Abstract
The Dolphin and Union (DU) caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus x pearyi), locally referred to as Island caribou, is a unique and at-risk ecotype of caribou that ranges on Victoria Island and the adjacent mainland in the central Canadian Arctic. To facilitate the incorporation of traditional knowledge (TK) and better inform the required species recovery plan, we analyzed an archived set of TK interviews done in Ekaluktutiak and Kugluktuk, Nunavut, in 2003. The overarching theme throughout the interviews was that the DU caribou were dynamic, constantly adapting to the changing environment around them. Accounts provided previously unexplored connections between temporal and spatial trends in DU caribou distribution, population, ecology, and disease syndromes. Findings of fewer animals, range shift, and increased observations of disease in the late 1990s and early 2000s suggest that early signs of the declines that have resulted in the herd being reassessed as endangered today were already apparent to Kugluktukmiut in 2003. In contrast, Ekaluktutiakmiut were seeing a stable population. Shifts in caribou range and consequently harvesting ranges were described by both communities, but more evident in Kugluktuk. When combined, the differing accounts of the two communities provided a deeper understanding of caribou ecology and trends across seasons, years, and a broad spatial range. Community differences demonstrate the cruciality of considering unique place-based perspectives and the importance of mobilizing TK from communities and knowledge keepers throughout the caribou range for a herd-level understanding. This study highlights the importance of timely analyses and reporting on TK studies to ensure a nimble conservation response in a rapidly changing environment.
Highlights
Across Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands in what is called Canada, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) play central roles in ecosystem processes (Katz, 2010; Bernes et al, 2015), economic activity, food security, social engagement (Chiu et al, 2016), and Inuit ways of life (Ljubicic et al, 2018; Tomaselli et al, 2018a, b)
The Dolphin and Union (DU) caribou range mapped by the TK keepers (TKKs) represented approximately 52% of the official DU caribou range used in the management plan (ECCC, 2018)
Of the total DU caribou range mapped by the TKKs, approximately 4% mapped by Ekaluktutiakmiut and 24% mapped by Kugluktukmiut fell outside of the official range
Summary
Across Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands in what is called Canada, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) play central roles in ecosystem processes (Katz, 2010; Bernes et al, 2015), economic activity, food security, social engagement (Chiu et al, 2016), and Inuit ways of life (Ljubicic et al, 2018; Tomaselli et al, 2018a, b). The Dolphin and Union (DU) caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus x pearyi) refers to a migratory herd in the central Canadian Arctic. This herd characteristically summers on Victoria Island and winters on the adjacent mainland, migrating across the sea ice between these locations (ECCC, 2018). Standardized coastal stratifiedstrip aerial surveys done since 1997 indicate that the herd has declined from an estimate of 34,558 animals (95% CI = 27,757 to 41,359; CV = 12%) in 1997 (Nishi and Gunn, 2004; Dumond and Lee, 2013) to 4105 animals (95% CI = 2931 to 5750; CV = 17%) in 2018 (Leclerc and Boulanger, 2020).
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