Local Ecological Knowledge of Ivory Gull Declines in Arctic Canada

Abstract

We gathered local ecological knowledge (LEK) on the ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) from residents of three High Arctic communities in eastern Canada. This gull has always been uncommon, but Inuit had suggested that numbers of gulls were declining. LEK from Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay was clear and consistent, indicating that far fewer gulls are currently observed near the community compared to 25 years ago. The LEK from Arctic Bay was less consistent, although in general, community members thought that the species was less commonly observed. Observations from nonsystematic surveys by local wildlife officers corroborated the LEK data, and an aerial survey of the known colony locations on the Brodeur Peninsula (near Arctic Bay) found only one gull. Collectively, this information suggests that ivory gull populations are declining across the species' Canadian range. Systematic surveys will be needed to confirm these perceived declines.

Breeding and Non-Breeding Range of Canada, <em>Branta canadensis</em>, and Cackling Geese, <em>Branta hutchinsii</em>, in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

“…Inuit hunters are providing important observations on these changes that have subsequently been confirmed by scientific surveys (e.g., Robertson and Gilchrist 1998;Mallory et al 2003). While much of our evidence is presently circumstantial, the observations and oral reports documented here lay the baseline for directed surveys to confirm distributional extensions.…”

“…These results were then summarized and published (Priest and Usher 2004), such that results for a community represent harvest in that year within the hunting region around that area. Other data were also collected as part of local ecological knowledge studies focused on various subjects during discussions with Inuit hunters and Wildlife Resource Officers in communities along Baffin Bay (e.g., Mallory et al 2003). Local knowledge has proven to be an effective means of examining wildlife distributions in the Arctic, as Inuit are keen observers of their environment (Gilchrist et al 2005*).…”

Challenges and strategies when mapping local ecological knowledge in the Canadian Arctic: the importance of defining the geographic limits of participants’ common areas of observations

“…Furthermore, we showed that the variability in the quantity of mapped observations was explained by the community of residence and average number of hunting 1 3 and changes in whale migratory routes due to movement of the ice pack (Huntington 2000). Further, local knowledge from residents of three high Arctic communities in eastern Canada reported broad population declines of the ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea), an issue previously not fully recognized by the scientific community (Mallory et al 2003). It has become increasingly appreciated by the scientific community that TEK/LEK has enhanced our understanding of the ecology of species, and is valuable for their future management (Service et al 2014;Pardo-de-Santayana and Macía 2015).…”

“…Traditional and local ecological knowledge (TEK/ LEK, defined in methods), gathered through interviews with harvesters living in close relationship with wildlife, is a key source of information (Huntington 2011;Pardode-Santayana and Macía 2015). The resulting TEK/LEK qualitative database can provide information on aspects of wildlife ecology, which are not always targeted by the scientific community, or which are beyond the reach of traditional scientific observations, particularly for wide ranging species living in remote environments (Mallory et al 2003;Huntington 2011;Service et al 2014). For example, initial population estimates of 2000-3000 bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) obtained from visual coastal counts, increased to 6000-8000 after native Alaskans pointed out the inaccuracy of the census method, which did not take into account diving whales Abstract Traditional and local ecological knowledge (TEK/LEK) are important sources of information for wildlife conservation.…”

Caracterización de la comunidad de mamíferos de un área remota del sur de Chile mediante el uso combinado de metodologías

“…Esto se debe en gran medida, a que pueden existir sesgos asociados al conocimiento de las especies. Por ejemplo, los informadores que no han sido entrenados previamente suelen proporcionar información más fiable de especies carismáticas o fáciles de identificar, como es el caso de los vertebrados grandes y/o peculiares (Mallory et al 2003). En ese sentido, los participantes de nuestro estudio mencionaron frecuentemente dos especies carismáticas de la zona como el puma y el monito de monte, pese a que no suelen alcanzar grandes densidades en bosques templados húmedos del sur de Chile (Iriarte 2008).…”