Peary caribou, muskoxen and their predators: the value of Indigenous Knowledge in informing species recovery

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Climate change represents one of the largest global threats to the loss of biodiversity and declines in human health and well-being. The adverse effects of climate change are particularly pronounced in the Arctic, where changes in climate regimes are occurring at twice the rate compared to other areas around the globe, and are having dramatic effects on the snow, sea ice, and vegetation that support Arctic wildlife and its human inhabitants. Our research brings together various Indigenous groups (10 HTC/Os, WMAC) territorial and federal governments and agencies, as well as academic experts from 4 Universities to find innovative solutions to the multi-faceted problems posed by climate change to wildlife and human use of the Canadian Arctic biome. Our objectives and project milestones are arranged around acknowledging Indigenous values through the co-development of knowledge that is fostered by a training program with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary research to enhance capacity and collaboration within and outside Arctic communities. We will use emerging technologies and methods to co-develop and co-apply Indigenous knowledge on the Arctic ecosystem with that of western science to quantify how climate change is impacting the Arctic landscape (snow and vegetation) and how those landscape changes are influencing the distribution and abundance of apex predators (wolves and polar bears and grizzly bears) and their primary prey (muskoxen and Peary caribou). We will then test the efficacy of different climate change adaptation strategies, namely through the application of different configuration of conservation networks, in preventing the loss of species at risks and biodiversity given that ecosystem health is the corner stone for Indigenous culture and community well being. Our inclusive program is directed at addressing reconciliation and biodiversity loss in a Canadian context by providing inclusive, holistic and durable climate change solutions by providing tools for incorporating climate change directly into conservation planning and evidence-based policy decision making.