Łeghágots'enetę (learning together): the importance of indigenous perspectives in the identification of biological variation

Abstract

. 2016. Łeghaǵots'enetę (learning together): the importance of indigenous perspectives in the identification of biological variation. Ecology and Society 21 (2) ABSTRACT. Using multiple knowledge sources to interpret patterns of biodiversity can generate the comprehensive species characterizations that are required for effective conservation strategies. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) display substantial intraspecific variation across their distribution and in the Sahtú Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, three caribou types, each with a different conservation status, co-occur. Caribou are essential to the economies, culture, and livelihoods of northern indigenous peoples. Indigenous communities across the north are insisting that caribou research be community-driven and collaborative. In response to questions that arose through dialogue with five Sahtú Dene and Métis communities, we jointly developed a research approach to understand caribou differentiation and population structure. Our goal was to examine caribou variation through analysis of population genetics and an exploration of the relationships Dene and Métis people establish with animals within bioculturally diverse systems. To cultivate a research environment that supported łeghaǵots'enetę "learning together" we collaborated with Ɂehdzo Got'ınę (Renewable Resources Councils), elders, and an advisory group. Dene knowledge and categorization systems include a comprehensive understanding of the origin, behaviors, dynamic interactions, and spatial structure of caribou. Dene people classify todzı "boreal woodland caribou" based on unique behaviors, habitat preferences, and morphology that differ from ɂekwę "barren-ground" or shuhta ɂepę "mountain" caribou. Similarly, genetic analysis of material (microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA) from caribou fecal pellets, collected in collaboration with community members during the winter, provided additional evidence for population differentiation that corresponded to the caribou types recognized by Dene people and produced insights into the evolutionary histories that contribute to the various forms. We developed culturally respectful and relevant descriptions of caribou variation through partnerships that respect the lives and experiences of people that depend on the land. By prioritizing mutual learning, researchers can broaden their understanding of biodiversity and establish a common language for collaboration.

Ancient diversification in glacial refugia leads to intraspecific diversity in a Holarctic mammal

“…The series of range oscillations and repeated demographic fluctuations associated with the expansion and retraction of continental glaciers produced conspecific populations with distinct morphological, ecological and behavioural traits (Flagstad & Røed, ). The diverse spatial‐temporal evolutionary histories that characterize caribou have made taxonomic clarity within the species challenging and are evident in extensive intraspecific genetic structure (Serrouya et al ., ; Weckworth et al ., ; Klütsch et al ., ; Polfus et al ., ). Genetic evaluations have attributed the most pronounced intraspecific split (first formally described as subspecies by Banfield in 1961) to two distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) phylogeographical lineages that originated south of the ice sheets (North American lineage; NAL) and north of the ice sheets (Beringian–Eurasian lineage; BEL, Flagstad & Røed, ; Cronin et al ., ; McDevitt et al ., ; Klütsch et al ., ; Weckworth et al ., ; Yannic et al ., ).…”

Problem Perspectives and Grizzly Bears: A Case Study of Alberta’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Policy

“…While we acknowledge that governments operate within established hierarchical decision-making structures that can be difficult to change, negotiating new spaces of cooperative knowledge exchange and decision-making can help balance otherwise asymmetrical power dynamics in conservation policy and create shared understandings (Raik et al, 2008;Ebbin, 2011;Robbins, 2012). That said, while we acknowledge that biological and ecological scientific evidence is considered a cornerstone of effective conservation policy, the role of local and Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, experiences and values, as well as recognition of their land uses and wildlife practices, is also necessary (Berkes, 2004;Clark et al, 2014;Polfus et al, 2016;Carroll et al, 2017). Future research could explore how to integrate both natural and social sciences data in policy processes (Polfus et al, 2016).…”

“…That said, while we acknowledge that biological and ecological scientific evidence is considered a cornerstone of effective conservation policy, the role of local and Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, experiences and values, as well as recognition of their land uses and wildlife practices, is also necessary (Berkes, 2004;Clark et al, 2014;Polfus et al, 2016;Carroll et al, 2017). Future research could explore how to integrate both natural and social sciences data in policy processes (Polfus et al, 2016). However, participatory processes are not without their challenges, so care must be taken in their implementation, to avoid unintended conflict or exacerbate existing problems (Lopez-Bao et al, 2017).…”

Size reductions and genomic changes associated with harvesting within two generations in wild walleye populations

“…While Western Scientific Methods (WSM) are most often used to inform fisheries management, 80 inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has become an integral complement to scientific 81 knowledge for wildlife management and community-based conservation (Berkes et al 2000;Fraser et al 82 2006;Polfus et al 2016;Polfus et al 2014). TEK is defined as the "cumulative body of knowledge, 83 practice and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural 84 transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their 85 environment" (Berkes et al 2000).…”