. We found that PPM could be very useful for northern researchers, decision-makers, and planners because it can facilitate knowledge transfer among stakeholders, facilitate community consultation, and contribute to environmental impact assessment and monitoring strategies. Our experience suggests that by providing a record of the location and magnitude of anomalous environmental conditions, this monitoring initiative will contribute northern planning and decision-making, and the communication of TEK and observations among northern stakeholders. Overall, this research highlights the effectiveness of using the web-based PPM tool to document and share Inuvialuit observations. A monitoring program built around TEK and observations that are linked to geo-referenced images (and other media) will significantly improve our capacity to detect the impacts of environmental change. (1) Because chapters 2 and 3 were co-authored, plural was used throughout the entire document. | en_US |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3994 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.rights.temp | Available to the World Wide Web | en_US |
| dc.subject | Arctic | en_US |
| dc.subject | traditional ecological knowledge | en_US |
| dc.subject | Inuvialuit observations | en_US |
| dc.subject | web-based mapping | en_US |
| dc.subject | environmental monitoring | en_US |
| dc.subject | environmental change | en_US |
| dc.subject | visual research methods | en_US |
| dc.subject | participatory research methods | en_US |
| dc.title | Monitoring environmental conditions using participatory photo-mapping with Inuvialuit knowledge holders in the Mackenzie Delta Region, Northwest Territories | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |