Vicki Sahanatien, PhD

Mushkegowuk Council

Project name: Conserving Subarctic Biodiversity: Building Comprehensive Understanding of the World’s Southernmost Polar Bears in the Face of Climate Change

Sea ice is a critical habitat for many northern marine species and is a driver of terrestrial ecological dynamics. As the climate has warmed, sea ice cover has declined with cascading effects for the species that rely on these essential ecosystems. Mushkegowuk Council with the Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board, and a network of researchers are undertaking a comprehensive study of the ecology and conservation of the world’s southernmost polar bears in the Hudson Bay and James Bay region as they confront the effects of climate change on their natural habitat. Results of this study will inform federal and provincial management strategies as well as the establishment of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the region.

Wilder Greenman, PhD

Dalhousie University

Project name: Tracking long-term ecological shifts in deep-water coral habitats along the Labrador margin to identify the conditions where they thrive and inform marine protection strategy

Deep-water corals provide critical ecosystem services for a variety of species and support biodiversity oases in the deep ocean. These corals can grow to be hundreds of years old and are very fragile, making them vulnerable to a range of climate and anthropogenic stressors. Researchers at Dalhousie University are studying the long-term ecological impacts on coral habitats off the coast of Northern Labrador to inform conservation strategies in the region. This work is in collaboration with the Nunatsiavut Government, who are working to establish Inuit-led conservation areas in the Labrador Sea.

Susan Kutz, PhD

University of Calgary

Project name: Conservation Through a Proactive Wildlife Surveillance Network

Rapid environmental change and shifting host-pathogen dynamics threaten arctic wildlife sustainability throughout Canada’s North. Led by researchers at the University of Calgary, this project aims to identify emerging pathogen threats among northern caribou and muskoxen and implement an integrative, action-oriented, community-based wildlife health surveillance network in Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut. This network will help to identify and implement species population health indicators, identify and track known/emerging disease threats, build local capacity for biodiversity conservation, and channel extensive real-time information to policy and protection decision-making tables.   

Bruce Hanbidge

Ya’thi Néné Land and Resource Office

Project name: Using LiDAR Technology to Map and Support Government Policy Regarding Linear Disturbances in Northern Saskatchewan 

In the northern Canadian boreal forest, linear disturbances, or cut lines, resulting from rapidly accelerating mineral exploration activities are the primary anthropogenic threat to biodiversity. Improved policy and land management practices to help restore landscape biodiversity and mitigate the effects of linear disturbances are limited by a lack of understanding regarding the full extent of these disturbances and their degree of natural recovery. Led by the Ya’thi Néné Land and Resource Office (YNLR), researchers are working to address these knowledge gaps to inform land management decisions and conserve biodiversity in the region.

This work supports the mandate of YNLR, which is owned by the seven Athabasca Basin communities in northern Saskatchewan: Black Lake, Fond du Lac, and Hatchet Lake Denesułiné First Nations, and the municipalities of Stony Rapids, Wollaston Lake, Uranium City, and Camsell Portage. The project helps advance their shared goal of protecting the land while supporting the well-being of current and future generations in the region.

Heidi Swanson, PhD

University of Waterloo 

Project name: Migration patterns and spawning habitat of Arctic Char and Dolly Varden near Kugluktuk, Nunavut

Arctic Char and Dolly Varden Char are crucial to subsistence food fisheries across the Canadian Arctic. Currently, insufficient scientific and Inuit knowledge of spawning and overwintering habitats presents challenges for species conservation and fishery stewardship. Researchers from the University of Waterloo and the community of Kugluktuk are aiming to address these knowledge gaps by gathering information about spawning habitat, species composition, and migration patterns in a changing environment to inform protection strategies for Arctic Char and Dolly Varden Char in the Coppermine River and Coronation Gulf region of Nunavut to inform long-term sustainability and conservation strategies for these important species.

Élise Devoie, PhD

Queen’s University

Project name: Fire, Fish, Lakes, and Landscapes: the impact of climate on aquatic ecosystems in Tłıchǫ lands

Water resources are central to the social, cultural, economic, and ecological wellbeing of the North. At workshops organized by project team members in 2022 and 2024, Tłıchǫ Elders and land-users raised concerns about lake-water temperature and quality noting recent changes in fish health, abundance, and preferred habitat. Led by researchers from Queen’s University and the Tłıchǫ Government, this project aims to combine Indigenous knowledge and scientific methods to understand these implications and the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems on Tłıchǫ lands. Findings will inform local land use planning, fish habitat protection, and climate adaptation strategies as well as territorial and federal conservation strategies throughout the region.