Indigenous peoples as sentinels of change in human‐wildlife relationships: Conservation status of mountain goats in Kitasoo Xai'xais territory and beyond

Abstract

Local people can act as sentinels for change, especially for wildlife populations not monitored by centralized governments. Responding to concern expressed by the Kitasoo Xai'xais (KX) First Nation over a decline in mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) sightings, our community‐academic partnership assessed the conservation status of goats in KX territory and beyond in British Columbia by evaluating three independent information sources. Aerial surveys (2019 and 2020) over 542 km2 revealed a low‐density population (mean 0.25, SD 0.12 goats/km2), typical of peripheral coastal range. Interviews with KX Knowledge Holders revealed that sightings from sea level have declined sharply over 40 years, a period during which temperatures have increased and snowpack has decreased. Finally, Kill data (1980–2018) showed that kills/hunter/day initially increased among guided hunters before plateauing, but declined among resident hunters (~70% of hunt days) in both coastal and interior BC. Convergent patterns among datasets suggest that coastal goats declined in abundance and/or reduced use of low‐elevation habitat, disrupting a millennia‐old relationship between KX people and goats, thereby posing a conservation concern. Broadly, our work shows that detecting threats to peripheral populations, and wildlife in general, can be informed and empowered by the knowledge of place‐based peoples and associated decentralized management. Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation mountain goat research illustrates roles of Indigenous peoples as sentinels of population and ecosystem change.

Snow avalanches are a primary climate-linked driver of mountain ungulate populations

“…6 ) 51 , and are particularly important in mountain food webs characterized by low ungulate biomass 52 . Moreover, Indigenous hunters have relied on mountain ungulate populations for millennia, a relationship involving important subsistence and cultural traditions including use of wool for weaving ceremonial robes and other regalia 53 – 55 . Mountain ungulates are also highly regarded among contemporary sport hunters and recreational wildlife-viewers worldwide.…”

“…Mountain goats in this region are widespread and occur at low to moderate densities, typical of northern coastal areas inhabited by the species 55,60 . Populations exhibit a high degree of local-scale population genetic differentiation, with limited movement among geographically discrete mountain complexes 28,61,62 .…”

Comparing wildlife habitat suitability models based on expert opinion with camera trap detections

“…One limitation of our study is that we selected participants based on their publication history and therefore did not include practitioners or conservationists who had no peer‐reviewed publications but may have substantial technical expertise, such as local community members or Indigenous knowledge holders (Jessen et al., 2022). It remains to be seen whether our results translate to these groups.…”