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Salomon AK, Okamoto DK, Wilson ḴBJ, Tommy Happynook H, Mack WA, Allan Davidson SH, Guujaaw G, L Humchitt WWH, Happynook TM, Cox WC, Gillette HF, Christiansen NS, Dragon D, Kobluk HM, Lee LC, Tinker MT, Silver JJ, Armitage D, McKechnie I, MacNeil A, Hillis D, Muhl EK, Gregr EJ, Commander CJC, Augustine A. Disrupting and diversifying the values, voices and governance principles that shape biodiversity science and management. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220196. [PMID: 37246378 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
With climate, biodiversity and inequity crises squarely upon us, never has there been a more pressing time to rethink how we conceptualize, understand and manage our relationship with Earth's biodiversity. Here, we describe governance principles of 17 Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Coast of North America used to understand and steward relationships among all components of nature, including humans. We then chart the colonial origins of biodiversity science and use the complex case of sea otter recovery to illuminate how ancestral governance principles can be mobilized to characterize, manage and restore biodiversity in more inclusive, integrative and equitable ways. To enhance environmental sustainability, resilience and social justice amid today's crises, we need to broaden who benefits from and participates in the sciences of biodiversity by expanding the values and methodologies that shape such initiatives. In practice, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management need to shift from centralized, siloed approaches to those that can accommodate plurality in values, objectives, governance systems, legal traditions and ways of knowing. In doing so, developing solutions to our planetary crises becomes a shared responsibility. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne K Salomon
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Daniel K Okamoto
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | | | - Hiininaasim Tommy Happynook
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | | | | | - Gidansda Guujaaw
- Haida Nation, Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dianna Dragon
- Che:k:tles7et'h' Nation, Kyuquot, British Columbia, Canada VOP 1J0
| | - Hannah M Kobluk
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Lynn C Lee
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, 60 Second Beach Road, Skidegate, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | - M Tim Tinker
- Nhydra Ecological Consulting, 11 Parklea Drive, Head of St Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada B3Z 2G6
| | - Jennifer J Silver
- Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Derek Armitage
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Aaron MacNeil
- Ocean Frontier Institute, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Dylan Hillis
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Ella-Kari Muhl
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Edward J Gregr
- Institute for Resources Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Scitech Environmental Consulting 2136 Napier St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5L 2N9
| | - Christian J C Commander
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | - Arianna Augustine
- Stz'uminus Nation, 1041-B Trunk Rd, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada V9L 2S4
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Breckwoldt A, Dombal Y, Sabinot C, David G, Riera L, Ferse S, Fache E. A social-ecological engagement with reef passages in New Caledonia: Connectors between coastal and oceanic spaces and species. AMBIO 2022; 51:2401-2413. [PMID: 35980514 PMCID: PMC9386666 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01762-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Healthy and protected coral reefs help island systems in the tropics thrive and survive. Reef passages link the open ocean to lagoon and coastal areas in these ecosystems and are home to an exceptionally diverse and abundant marine life, hosting emblematic species and fish spawning aggregations. Their multiple benefits for the islands and their peoples (e.g., for transport, fishing, socio-cultural aspects) remain yet understudied. Drawing from qualitative interviews with fishers, scuba divers, and surfers along the coast of Grande Terre in New Caledonia, this study highlights the multi-faceted importance of these keystone places. It shows that reef passages are locally deemed 'communication zones' between coastal and oceanic spaces and species, and have significant un(der)explored ecological and socio-cultural roles. Understanding and protecting these ecological and cultural keystone places will strengthen both the reef ecosystems and the people dependent on them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Breckwoldt
- Social-Ecological Systems Analysis, Social Science Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Yvy Dombal
- ESPACE-DEV, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université de la Réunion, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, 6B, 161 Pouembout, route de la forêt sèche, BP 440, 98825 Pouembout, New Caledonia France
| | - Catherine Sabinot
- ESPACE-DEV, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université de la Réunion, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, 6B, 161 Pouembout, route de la forêt sèche, BP 440, 98825 Pouembout, New Caledonia France
- ESPACE-DEV, Centre IRD de Nouméa, BPA5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia France
| | - Gilbert David
- ESPACE-DEV, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université de la Réunion, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, 500 rue Jean-François Breton, 34093 Montpellier, France
| | - Léa Riera
- Social-Ecological Systems Analysis, Social Science Department, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- SENS, IRD, CIRAD, Université Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Université de Montpellier, Site St Charles 2, 71 rue Professeur Henri Serre, 34086 Montpellier, France
| | - Sebastian Ferse
- Science Management/Social Science Department, Office for Knowledge Exchange (OKE), Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Fahrenheitstrasse 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Elodie Fache
- SENS, IRD, CIRAD, Université Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Université de Montpellier, Site St Charles 2, 71 rue Professeur Henri Serre, 34086 Montpellier, France
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Keck M, Flachs A. From Necrocene to Naíocene-promising pathways toward sustainable agri-food systems. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2022; 17:2177-2185. [PMID: 36405347 PMCID: PMC9663277 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-022-01255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Keck
- Center for Climate Resilience, Augsburg University, Universitätsstraße 2, 86159 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Andrew Flachs
- College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University, 100 North University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
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He J, Zhou W. Conservation versus development: uncovering divergent viewpoints of conservationists on National Parks system by Q methodology in China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Turner NJ, Reid AJ. "When the Wild Roses Bloom": Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Change in Northwestern North America. GEOHEALTH 2022; 6:e2022GH000612. [PMID: 36398276 PMCID: PMC9665002 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples in Northwestern North America have always worked with predictable cycles of day and night, tides, moon phases, seasons, and species growth and reproduction, including such phenological indicators as the blooming of flowers and the songs of birds. Negotiating variability has been constant in people's lives. Long-term monitoring and detailed knowledge of other lifeforms and landscapes of people's home territories have assisted in responding and adapting to change. Aspects of cultural knowledge and practice that have helped Indigenous Peoples navigate nature's cycles at different scales of time and space include kin ties and social relationships, experiential learning, language, storytelling and timing of ceremonies such as "First Foods" celebrations. Working with ecological processes, Indigenous Peoples have been able to maintain optimal conditions for preferred species, reducing variability and uncertainty through taking care of productive habitats, leaving ecosystems intact, and allowing other species to change in their own cycles. Since the onset of colonization, however, Indigenous Peoples' lifeways have been changed drastically, culminating with the current impacts of global climate change and biodiversity loss. This paper, based on contributions of numerous Indigenous Knowledge holders from across Northwestern North America, outlines some of the key ways in which Indigenous Peoples have embraced predictability and change in their environments and lifeways, and addresses the particular threat of climate change: its recognition, ways of adapting to it, and, ultimately, how it might be reversed through developing more careful, respectful relationships with and responsibilities for the other-than-human world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy J. Turner
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBCCanada
| | - Andrea J. Reid
- Centre for Indigenous FisheriesInstitute for the Oceans and FisheriesUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
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6
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Gupta A, Stoolman J. Decolonizing US anthropology. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akhil Gupta
- Department of Anthropology University of California Los Angeles USA
| | - Jessie Stoolman
- Department of Anthropology University of California Los Angeles USA
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7
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Turner NJ, Cuerrier A, Joseph L. Well grounded: Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, ethnobiology and sustainability. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy J. Turner
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
| | - Alain Cuerrier
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
- Jardin Botanique de Montréal, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale Université de Montréal Montréal Québec Canada
| | - Leigh Joseph
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
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8
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Kazancı C, Oruç S, Mosulishvili M, Wall J. Cultural Keystone Species without Boundaries: A Case Study on Wild Woody Plants of Transhumant People around the Georgia-Turkey Border (Western Lesser Caucasus). J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.4.447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ceren Kazancı
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
| | - Soner Oruç
- Faculty of Forestry, Artvin Çoruh University, Seyitler Yerleşkesi, Turkey
| | - Marine Mosulishvili
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
| | - Jeffrey Wall
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Gold Z, Curd EE, Goodwin KD, Choi ES, Frable BW, Thompson AR, Walker HJ, Burton RS, Kacev D, Martz LD, Barber PH. Improving metabarcoding taxonomic assignment: A case study of fishes in a large marine ecosystem. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 21:2546-2564. [PMID: 34235858 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA metabarcoding is an important tool for molecular ecology. However, its effectiveness hinges on the quality of reference sequence databases and classification parameters employed. Here we evaluate the performance of MiFish 12S taxonomic assignments using a case study of California Current Large Marine Ecosystem fishes to determine best practices for metabarcoding. Specifically, we use a taxonomy cross-validation by identity framework to compare classification performance between a global database comprised of all available sequences and a curated database that only includes sequences of fishes from the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. We demonstrate that the regional database provides higher assignment accuracy than the comprehensive global database. We also document a tradeoff between accuracy and misclassification across a range of taxonomic cutoff scores, highlighting the importance of parameter selection for taxonomic classification. Furthermore, we compared assignment accuracy with and without the inclusion of additionally generated reference sequences. To this end, we sequenced tissue from 597 species using the MiFish 12S primers, adding 252 species to GenBank's existing 550 California Current Large Marine Ecosystem fish sequences. We then compared species and reads identified from seawater environmental DNA samples using global databases with and without our generated references, and the regional database. The addition of new references allowed for the identification of 16 additional native taxa representing 17.0% of total reads from eDNA samples, including species with vast ecological and economic value. Together these results demonstrate the importance of comprehensive and curated reference databases for effective metabarcoding and the need for locus-specific validation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Gold
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Emily E Curd
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kelly D Goodwin
- Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Stationed at Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Emma S Choi
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Benjamin W Frable
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Andrew R Thompson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Harold J Walker
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ronald S Burton
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Dovi Kacev
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lucas D Martz
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Paul H Barber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Fernández-Llamazares Á, Lepofsky D, Lertzman K, Armstrong CG, Brondizio ES, Gavin MC, Lyver PO, Nicholas GP, Pascua P, Reo NJ, Reyes-García V, Turner NJ, Yletyinen J, Anderson EN, Balée W, Cariño J, David-Chavez DM, Dunn CP, Garnett SC, Greening (La'goot) S, (Niniwum Selapem) SJ, Kuhnlein H, Molnár Z, Odonne G, Retter GB, Ripple WJ, Sáfián L, Bahraman AS, Torrents-Ticó M, Vaughan MB. Scientists' Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.2.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dana Lepofsky
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Ken Lertzman
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Michael C. Gavin
- Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | | | - Pua'ala Pascua
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
| | - Nicholas J. Reo
- Dartmouth College, Native American Studies and Environmental Studies programs, Hanover, NH
| | | | - Nancy J. Turner
- Emeritus, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - William Balée
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
| | | | | | | | - Stephen C. Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | | | - Harriet Kuhnlein
- Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zsolt Molnár
- Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Guillaume Odonne
- UMR 3456 LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | | | - William J. Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | | | - Abolfazl Sharifian Bahraman
- Range and Watershed Management Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran
| | - Miquel Torrents-Ticó
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mehana Blaich Vaughan
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Sea Grant College Program and Hui Āina Momona; University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, HI
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Clark D, Artelle K, Darimont C, Housty W, Tallio C, Neasloss D, Schmidt A, Wiget A, Turner N. Grizzly and polar bears as nonconsumptive cultural keystone species. Facets (Ott) 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2020-0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Grizzly bears and polar bears often serve as ecological “flagship species” in conservation efforts, but although consumptively used in some areas and cultures they can also be important cultural keystone species even where not hunted. We extend the application of established criteria for defining cultural keystone species to also encompass species with which cultures have a primarily nonconsumptive relationship but that are nonetheless disproportionately important to well-being and identity. Grizzly bears in coastal British Columbia are closely linked to many Indigenous Peoples (including the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk), Kitasoo/Xai’xais, and Nuxalk First Nations), where they are central to the identity, culture, and livelihoods of individuals, families, Chiefs, and Nations. Polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, provide another example as a cultural keystone species for a mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous community in which many of the livelihood benefits from the species are mediated by economic transactions in a globalized tourism market. We discuss context specificity and questions of equity in sharing of benefits from cultural keystone species. Our expanded definition of cultural keystone species gives broader recognition of the beyond-ecological importance of these species to Indigenous Peoples, which highlights the societal and ecological importance of Indigenous sovereignty and could facilitate the increased cross-cultural understanding critical to reconciliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Clark
- School of Environment & Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8, Canada
| | - Kyle Artelle
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 952, Bella Bella, BC V0T 1Z0, Canada
| | - Chris Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 952, Bella Bella, BC V0T 1Z0, Canada
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 25039, Campbell River, BC V9W 0B7, Canada
| | - William Housty
- Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department, PO Box 731, Bella Bella, BC V0T 1Z0, Canada
| | - Clyde Tallio
- Nuxalk Nation, PO Box 65, Bella Coola, BC V0T 1C0, Canada
| | - Douglas Neasloss
- Kitasoo/Xai’xais Stewardship Authority, PO Box 119, Klemtu, BC V0T 1L0, Canada
| | - Aimee Schmidt
- The T’akhu  Tlén Conservancy, 371-108 Elliott Street, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 6C4, Canada
| | - Andrew Wiget
- New Mexico State University (Emeritus), 109 Beryl Street, White Rock, NM 87547, USA
| | - Nancy Turner
- School of Environmental Studies (Emeritus), University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
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DeRoy BC, Brown V, Service CN, Leclerc M, Bone C, McKechnie I, Darimont CT. Combining high-resolution remotely sensed data with local and Indigenous Knowledge to model the landscape suitability of culturally modified trees: biocultural stewardship in Kitasoo/Xai’xais Territory. Facets (Ott) 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2020-0047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental management and monitoring must reconcile social and cultural objectives with biodiversity stewardship to overcome political barriers to conservation. Suitability modelling offers a powerful tool for such “biocultural” approaches, but examples remain rare. Led by the Stewardship Authority of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation in coastal British Columbia, Canada, we developed a locally informed suitability model for a key biocultural indicator, culturally modified trees (CMTs). CMTs are trees bearing evidence of past cultural use that are valued as tangible markers of Indigenous heritage and protected under provincial law. Using a spatial multi-criteria evaluation framework to predict CMT suitability, we developed two cultural predictor variables informed by Kitasoo/Xai’xais cultural expertise and ethnographic data in addition to six biophysical variables derived from LiDAR and photo interpretation data. Both cultural predictor variables were highly influential in our model, revealing that proximity to known habitation sites and accessibility to harvesters (by canoe and foot) more strongly influenced suitability for CMTs compared with site-level conditions. Applying our model to commercial forestry governance, we found that high CMT suitability areas are 51% greater inside the timber harvesting land base than outside. This work highlights how locally led suitability modelling can improve the social and evidentiary dimensions of environmental management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryant C. DeRoy
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, B109, David Turpin Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, 2238 Harbour Road, Sidney, BC V8L 2P6, Canada
| | - Vernon Brown
- Kitasoo/Xai’xais Stewardship Authority, Kitasoo Band Office, PO Box 87, Klemtu, BC V0T 1L0, Canada
- Spirit Bear Research Foundation, PO Box 104, Klemtu, BC V0T 1L0, Canada
| | - Christina N. Service
- Kitasoo/Xai’xais Stewardship Authority, Kitasoo Band Office, PO Box 87, Klemtu, BC V0T 1L0, Canada
- Spirit Bear Research Foundation, PO Box 104, Klemtu, BC V0T 1L0, Canada
| | - Martin Leclerc
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, B109, David Turpin Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, 2238 Harbour Road, Sidney, BC V8L 2P6, Canada
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon 1045, avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Christopher Bone
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, B109, David Turpin Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, B246a, Cornett Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 25039, Campbell River, BC V9W 0B7, Canada
| | - Chris T. Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, B109, David Turpin Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, 2238 Harbour Road, Sidney, BC V8L 2P6, Canada
- Hakai Institute, PO Box 25039, Campbell River, BC V9W 0B7, Canada
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13
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Reyes-García V, Fernández-Llamazares Á, McElwee P, Molnár Z, Öllerer K, Wilson SJ, Brondizio ES. The contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ecological restoration. Restor Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Reyes-García
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA); Barcelona Spain
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA); Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona Spain
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme; University of Helsinki; Helsinki Finland
| | - Pamela McElwee
- Department of Human Ecology; Rutgers University; New Brunswick, NJ U.S.A
| | - Zsolt Molnár
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research; GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group; 8237, Tihany Hungary
| | - Kinga Öllerer
- MTA Centre for Ecological Research; GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group; 8237, Tihany Hungary
- Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy; 060031, Bucharest Romania
| | - Sarah J. Wilson
- PARTNERS Reforestation Network; University of Connecticut; Mansfield, CT U.S.A
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