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Work that addresses the cumulative impacts of resource extraction on environment, community, and health is necessarily large in scope. This paper presents experiences from initiating research at this intersection and explores implications for the ambitious, integrative agenda of planetary health. The purpose is to outline origins, design features, and preliminary insights from our intersectoral and international project, based in Canada and titled the “Environment, Community, Health Observatory” (ECHO) Network. With a clear emphasis on rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, environments, and health, the ECHO Network is designed to answer the question: How can an Environment, Community, Health Observatory Network support the integrative tools and processes required to improve understanding and response to the cumulative health impacts of resource development? The Network is informed by four regional cases across Canada where we employ a framework and an approach grounded in observation, “taking notice for action”, and collective learning. Sharing insights from the foundational phase of this five-year project, we reflect on the hidden and obvious challenges of working across scales, sectors, and sites, and the overlap of generative and uncomfortable entanglements associated with health and resource development. Yet, although intersectoral work addressing the cumulative impacts of resource extraction presents uncertainty and unresolved tensions, ultimately we argue that it is worth staying with the trouble.

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Recent research on the Aboriginal tourism market has revolved predominantly around establishing a profile of the traveller interested in Aboriginal tourism (hereafter referred to as the Aboriginal tourism traveller). Currently, the Aboriginal tourism traveller is generally described as a mature individual who is interested in having authentic experiences of different cultures. However, there is a need for a better understanding of what specific products this particular traveller is interested in, and in what style, format or nature of delivery. The study presented in this article attempts to provide insight into this topic. In a collaborative research effort between Tl'azt'en Nation and the University of Northern British Columbia, a questionnaire containing four potential Aboriginal tourism product descriptions and 31 individual features of Aboriginal tourism products was administered to 337 visitors of northern British Columbia during the summer of 2007. Despite a primary interest in nature experiences by the majority of visitors, one-third of our sample demonstrated considerable interest in experiences of Aboriginal culture. Results suggest the need for marketing diverse Aboriginal tourism attractions to attract repeat visitors and for offering an introductory experience to Aboriginal culture for first-time visitors.

Aboriginal tourism is increasingly seen as a strategy for economic diversification by many Aboriginal communities. While demand for Aboriginal tourism experiences in North America has been demonstrated, little is known about visitor product preferences. This information is needed, however, by Aboriginal tourism business entrepreneurs and operators in order to manage for the long-term profitability of their businesses. Using a psychographic segmentation methodology, we surveyed visitors to northern British Columbia who expressed an interest in Aboriginal tourism to explore their interest in specific features of potential Aboriginal tourism products. Three distinct clusters were identified as the Culture Seekers, the Nature-Culture Observers and the Sightseers. The first two segments appear to hold the strongest potential for rural First Nation communities. In the end, which segment to target and which marketing channels to use will depend on each First Nation's level of comfort in interacting with visitors and how much of their culture they are willing to share with tourists.