‘As Long as the Sun Shines, the Rivers Flow and Grass Grows’: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Environmental Change in Deninu Kue Traditional Territory, Northwest Territories

Abstract

Drawing on several years of collaboration with the community of Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories, this chapter highlights the complex relationship between environmental change and community vulnerability. We draw attention to water as the medium that connects people to their environment and affects local livelihoods and community well-being, although our discussion of capacity-building reflects a broader engagement with multiple forms of change. We used a participatory approach that incorporated a range of iteratively developed methods, including a literature review, semi-structured interviews, a household questionnaire, focus groups, and participant observation. Qualitative scenarios offered a valuable tool to assess future vulnerability. Results indicate that current exposure-sensitivities are largely experienced by land users, and that adaptations to date have generally been reactive and undertaken on an individual basis. Climate change and resource development are the primary drivers of concern to residents, as they threaten to exacerbate existing trends and introduce new challenges. Priority adaptation options were identified in five sectors: environment and natural resources, economy, community management and development, infrastructure and services, and information and training. In Fort Resolution, vulnerability and adaptive capacity are determined not only by changes to water resources, but by key socio-cultural relationships, values and worldviews operating at individual and community scales. Building adaptive capacity for an uncertain future should focus on incorporating different knowledge systems, engaging actors and institutions, and adopting a multi-level systems view. A collective engagement of actors at multiple levels to address vulnerabilities, support adaptation, and share experiences and knowledge, will support improved well-being in northern communities.