Abstract
This article describes a pilot study evaluating the sensitivity of Indigenous community health to climate change impacts on Salish Sea shorelines (Washington State, United States and British Columbia, Canada). Current climate change assessments omit key community health concerns, which are vital to successful adaptation plans, particularly for Indigenous communities. Descriptive scaling techniques, employed in facilitated workshops with two Indigenous communities, tested the efficacy of ranking six key indicators of community health in relation to projected impacts to shellfish habitat and shoreline archaeological sites stemming from changes in the biophysical environment. Findings demonstrate that: when shellfish habitat and archaeological resources are impacted, so is Indigenous community health; not all community health indicators are equally impacted; and, the community health indicators of highest concern are not necessarily the same indicators most likely to be impacted. Based on the findings and feedback from community participants, exploratory trials were successful; Indigenous-specific health indicators may be useful to Indigenous communities who are assessing climate change sensitivities and creating adaptation plans.
Highlights
Several parallel efforts among U.S and Canadian Indigenous1 communities and federal, provincial, state, academic, and non-profit organizations are underway to identify and assess species, habitat, and human health and wellbeing sensitivities to climate change at local and landscape scales
The project aims to test the efficacy of the Indigenous community health indicators (IHIs) in each community to determine whether: (1) the IHIs resonate with community members by accurately depicting nonphysical aspects of Indigenous community health and (2) they illustrate how Indigenous community health is affected, and to what degree, when coastal climate change alters Indigenous foods, habitats, and archaeological resources
The analyses of environmental indicators focused on examining likely impacts of climate change on tribal shellfish and archeological resources
Summary
Several parallel efforts among U.S and Canadian Indigenous communities and federal, provincial, state, academic, and non-profit organizations are underway to identify and assess species, habitat, and human health and wellbeing sensitivities to climate change at local and landscape scales The project described cross-walks biophysical and social science by employing a set of recently developed Indigenous community health indicators (IHIs) to identify coastal climate adaptation priorities for Coast Salish communities. The indicators’ efficacy is tested in two Indigenous communities by evaluating community health impacts and priorities based on projected climate change effects to shorelines, shellfish habitat, and archaeological resources in the Salish Sea region. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (Swinomish) in Washington State, led the work presented here, in collaboration with the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation in British Columbia, and the U.S Geological Survey’s Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center and Western Fisheries Research Center. While the focus is on development and implementation of the social science aspects, both social and biophysical sciences are necessary for the design, implementation, and outcomes of this project
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