A pan northern approach to identifying regional priority needs for new knowledge in Northern and Arctic Canada

Author

1. L. Orman, Polar Knowledge Canada, Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, lynda.orman@polar-polaire.gc.ca
2. A. Balasubramaniam, Polar Knowledge Canada, Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada
3. D. McLennan, Polar Knowledge Canada, Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada

Citation information

Orman, L., Balasubramaniam, A. and McLennan, D. 2020. A pan-northern approach to identifying regional priority needs for new knowledge in northern and arctic Canada. Polar Knowledge: Aqhaliat Report, volume 3, Polar Knowledge Canada, p. 52–57. DOI: 10.35298/pkc.2020.13.eng

Article

Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) aims to advance knowledge of arctic regions for a more sustainable future by supporting and conducting research that addresses relevant issues for northern and Indigenous communities and organizations. Understanding key concerns and research interests within northern regions is central to developing shared new knowledge. Given the drastic impact of rapid environmental, socio-economic, and cultural changes in Canada's arctic and northern regions, POLAR remains committed to engaging community representatives and collaborators to identify what matters most to Northerners, specifically in the context of new knowledge creation which is needed to help decision makers adapt and mitigate against these changes.

This report summarizes research needs gathered by Indigenous community representatives during the Compiling Best Practices for Community-Based Monitoring Workshop (Figure 1) held in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut in January 2018 (Polar Knowledge Canada, 2020). It also provides insights gained from follow-up targeted engagement with northern Indigenous organizations across Canada's North in 2019-2020 (Table 1). The workshop was originally organized to understand best-practices for community-based monitoring and to assess research and monitoring needs in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. It also served as a springboard for broader discussions around priority needs for new knowledge relevant to communities across arctic and northern regions in Canada. Research and monitoring needs identified in the Kitikmeot region emerged as being relatively representative of overarching knowledge needs when presented at various regional meetings with co-management partners and national Inuit research leaders in Canada's North in 2019. The list facilitated the sharing of community concerns and interests by northern and Indigenous organizations, with follow-up engagements focused on identifying pan-northern regional needs for research and monitoring. This preliminary summary (Table 2) of what was discussed will help to focus and direct POLAR's knowledge creation programming over the next five years, while both complementing and remaining nested within POLAR's broad Strategic Science Goals, as outlined in the Science and Technology (S&T) Framework 2020-2025 (Figure 2).

While the list provided in Table 2 was not ranked, the following priorities were consistently emphasized as being of key importance to communities across Arctic Canada:

• Caribou population abundance and migration; and
• Whale population, abundance, migration, animal health, areas of importance to whales, predator killer whales, and food security.

"I encourage all the scientists to pick up all the tips we've given you… because each community has its own direction as far as what they see as important to them." – George Angohiatok, Ekaluktutiak Hunters and Trappers Association (Polar Knowledge Canada, 2020)

Pan-northern, regional engagement priorities for new knowledge creation can help guide POLAR's collaborative efforts with national and international research partners.

POLAR plans to continue its engagement with Indigenous groups, Northerners, and Canadians, particularly on concerns and interests of importance, to inform new knowledge creation at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and beyond.

Table 1 Northern and Indigenous engagement conducted by POLAR in 2018-2020 to identify priority knowledge needs for research and monitoring across Canada's North (Figure 3).

Table 2 Emerging pan-northern, regional research and monitoring priorities, 2018-2020.

Emerging Regional Research and Monitoring Priorities

• Caribou population abundance and migration ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14}
• Whale population, abundance, migration, animal health, areas of importance to whales, predator killer whales, and food security ^{2 3 5 6 8 9 10 12 14}
• Shipping (large and small vessels) and its effect on marine ecosystems ^{1 2 3 4 6 14}
• Bear abundance, distribution and management issues ³ (Grizzly ^{3 4} bears (Western Kitikmeot), Polar bears (Eastern Arctic), Black bears (Nunatsiavut)) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 14}
• Caribou for future generations – conservation and protection of lands including sea-ice crossings for Dolphin and Union Caribou ^{2 4}; and of Boothia Peninsula ^{6 14}
• Marine ecosystem biodiversity, conservation and protected areas ^{2 5 6 8} – Immappivut (Our Oceans) Marine Protected Areas ^{11 12 14}
• Emergency response equipment, training (oil spills, community search-rescue team) ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 14}
• Hydrological change in rivers and lakes (lakes drying up; very low water on some fish spawning streams, inhibiting spawning migration (Arctic Char)) ^{1 3 5 14}
• Arctic char and other fish population dynamics and health ^{1 3 4 5 14}
• Changing ice conditions on ocean, lakes (later freeze up, earlier break-up) ^{1 3 4 14}
• Freshwater quality and drinking water ^{1 2 3 4 5 14}; contaminants monitoring and clean-up ^{4 5 14}
• Snow quality – different types of snow, or lack thereof ^{1 3 6} (snow quality affected by too much wind blowing snow away/ lack of snow last few years) ^{3 5 6 14}
• Predator-prey dynamics of caribou (wolf, Grizzly bear, wolverine; higher insect density) ^{2 3 4 8 14}
• Invasive species (plants, new insects, killer whales) ^{2 3 4 12 14}
• Changes in forest fire cycle and intensity (climate change) ^{1 7 11 14}
• Energy sustainability, price, community autonomy ^{1 7 14}
• Northern Infrastructure innovation, development and sustainability ^{1 7 14}
• Changes in precipitation ^{1 7 8 14}
• Polynya Biodiversity, Environmental Research and Monitoring in the face of Climate Change ^{1 9 14}
• Climate Change Research and Monitoring ^{1 8 9 11 14}
• Permafrost research, monitoring, adaptation and mitigation ^{1 13 14}

Note: Kitikmeot regional priorities were expanded upon based on follow-up pan-northern engagement (additions shown in italics, above). Engagement continues among Indigenous governance bodies and organizations (Inuit, First Nations, Métis), Northerners, federal, provincial, territorial governments (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut), northern communities and academic institutions.

References

• Polar Knowledge Canada, 2020. Compiling Best Practices for Community-Based Monitoring Workshop. Internal Report.
• Polar Knowledge Canada, 2020. Science and Technology Framework, 2020-2025.
• Polar Knowledge Canada, 2020. Regional Planning and Knowledge Sharing Workshop – setting a foundation for respectful relationships, March 10-11, 2020, Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.