One-Size Does Not Fit All—A Networked Approach to Community-Based Monitoring in Large River Basins

Abstract

Monitoring methods based on Indigenous knowledge have the potential to contribute to our understanding of large watersheds. Research in large, complex, and dynamic ecosystems suggests a participatory approach to monitoring—that builds on the diverse knowledges, practices, and beliefs of local people—can yield more meaningful outcomes than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Here we share the results of 12 community-based, participatory monitoring projects led by Indigenous governments and organizations in the Mackenzie River Basin (2015–2018). Specifically, we present and compare the indicators and monitoring methods developed by each of these community-based cases to demonstrate the specificity of place, culture, and context. A scalar analysis of these results suggests that the combination of core (common) indicators used across the basin, coupled with others that are meaningful at local level, create a methodological bricolage—a mix of tools, methods, and rules-in-use that are fit together. Our findings, along with those of sister projects in two other major watersheds (Amazon, Mekong), confront assumptions that Indigenous-led community-based monitoring efforts are too local to offer insights about large-scale systems. In summary, a networked approach to community-based monitoring that can simultaneously engage with local- and watershed-level questions of social and ecological change can address gaps in knowledge. Such an approach can create both practices and outcomes that are useful to local peoples as well as to those engaged in basin-wide governance.

In a Good Way: Braiding Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems to Understand and Restore Freshwater Systems

“…• Parlee et al [81] describe a two-day facilitated participatory workshop where Indigenous partners from the Mackenzie River Basin came together to identify research priorities that would be common in a system of community-based monitoring projects.…”

“…• Parlee et al [81] describe how each community involved in a network of community-based monitoring projects for the Mackenzie River Basin (one of the largest watersheds in the world) was encouraged to prepare their own program priorities and objectives rather than requiring the same outcomes from all programs for consistency.…”

“…Other records mention knowledge sharing during camps, canoe trips, and other extended excursions on the land [61,81,118].…”

Ensuring continuity and impact in Arctic monitoring: a solution-orientated model for community-based environmental research

“…Short funding cycles has limited data collection to a few seasons (Ford et al 2013, Henri et al 2018, Hovel et al 2020, McNicholl et al 2021, delayed the transition from data collection to analysis (Peacock et al 2020) and continues to limit the flexibility and adaptability of CBM programs to evolve through different iterations. Externally-led and often top-down driven funding typically limits the ability of research to be built upon community needs and ensure research outcomes are genuinely applicable and relevant (ITK 2018, Eicken et al 2021, Parlee et al 2021, Doering et al 2022. Current application processes for funding tend to result in fragmented studies, always producing new data, with significant time and administrative requirements required to write competitive grants sometimes limiting reflexive and responsive research innovations.…”

“…While there is no one-size-fits all approach to CBM (Johnson et al 2015, Parlee et al 2021 there are reoccurring challenges that prevent continuity across CBM research processes and limit the potential of the data produced (figure 3(A)). Learning from examples of community-based environmental research in Tuktoyaktuk, we present a solutions-orientated model (figure 3(B)) to overcome some of the most prevalent challenges presented.…”